Show us your.......newbie progress! [4 Sep 2012 - 4 Oct 2014]

[Davehateshills]

It's great to read all the stories on this thread and for what it's worth here's mine.

I decided to get my old mountain bike out of the shed about 6 weeks ago as I wanted to lighten my 17st bulk and rode up to my local bike shop which is just less then a mile away and up a slight hill. I had to sit outside for 5 mins to get my breath back before going in and then I think I free wheeled most of the way back. Since then I changed the tyres on my MB to slick road tyres (best £20 I have spent) and started to ride. 3 miles, then 5, 7, 10 and so on.

It feels like such a long time ago, I am now riding 20 - 30 miles per day and my longest route is 42 miles. I can feel myself getting stronger and I have lost about 13lbs. I treated myself to a road bike earlier this week and it's got me hooked even more.

I did a 20 mile route yesterday with over 1,000ft of climbing at 12.6mph and I did a 10 mile time trail this morning that took 37mins which is 16.2mph.
My OH says I am obsessed with cycling and if am being honest, she's right!

 

[Noodle Legs]

26 miles in the bag this afternoon in the

http://share.abvio.com/b555/e7ad/a8c6/c918/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20120907-1702.kml

 

[stephen.rooke]

started in march weighing 16.5 stone with 7/10 mile rides at around 12mph and being knackered.im now 13.5 stone and last week did 100 miles with 15.6 average and regularly cycle 7 miles to work with an average speed of 18-20 mph and loving it lol

 

[Noodle Legs]

started in march weighing 16.5 stone with 7/10 mile rides at around 12mph and being knackered.im now 13.5 stone and last week did 100 miles with 15.6 average and regularly cycle 7 miles to work with an average speed of 18-20 mph and loving it lol

Fantastic progress! Thats really inspiring - I could do with shifting about a stone in total so your story gives me hope!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It's great to read all the stories on this thread and for what it's worth here's mine.

I decided to get my old mountain bike out of the shed about 6 weeks ago as I wanted to lighten my 17st bulk and rode up to my local bike shop which is just less then a mile away and up a slight hill. I had to sit outside for 5 mins to get my breath back before going in and then I think I free wheeled most of the way back. Since then I changed the tyres on my MB to slick road tyres (best £20 I have spent) and started to ride. 3 miles, then 5, 7, 10 and so on.

It feels like such a long time ago, I am now riding 20 - 30 miles per day and my longest route is 42 miles. I can feel myself getting stronger and I have lost about 13lbs. I treated myself to a road bike earlier this week and it's got me hooked even more.

I did a 20 mile route yesterday with over 1,000ft of climbing at 12.6mph and I did a 10 mile time trail this morning that took 37mins which is 16.2mph.
My OH says I am obsessed with cycling and if am being honest, she's right!

We're about the same level I was quicker over 30m with a similar climb but your time trial was quicker than mine over 10m.

 

[Hip Priest]

Great thread! I was a complete newbie about 15 months ago. Rode my cheap MTB the flat 5 miles to work and back and was almost crying, it was so hard. But I'd bought a bike to avoid public transport and lose weight. I was 16 and a half stone.

I've since progressed to a road bike and recently did the 63 mile Virgin Cyclone (undulating) with a rolling average of 15mph and the 57 mile Great North Bike Ride (flat) with a rolling average of 18mph.

I'm still 16 and a half stone but I've had a lot of fun!

 

[Saluki]

I used to ride regularly, but not very fast, right up to December last year. Then I was ill, husband was ill (still is, he's a transplant patient) so we only rode sparodically, when the sun was shining for 7 months. I put on a stone and a bit, hubby put on nearly 2 stone. In July this year, we decided to get our backsides into gear and I have been cycling regularly since early July, hubby joined in at the very beginning of August.
He has lost 6kg, I have lost about 3kg and we cycle anything between 6 miles & 38 miles which is our top distance so far and we average somewhere around 11.5mph (quite quickly down hill, painfully slow up hills).
Hills are getting easier, but not much, since we went clipless, our fitness is coming on leaps and bounds and I have gone down a clothing size, so its all good. Sometimes we have to have a rest half way up a hill (we wait and get our breath back but refuse to actually walk up the hill). Sometimes we have to have a rest at the top, sometimes we don't which must be an improvement.

Tomorrow we are riding the Tour of Britain Challenge ride, of 57 miles and looking forward to it. Bikes are fettled and our kit is all washed and ready to wear tomorrow. Even the car is clean, ready to drive us to Gt Yarmouth. Its hubby's first ever event at anything and my first event since 2000 so very excited.

Lovely to read everyone's stories, feeling much better about my cycling now

 

[Dave 123]

Just under a month i have been cycling for now, i started first doing 9 miles and felt like i was going to die when i got off the bike. Yesterday i managed my first 20 miler and could have gone a little more but decided against it.

Quick question if anyone can help, i didn't take water on the 20 miler but a gatorade instead to see if it helps but how do you keep drinks like that cool? I wouldnt mind the water being a bit warm but any drink with flavour in it is horrible warm so how do you keep them cool?

Longer rides in sub zero temperatures will help with this

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Tomorrow we are riding the Tour of Britain Challenge ride, of 57 miles and looking forward to it. Bikes are fettled and our kit is all washed and ready to wear tomorrow. Even the car is clean, ready to drive us to Gt Yarmouth. Its hubby's first ever event at anything and my first event since 2000 so very excited.

Lovely to read everyone's stories, feeling much better about my cycling now

I wish the both of you the very best, and hope you have an enjoyable day.

 

[dharma66]

This is a great thread. It's really good to read inspiring stories from people who began not much above the level I'm currently at. Gives me hope to carry on!

 

[flatflr]

Did my first 10 mile ride this afternoon, plus another mile to the shops for a bottle of wine to celebrate

 

[Davehateshills]

Did my first 10 mile ride this afternoon, plus another mile to the shops for a bottle of wine to celebrate

Hope you got home before you started on the wine

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Did my first 10 mile ride this afternoon, plus another mile to the shops for a bottle of wine to celebrate

Nice one, well done.

 

[RWright]

This is a great thread. It's really good to read inspiring stories from people who began not much above the level I'm currently at. Gives me hope to carry on!

Just stick with it. I took a lay off from riding during last winter and coming back about a month and a half ago was tough at first. I am not fast now by any stretch of the imagination but I try to do at least 10 miles a day. My butt is now beginning to adjust as are my legs and lungs. I had a very nice fast 17 mile ride going this afternoon until I had a flat tire tyre. I am starting to feel much better after a ride and much more comfortable during rides, it feels good. If you stick with it I feel sure you will too.

 

[MrJamie]

I remember about 3 years ago getting a mile from home with achey legs and feeling sick while weighing 22 stone, 2 years ago planning an epic 15 mile ride with a lunch stop and taking a load of map printouts and countless times being amazed at what places I could get to on my bike I still feel like a beginner, as Ive only been riding regularly for most of the past 2 years, but your body adapts so quickly if you keep it up.

Up until this year my 9 year old nephew had only cycled a few times a year, at most a 5 mile ride with a cake stop halfway but since finding him a second hand Giant MTB on ebay in July hes been out 3 or 4 times a week with his longest ride at about 18/19 miles. Ive been trying to get his mum out on her bike too, 5 miles earlier in the week and another 3 miles today to pick him up from school

Quick question if anyone can help, i didn't take water on the 20 miler but a gatorade instead to see if it helps but how do you keep drinks like that cool? I wouldnt mind the water being a bit warm but any drink with flavour in it is horrible warm so how do you keep them cool?

You can get insulated bottles, I got a cheap one which was useless but more expensive ones might work. Mostly I try to pick flavours that are less disgusting while hot or learn where village shops with drinks fridges are