Day of firsts..

dai_t75

So me and the other half managed our first 40 mile ride today, was very cold and windy so feel quite happy about it. Although admittidley it was a very flat route, hopefully will hit the 50 in the next couple of weeks.

Had a couple of issues though, firstly strava. Yesterday and today is the first time it has messed up and not recorded the whole ride. I'm guessing it lost gps signal and picked it up at random points as there are a few straight lines. Is there anyway to prevent this? It's weird as it hasn't happened previously and we have been riding similar roads/routes so it's not a gps blackspot as such.

Also had my first 'off' :oops: . It was a 0mph affair though luckily. The missus pulled off in front of me and I followed closely behind. Problem was she was in too high a gear after the stop and could not get any momentum going... the inevitable happened and she went over sideways not unclipping in time. Unfortunately as I was too close her back wheel smacked into my front and over I went as well!

No serious damage done though, just a few stratches on the bike luckily.

How did everyone else get on today? We are off down the Harvester now for some 're-fuelling' :P

chrisaonabike

Well done on the 40 miler. Firsts are always good - they feel like real milestones.

dai_t75 wrote:

Also had my first 'off' :oops: . It was a 0mph affair though luckily. The missus pulled off in front of me and I followed closely behind. Problem was she was in too high a gear after the stop and could not get any momentum going... the inevitable happened and she went over sideways not unclipping in time. Unfortunately as I was too close her back wheel smacked into my front and over I went as well!

Oopsie

Wish I'd been there to see - two for the price of one...

I've been there. Overtook a long line of traffic coming up to some lights, second trip out with toeclips, stopped, couldn't get out in time, fell over. :oops: :oops:

How did everyone else get on today?

I did a 53 miler - it felt pretty hard. Mostly because I wasn't really warm enough, so every time I got any speed up, I got cold. Then I'd warm up on the hills as the effort increased and the windchill decreased.

I thought I was going to have to get off and walk on White Down lane, but just made it. Discovered that it's a lot harder after 30 miles than after 12 - I was a lot slower than last time I did the Leith Hill / White Down combo, when I drove to within a few miles first.

My average speed was down, too, but today was the first time I've done two big (for me) climbs in the same ride, starting from home.

Mikey41

ooops! Must have been funny to see though.

dai_t75 wrote:

How did everyone else get on today? We are off down the Harvester now for some 're-fuelling' :P

I was going to try a 43 mile route, but trimmed it back to 34 miles as I wanted to try a tough climb I hadn't tackled before. Pleased with the ride though, I think it'll become a regular route.

elderone

Congrats on the 40 its a milestone reached.As far as strava goes i,ve only had it go wrong once when it stop recording after 10 miles.I think its just one of those things with strava,its good but not perfect.Now gone to a garmin.

dai_t75

ChrisAOnABike wrote:

Well done on the 40 miler. Firsts are always good - they feel like real milestones.

Oopsie

Wish I'd been there to see - two for the price of one...

Yeah, it was pretty funny. We were both laughing while lying on the floor. Luckily it was a quiet lane and no cars/people were around!

I did a 53 miler - it felt pretty hard. Mostly because I wasn't really warm enough, so every time I got any speed up, I got cold. Then I'd warm up on the hills as the effort increased and the windchill decreased.

My average speed was down, too, but today was the first time I've done two big (for me) climbs in the same ride, starting from home.

I would be happy with that average over that distance! Are you building towards anything in particular?

elderone wrote:

Congrats on the 40 its a milestone reached.As far as strava goes i,ve only had it go wrong once when it stop recording after 10 miles.I think its just one of those things with strava,its good but not perfect.Now gone to a garmin.

Cheers. Which Garmin have you got? I wouldn't mind investing in a computer/GPS tracker. No need for the top end Garmins with satnav though.

elderone

I got the garmin 200..the basic one but does all I need.

chrisaonabike

dai_t75 wrote:

Chris wrote:

My average speed was down, too, but today was the first time I've done two big (for me) climbs in the same ride, starting from home.

I would be happy with that average over that distance! Are you building towards anything in particular?

Cheers Yes - Ride London 100 in August. Currently the thought of doing twice as much as I did today is a bit intimidating.

On the way down to Leith Hill, on one of the climbs, I was gradually catching up a couple of people. One was a big guy on an oldish looking road bike with fat tyres and a pannier. The other was a lady who looked to be working hard on the climb, and although I talked to her briefly, she was a little slower than me, so I carried on past and tried to catch up with the big guy. I couldn't catch him on the climb, try as I might, so heaven knows how strong his legs were. He slowed to wait for his riding partner, and we started talking as I caught up. He told me that she was about to turn 70, just starting her Iron Man training season. He stopped to wait for her, and I pressed on - he came flying past me on the way down the steep bit of White Down Lane, far faster than I dared to descend, and she was only just behind him.

Respect to them both.