Nervous wreck

[HMS_Dave]

I started cycling at 25 stone and hadn't cycled for some 20 years. I could barely get down the road and back without my thighs begging for mercy and my lungs burning. You have to take it easy and i imagine that must be difficult with confident cyclists around you but with patience and proper support from them you will find that you improve in pretty much all areas quite quickly after the initial aches and pains from the saddle, legs, shoulders, back etc... The last thing you want to do is injure yourself so don't push yourself early on, jump on and ride is all for now. If you feel confident at dusk or dawn then fine, but don't let others put you off, you are well within your rights to cycle whenever you want.

Good Luck

 

[raleighnut]

As others have said little and often.

 

[sleuthey]

When I came out of uni I was 16 stone and had to turn home after half a mile of cycling. Now I’m 10 stone and the idiot in the office who arrives on a bike before dawn in -5degrees. So yes you can achieve your goal.

Ref your symptoms- no pain no gain.

 

[mudsticks]

As others have said, go little and often, enjoy it for what it is.
Your fitness will build.

Don't compete, ignore anyone who asks about how far or how fast.

Also get off and push if you need to, some Cornish hills can be brutal, you still be getting fitter walking up them.

Practise understanding how your gears work so that you don't lose momentum, or use more energy than you need to.

Take snacks, and water, and use suncream.
Stretch a bit before and after.

Never worry what other people are thinking about you.
No one is actually thinking anything beyond, oh look there's a cyclist, I'd give them plenty of room.

At least atm the Cornish roads are much quieter than they would normally be.

My last cycling holiday just before lock down was in Cornwall - very nice


It's a good time for you to be gaining confidence on quieter roads - and once you've got the basics sorted, confidence is really all you néed

 

[mustang1]

Hello there and welcome. Love your user name btw!

If you can only cycle for 15 minutes, then just cycle for 15 minutes! Once you are comfortable with that, then cycle for 30 minutes. And so on.

Once you reach an hour, then you can probably do two hours. Whe you've done that a few times, then you can do 3 or 4 hours and think about nutrition (while riding). Once you figured that out, people will start telling you "hey you're riding too much!".

When that happens, the. You can come back here and tell us "I have a cycling addiction problem"

Keep riding, keep posting! I would wish you luck but I don't think you need it!

 

[alicat]

Welcome F&F. You've done the hardest part now. Just keep going out and count the smiles not the miles.

 

[biggs682]

Welcome @Fat and fifty
Just keep doing what you are doing and hopefully one day it will all come good and feel right .
You have made the start don't make it hard for your self

 

[mudsticks]

Oh and do get yourself some cycling shorts designed for women, once you start going further than a few miles.

Taking care of your undercarriage is very important, if you're not comfortable there, then you won't be happy.

Don't worry too much about achey buttock muscles, or that kind of thing, but the soft parts definitely need more care.

Dm me for further deets if you need.
(I'm a woman of similar vintage btw)

 

[Deleted member 26715]

As your family & friends are cyclists try not to catch them up too quick, don't feel pressured to be up to 10 mile rides etc. within a week, you will get there but at your own pace.

 

[mudsticks]

As your family & friends are cyclists try not to catch them up too quick, don't feel pressured to be up to 10 mile rides etc. within a week, you will get there but at your own pace.

Definitely, my cycling is my 'me' time, not having to consider anyone else's needs is part of the joy.

In fact, I'm off oot now before work

 

[Fat and fifty]

As your family & friends are cyclists try not to catch them up too quick, don't feel pressured to be up to 10 mile rides etc. within a week, you will get there but at your own pace.

If only 🤣

 

[Fat and fifty]

Oh and do get yourself some cycling shorts designed for women, once you start going further than a few miles.

Taking care of your undercarriage is very important, if you're not comfortable there, then you won't be happy.

Don't worry too much about achey buttock muscles, or that kind of thing, but the soft parts definitely need more care.

Dm me for further deets if you need.
(I'm a woman of similar vintage btw)

Thanks for the advice, been looking at the ladies stuff on fat lad at the back site.

 

[Fat and fifty]

Hello there and welcome. Love your user name btw!

If you can only cycle for 15 minutes, then just cycle for 15 minutes! Once you are comfortable with that, then cycle for 30 minutes. And so on.

Once you reach an hour, then you can probably do two hours. Whe you've done that a few times, then you can do 3 or 4 hours and think about nutrition (while riding). Once you figured that out, people will start telling you "hey you're riding too much!".

When that happens, the. You can come back here and tell us "I have a cycling addiction problem"

Keep riding, keep posting! I would wish you luck but I don't think you need it!

Thanks for the encouraging words

 

[Domus]

It’s Almost 5 years since I got on a bike at the age of 61. The last time was about 50 years earlier and even then I never went more than a mile or so. I remember my first 10 miles, everything ached. I had to stand on the pedals for the last mile.
Now with padded shorts 50 Kms 2 or 3 times a week is normal.

Slowly slowly is the way forward. Good luck.

 

[Fat and fifty]

As others have said, go little and often, enjoy it for what it is.
Your fitness will build.

Don't compete, ignore anyone who asks about how far or how fast.

Also get off and push if you need to, some Cornish hills can be brutal, you still be getting fitter walking up them.

Practise understanding how your gears work so that you don't lose momentum, or use more energy than you need to.

Take snacks, and water, and use suncream.
Stretch a bit before and after.

Never worry what other people are thinking about you.
No one is actually thinking anything beyond, oh look there's a cyclist, I'd give them plenty of room.

At least atm the Cornish roads are much quieter than they would normally be.

My last cycling holiday just before lock down was in Cornwall - very nice


It's a good time for you to be gaining confidence on quieter roads - and once you've got the basics sorted, confidence is really all you néed

At 14 I was the lunatic who cycled on the wrong side round corners, hell for leather all the time, I loved it then, hope to get back to loving it again, on the right side ........