no hills in kent

ram038
ram038 Posts: 187
edited November 2007 in Road beginners
Got my Lemond Reno 5 weeks ago but due to work commitments i only got to try it today for the first time. I went out for an hours spin this morning , couldn't have picked a nicer morning. I bought the double chainset as I was under the impression that the roads round my way were flat, boy was I wrong, either that or I have no muscle power in my legs. Maybe I was expecting too much but I am 48 and live a sedentary lifestyle. I loved it can't wait for next weekend to get back out. Oh my aching legs.

Comments

  • ukdavvy
    ukdavvy Posts: 42
    edited October 2008
    Hi

    Good luck!

    I got back into biking after a long lay off about 12 months ago.

    Ive been riding off road and it was jolly hard work at first.

    I also came from a level of 'no fitness'

    Luckily I have Cheshire to the North and the Peak to the East depending how fit I feel LOL

    My legs ached for days and each ride was an effort

    I found after 2-3 months it gets much better
    It also helps to not push as hard to start with and maybe get out twice a week

    d
  • rhnb
    rhnb Posts: 324
    Been riding for more years than I care to remember. Just did a 90 miler today up around Derwent Water. Guess what - my legs ache too (hope that doesn't put you off).
    Bloody good fun though isn't it.
    ~~~
    http://www.bikeit.eclipse.co.uk
    Cycle tour reports and the home of \'Cycling Before Lycra\'
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    It'll take a while for your leg muscles to get used to pedalling - suggest you find some 'flatter' routes to get you used to spinning the pedals before you start cranking it over the hills. Many beginners find riding with a fast cadence difficult at first, so worth practising - it does get easier- honest! BTW my legs often ache too - if they didn't I know I wasn't training hard enough.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • Panter
    Panter Posts: 299
    well done 8)

    Nice bike too :D


    cheers

    Chris :)
    Racing snakes. It's not big, and it's not clever ;)
  • term1te
    term1te Posts: 1,462
    Having lived in Kent for may years, I always thought the North Downs should be called the Ups.
    The Master
    The Moser
    The VN
  • peejay78
    peejay78 Posts: 3,378
    toy's hill in kent, and sundridge hill, are amazing.
    http://traumradfahren.wordpress.com/
  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    peejay78 wrote:
    toy's hill in kent, and sundridge hill, are amazing.

    I fell off at the bottom of Toy's Hill two weeks ago - autumn leaf mulch at a junction :( Brilliant hill to climb, mind you. The south east is certainly not flat!
  • ricadus
    ricadus Posts: 2,379
    Ashdown Forest is another good training climb too. Not steep on the B roads -- though there are short steep alternatives round there if you want them -- but nice long steady gradients.
    Tour de France
  • ram038
    ram038 Posts: 187
    how long is it before you start too notice a change in your fitness level. I have been commmuting for 2 weeks on an old MTB and still struggle up the hill to the station. Is there anything I can do off the bike to improve muscle strength.
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    In 2 weeks you won't notice much improvement but after 4 you may.

    Time your runs and log them down to see any improvement.
  • Greggyr
    Greggyr Posts: 1,075
    I rode the Kent Cycling Assn reliability trial on Sunday.. Climbed UP Linton Hill and descended through Sutton Valance...Flat it aint !!!

    RAM038, which bit of Kent do you live/ride in ?

    Rgds
    Greg
  • ram038
    ram038 Posts: 187
    I live just outside Gravesend Greggyr
  • Russell Smith
    Russell Smith Posts: 229
    A nice ride (although I did by car on Saturday) is straight down the A21 through kent into Sussex finishing up at Hastings

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