First ride on my carrera tdf

dannyharris

Well what can I say, lovely ride out today, (first day on a racer too)

Travelled 30 mile in around 2 hours and hit a top speed of 39.4mph.
Average speed 14.7 mph with an elevation gain of 1000 ft.
Hill's became a bit of an issue, not sure if I'm using the gears wrong or trying to get up them too fast.
I feel I can get a lot more out of the bike.

Anyone have any advise on how to ride?
I tend to keep my legs moving even if there is no resistance on the pedals and in high gear.


Moving from a mountain bike to a race bike was a bit daunting, but I'm so glad I have done it.

Insideinfo

dannyharris wrote:

Well what can I say, lovely ride out today, (first day on a racer too)

Travelled 30 mile in around 2 hours and hit a top speed of 39.4mph.
Average speed 14.7 mph with an elevation gain of 1000 ft.
Hill's became a bit of an issue, not sure if I'm using the gears wrong or trying to get up them too fast.
I feel I can get a lot more out of the bike.

Anyone have any advise on how to ride?
I tend to keep my legs moving even if there is no resistance on the pedals and in high gear.


Moving from a mountain bike to a race bike was a bit daunting, but I'm so glad I have done it.

No advice on how to ride, each to their own! Your ride sounds about right/average so i wouldnt worry.

lotus49

dannyharris wrote:

Well what can I say, lovely ride out today, (first day on a racer too)

Travelled 30 mile in around 2 hours and hit a top speed of 39.4mph.
Average speed 14.7 mph with an elevation gain of 1000 ft.
Hill's became a bit of an issue, not sure if I'm using the gears wrong or trying to get up them too fast.
I feel I can get a lot more out of the bike.

Anyone have any advise on how to ride?
I tend to keep my legs moving even if there is no resistance on the pedals and in high gear.


Moving from a mountain bike to a race bike was a bit daunting, but I'm so glad I have done it.

The Carrera TdF has a traditional rather than compact chainset so the ratios are higher making hills a bit more challenging depending on how fit you are. If you are getting up them you can't be that unfit so you are probably doing well.

There isn't much point in pedalling if you don't have to, but it won't do any harm. You could try changing up a gear and go even faster (unless you are already going too fast, in which case, enjoy the rest).

elderone

well done and thats a cracking ride for a first ride out so you must be cycle fit already.keep going and keep posting.

dannyharris

Well I had been commuting on a mtb 20 mile a day for about 2 months.
I guess it's got me half way to prepared for this.

And thanks for the support. I didn't think it was so impressive. But then I aim high too often.

Not sure if porridge was a good idea an hour before the ride. But trial and error I'm sure to find what works for me.
Maybe a sweet drink rather than water in my bottle would help too.

simon_masterson

dannyharris wrote:

Well I had been commuting on a mtb 20 mile a day for about 2 months.
I guess it's got me half way to prepared for this.

And thanks for the support. I didn't think it was so impressive. But then I aim high too often.

Not sure if porridge was a good idea an hour before the ride. But trial and error I'm sure to find what works for me.
Maybe a sweet drink rather than water in my bottle would help too.

Porridge is an excellent breakfast. Adding some fruit or golden syrup (personal favourite) is even better...

As for what you drink, it depends on how far you are going, how hard you are working and what works for you. If you're not working very hard and are nibbling bits of flapjack, even if the ride is a long one you should probably be fine; it comes as no surprise to me that some such people claim that energy drinks are a con/don't do anything for them. If on the other hand you're going at 'full gas', you're likely to need more carbs. Energy drink (or dextrose in water) is a great way to get carbs in as it's easy to ingest and it allows you to keep your blood sugar topped up.

lotus49

dannyharris wrote:

Not sure if porridge was a good idea an hour before the ride. But trial and error I'm sure to find what works for me.
Maybe a sweet drink rather than water in my bottle would help too.

Apparently porridge is what Mo Farah has for his breakfast in the winter. It seems to have worked for him.

simon_masterson

I'm pretty sure that an awful lot of athletes eat porridge! It's great stuff. As said above, I'm rather partial to a couple of tablespoons of golden syrup with mine. It is sinfully good.