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

[Trevor_P]

@BrianEvesham when I want that kind of challenge, I'll frequent popular local routes and wait for a group to come along. Then I can push hard to try and keep up, and in some cases lately actually drop them.

Last Saturday, someone mistook me for a member of their group and sat on my back wheel for six or seven miles, till we got to a climb. At the top I stopped and waited, and waited. Eventually he arrived and realised that I wasn't part off the group. We had quite a chat whilst waiting for the rest of his group to arrive. It was a bit unfair of me, as they had done 60+ miles at the time and I had only done 20. Still it felt good though.

 

[Stonechat]

Another ride in COrnwall today
Started off through Delbole, some fuel was on the road and it felt very greasy

Did a back way in to Boscastle and then to Tintagel, and cut the ride short due to threatening rain.
23.6 miles with 2116 feet of climbing at average speed of only 12.2 mph
Feet per mile is nearly as much as the first cornish ride 89.7
Just enjoying the hills
http://www.strava.com/activities/182830540

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Another ride in COrnwall today
Started off through Delbole, some fuel was on the road and it felt very greasy

Did a back way in to Boscastle and then to Tintagel, and cut the ride short due to threatening rain.
23.6 miles with 2116 feet of climbing at average speed of only 12.2 mph
Feet per mile is nearly as much as the first cornish ride 89.7
Just enjoying the hills
http://www.strava.com/activities/182830540

You are just weird.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Distance: 14.83 mi
Time: 1:03:20 h:m:s
Average Speed: 14.05 mph
Elevation Gain: 382 ft

Got out/legs felt heavy/bit slow really/cest la vie.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Just a bit more on the heavy legs bit.

Since getting back on my bike in May following 5 months off due to illness I have tried to not push it and build up slowly for the balance of 2014 - I seem to have lost about 0.6mph av' speed which is ok. Not that I am exactly a high speed bod anyway!

I am a bit concerned about hills at the moment.

Today I did about 120m at 9.3% grade (as part of a longer ascent) according to Strava and it felt like climbing Everest - managed to keep up just a tad under 6mph in 36/28 without getting out of the saddle. But crikey I was feeling it even though it was not far to travel and whilst steep-ish it was hardly massively steep.

Not sure if it is weakness from my illness or whether I am just lousy at getting up hills.

Thinking about getting smaller gears maybe drop the small from 36 - 34 and whack a 12-30 on the back. Not sure it will make a lot of difference though looking at gear ratios - any thoughts anyone?

Maybe I should just keep on trying to get more miles in.

 

[Coggy]

6 New PR's and an average above 16 mph again for me tonight.

This is getting addictive now !

By the way I know it is pathetically flat terrain around here

https://www.strava.com/activities/182987808

 

[SpokeyDokey]

6 New PR's and an average above 16 mph again for me tonight.

This is getting addictive now !

By the way I know it is pathetically flat terrain around here

https://www.strava.com/activities/182987808

It all still counts!

 

[Effyb4]

@Coggy nothing wrong with flat. It's mostly flat where I live, but there are hills if I choose to find them.

 

[Nomadski]

Just a bit more on the heavy legs bit.

Since getting back on my bike in May following 5 months off due to illness I have tried to not push it and build up slowly for the balance of 2014 - I seem to have lost about 0.6mph av' speed which is ok. Not that I am exactly a high speed bod anyway!

I am a bit concerned about hills at the moment.

Today I did about 120m at 9.3% grade (as part of a longer ascent) according to Strava and it felt like climbing Everest - managed to keep up just a tad under 6mph in 36/28 without getting out of the saddle. But crikey I was feeling it even though it was not far to travel and whilst steep-ish it was hardly massively steep.

Not sure if it is weakness from my illness or whether I am just lousy at getting up hills.

Thinking about getting smaller gears maybe drop the small from 36 - 34 and whack a 12-30 on the back. Not sure it will make a lot of difference though looking at gear ratios - any thoughts anyone?

Maybe I should just keep on trying to get more miles in.

Nice to see you back on the bike though Spokey, the fitness will come, as it usually does.

Ive been 4 weeks off the bike, with RL stuff, work and then rain on every off day getting in the way. Took the opportunity today to go out and while I have found Richmond Park to be pretty easy when Ive been riding quite a bit, today it felt like Satan himself had coated the tarmac with the sins of 10,000 wretched souls.

Got stuck on the nice flat bit behind a car on both laps, stuck sucking in exhaust fumes while they dithered and dallied about whether to overtake a cyclist. I had overtaken an 8 year old half a mile before, and while cruising behind the car noticed he was drafting off me... Got to the bike shop roundabout, car turned one way, and I put the hammer down, only to find the 8 year old had a much bigger, and heavier hammer and shot past me. Aha I thought, he's going too quick too soon! Sawyers Hill will catch the scally unawares and then....oh he's disappeared over the horizon.

So I stopped and took some photos of deer.

Once the deer started getting a little twitchy and began headbutting each other, I took my leave and headed to the cafe, whereupon a young lady walked into my bike as it rested against the stand causing the bike to fall over. She just looked and walked off, not a hint of an apology as I sat, cup in hand, open mouthed. Pedals scratched, brakes needed a slight realignment, but no major damage done, save my hope for humanity taking another denting.

On the way to Hill O' Doom I got overtaken by a Rasta, which certainly wasn't as bad as the 8 year old, as he was pretty damned chiselled. And he wasn't 8 years old.

The ride felt tougher than usual, pretty much a given since I'm not riding enough for it to be of much benefit to me, but my average speed wasn't bad at all, given how much effort it felt it took to move forwards!

Hope everyone is well, and I haven't missed any juicy gossip recently?

http://app.strava.com/activities/183003795

 

[Mo1959]

@Nomadski Sounds like a decent ride. Love the deer pics. I like the idea of a go-faster-rasta

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Nice to see you back on the bike though Spokey, the fitness will come, as it usually does.

Ive been 4 weeks off the bike, with RL stuff, work and then rain on every off day getting in the way. Took the opportunity today to go out and while I have found Richmond Park to be pretty easy when Ive been riding quite a bit, today it felt like Satan himself had coated the tarmac with the sins of 10,000 wretched souls.

Got stuck on the nice flat bit behind a car on both laps, stuck sucking in exhaust fumes while they dithered and dallied about whether to overtake a cyclist. I had overtaken an 8 year old half a mile before, and while cruising behind the car noticed he was drafting off me... Got to the bike shop roundabout, car turned one way, and I put the hammer down, only to find the 8 year old had a much bigger, and heavier hammer and shot past me. Aha I thought, he's going too quick too soon! Sawyers Hill will catch the scally unawares and then....oh he's disappeared over the horizon.

So I stopped and took some photos of deer.

Once the deer started getting a little twitchy and began headbutting each other, I took my leave and headed to the cafe, whereupon a young lady walked into my bike as it rested against the stand causing the bike to fall over. She just looked and walked off, not a hint of an apology as I sat, cup in hand, open mouthed. Pedals scratched, brakes needed a slight realignment, but no major damage done, save my hope for humanity taking another denting.

On the way to Hill O' Doom I got overtaken by a Rasta, which certainly wasn't as bad as the 8 year old, as he was pretty damned chiselled. And he wasn't 8 years old.

The ride felt tougher than usual, pretty much a given since I'm not riding enough for it to be of much benefit to me, but my average speed wasn't bad at all, given how much effort it felt it took to move forwards!

Hope everyone is well, and I haven't missed any juicy gossip recently?

http://app.strava.com/activities/183003795

I like the way you hid behind your bike for the bottom photo

 

[Mo1959]

Just a bit more on the heavy legs bit.

Since getting back on my bike in May following 5 months off due to illness I have tried to not push it and build up slowly for the balance of 2014 - I seem to have lost about 0.6mph av' speed which is ok. Not that I am exactly a high speed bod anyway!

I am a bit concerned about hills at the moment.

Today I did about 120m at 9.3% grade (as part of a longer ascent) according to Strava and it felt like climbing Everest - managed to keep up just a tad under 6mph in 36/28 without getting out of the saddle. But crikey I was feeling it even though it was not far to travel and whilst steep-ish it was hardly massively steep.

Not sure if it is weakness from my illness or whether I am just lousy at getting up hills.

Thinking about getting smaller gears maybe drop the small from 36 - 34 and whack a 12-30 on the back. Not sure it will make a lot of difference though looking at gear ratios - any thoughts anyone?

Maybe I should just keep on trying to get more miles in.

It's bound to take a while to build back up again......something I'm not looking forward to either! My gearing gives me a 34/28 for climbing and it gets up most apart from the occasional really steep ramp. Thought about trying a 12-30 cassette too if the derailleur would take it.

 

[RWright]

My compact is also 34/28 for the lowest. It does ok for me most of the time. If my smallest on the front was 36 I would probably want a 30 on the rear if I were riding hills with very much grade. If the rear derailleur would handle it.

 

[Deleted member 18052]

14.2 miles for me today - http://www.strava.com/activities/183011066

14.2mi Distance
51:41 Moving Time
860ft Elevation (?)
54 Suffer Score

The segment "All about your bottle!!!" certainly is that! http://www.strava.com/activities/183011066/analysis/1958/2302

Had the hammer down coming off the tight left hander, just topping 40mph and a nice farmer with his trailer full of sheep decides to appear from round the corner, bloody yanked the brakes so hard its the quickest I ever had to stop! heheh

Daz

 

[Nomadski]

I like the way you hid behind your bike for the bottom photo

I'd like to say I was being artsy, but the deer were being quite aggressive as they munched the grass closer towards me, so hiding probably isnt far from the truth!

It's bound to take a while to build back up again......something I'm not looking forward to either! My gearing gives me a 34/28 for climbing and it gets up most apart from the occasional really steep ramp. Thought about trying a 12-30 cassette too if the derailleur would take it.

My compact is also 34/28 for the lowest. It does ok for me most of the time. If my smallest on the front was 36 I would probably want a 30 on the rear if I were riding hills with very much grade. If the rear derailleur would handle it.

Same here with the 34/28. Must say I wouldn't mind a little extra when going up the likes of Leith Hill.