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

[Nigelnaturist]

Or you could bin the HRM and just enjoy the ride

I dont take much notice whilst riding to be honest, unless I am trying to lose a few pounds by keeping the H.R. low whilst riding, this is where flat routes help.

@Stonechat I know, I did say a guide, but 221 in anybodies book just has to be wrong, like I said I can max at nearly 180 pretty sure I can go low 180's my recent rides my avg was mid 130's and max 163, before that I was avg mid 150's and maxing 170's but the couple of more instense weeks riding brought it down

 

[Triban5riderGD]

Another 40 miles completed over the lovely lanes that cross the North Downs. Quite a hilly route but the sun was shining brightly, no wind and I was in good company, it doesn't get better than that.
A big thank you to the Bigfoot CC who arranged a superb ride.

 

[Harv]

I'm hoping it was just a false reading.

I wasn't cycling uphill. That might have been easier. I was cycling in to one hell of a headwind. If I stopped pedalling I'm sure I would have gone backwards.

I don't actively look at the hrm while cycling. I only look at the stats when I'm back and I upload them.

 

[Stonechat]

HR is a good guide to how hard you are pushing yourself.
Also helps in training how hard to push

 

[50000tears]

Had my Sportive today.

Made such a schoolboy error is going too hard too early, especially since I was still getting over a cold, and paid the price when I suffered hard in the middle 30 miles. Was able to galvanise myself a little for the last 20 miles or so but the ride should have been so much easier in perfect weather conditions. Didn't manage to get in any groups either for more than about 6 miles total (and I led that one for almost half of it!) so that didn't help either.

Still pleased overall despite my pacing errors, showed both how far I have come but also how far there still is to travel in getting my fitness and handling skills where I want them.

http://www.strava.com/activities/129972781

 

[Stonechat]

Dont ever do that is you are using a unit that uses barometric pressure, you will always lose elevation, those units not using it and almost any phone starva will take the elevation data from the gps plots, this is also why two identical rides can be slightly different even on the same web site.
I have to correct mine on strava otherwise i end up with sevral thousand feet, an oddity of the bryton rider unit exporting the tcx file for strava,
Stick with the edge data it is likely to more accurate than starva.

I thought about trying . The Leith Hill ride in planning had 3355 feet, and I stuck to this route. Strava made it 2943 feet and Garmin Connect made it only 2369 feet.
In my mind I still did over 3000 feet on Strava Route Builder. Did not want to try this and 'lose' more feet!

 

[L14M]

Hey guys long time no talk!

Yeah my cycling has been slacking after that scary 23.8 mile fast round trip last week. Was so god damn fast because I was pooping my self on 60mph roads with blind corners

Anyway, Im currently on holiday in portugal. So I have my Btwin Rockrider 5.0 (2013) http://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-50-mountain-bike-black-id_8202062.html.
Seems pretty quick however gearing is damn low. But hey its good for climbing. I don't have my garmin but only the strava app on my phone! TBH, I need to get more rides in when i'm back home. As what last weeks ride proved, I can go faster, I can go up hills with a higher cadence, I can be better. So my new goal is to get 3 10ish mile rides in during the week and perhaps a 20ish in at the weekend. - so 50 miles per week.

I'll upload my rides from my holiday after im back . I will say im doing hill training, there is a few level 4 climbs out of the valley

Liam

 

[morrisman]

Killed off another local hill Wendover to the Wendover Woods Cafe 1000 ft in 10 miles. I am really surprised how much difference a lighter weight bike makes, my Defy 2 is only ~18 lbs as apposed to my old Dawes at 35 lbs but I seem to be able to climb hills now that would previously have been impossible. Not sure if the clipless pedals are helping as well?

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/479743874

 

[Steady]

Been off the bike for a while, buggered my knee on a 25 mile but it's in a condition to ride now!

Still doing short rides whilst I get use to the road bike but finally sorted the saddle pressure issue, turned out to be my big bottoms sit bones!

Amazing what difference a saddle can make to overall comfort.

 

[Stonechat]

Doing a ride tomorrow and Thursday, also a ride pencilled for Sunday
Then we are away for a week on the south coast and will be able to hit the south downs

 

[Stonechat]

Been off the bike for a while, buggered my knee on a 25 mile but it's in a condition to ride now!

Still doing short rides whilst I get use to the road bike but finally sorted the saddle pressure issue, turned out to be my big bottoms sit bones!

Amazing what difference a saddle can make to overall comfort.

I was wondering if my saddle was OK, but since using the better bib shorts seems a little better

 

[Stonechat]

Had my Sportive today.

Made such a schoolboy error is going too hard too early, especially since I was still getting over a cold, and paid the price when I suffered hard in the middle 30 miles. Was able to galvanise myself a little for the last 20 miles or so but the ride should have been so much easier in perfect weather conditions. Didn't manage to get in any groups either for more than about 6 miles total (and I led that one for almost half of it!) so that didn't help either.

Still pleased overall despite my pacing errors, showed both how far I have come but also how far there still is to travel in getting my fitness and handling skills where I want them.

http://www.strava.com/activities/129972781

Well we learn best by experience, on a 40 miler I kept up my normal pace, not allowing for the headwind, so after 20 miles was knackered and the last 20 was tough, so pacing is so imporetant

 

[Steady]

I was wondering if my saddle was OK, but since using the better bib shorts seems a little better

Oh mine was very noticible and makes perfect sense that it was the saddle (one of those newbie things to overlook, I guess!) but being on the very edge of 'just okay' for my frame size it made me question if I'd made a big mistake as I was sliding forward constantly, road bumps were extremely painful and felt like they were throwing me forward then after barely going a few streets or even a mile with a lot of soft tissue pressure I was uncomfortable and wishing I hadn't switched from a mtb.

Only downside now is that I've a rather old and tatty mtb saddle but it's comfortable!

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I thought about trying . The Leith Hill ride in planning had 3355 feet, and I stuck to this route. Strava made it 2943 feet and Garmin Connect made it only 2369 feet.
In my mind I still did over 3000 feet on Strava Route Builder. Did not want to try this and 'lose' more feet!

Check it on RWGPS this is usually closer to a unit using barometric pressure, also make sure elevation correction is disabled using a unit with this feature, it should be automatic with garmin units, but as you can import tcx files from other units its worth checking.
You say strava showed 2943ft is this before or after correction.?

Edit I dont think there was ever a time I corrected it on strava and didn't lose something like 30-40% in elevation, and whilst there are problems with barometric readings I still think they are closer than strava.

 

[Deleted member 18052]

11.5miles after work.....

http://www.strava.com/activities/130266075

Couple of PR's that I'm pleased about considering the wind etc


Daz