Let's raise the game...

[Theo42]

Hi all,
I'm nearly 30, and I bought a Carrera TDF (2009) a couple of years ago, mainly to cycle to work (10 mile round trip). But I have developed the 'bug'! And now I want to do a bit more than just commute. But where to start??

I have bought my wife a road bike now, and we enjoy 'leisurely outings' for about 20 miles at slow speed.
I'm in the Forces and am thinking about joing the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Cycling Association with the hope that that will open some opportunities for me.
I want to cycle charity events and see how I get on and eventually progress into sportives.

A friend of mine is about to trade my bike with his - a Cannondale Synapse - so I reckon I've upgraded from my Halfords entry-level bike!
I have also made the transition to clipless (but got MTB SPDs as they are easier to walk in when I get to work).

So, with the caveat of 'No question too stupid' protecting me... Where do I go from here? What do I need to be doing to get myself ready for a move forward? (ie, how do I gauge how good a cyclist I am?)
Unfortunately, there are no nearby cycling clubs for me to join, and I don't have any friends that want to commit to more than cycling to work.

Any advice/suggestions would be greatly apprectiated.
Theo.

 

[Nosaj]

Where abouts are you? how nearby does a cycling club have to be to make it nearby ?

The only real way to progress is just to bite the bullet and go and enter a few of the events that you list that way at least you get a bench mark. Alternatively find a local training loop invest in a half decent cycle computer and heart rate monitor and try and beat yourself around your loop periodically. That will give you some measure as to how you have improved over a period of time.

As your first yardstick and if you really want to raise the game then if you can get within a few minutes of the following (excluding the 10 mile which say a minute) in a Time trial then you are in pretty good rider territory. These are club records from my club. I will tell what category of rider set them later

10 mile time trial - 23 mins
25 Mile TT - 59 minutes
30 mile TT - 1 hr 13 mins
50 mile TT - 2 hr 7 mins
100 mile TT - 4 hr 35 mins
100 Mile TT sub 4 hours
If you can get beyond 200 miles in 12 hours

 

[Theo42]

Nosaj, many thanks for the speedy reply!
I work between Portsmouth (well, Gosport actually), Bournemouth, Plymouth and Faslane (Scotland) so lots of travelling and can't really commit to a club as such - I am due quite a long stint in Faslane next year so will hunt for a club nearby then.
I will take your advice and start scrutinising my times over a set route - but I'm pretty certain I won't be anywhere near those times you listed at present - but at least I can use it as an indication of where I'm at now.
Thanks again.

 

[Globalti]

I defected after 20 years of mountain biking to road riding three years ago and wish I had done it much much sooner. Anyway as a blossoming road cyclist the best thing that happened to me was meeting the father of a boy at my son's school who is the same age and build as me and is well matched fitness-wise. We started going riding together and there's a bit of competitiveness between us, which means that our rides are pretty fast and furious and excellent training for the longer more leisurely rides we occasionally undertake alone or together. It helps that he lives in a village in the Ribble Valley, which is a great departure point for quiet country roads with great scenery in many directions. I would certainly recommend that you keep an eye open for potential training partners as the company makes riding much more fun.

 

[Theo42]

I am always trying to convince my mates who cycle to work, to join me in my quest to get more serious, but they all seem to have other committments. That's why I'm hoping that joining the RNRM cycling association might help to get me into the right crowd to support my ambition.
It's good now my wife had a road bike too, but because we have 2 children, we are restricted on how often we get out - currently only once a week, but that is better then nothing.

 

[Nosaj]

And you are not alone I am nowhere near those times either. They were veteran age related records and the ones quoted were set by a lady in our club between the ages 49-51. You do not really want to know the mens times as the 100 miles was done in 3:58 again in the vet category.

Noted about your travelling but if you do join a local club and they are affiliated to CTT then you can enter open TT events all over the country but granted you will not be able to get along to your local club rides as often

You can also register with CTC as a member you will have access to member groups again sprinkled throughout the country. Phone up in advance but I am sure they will make you feel more than welcome. They tend to be at the more sedate end of cycling however some groups will be larger and may be split into different ability rides.

Have a look at British cycling. Membership gives you access to Cat 4 races which are held all over the UK, Cat 4 races can be run anywhere at a 20mph average up to about 27mph average although the distances are short (ish)

 

[xpc316e]

You have no need to know how good a cyclist you are - it is a case of do you enjoy riding your bike? That's it in a nutshell. If you want to get fitter/faster, you can always time yourself on a regular ride and see how you're doing.

Why don't you try the 'my cycling buddy' website? You might find other riders near to the naval bases you frequent who wouldn't mind a bit of company.

 

[Theo42]

Thanks for all your advice! Really appreciated.
So, I've joined the Royal Navy Royal Marines Cycling Association (get some cheeky discounts and a RN jersey - bargain!)
I'm entering some sportives this summer - really excited!

BUT...
Looks like my mate is becoming attached to his Cannondale that he was going to trade with me!
So I've tapped away on my calculator and worked out I may be able to buy a new bike!

Not sure what I should be looking at. When I got my Carrera I just wanted something cheap to get ease me in, but what is the natural progression???
So many to choose from - But how do I know that I'm getting my money's worth? With no real local bike shops about it's hard to 'test ride' anything to get a feel?! I don't want to limit myself if I do indeed want to go to do TT in the future...
Dilemma!

 

[Garz]

I defected after 20 years of mountain biking to road riding three years ago and wish I had done it much much sooner. Anyway as a blossoming road cyclist the best thing that happened to me was meeting the father of a boy at my son's school who is the same age and build as me and is well matched fitness-wise. We started going riding together and there's a bit of competitiveness between us, which means that our rides are pretty fast and furious and excellent training for the longer more leisurely rides we occasionally undertake alone or together. It helps that he lives in a village in the Ribble Valley, which is a great departure point for quiet country roads with great scenery in many directions. I would certainly recommend that you keep an eye open for potential training partners as the company makes riding much more fun.

What really helps is finding a complete carbon bike in the river to play with...

 

[Garz]

Not sure what I should be looking at. When I got my Carrera I just wanted something cheap to get ease me in, but what is the natural progression???
So many to choose from - But how do I know that I'm getting my money's worth? With no real local bike shops about it's hard to 'test ride' anything to get a feel?! I don't want to limit myself if I do indeed want to go to do TT in the future...
Dilemma!

What's the budget pal?

Criteria - best bang for buck? - best aggressive machine? - best all rounder (touring,sportive,racing)?

 

[Mr Finch]

Theo

If you are in Gosport, there's a few LBS around.

Velocity Cycle in Cosham, Solent cycles and Hargroves in Fareham and Hansfords out at Park Gate.

A friend at work raves about Velocity.

HTH!

 

[Globalti]

What really helps is finding a complete carbon bike in the river to play with...

You ain't wrong! That lucky find has completely transformed my cycling; I was getting so bored and stale with mountain biking.

 

[cyberknight]

I know some folk do not like halfords but the boardman bikes always get in the top 4 on bike tests in cycling mags , i ride a boardman road comp with sram apex gears that give you a wide range that can keep up with the pack or spin up any cliff....
http://www.boardmanbikes.com/road/road_comp.html
Guys at my club are always asking if its carbon because of the smooth welds and for the price a good weight and spec of equipment you can pay another £200 for .
Does your company do cycle to work? i know nowadays its more like interest free credit compared to the saving you used to get but its still worthwhile.

 

[black'n'yellow]

I want to cycle charity events and see how I get on and eventually progress into sportives.

not much difference, tbh. If you want to raise the game, target some TTs and 4th cat circuits. You can ride sportives on the weekends when there's no racing on...

 

[Theo42]

I've enetered a couple of Sportives this summer.
Because I'm moving around the country a fair bit at the moment I want to get settled in my next job (either Plymouth of Scotland) before I get a bit more competetive. I will hopefully join a club too - ideal as my family will stay down south for a couple of years therefore I'll only see them at weekends - gives me a hobby during the week to pass the evenings.
I have a budget of £1000 (but I want to get a bike rack for my car within that too - due to the travelling about!)
I would prefer to spend much less than that ideally, but getting the bike I want matters more so if i need to spend a bit more then so be it.
I looked at BikeRadar's best bikes under £1000...
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/best-road-bikes-under-1000-29719/

The Cube Attempt really attracted me... but I can't source one anywhere now. The article seems a little dated and received much criticism in the reader's comments for being too subjective to suppliers/brands.