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

[trampyjoe]

Gets a bit nippy though, not to mention you will get tugged in by the police.

 

[Crosstrailer]

In the last two weeks I have ridden 165 miles and considering I don't commute I am pretty pleased with that !

 

[Sittingduck]

the wife refuses to let me get up that early as i wake her up (small bedroom and i have my side of the bed against the wall so need to climb over her to get up!!!)

Can't you pitch a tent in the garden? I mean it's only once or twice a week isn't it...



The wife would soon get used to the outdoor lifestyle

 

[Kiwiavenger]

lol. i need to get out this weekend as have lost the last week due to illness and the fact im getting short of breath on hills with just under 400ft of climbing on my commute each way (still feeling rough but may be ok sunday morning )

 

[GentlyBenevolent]

My "sparring partner" is a 1 mile 4.9% avg gradient hill. Last night I gave it an extra effort and knocked over 30 seconds off my best time, getting under 7m30s and avg. speed up to 8.4mph. When I started I was seeing times just over 11 minutes. Pretty pleased with myself!

 

[Rural halfwit]

I bit the bullit and this is my first commute, it didn't take me the 2hrs as displayed more like 1hr 45 22.20km, time: 02:09:23, pace: 5:50min/km, speed: 10.30km/h. with a 58.0m elevation. Happy plodding along as it was anice morning and I got to take in the views as such. The down side is I'm looking at upgrading from my CB Rock, but I do love her so..

 

[RWright]

I started using mycyclinglog.com a little over a month or so ago. Here are some of my earliest entries vs. some of my latest, for the two bikes that I ride.
Sat, Aug 18, 2012
12.51 mi in 01:03:00 hours at 11.91 mi/h on Trek 2.3 C.

Sun, Sep 9, 2012
15.63 mi in 01:04:00 hours at 14.65 mi/h on Trek 2.3 C.
-------------------------------------------------------
Mon, Aug 13, 2012
12.08 mi in 01:19:00 hours at 9.17 mi/h on Electra Towne 21D.

Fri, Sep 14, 2012
15.94 mi in 01:18:00 hours at 12.26 mi/h on Electra Towne 21D.

The routes are not identical, but they are similar, so the numbers are a little misleading . I do not expect this coming month's numbers to increase that much but I do expect some improvement. I think logging my rides does motivate me to work a little harder when I ride. I ride for fun and exercise but the logging is fun for now. I hope to get in 2000 miles by the end of the year. The cold and wet will test me on that. I am also feeling better, on and off the bikes.

I made the transition to clipless pedals during this time too. I am not saying they played that big of a part in my improvement but I think they helped some.

 

[DeepBurn]

Just got back from my regular (just short of) 10mile route.

I adopted slightly different tactics today (yes I have tactics ).

Although my time of 59:11 was around 3mins slower than my PB I'm really happy because - apart from the 400ft climb at mile 7 - I didn't use the granny ring at all. I only used the middle and largest rings.

I kept my tempo consistent and although at times it was tough I'm delighted to have stayed under the 1hour mark. I feel like that's progress.

I also realised that before the big climb I wasn't actually struggling for breath - my only problem was the burn in my legs.

I read on here the other day someone who said that hill climbing is all in the head & I think to a large extent that is correct. As long as your not gasping for air your only other enemy is the burn. It's a big mental challenge to pedal through it though!!!

 

[Noodle Legs]

Just got back from my regular (just short of) 10mile route.

I adopted slightly different tactics today (yes I have tactics ).

Although my time of 59:11 was around 3mins slower than my PB I'm really happy because - apart from the 400ft climb at mile 7 - I didn't use the granny ring at all. I only used the middle and largest rings.

I kept my tempo consistent and although at times it was tough I'm delighted to have stayed under the 1hour mark. I feel like that's progress.

I also realised that before the big climb I wasn't actually struggling for breath - my only problem was the burn in my legs.

I read on here the other day someone who said that hill climbing is all in the head & I think to a large extent that is correct. As long as your not gasping for air your only other enemy is the burn. It's a big mental challenge to pedal through it though!!!

Keep up the great effort! With hills I don't have tactics as such- I believe it to be more a mental game. So I just make an effort to get up without stopping, irrespective of how long it takes or how fast I go. Then, when I'm at the top it's a psychological barrier broken. Any future climbs on the same hill can then be approached with confidence and the focus is then on getting up quicker.

Just my take on it

 

[flatflr]

Today didn't quite go as planned, set out for a ride, plan was 8 miles out, 8 back then to try a few hills around town to get in my first 20 miles ride.
Outward leg went well feeling really good, then on the return leg I hit a root going down a small slope, ended up going over the bars and doing something to my left foot I carry on home for about 4 miles and decide the hills are not a great idea.
Currently sitting here with a bag of ice on my foot and can't walk on it at all, is a bugger as the ride was going really well and i felt look i could have made the 20 miles easy

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Keep up the great effort! With hills I don't have tactics as such- I believe it to be more a mental game. So I just make an effort to get up without stopping, irrespective of how long it takes or how fast I go. Then, when I'm at the top it's a psychological barrier broken. Any future climbs on the same hill can then be approached with confidence and the focus is then on getting up quicker.

Just my take on it

Likewise.

Today didn't quite go as planned, set out for a ride, plan was 8 miles out, 8 back then to try a few hills around town to get in my first 20 miles ride.
Outward leg went well feeling really good, then on the return leg I hit a root going down a small slope, ended up going over the bars and doing something to my left foot I carry on home for about 4 miles and decide the hills are not a great idea.
Currently sitting here with a bag of ice on my foot and can't walk on it at all, is a bugger as the ride was going really well and i felt look i could have made the 20 miles easy

Sorry yo hear you had a mishap, hope your back on the bike soon.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Well like a lot of the posts on here, I started (or rather restarted) riding a bike at the back end of June, today my cycle computer says I have just completed 1500 (though my records say I have another 16 miles to go), after a 36 mile ride at 15.1 mph with 1164 ft of climb (yea I know not much but as I say not many hills), my first ride on the 23rd of June was 8.53 miles at 9.3 with what I think was 400 ft of climb, though I cant be certain of that. my records say I have ridden 70% of the days since June.
So to all that are just starting keep it up, it does get easier and more enjoyable.

 

[DeepBurn]

Keep up the great effort! With hills I don't have tactics as such- I believe it to be more a mental game. So I just make an effort to get up without stopping, irrespective of how long it takes or how fast I go. Then, when I'm at the top it's a psychological barrier broken. Any future climbs on the same hill can then be approached with confidence and the focus is then on getting up quicker.

Just my take on it

Thanks :-)

Yeah I do agree with you - my 'tactic' today was just to avoid using the smallest ring until the big climb - because I think that it's all in the head - I thought it'd be nice to have the easier gears when I started the climbing!!

But the climb was still tough!!

 

[DeepBurn]

Well like a lot of the post on here, I started (or rather restarted) riding a bike at the back end of June, today my cycle computer says I have just completed 1500 (though my records say I have another 16 miles to go), after a 36 mile ride at 15.1 mph with 1164 ft of climb (yea I know not much but as I say not many hills), my first ride on the 23rd of June was 8.53 miles at 9.3 with what I think was 400 ft of climb, though I cant be certain of that. my records say I have ridden 70% of the days since June.
So to all that are just starting keep it up, it does get easier and more enjoyable.

That's great!!!

I wish I could get out and
clock more miles up than I am currently (though some is better than none of course!)

 

[Nigelnaturist]

That's great!!!

I wish I could get out and
clock more miles up than I am currently (though some is better than none of course!)

Thanks
Very true, and as you get quicker you will cover more distance.
I don't work (mental health issues), so I have spare time in that respect, but having said that most has been in the evenings.
I have found cycling beneficial as much to my mental health as physical, because I does help you feel better about yourself.

The road I took back up to the house has two climbs, the first is the steeper one, I just ended up in the lowest gear, but the very last one I managed to get out of the saddle and well I wont say I sprinted but I could put some effort into it, I couldn't do that even two weeks ago, and that was after two months, so no matter how little you seem to be improving, just keep at it, I had some shocking avg speeds Thur & Fri compared with what I had been achieving so today gave me quite a buzz really.