After Three Weeks on the road... More lessons learned...

CakeLovinBeast

So I'm now nearly a month into the new (first) road bike and I have to say that so far it's going particularly well. Better than expected, in fact. Most of my miles are commuting miles - I ride to the station each morning, train into town (with the bike) and then ride from the other end into work. That works out to about a 12-mile round trip in total, with more serious mileage coming along at the weekends. Since July 23rd I've:

- Done just shy of 290km
- At an average speed of ~22km/h
- Been scalped more times than I care to mention
- Without being hit, run over, or even shouted at by any motorists

Along the way I've:

- Been overtaken by a tracksuit-wearing girl on a mountain bike. Uphill.
- Never had a problem getting the bike onto a train. Not once. Ever
- Discovered that if something feels difficult, then it's probably because you're not peddling properly.
- Found that Devon has a lot of hills and regardless of how gentle they look through the windows of a car, they're muscle-burning mountains of doom when on a bike.
- Worked out that base fitness comes quite quickly. Proper fitness obviously takes time.
- Actually put on weight. Whilst losing it from other places.
- Met a whole bunch of decent people.
- Found that the most common time to get scalped is just after stopping off at the supermarket to "get a few bits".
- Discovered that riding every day is the surest way to make your legs hate you. I'm currently on day 6 in the saddle and I genuinely cannot wait for tomorrow's rest day. Trying to do too much, too fast is clearly a specialty.
- Worked out that getting an average of 20mph is elusive. One of the legs of my commute is 2.75 miles and lends itself to being time-trialled. I've managed 19.8 mph on my best day, but not yet cracked 20. I'm going for next week, with fresh legs!

Someone might once have mentioned that this is a pasttime that gets seriously addictive... They may have been understating it just a little.

rick_chasey

Good isn't it?

I caught the bug when I decided aged 16 to go riding round Cornwall with full panniers on mountain bikes, doing 70 miles a day.

Those are still the most brutal and emotional rides I've ever done.

Ringo 68

I know how you feel. Whilst I am still waiting to get my first road bike I have been hammering my hybrid and loving every minute.
Today is a rest day as I try to do 2 days on, 1 day off but already I am getting the urge to go out (my legs do feel tired though after I did a 25 mile ride yesterday)
I have put on weight too :?:

It is VERY addictive.

Secteur

I get really tetchy on days when I cant go out and ride, often gazing out of the window for ages, apparently!!

Best hobby ever.

CakeLovinBeast

Rick Chasey wrote:

Good isn't it?

I caught the bug when I decided aged 16 to go riding round Cornwall with full panniers on mountain bikes, doing 70 miles a day.

Those are still the most brutal and emotional rides I've ever done.

There were 3 lads getting the same train as me on my way home yesterday. Fully pannier'd up MTB's and them just in normal clothes and trainers. I almost felt sorry for them!

Rest day tomorrow... Actually looking forward to a short rest, though childcare this weekend might mean I don't get a longer rider in the next couple of days. Just will mean that I need to hammer it next week!

morstar

Well done, glad you're enjoying it.

Just one comment re, the 20mph thing. If you're just jumping on your bike and caning it, you won't be performing to your best. If this is a serious objective that you've set yourself, take 15 mins to just ride and loosen up and then hit it hard. I guarantee with warmed up legs and respiratory system, you'll find that 0.2mph you're missing.

Yes, you're adding time to your commute but what's more important, getting to work on time or hitting 20 mph?

johnboy183

Secteur wrote:

I get really tetchy on days when I cant go out and ride, often gazing out of the window for ages, apparently!!

Best hobby ever.

Have to agree. Just starting to ride again regularly whilst on hols. So far managed 150miles over 10 days riding every other day. Weather now set in and left all my wet weather gear at home. Stuck in caravan with rain hammering on roof. Not pleasant!

To OP. Just keep going and enjoy every min, even the hard bits when you think why do I bother!

rick_chasey

CakeLovinBeast wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

Good isn't it?

I caught the bug when I decided aged 16 to go riding round Cornwall with full panniers on mountain bikes, doing 70 miles a day.

Those are still the most brutal and emotional rides I've ever done.

There were 3 lads getting the same train as me on my way home yesterday. Fully pannier'd up MTB's and them just in normal clothes and trainers. I almost felt sorry for them!

Hah, don't feel sorry for them! That was me once! No training, no nothing.

*sighs* those were the days.

I'm all in love with cycling again. Had a few rubbish days on the bike but last night was excellent.

It's just so nice to be able to go so far (and later, at such speed!) under your own steam. Feels very empowering and liberating.

You're in a good part of the world for it. Make sure you vary up the routes. Nothing better than discovering a lovely little road to ride.

CakeLovinBeast

Rick Chasey wrote:

...Make sure you vary up the routes. Nothing better than discovering a lovely little road to ride.

True enough. My most finite resource, unfortunately, is time. As things stand, I'm out the door at 7am, which allows me time at the opposite end of the day to get myself back in time for bathtime back at the ranch - it's not fair to rely on my other half to deal with all of the housework/childcare arrangements.

A day or two a week, depending on weather and the way my legs feel, I'll ride the full way back. It's either 17 miles with a big hill in the middle, or a more undulating 21 miler, though with some deceptively nasty hills there too. I aim for something a bit longer, but still within my limits, at least once over the weekend. I log everything using Endomondo (which is a great motivator) and I also use it for planning new routes.

My only problem (or at least, perceived problem) this week is that my legs have been very heavy these last couple of days. Although I'm not caning the mileage, I just need to be sensible whilst it's relatively early days to make sure that I don't break myself!

Roobsa

I bought my first road bike on Saturday. Been out everyday this week and loved every minute of it. Not doing too much too soon though as my fitness is pretty atrocious.

3 months ago was the first time I had bought and rode a bike (Rockhopper) in 14 years. Great bike and I love bombing it through the woods with my dog in tow but having a road bike is something else. I suffer from a lack of confidence both on and off the bike but it's already getting better in the 5 days I've been riding. Yet to have any incidents with cars but I'm sure it'll happen eventually.

I've planned a 27ish mile route but not sure if I should wait and work on base fitness or just dive in at the deep end.

I've read tons of stories on here about how cycling has changed people's lives so I'm hoping that's what cycling will do for me in the coming years.

CakeLovinBeast

Just go for it Roobsa!

I came from a MTB background, but lack of time and lack of fitness kinda pushed it to the sides about 18 months back. I got my road bike expecting, stupidly, to pick up exactly where I left off. I went out on a solo 26-miler (though I never meant to go that far!) and had my ar*e handed to me by the hills!

Everyone has said to me that time in the saddle is most important to begin with. Just get out and enjoy yourself - the rest will follow.

ollyridesfirst

CakeLovinBeast wrote:

- Found that Devon has a lot of hills and regardless of how gentle they look through the windows of a car, they're muscle-burning mountains of doom when on a bike.

I think this applies to everywhere (even pancake flat Blackpool)....

Have you also noticed that you never really knew that the approach to every single roundabout in the country is uphill? Probably to slow drivers down, but it's a killer and i had no idea before i started riding properly!

CakeLovinBeast

That's not always the case, but we can beat that... Down here in Devon we have side-by-side mini roundabouts. I don't mean that there's a stretch of road between them, but that they're literally next to each other.

Peddle Up!

I was relaxing in a local pub last night when six cyclists came in, in full kit. I felt bad that I'd cadged a lift with a (non-drinking) mate instead of riding out.

Ringo 68

Do you find that your legs fully recover after a day off. I really want to go out today but my legs feel a bit heavy and I don't want to ruin the 30 miler I have planned for tomorrow.

chiark

There are myriad daft roundabouts in Cornwall too... And damn big rolling hills. Kudos to anyone who rides around those regularly, as they looked long, drawn out and fairly nasty.

Average speed-wise, you're doing better than me but then again almost every route I take starts me off uphill (just 5%) and into the prevailing wind, which is a demoralising way to start.

24 miles in 1h 22 is my pb so far, with 1100ft of ascent... A few weeks ago I was nowhere near that!

meanredspider

Rick Chasey wrote:

Hah, don't feel sorry for them! That was me once! No training, no nothing.

*sighs* those were the days.

Don't - you'll make me go all misty-eyed. I set off with my brother and a friend on a 40-mile ride around East Kent (Canterbury - Chilham - Ealham etc) on 3-gear Sturmey Archer bikes with our camping gear in rucksacks at the age of 13/14. Happy days.

Evil Laugh

The heavy legs thing is deceptive. Best just to ride through it. I reckon it can take
10-15 miles to get the lead out of your legs sometimes, just need to warm those muscles up, taking it easy at first, just spinning.

I've had a few rides recently where I've gone out thinking I don't fancy this and twice I've come home having completed some of the most memorable and most challenging rides I've ever done.

Keep cracking away at those long rides home and you'll soon be getting stronger and faster. Just don't, as said above, cane it too hard too soon into the ride, loosen those muscles up first and stretch when you get home, while the muscles are still warm. You'll feel better that way.

CakeLovinBeast

Peddle Up! wrote:

I was relaxing in a local pub last night when six cyclists came in, in full kit. I felt bad that I'd cadged a lift with a (non-drinking) mate instead of riding out.

On the flipside of that, I stopped at the local Tesco to buy "a couple of things" last night and had just set off for home with 4 burgers, a bottle of wine, 4 cans of lager and a disposable BBQ sticking out of my "commuting" rucksack. No sooner had I set off, than I hear the whirr of a finely-adjusted chainset, and an older guy - you know the kind - white beard, indeterminate age, makes spinning look so simple - just blazed past me. I wanted to sprint to catch up and explain that I normally go faster, but I simply had nothing in the tank!

Ringo 68 wrote:

Do you find that your legs fully recover after a day off. I really want to go out today but my legs feel a bit heavy and I don't want to ruin the 30 miler I have planned for tomorrow

Depends purely on the ride... Bearing in mind that my "normal" daily riding is only 6 miles either side of work, then yes, pretty much. Beyond that, I bolt on extra miles depending on how good I'm feeling. At the minute, I've not had a rest day since last Friday, and my legs are definitely slower. On the other hand, I find riding slowly a struggle - there's a little voice in my head tells me to attack and it's a real struggle to rein myself in sometimes! I do make sure, even with shorter distances, that I'm supplementing my protein intake at the minute - I find (even if it's just a placebo effect) that my legs feel better for it.

chiark wrote:

Average speed-wise, you're doing better than me but then again...

Just bear in mind that the majority of my rides are short, and so I ride them hard to get more out of them. That's going to skew my averages upwards I should imagine. The last few longer rides are where I've started noticing the difference, and I'm creeping up from the 12mph average that I started on, to the 14-15mph that I'm now seeing. I need to start on more hill work now, I think - I'm not doing enough and I'll benefit from it. I think I'm a little too fixated on distance as I want to be able to comfortably do 50's - that'll put me in a place where I can comfortably start touring out up to Dartmoor for runs.

CakeLovinBeast

@Evil Laugh:

That's actually a bl**dy good point. I had to spin in very gently today: Whilst I was on the train between stations, I realised I'd left my work pass at home. Attached to the pass is my locker key. Guess where I keep all of my clean clothes?

As a result, I used it more like a technique session - tried to keep a decent cadence in a lower-than-normal gear. Oddly enough, I found that it didn't really take any longer than normal.

(once I got to work, I discovered that there's a spare locker key available, which saved my workmates from being stunk out!)

ollyridesfirst

CakeLovinBeast wrote:

On the other hand, I find riding slowly a struggle - there's a little voice in my head tells me to attack and it's a real struggle to rein myself in sometimes!

+1 to this...

I find it hurts more if i'm going slowly....or not as hard as i like to. Granted if i'm into a headwind and only managing 12mph then it's not that bad as i'm working hard, but i remember one ride i took a mate out and we had a tailwind all the way out so he was drafting me at an average of abuot 17mph. I told him if he wanted to slow down we could as it would be a hard 20 miles back, but he seemed happy enough. We averaged 9mph back as he just couldn't keep up (even sat on my wheel)....that hurt a lot!

DorsetKnob

Conquered St Johns hill in Shaftesbury last night without stopping!
When I started riding in March I had to get off at the bottom and walk up, and even
that was hard!
Just had to tell someone who might understand.

CakeLovinBeast

It's always a great feeling when you finally get up a hill that used to "beat" you! As a mountain-biking teenager there was an off-road near me in Derbyshire - The "Sheep Pasture" incline that was an old railway track. Basically, your bog-standard fireroad climb, but man how I used to suffer on it. I remember the first time I conquered it - I literally shouted out loud...

...That said, the big hill on my way home from work, I gave that a bit of a "geddin!" when I finally made it to the top!

DorsetKnob

I swore at it - and then showered and went to the Pub - Excellent!!

ddraver

CakeLovinBeast wrote:

On the other hand, I find riding slowly a struggle - there's a little voice in my head tells me to attack and it's a real struggle to rein myself in sometimes!

Just started to do some MTB marathons recently and did a 127km training ride on the MTB's (nut on the bike paths) last weekend, I had to have someone with an HRM (mines broken after I put it through the washing machine with all my kit :evil: ) telling me to slow down every 5 mins - that helped quite alot. We also threw some 8min hard intervals and after a few of them going slowly was much easier!

He gave me a tip that when he was training for a winter marathon he'd use a turbo trainer for 1-2hrs (!!!) really slowly whilst watchin a film and aim to keep his HR low

However the most useful thing for me was going with a club as the group will only ride at such a speed (if you pick the right one). This has helped me massively as MTBing tends to be very stop-chat-start-blast downhill-ride slowly up again. Doing lots of longer, CONTINUOUS rides with the local club made a massive difference to my fitness in only a few months

mallorcajeff

well done glad yoru enjoying it keep it up, im still in my first year Ive got 3 weeks left and my first year is up, so far covered 7342 miles and rising. Gets very addictive not to mention the cost of all the stuff and then the faster bike and then the even faster bike but when you buy them its the same speed as your last one. enjoy

chiark

Seven thousand three hundred and forty two miles?

Blimey. That's more than I drove last year! Hearty congratulations on doing that in your first year!

synseal

Just covered 2900 mile in 6 months down here in marbella spain.Never ridden before, today joined up with spanish cyclist from madrid on holiday 32 degrees,was telling him how i done cat 2 climb out of marbella up through ojen tour of span route. Said do you want to go on cat 1 and above ,followed him up road above mijas village to communication towers top of mountian6 klm of sheer hell,pruod but will be on ebay looking for compact next week lol. This game is so addictive
Paul

CakeLovinBeast

I blame you lot...

Commuting home last night. Decided against the full route as bad weather was forecast and didn't have all of my wet weather gear with me. Left the bag here at work and just went back with minimal kit.

I had a lovely ride back to the station this end - pretty gentle, but did need to slipstream a BMW at one point Got to the other end, the sun popped out, legs felt fine, so I extended the route home by 8 miles and put the hammer down... Even managed some hill sprints along the way.