newbie training and developing

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Paul Gee

Well-Known Member
Location
Essex
All good Strava information on this thread and others. I downloaded the app to my wifes phone this morning and went out determined to get a first good strava run - for me anyway! Unfortunately I didn't set it going correctly so got no data - doh !! My bike computer was a backup fortunately so at least my efforts weren't in vain, new fastest average is some consolation. And a lovely day for a ride.

Now about to reward myself with an indian and cold beer, it's a hard life innit ...
 
Location
Pontefract
All good Strava information on this thread and others. I downloaded the app to my wifes phone this morning and went out determined to get a first good strava run - for me anyway! Unfortunately I didn't set it going correctly so got no data - doh !! My bike computer was a backup fortunately so at least my efforts weren't in vain, new fastest average is some consolation. And a lovely day for a ride.

Now about to reward myself with an indian and cold beer, it's a hard life innit ...
This is why dedicated gps unit are better but still not fool prove, as this demonstrates.
http://www.strava.com/activities/76173111
 
Location
Pontefract
That's more like it Nigel. Amazing amount of data now I look at it properly. All makes me feel proper tired. Looking forward to seeing myself on Strava - minus the HR data for now. Don't you ever feel you suffer from information overload?
Not really, I don't take much notice of strava other than to see my p.b's and how they improve over time, as they are very effected by weather mainly the wind, you could set a p.b. one day with a tail wind the next be 5-6mph slower because of a headwind. So the only real way of telling how your improving is to keep your own log miles time ridden elevation cad hr. the draw comparisons over time, for example this is a rolling 30day record of my data (dont have full hr or cad so it's not included)
rolling30.JPG

This is from when I started June 2012.
You can see I got up to the lofty avg sp of 14mph quite quickly but it was pretty flat a little like todays ride.
Then about Sept I started to do some hills and my speed plummeted. Then it steadily rose again, till it's pretty much just below 16mph whatever I do (Yesterdays morning ride was 15.8mph over 42.1 miles with 2222ft or 52.8ft/mile climbing.) so 3mph faster than last Oct time.
You may also see the first two have less per avg climbing per mile than the previous two, and also an increase in speed.
This is how you see improvements over time, consistently improved figures that because they are over time, will take into account variables in the weather to some degree.
 

Paul Gee

Well-Known Member
Location
Essex
Very interesting Nigel thanks, I have been wondering how my progress will be as I get fitter, having only started some 3-4 months ago, and whether the improvement will continue for months or a year or more.

The best thing for me is that being fitter makes it easier to push harder, whereas when you are at the beginner stage life on a bike is just one big battle on every upward slope. I just hope I am up for riding in the colder months. I am keeping a very sketchy spreadsheet of my progress, which will be much improved when I get going with Strava.
 
Location
Pontefract
Very interesting Nigel thanks, I have been wondering how my progress will be as I get fitter, having only started some 3-4 months ago, and whether the improvement will continue for months or a year or more.

The best thing for me is that being fitter makes it easier to push harder, whereas when you are at the beginner stage life on a bike is just one big battle on every upward slope. I just hope I am up for riding in the colder months. I am keeping a very sketchy spreadsheet of my progress, which will be much improved when I get going with Strava.
All the above data can can be got without strava or gps, if you use gpsies to plot the ride you did it will give you the elevation, speed and time from a simple computer, the rest is just the spreadsheet. It's all really thats needed, the mapping can take a little bit of time.
 
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brett sleger

brett sleger

Active Member
Location
Southend Essex
Well both paul and myself completed our 28 mile bikeathon.
After the first 14 miles everyone everyone disappeared thank god so it wasnt as congested as the first lap.
I didnt get to meet @Paul Gee unfortunately.
I ended up riding 40 miles with my ride to and from the event!
 
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