First 40 Mile Ride

tv

Nice one, did my first 40 mile yest!!

prawny

Gizmodo wrote:

I did my first 20 miler yesterday and I have done it again this morning. I've only had a bike 3 weeks and like everyone else here the feeling is great. Mine was also pretty hilly, with 1476 ft of elevation according to ridewithgps.com

And today was my first wet ride, rained the whole way and I still enjoyed it - does that make me strange?

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/374402

I want to get to 40 miles under my belt before I think about club rides, next year maybe. But if anyone in the Cannock / Heath Hayes area wants to join up for an easy Sunday ride let me know.

Colin

Hi Colin!

How early do you normally go out? I live in pye green but I usually go out early so I don't leave the wife at home with the brats alone for too long at the weekend.

velocestrapture

I am convinced that increasing distance is psychological as much as physiological.

I only started cycling in Feb this year after not even having sat on a bike for about 8 years, and never having done any proper cycling before. I started off needing a hot bath after about 6 miles, then increased it to 11 miles for a while. I did a couple of 18 miles before doing a 26 mile organised ride at the end of June. I was then convinced to do a 60 mile sponsored ride at the end of July. I put in 20 miles twice a week and one fast 30 miler before doing the 60 miles (which turned into 65 due to a map reading error!). We did it at a fairly leisurely pace, but I coped with it far better than I had feared, and the only thing that was sore after was my triceps!

Sine then I have started commuting 12 x 2 miles a couple of times a week, and do 30-35 miles at the weekend.

Having done 65 miles, I have broken quite a large psychological barrier, and so anything less than that is quite do-able!

I just need to improve my speed and hill climbing now.

chiark

velocestrapture wrote:

I just need to improve my speed and hill climbing now.

Amen to that! If you find a secret, please share it

andrewlwood

I did my first SOLO 30-miler on Sunday - have done a few 40s and 50s, and one 70 in my time, but all as part of groups or charity rides. This is the first time I've set out by myself with a route in mind and just cycled for 30 miles, just the sound of tyres on tarmac and humming tubes. Loved every minute of it, and am going to start doing lots more of them!

velocestrapture

It is hugely satisfying to discover that you can propel yourself over a significant distance and it also changes your appreciation of distance.

My parents live in a very rural area where to get anywhere involves a car journey. The nearest city is about 20 miles away, and it always seemed to be a big expedition to go there. Now that 20 miles takes me only a little over an hour on the bike, and would be a shortish training ride, the distance seems to be much less significant.

Andydaw

Well done, it is certainly a land mark when you tick off the next distance.

Were you riding alone? I found my increase in distance came far quicker than I planned when I started cycling with friends with more experience. "Let's go out and do 30 miles" 40 miles later....

Then last week "Let's do another 40 miler" 57 miles later......

I didn't think I had it in me yet, but when you are trying to keep up and not wanting to look like the newbie it is amazing what extra you can find. Plenty of hills too at a steady pace, so my fitness is coming on in leaps and bounds.

Apparently we are doing "another 50 miler next"; Goodness knows what the end total will be!

Wacky Racer

Great feedback to my original post, nice to see I'm not alone in striving to go longer (no smutty remarks :shock: ). Since posting this I have since managed 58 miles, so pushing the boundaries ever further.

In answer to questions about riding alone, I find that I am better at managing distance rides on my own, as I pace myself to my limitations and I don't have to worry about anyone else. But, I do regular loop rides with a couple of friends, around 25 miles, which enables us all to push pretty hard, and we usually finish up at the local. I also occasionally set off on a 30 miler on my own and meet my Mrs and daughter at a pub halfway which breaks up the ride and kills two birds with one stone. I am unable to join a local cycling club as I struggle to make meet times due to family and work commitments, and this way I can just go when I want to instead of being tied to other peoples times.

The cycling started as an alternative to running, as my knees were suffering due to high impact. The thing is I have started to enjoy cycling and now see it as more of an escape.

Nancy Luger

BobbyTrigger wrote:

i did my first post 30 miler a couple of Saturdays ago with a group organised by my lbs. turned out to be 60 miles and some massive hills. I was absolutely shattered afterwards. It was the hills that killed me, right in the middle of the ride too (climb out of Corbridge and the Ryals if anyone knows it). I was in a very dark place 30 - 35 miles whilst getting the hills out of the way, and to be honest was very close to ringing the missus to come and pick me up but the encouragement and help of the people i was riding with carried me through. Once the hills we're out of the way i was ok (if cream crackered of course).

gave me such confidence. The following Monday and Wednesday i did two 50 milers no bother. 50 miles was definitively a big mental block for me. Wouldn't think twice about a 50 mile ride now

You went UP at Ryal?? Respect and very well done. That's a punisher I wouldn't attempt. Great fun going down though.

cje

BobbyTrigger wrote:

i did my first post 30 miler a couple of Saturdays ago with a group organised by my lbs. turned out to be 60 miles and some massive hills. I was absolutely shattered afterwards. It was the hills that killed me, right in the middle of the ride too (climb out of Corbridge and the Ryals if anyone knows it). I was in a very dark place 30 - 35 miles whilst getting the hills out of the way, and to be honest was very close to ringing the missus to come and pick me up but the encouragement and help of the people i was riding with carried me through. Once the hills we're out of the way i was ok (if cream crackered of course).

gave me such confidence. The following Monday and Wednesday i did two 50 milers no bother. 50 miles was definitively a big mental block for me. Wouldn't think twice about a 50 mile ride now

Kudos to you mate. The hills in that part of the world are impressive. I drove out of Stanhope the other day and had to drop into 1st gear to get up the hill! Not tackled that area on my bike yet, but did my first 20m on Monday, then did it again on Wednesday and will be doing it again tonight. Just a little circuit round Ponteland / Airport way.

BobbyTrigger

cje - thats generally my first port of call, nice quiet roads. Through Kingston park then out onto the Dinnigton road etc.. All the roads up that way (Dinnington, Saltwick etc..) are so quiet - never see any cars!

cje

Yeah, you tend to see as many cyclists as you see cars round there. The only downside is the amount of mud the farmers leave on the road. Treacherous when wet!

velocestrapture

I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself today for doing the Richmond to Kingston ride. Due to engineering works on the trains I had to cycle to the start so ended up doing 45 miles in total.

It took me 3 hrs 20 mins for the whole 45 miles, including the first few miles stuck behind really slow people heading out of Richmond.

I was really pleased that although I was tired by the end I wasn't at all wiped out and managed to keep my speed and cadence pretty constant from start to finish.

andrewlwood

velocestrapture wrote:

I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself today for doing the Richmond to Kingston ride. Due to engineering works on the trains I had to cycle to the start so ended up doing 45 miles in total.

It took me 3 hrs 20 mins for the whole 45 miles, including the first few miles stuck behind really slow people heading out of Richmond.

I was really pleased that although I was tired by the end I wasn't at all wiped out and managed to keep my speed and cadence pretty constant from start to finish.

Do you mean Kingston or Windsor? If Windsor, I did that too - hope you missed the rain, it was something else!

If Kingston, I'd be interested to know your route!

velocestrapture

andrewlwood wrote:

velocestrapture wrote:

I am feeling pretty chuffed with myself today for doing the Richmond to Kingston ride. Due to engineering works on the trains I had to cycle to the start so ended up doing 45 miles in total.

It took me 3 hrs 20 mins for the whole 45 miles, including the first few miles stuck behind really slow people heading out of Richmond.

I was really pleased that although I was tired by the end I wasn't at all wiped out and managed to keep my speed and cadence pretty constant from start to finish.

Do you mean Kingston or Windsor? If Windsor, I did that too - hope you missed the rain, it was something else!

If Kingston, I'd be interested to know your route!

Doh! Yes, I meant Windsor. Don't know why I typed Kingston. 3hrs 20 from Richmond to Kingston would be nothing to feel chuffed about, unless I was crawling there using only my eyelids.

velocestrapture

I did just miss the rain. It had just started as I got to the finish so I was able to go straight into the tent and keep dry. Did you get wet?

andrewlwood

velocestrapture wrote:

I did just miss the rain. It had just started as I got to the finish so I was able to go straight into the tent and keep dry. Did you get wet?

I must have got in five minutes before you - we were queueing to get our first beers and it came down. What were you riding?

velocestrapture

andrewlwood wrote:

velocestrapture wrote:

I did just miss the rain. It had just started as I got to the finish so I was able to go straight into the tent and keep dry. Did you get wet?

I must have got in five minutes before you - we were queueing to get our first beers and it came down. What were you riding?

Specialized Tri-Cross Sport. You?

H8Hills

Good to read about other new starters doing well !
Had my bike (cheap second hand Carrera) 3 weeks and have worked up to 10 miles after work in the evenings, planning on 20 miles on the weekend, may not be far but i'm chuffed to get to 10 miles. I'm about as unfit as they come and as soon as i hit a slight incline not even a hill i blow through my arse! Got a plan of getting to 100 miles sometime next year but lots of baby steps till then in the dark wet welsh winter.

roddixon

Did my first 40 miler today, all started out well on the way out but as I turned homewards after 25 miles it got decidedly more difficult... might have had something to do with the 40mph gusts blowing right into my face :twisted:.

Despite that quite happy with my average speed of just under 18mph as there were also a few longish hills aswell.

http://www.bikemap.net/route/1254229#la ... =11&type=2

Okay, was only 39.4 miles :oops:

Edit: in the ways of the cyclist I have now opened my bottle of Warsteiner, no particular reason for that choice was simply on offer at the Supermarché, prost!

CiB

Good to see people getting the miles up; chapeau to you all.

The guy earlier who said it's psychological got it right. Without wanting to sound glib, the way to make a 40 mile ride easier is to go out and do a 60, or a 70. 40 is easy once you're hitting bigger mileages.

optimisticbiker

CiB wrote:

Good to see people getting the miles up; chapeau to you all.

The guy earlier who said it's psychological got it right. Without wanting to sound glib, the way to make a 40 mile ride easier is to go out and do a 60, or a 70. 40 is easy once you're hitting bigger mileages.

+1 to that. Having now cracked 100+, I'm regularly doing 50miles on the weekly club runs (its a lot easier in a group). However I was really pleased about the return 30mile run between the City and Tonbridge last Monday eve/Tuesday morning - not because of distance, but because I conquered the two Cat5 climbs (and some shorter steeper climbs >20%) in each direction. It was hard work solo, and my legs are stil reminding me of it...