A beginners target..?

chapp1e

Hey all,

I have recently been bitten by the bug and am trying to get out as much as possible. At the moment this is about 3/4 times per week.

Last weekend I managed to do 33 miles which I was quite happy with but I can see from on here that it is not a huge distance so I'm wondering what I should be aiming for as a beginner.

I'm still pleased with the 33 miles but it would be good to have an achievable goal to be aiming for.

I've been cycling about 6 weeks and do anything from 14m to 23 miles usually due to not getting home from work until about 7.30pm so living in a very rural area I want to get back before it gets too dark.

Thx

mattward1979

It depends on your current fitness and how hard you push yourself.. A Time trial 10 mile could be more beneficial than a 50 mile pootle if you put very little effort in!

You have a decent base at 30ish miles, so each week add a few more and just enjoy your time in the saddle

A good way to encourage longer distances is to sign up to an organised ride and plan to do a training ride of 80% of the distance of the ride during the week before.

People generally aim for a 50 initially, then increase to 75 then a 100!

Good luck and have fun

chapp1e

Thx mate,

MY fitness is something I'm working on to be honest, I gave up smoking a few months ago and was overweight so took up running and was doing 5miles, 3 times per week, started to get some problems with my achilles so thats why i got on the bike. Still doing a bit of both but was mainly running, now I just prefer being on the bike

I'll redo the longer ride tomorrow and see if i can add a couple of miles at the end.

So my goal now is 50 miles by the end of August

unixnerd

I always thought that running was far more likely to cause knee or ankle damage than something like cycling. Don't know if it's true, but there's a lot less transient force involved in cycling.

Keep off the fags, save all the cigarette money in a jar and buy a really nice bike with it ;-)

Frank the tank

Congratulations on kicking the weed into touch and then discovering the joy of biking.

Fifty miles is a good target but as you say you're aiming to lose a bit of lard so, it's just as valid to set a weight loss target and not necessarily a milage one. I'm sure as the milage is upped (provided you control your diet) the pounds will ebb away.

All the best mate.

chapp1e

Thanks guys,

I've already dropped just shy of 2 stone and am pretty regimented on my diet so i'm fairly happy with the start, kinda of hit a plateau on the weight so am just keeping at it. I record every thing i eat now.

I'm determined to get my fitness up which is why i wanted the goal to be aiming for, i find this motivates me to keep off the fags more then anything else.

desweller

I rashly booked myself into a 100-mile sportive and then went around telling everyone what I was going to do (at the time the longest ride I'd done was 40 miles).

The training sort of took care of itself after that!

gwillis

Well done and keep it up. I started in Jan and really struggled to get into cycling after running for so long. Now im out 3 times a week doing 25 milers with a 50 - 60 miler on the weekend.

keep going and set yourself goals like a bit of kit or maybe a event such maybe like the London to Brighton but local to you.

AND KEEP OFF THE FAGS :x

blade8

at the same level my self, started with 10 miles near every nite for a month , and a 15 -20 at weekends , yesterday done my best at 36 hilly miles , and a 20 mile this mornin, so gettin there ,,you just have to keep pluging away at it ,, and i think im gettin the bug

chapp1e

Thx all.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Good luck to Gwillis and Balde as well.

chapp1e

Thx all.

I'll let you know how I get on.

Good luck to Gwillis and Balde as well.

Rich Hcp

Just try and do a little bit better than previous rides, sometimes faster, sometimes further.

You'll find what your pace is and it'll take care of itself.

remember to have rest days and give your body time to recover

mentalalex

well i started racing and training last november,

set my goals then and almost got them finished 2nd in the National youth MTB champs

you can chive much if you put the time hard work and dedication in.


set your self goals and stick to them