Hello from Edinburgh

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edinburgh_col

Regular
Location
Edinburgh
Hi,

Thought I'd join this forum as it seems friendly and full of good advice. I'm a newbie as far as cycling goes but really keen to improve.

Like many folk on here I took up cycling as a way to improve my fitness. Last year, at the age of 44 I decided to lose weight, and since then I've shed over 5 stones. I go to the gym (fairly) regularly but got a bit fed up with this so decided to start cycling as well. I dusted down my Revolution Trailfinder that hadn't seen much action since I bought it about 5 years ago, and could only manage a few miles at first, but soon started believing in myself a wee bit more and gradually built up the miles.

After doing a 40Km round trip a few weeks ago I got an incredible buzz, really enjoyed myself and this spurred me on to do more cycling. I know 40Km is not much to some of you more experienced guys and gals, but it was a huge boost to my own self confidence.

After that I decided to do something I never would dreamed of doing before, that is enter an organised bike ride - Pedal for Scotland in September, the 50 mile route between Glasgow and Edinburgh. What I liked about it is that you're not timed on this ride, and it's about going at your own pace and enjoying it (there's a 100 mile sportive too for the more hardcore cyclist - maybe one day!!), so even if it takes me the whole day, as long as I complete the ride, I'll be extremely chuffed. This has made me realise I needed some sort of training programme (I mean - me? training?? never would've believed it). So, I'm still learning about how much my body can take, when to push it and when to go easy.

I'm now going out 3 times a week, twice during the week during lunchtimes at work, with a longer ride at the weekend. I use Endomondo on my Android phone to track my routes - fantastic programme and would recommend it to anyone needing a simple to use way of recording routes, distance, calories burned, etc.

Anyway, hope to speak to some of you soon, keen to learn more about bikes, cycling, and other people's experiences!

Colin
 

edindave

Über Member
Location
Auld Reeker
Hello and welcome
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Maybe see you on a CC Ecosse meet sometime.
 

aberal

Veteran
Location
Midlothian
Hi Colin - welcome to the forum. There are quite a few people here in the Edinburgh vicinity. As Dave has mentioned - look out for CC Ecosse posts.

As far as training is concerned - you are doing the right thing, a couple of short rides during the week of around an hour and a longer ride at the weekend. For the distance is concerned - if you have already done a 40km ride then a 50 mile ride is well within your reach. Ideally, up your mileage at the weekends by approx 10% at a time, but roughly (say) starting at 25 miles, then 30, 35, 40, 45, 50 gets you to your goal within 5-6 weeks. Which would take you up till mid-July. Wet weather and work can get in the way but you are on track already. So depending how you feel you can keep on upping the miles to the 60-70 miles or hover around the 50. The fitter you are the more you will enjoy it. If it works for you then aim for some of the bigger rides next year. A lot of us had a good time on the Kinross Sportive a week back. Something to aim for like that can keep you getting out over the winter or even getting a Turbo trainer. If the bug bites - it bites. There's no getting away from it.
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Telemark

Cycling is fun ...
Location
Edinburgh
:hello: Hello & welcome from another Edinburgher!

Hope to see you on a CC Ecosse ride soon, there is one being organised just now - see here.

As Al said, you are doing the right thing, mixing up shorter rides & longer ones with rest days to recover in between. :thumbsup:

:bicycle:

T
 
OP
OP
E

edinburgh_col

Regular
Location
Edinburgh
Many thanks to everyone who's said hello, particularly aberal - your comments on my training regime are very useful. Loving this forum already!!

Colin
 

Mad Doug Biker

Just a damaged guy.
Location
Craggy Island
After that I decided to do something I never would dreamed of doing before, that is enter an organised bike ride - Pedal for Scotland in September, the 50 mile route between Glasgow and Edinburgh. What I liked about it is that you're not timed on this ride, and it's about going at your own pace and enjoying it (there's a 100 mile sportive too for the more hardcore cyclist - maybe one day!!), so even if it takes me the whole day, as long as I complete the ride, I'll be extremely chuffed. This has made me realise I needed some sort of training programme (I mean - me? training?? never would've believed it). So, I'm still learning about how much my body can take, when to push it and when to go easy.

Hello there - you will be fine by September, and the other people about keep you going psychologically - you'll be 'scalping' plenty of people.

I did it last year in under 3 hours (including stop) after only having started really that June, and I (unknowingly) happened to be seriously ill too (I was the lucky recipient of some mild butchery courtesy of the NHS, complete with a souvenir picture of my Large Intestine and Appendix, but that's another story!).

You will be ok, trust me! and you wont be the slowest there by a long shot (families do it with the kids for example).

Just keep following the bums in front, and hopefully mine wont be as toxic this year too!! :biggrin:
 
OP
OP
E

edinburgh_col

Regular
Location
Edinburgh
Hello there - you will be fine by September, and the other people about keep you going psychologically - you'll be 'scalping' plenty of people.

I did it last year in under 3 hours (including stop) after only having started really that June, and I (unknowingly) happened to be seriously ill too (I was the lucky recipient of some mild butchery courtesy of the NHS, complete with a souvenir picture of my Large Intestine and Appendix, but that's another story!).

You will be ok, trust me! and you wont be the slowest there by a long shot (families do it with the kids for example).

Just keep following the bums in front, and hopefully mine wont be as toxic this year too!! :biggrin:

ho ho... I feel sorry for the folk behind me :blush:...

Great encouragement Mad Doug, thanks! Really looking forward to it. Just need to work out the logistics now - how to get there, i.e. use my own transport or pay PfS to get me there...!
 
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