Seriously Unfit newbie to road Bikes

wishitwasallflat

Check my name on here - says it all! Two years ago I was way way worse than you - my first rides were measures in hundereds of yards not even miles!!!

One of the things that started me off was cycling round an island called Millport off Largs in Scotland. Its kind of a traditional thing for Glasgow holidays - hire a bike and ride the 3 miles or so round Millport. I did and thought it was great - once I got a bike I found out I live on the side of a mountain and boy was I f****ed big time - but - persevere and build it up slowly - today I did 27 miles and I can do just about all the hills in my area. Use your gears and don't worry about using the granny ring! I am just starting to do a few in second or third bottom gear. Also I read a lot of Sheldon Brown when I started and he is very strong on ride in a lower gear and stay seated.

Keep going it feels great and progress will come with miles - I always ride outside if I can and only indoors if icy. On the flat no problem but the hills are where the challenge is!

DrKJM

There have been one or two suggestions to start a diary - and good advice that is from my point of view. You can do it online using something like mapmyride.com. I even have the mobile app loaded on my phone and the gps tracks my route. It can go a bit awry if the GPS drops its lock but it can be fixed by editing on the PC later. And if you have a few regular routes - as I guess most people do - once they are loaded you can just add a workout for that route. Might as well get all the help you can get in forming good habits.

elbows

Update - off the fags for 21 days today!! - I am cycling about 4-5 times a week with 3 or 4 sessions on the turbo trainer and a road ride on the weekend.
Completed 12.7 miles today in 45 minutes which when i finished i realised i could have gone further. No weight loss for the last few weeks but i have not put any weight on since giving up the fags which is good.(Eating a bit more at the moment)
Bought a HRM today so will give this a try this week on the turbo. Feel really good and breathing easier already. Really enjoying it at the moment and looking forward to every ride / turbo session.

puppiesdanglybits

Good man don't worry about weight loss as you will go through a period of losing inches MOT weight, if you can stretch the miles a bit furteher or do it a little quicker each weeks that's progress
I to am loving it & can honestly say it's the best thing I have done for myself in many years, looking forward to a lot more miles in the saddle

Stone Glider

Well done, you are making a great deal of effort and the rewards seem to be flowing. However, the good advice you have received to date should be augmented by one word.....rest. To fully benefit from the increased activity you will need a structured approach to recovery. Otherwise you risk losing enjoyment and picking up aches and strains which could spoil the experience. As the saying goes, 'Moderation in all things, including moderation'

Ben6899

For me, winter means endurance training, just keeping on top of things and even improving the base from the previous season. No reason why this should differ for a newcomer over the next few months.

To the OP... welcome to the dark side and just get those miles in. When the weather turns rubbish (we're being spoilt so far this Autumn/Winter!) invest in some mudguards and the appropriate clothing and enjoy the look on your friends' faces when you tell them you've just been out for 3hours in the bleak midwinter.

They'll think you're mad, but we all know the truth. They're the mad ones!

logitech208

Well done with the fags I know how hard it is, I have just gone past the 7 month stage and am so chuffed.