Hello there.

[JayBear]

Hello,

I'm a bit new to this cycling thing, so have been sifting through various fora looking for the answers to stupid questions I had. I am most relived that so far they have mostly been asked before. I found myself replying to a thread on this forum so thought I'd better say hello.

About me: I'm a fat bloke from North Wales who plays the part of large lumberer in an assortment of contact sports, and I'm taking up cycling as a means of accumulating some fit and loosing some fat. And cycling was chosen over running because running is very painful and doesn't involve a shiny machine with moving parts that you can nerd over and buy presents for when you are feeling down.

My current best distance on my old biffer of a bike is about 5 miles to my parents house, though this was really an assisted walk due to my current total inability to climb any sort of incline. I can manage a few more than that on the flat if I can pace myself... Pathetic really, but I'm calling it a start.

Cheers.

Jamie

 

[Biker Joe]

Hi and welcome,
I liked your post, especially the bit involving a shiny machine.
Well, I'm glad you realise what you need to do to get fitter and loose weight.
Stick at it , my friend, and you will soon begin to see positive results.
I wish you well.

 

[paul04]

Welcome to the website, and like Joe said, stick at it, slow and steady and you will build up the miles in no time.

 

[simon.r]

Ayup.

I always wondered what the plural of forum was

 

[BrianEvesham]

Nice intro.
Welcome from another Fat bloke in Evesham (but losing weight thanks to cycling).

 

[Eribiste]

Welcome aboard,

You'll do alright if you keep at it, bit at a time. You'll get to 5 miles without needing CPR, then you'll be able to do 10, then a bit more, and so it goes. Enjoy!

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Jamie!
North Wales: very exciting place for cycling, I hear
Enjoy your new found sport, fitness to climb hills won't be long.

 

[Boon 51]

Welcome Jamie..

Not started cycling too long ago myself, just take the training easy too start with and you will be fine.
If you need help just ask, as they are a great bunch of people on here and are very helpfull.

 

[Cycleops]

Hello and welcome. Good to hear you have made a start. Five miles is a respectable distance so don't worry if you can't made it in one stretch, it will get easier with time. Don't forget you will need to teview your food intake as well if you want to loose weight. Good luck.

 

[JayBear]

Thanks for the encouragement, a start has been made and to be honest I was expecting to be worse than I am, the hills should come easier once I've sorted my technique a bit as often I just catch myself out in the wrong gear and stall, Then getting my bulk going again is difficult. With proper technique I think I could get myself perhaps as much as 15 to 20 meters further up the hills without abandoning.

The top of my list for learning now is self-discipline for pacing. I find that I cycle (on the flat cycle route behind where I live) in fits and starts switching from blasting along at full effort for a minute or so, to having to pootle slowly to recover. Then blasting again, then pootling, so I always feel like I'm going massivly slowly. I'm putting this down to playing other sports where I am required to make short bursts of extremely high intensity activity, with a short rest then going again, over and over again for a few hours. I'm hoping I can smooth out the spikes over time, but we'll see.

 

[Biker Joe]

Thanks for the encouragement, a start has been made and to be honest I was expecting to be worse than I am, the hills should come easier once I've sorted my technique a bit as often I just catch myself out in the wrong gear and stall, Then getting my bulk going again is difficult. With proper technique I think I could get myself perhaps as much as 15 to 20 meters further up the hills without abandoning.

The top of my list for learning now is self-discipline for pacing. I find that I cycle (on the flat cycle route behind where I live) in fits and starts switching from blasting along at full effort for a minute or so, to having to pootle slowly to recover. Then blasting again, then pootling, so I always feel like I'm going massivly slowly. I'm putting this down to playing other sports where I am required to make short bursts of extremely high intensity activity, with a short rest then going again, over and over again for a few hours. I'm hoping I can smooth out the spikes over time, but we'll see.

Yes. You need to develope new habits towards cycling.
At this early stage you need to cycle at a steady, easy pace. Use your gears so that you can peddle at around 80 - 90 revolutions per minute (cadence).
You don't want to be gasping for breath. If you're getting out of breath, you are cycling too hard.
Imagine riding alongside someone having a conversation. You want to be able to talk to them without having to stop to catch your breath.
You burn more fat at this easier pace, by the way. If you push hard you burn less fat and more muscle glycogen.

Prepare early before you get onto a hill. Change down your gear before you start to climb and use your gears to keep an easy pace. If you have to use the very lowest gear, do so. If the lowest gear is not enough. Walk.
Stick at it and you will gradually develope your muscles and lose the weight.
Don't think about how many miles you ride. Think about the time on your bike. Time is more important than distance when you are training.
To start with, try to ride about 1 to 1 1/2hrs every other day. The day in between you need to recover. This is important. Your body needs time to repair itself. If you want a longer ride then choose the weekend to do it. This gives you time to recover from your extra effort.
Stick at it and you will be fine. It all takes time so don't rush at it.
Any problems then get back on the forum.
I wish you well.

 

[Ern1e]

Hi and welcome to the forum Jamie and I agree you have made a very good start and Biker Joe's advice is totaly sound take the hills nice and easy for a start and has he says if you have to walk then walk it's no shame, these do get easier over time and you will wonder why you had to but I had to and most likly at some time so have us all.
Ernie.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

cycling was chosen over running because running is very painful and doesn't involve a shiny machine with moving parts that you can nerd over and buy presents for when you are feeling down.

Hi Jamie and from Shropshire. It sounds to me like you need to pace yourself a bit. Put in a steady effort rather than sharp bursts and you'll surprise yourself at what you can do on a bike.

This is probably the friendliest cycling forum on the net (as long as you don't mention helmets or headphones) so feel free to ask any questions that occur to you.

 

[Ladytrucker]

Hello Jamie

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

Hello Jamie from a fellow North Walian.