The dangers of agreeing to stuff in the pub.

grl

Thought I would give you a salutory lesson in drinking and agreeing to things, then I have some questions which I hope everyone could help me with.

Friend of mine has got into cycling in a big way, initially MTB but then road biking - think he doesn't like getting covered in mud. He has become increasingly enthusiastic about road riding and has got together with a bunch of workmates and decided to do the Way of the Roses - Morecambe to Bridlington, 180 miles in 2 days!

I intially said no because I am more of a MTBer than a roadie and the thought of two days on my bike bringing up the rear does not really appeal.

So, we were in the pub talking to one of his workmates who said he was doing it and after a few sherbets, I agreed to join in, shake of the hands, pat on the back, words along the lines of "well done fella" and I am taking part. Beer is bad for you.

I am 40, 2 stone overweight, a competent biker but have never tried this distance, done a few 60 mile charity rides which I found weren't too painful and good fun. The trepidation comes from 110 miles on the first day and 70 on the second day and not bringing up the rear or having to be carted off.

Questions:
1. How do you get started, it's easy to say "get on your bike" but is there any training resources around?
2. Dieting - been put on the Hairy Bikers diet they've shown on the TV recently. Anything else.
3. General guidance, points, tips and pearls of wisdom would be really appreciated.

This event is planned for next May so time is on my side, at the moment.

Thanks

Giles

BridlingtonBiker

Firstly I wouldn't worry about being 40 or 2 stone overweight. The extra riding you will do between now and May should remove most if not all of that 2 stone. Something I've been told you gain in your 40's is endurance so the mileage shouldn't be an issue either.

HOWEVER if you're going in the direction Morecambe to Brid, which is favoured due to the prevailing winds, then you need to split the ride differently. All the climbing is in the first half of the journey. I'd get the others convinced you need to do an 80 mile day one followed by a 100 mile day two.

Other than that enjoy it. It's a great journey and one you won't forget in a hurry.

il_principe

Eat properly and train well. Make sure you get some good miles in over the winter, either on a Turbo or outside. I'd aim to ride a decent distance every weekend, maybe start of doing 30/40 mile rides in Jan and then keep upping distance and intensity each month. Aim to complete century rides in March & April if you can (set yourself a good average speed target and work hard to maintain it), and experiment with nutrition, hydration and pacing.

grl

BridlingtonBiker wrote:

Firstly I wouldn't worry about being 40 or 2 stone overweight. The extra riding you will do between now and May should remove most if not all of that 2 stone. Something I've been told you gain in your 40's is endurance so the mileage shouldn't be an issue either.

HOWEVER if you're going in the direction Morecambe to Brid, which is favoured due to the prevailing winds, then you need to split the ride differently. All the climbing is in the first half of the journey. I'd get the others convinced you need to do an 80 mile day one followed by a 100 mile day two.

Other than that enjoy it. It's a great journey and one you won't forget in a hurry.

I free about splitting the ride but this is whats been decided, not sure how but it's the preferred option. I shall grin and bear it

Giles

grl

Il Principe wrote:

Eat properly and train well. Make sure you get some good miles in over the winter, either on a Turbo or outside. I'd aim to ride a decent distance every weekend, maybe start of doing 30/40 mile rides in Jan and then keep upping distance and intensity each month. Aim to complete century rides in March & April if you can (set yourself a good average speed target and work hard to maintain it), and experiment with nutrition, hydration and pacing.

Thanks, good advice! I can do 60 miles at the moment, albeit very slowly so I shall start at the regular 40 mile level now and build up from there. Also replacing the cassette and rear mech to give me some better gearing on the hills. Bit flat where I am so need to find something a little less, well, flat.

Giles

diy

1. get a road bike - not sure if that was a given.
2. go for an alternate 2nd day fasting diet (basically max 450cal 2 days a week, 5 days a week eat what you like) as it wont screw your training program up leaving you too weak on training days.
3. get 1 set up right for you and get some decent shorts (maybe wear 2 or 3 pairs).
4. practice riding 1, road riding is different to mtb, you need to spend time being efficient and working out how you need to sit for different tasks.
5. If you are a competent MTBer and have done 60 mile MTB rides then this will not be very hard for you.

getting a turbo or doing some spin classes is also good to build your leg strength up.

navrig

I would support splitting the route more evenly. Some colleagues did it last year and again this year.

Last year they took 2 days and stayed in Boroughbridge. This gave a more even split. (I was supposed to do it but a broken thumb screwed the training.)

This year they did it in one day albeit a long day.

rodgers73

The good news is that it's 170 miles not 180. I did it in 14 hours this summer and there are no major hills apart from one in the Dales and one smaller one in the Wolds. You'll be fine - lots of it is flat or slightly "rolling" so you wont be working too hard most of the way.

As for training - give up the drink and just follow the tips in this thread and your strength will come on and your weight will reduce.

Good luck :-)

thegodplato

Just like you I fell for the `that sounds like a good idea` whilst under the influence.

I agreed to do a C2C this year and next LeJog. Now, for me, I used to be a very good BMX racer but that was when I was in my teens. I played football twice a week until I was early 30's but hadn't ridden a bike properly since I was maybe 18/19. So back in April, at the tender age of 40, I plumped for the nice road bike I have sat in my garage. I found the first rides uncomfortable and thought how on earth I will ever be able to do any reasonable distance without discomfort, etc.
And so, with patience and much hard work and effort, I know I can do it. I've done the flat Manchester to Blackpool in 3hrs 19mins and last month completed my first century taking part in the Ride With Brad 100mile 10,000 feet sportive in 7hrs 7mins. I'm not the best of climbers and can't keep up with the local cycling club's Saturday morning Chaingang but at least I enjoy it.

And that, in a nutshell, is what it is all about - having fun and getting a sense of achievement.

I feel far better, have lost over a stone.

So, keep doing those long-ish rides intersperced with shorter ones. I would also through in some hills, maybe one or two on each ride. Keep plugging, you've got plenty of time. Me on the other hand is doing the C2C next month in 1 day.

grl

diy wrote:

1. get a road bike - not sure if that was a given.
2. go for an alternate 2nd day fasting diet (basically max 450cal 2 days a week, 5 days a week eat what you like) as it wont screw your training program up leaving you too weak on training days.
3. get 1 set up right for you and get some decent shorts (maybe wear 2 or 3 pairs).
4. practice riding 1, road riding is different to mtb, you need to spend time being efficient and working out how you need to sit for different tasks.
5. If you are a competent MTBer and have done 60 mile MTB rides then this will not be very hard for you.

getting a turbo or doing some spin classes is also good to build your leg strength up.

1. Yep, got a very shiny Bianchi to do it on. Great bike
2. Interesting idea, never heard of this approach to dieting, does it work?
3. You're right about shorts, liners as well help the nether regions although need a replacement and am finding decent ones expensive
4. Am going to do a plan for the riding on my road Nike
5. Done 60 miles on the road bike. Did the Sam Houghton challenge on my Cube - 26 miles around the Kentmere valley in the Lakes. Never suffered so much

grl

Navrig wrote:

I would support splitting the route more evenly. Some colleagues did it last year and again this year.

Last year they took 2 days and stayed in Boroughbridge. This gave a more even split. (I was supposed to do it but a broken thumb screwed the training.)

This year they did it in one day albeit a long day.

Hi navrig
Yes, would agree at splitting it but this seems to be what's agreed by the group so will have to toe the line

Giles

grl

rodgers73 wrote:

The good news is that it's 170 miles not 180. I did it in 14 hours this summer and there are no major hills apart from one in the Dales and one smaller one in the Wolds. You'll be fine - lots of it is flat or slightly "rolling" so you wont be working too hard most of the way.

As for training - give up the drink and just follow the tips in this thread and your strength will come on and your weight will reduce.

Good luck :-)[/

Ta, I shall take comfort in it being 10 miles less! At least its not 10 miles longer!

grl

thegodplato wrote:

Just like you I fell for the `that sounds like a good idea` whilst under the influence.

I agreed to do a C2C this year and next LeJog. Now, for me, I used to be a very good BMX racer but that was when I was in my teens. I played football twice a week until I was early 30's but hadn't ridden a bike properly since I was maybe 18/19. So back in April, at the tender age of 40, I plumped for the nice road bike I have sat in my garage. I found the first rides uncomfortable and thought how on earth I will ever be able to do any reasonable distance without discomfort, etc.
And so, with patience and much hard work and effort, I know I can do it. I've done the flat Manchester to Blackpool in 3hrs 19mins and last month completed my first century taking part in the Ride With Brad 100mile 10,000 feet sportive in 7hrs 7mins. I'm not the best of climbers and can't keep up with the local cycling club's Saturday morning Chaingang but at least I enjoy it.

And that, in a nutshell, is what it is all about - having fun and getting a sense of achievement.

I feel far better, have lost over a stone.

So, keep doing those long-ish rides intersperced with shorter ones. I would also through in some hills, maybe one or two on each ride. Keep plugging, you've got plenty of time. Me on the other hand is doing the C2C next month in 1 day.

Thanks for that, good luck with your ride, can you come back and let us know how you get on?

dsoutar

Like the OP, I was in my mid-forties and I was about 2-3 stone overweight. Although I was fairly fit, I wanted to shed the weight and get fitter. A mate at work who was a keen roadie suggested that in order to remedy this I ought to get a road bike and then set a goal. That was in early March IIRC. He told me of this race called the Marmotte (which I'd never heard of) and he said it would be a reasonable challenge and that as this thing was in July we'd have plenty of time to get fit.

Well to cut a long story short, I lost the weight (about 14kg), got fitter and was ready when he suffered a knee injury and had to cancel. Undeterred (well, naive) I went anyway. I didn't break any records and had a great time (mostly) apart from being on the Galibier in 40 degrees and the over 2 hours of hell it took to get up AdH but I was glad I did it.

You've got loads of time. Just stick to a discpline of eating well and exercising sensibly; especially not overdoing it. By the time May comes you'll wonder what you worried about.

Good luck and let us know how it's going from time to time

Bustacapp

Just say you can't remember agreeing and back out.

smidsy

What gets said in the pub stays in the pub - so unless your riding round the pub it's inadmissible :-)

grl

Bustacapp wrote:

Just say you can't remember agreeing and back out.

I like it! Unfortunately my mate came round the following day and I we talked it further - too late to back out now, dammit!

grl

smidsy wrote:

What gets said in the pub stays in the pub - so unless your riding round the pub it's inadmissible :-)

Wise words indeed, shame those rules don't apply in my local

Mikey23

Anything in writing?

grl

Mikey23 wrote:

Anything in writing?

Good point, although I go with the " my word is my bond" approach. Also, I will get accused of being a namby pamby wuss

diy

[quote="grl"
2. Interesting idea, never heard of this approach to dieting, does it work?
[/quote]

Yep, I've been on it for 5 weeks and lost 1 stone - I was only about 1/2 a stone over to start

Mikey23

Get your lawyers on it ...

grl

diy wrote:

[quote="grl"
2. Interesting idea, never heard of this approach to dieting, does it work?

Yep, I've been on it for 5 weeks and lost 1 stone - I was only about 1/2 a stone over to start[/quote]


May give it a go

grl

Mikey23 wrote:

Get your lawyers on it ...

Kendal Black Drop

I got myself a road bike in August 2010 and loved it straight away. 42 miles on my first weekend out, a few weeks later did my first 100km ride (67 miles). I thought it would be the first of many. I decided soon after that that I would do the Coast to Coast in summer 2011 but work and other things got in the way and I didn't even repeat my metric century. I did lots of shorter rides though. So summer 2012 comes around and my boss, who is a keen cyclist too, suggests I book a week off to do the Coast to Coast and my friend decided he wanted to do it too. I didn't want to bother driving up to Workington or Whitehaven and then having the logistics of getting back so I decided I would set off from my house in Kendal and cycle down to Arnside then head up to Sedbergh, over Garsdale Head and keep on going til I got to Scarborough. My plan was to do it in a couple of days stopping in B&B en route, spend a couple of days at the seaside then head back in a couple of days. Then we decided to just 'go for it' and do the journey there in a day, seaside rest, then back in a day. Plans changed again when my friends wife fancied the seaside views too, so she would drive over with tents etc and we would camp when we got there. Then my friend got worried about doing two epic days in quick succession and the final plan of 'there in a day, rest, back in three' took shape. That is what we did.

So having only ever done 67 miles, my friends longest was probably only 50, we set off on our epic journey. I managed to get absolutely no sleep the night before but was up at 5am cooking breakfast. We headed down to the sea and then turned eastwards and just kept going. We weren't trying to break any speed records, just keeping a good pace with plenty of short rest/refuelling stops. I had lots of sweet cake type things and my friend (who doesn't do refined sugars) had plenty of savoury snacks. I quickly became very envious of his oatmeal 'sandwiches' (fillings of assorted meat, cheese and peanut butter) but luckily he shared them with me while I shared the contents of my second water bottle. After 100 miles I was knackered, but kept on going. I was thinking though that if my mate had suggested sacking it off and camping early it wouldn't have taken much to persuade me. After about 120 miles we stopped for a rest in a churchyard, I think we were both ready to fall asleep there and then, but we got back on our bikes and carried on. As dusk arrived we got to Scarborough but my friend informed me he couldn't be bothered actually going down to the coast as he'd "seen the sea" and didn't fancy the climb back up the hill to our camp-site which was situated just back beyond the town boundary. I had to go though, even if it meant pushing my bike all the way back up the hill. So whilst he lit a fire and drank a well earned beer I sped down the hill to enjoy the reward of achieving my personal goal. The climb back up the hill wasn't as bad as I had expected, I just kept on pedalling until the 10% gradient got too much and I walked for 50 metres then pedalled the rest. After being awake for about 36 hours and doing a 14 hour ride of 143 miles I was too tired to drink beer, managing only to put my tent up and drink some milk. I did go to bed a happy man though.

The three day ride back was much more enjoyable.

Some thoughts/advice:

1. If you really want to do it you should make it as long as you have a decent level of fitness.

2. Get as much cycling done between now and your 'big ride' as you can.

3. Buy the most comfortable padded shorts you can afford.

4. Think carefully about what food you are going to take with you. Eat small amounts regularly, don't wait til you feel hungry.

5. Drink regularly.

6. Cycle as a team. Drafting behind the leader wherever possible makes things easier. Don't be afraid to let the stronger riders do more work than those who haven't got as much strength/fitness.

7. Definitely get a good nights sleep before you set off.

8. When you get there (or the next day) find a fish and chip shop that fries in dripping rather than vegetable fat. I can heartily recommend Barny's in Scarborough.



As others have said let us know how you get on. Feel free to ask any questions.

Good luck.

grl

Thanks kendal
That's quite a story and some very good advice in there, thanks for taking the time to write it up. What interested me the most about it was food. I used to take gels, energy drinks and the like but I watched The Cycle Show and Grahame Obree was interviewed, his energy source was jam sandwiches and scoffed the idea of the energy drinks and like. I still use the add energy sweets but otherwise I stick to water.

I know what you say about just keeping going, when you find your groove there's no point stopping so hopefully I shall be doing the same.

Mikey23

Great account. Thanks for sharing, quite inspiring in fact