First 50 mile this year and I hated every bit

fitnesswontlie

So first ride out on my New bike this year and done a normal 50 mile route to southport and back that I usually do if I am not doing my 100 milers.

a few rules which are important:

1: Don't assume the weather will stay nice just because the morning was nice, this equals to getting wind so cold that you can not warm up no matter how hard your work. I felt like I had just got on the bike the whole way around and needed to warm up first.

2: Don't think your to good to not have to asses yourself. Ok so I am used to this route and done it over 50 times over the years and it's normally great even on a bad day, but because I had worked that hard in the cold and against the wind I had spent more energy than normal and bloody bonked halfway around and had to take a time out.

3: Never think your fitter than mother nature. I had ridden that hard on the way back thinking I will fight through it and suffer at home for it rather than suffer out on the bike, it turns out if you do that you suffer at both ends.

Was so hard today and the wind just didn't seem to let up and then on the way back it had changed direction so I got it coming home to!!!!.

First ride of the year so I knew I wasn't going to be up to usual standard but I did not expect it it show as much as it did. And it's funny when your having a bad ride everything seems to go against you, I hit every Red light, had to stop at every roundabout, had a tractor speed past me only to leave a trail of mud for the next 3 mile and all cycle paths (which are usually good to southport) where covered in glass and sand and lots and lots of mud.

Ok loved the new bike anyway and look forward to a few more rides to break it in. I didn't bother with times I switched clock off at the 16 mile point once I realised I was fighting a losing battle.

Seen a few riders out who had a good pace and seemed happy enough and I am sure they felt even happier when they seen this moron in summer gear with goose pimple and purple fingers. They all had thermals and I was a d**k.

Rant over

pride4ever

Lessons learnt then lol.

MountainMonster

Gives you a base to build on at least

fitnesswontlie

pride4ever wrote:

Lessons learnt then lol.

Indeed and I think it took 5 years off my life through stress lol

johnny25

I did my first half decent ride of the year today too. Enjoyed the ride, but fitness has tailed off since the late Autumn. Even doing workouts in the gym did not really prepare me that much. Suffice to say my legs caved in with roughly 6 miles to home. At least it was fairly warm (53F) with the sun out most of the ride.

Enjoy your new bike. What is it?

ralphy1967

Its amazing how much our fitness dwindles when staying inactive. Lesson learned for you and all. Cheers for sharing.

fitnesswontlie

johnny25 wrote:

I did my first half decent ride of the year today too. Enjoyed the ride, but fitness has tailed off since the late Autumn. Even doing workouts in the gym did not really prepare me that much. Suffice to say my legs caved in with roughly 6 miles to home. At least it was fairly warm (53F) with the sun out most of the ride.

Enjoy your new bike. What is it?

I just got the Trek Madone 5.2, I have a carrera also which I like but today I decided to break the new one in. Was really happy with how it and it's the first time I have had a Trek as I have never really been a fan of them for the sheer cost but overall I good buy I think.

Yeah if the weather had stayed as it was in the morning I would have been happy but that was not the case lol.

No problem Ralphy I always like to share the misery haha

Grill

How do you "asses" yourself? Does it require a rope/pulley contraption, or will decent flexibility and a mirror do the trick?

slowmart

Look on the brightside you didn't wimp out or phone for a lift.

Just improve your observational skills and dress appropriately rather than optimistically

Azhar

As mentioned above. It's amazing how much fitness you lack when you've not done ridden the bike for a while and at least you did the 50 miles bike ride.

Brian B

Quite surprised at this post - could expect it from a newbie but not somebody who has some experience.

1) Pays to check the weather on you chosen route and not just a squint at the horizon from your bedroom window.
2) Also how much training have you done over the winter to have lost so much fitness? 50miles for somebody who has done 100miles is not that much - if you take the weather out of the equation
3) A big run at this time of year is not the best time to try out new equipment. Small rides local to the house are essential for finding out any niggles.

Have to agree about sod's law though - when its goes pear shaped on a ride then it really does. :evil:

Two Flat Tyres

A poor ride is 100 times better than no ride.

It's a notch on the training calendar, they all count.

diy

Been suffering with man flu the last 2 weeks, which meant no riding. Went out on Saturday as I was going crazy through lack of exercise. Could barely manage 23 miles, couldn't get above zone 4 without coughing and spluttering my guts up.

Riding much slower than I would on a longer ride. Apparently the weather is going to be like this until end of March.

goonz

As someone else mentioned above, the OP sounds like its written by someone new to cycling, not an experienced head.

Ahh you go to love the fair weather cyclists. No issues of fitness dwindling if you continue through the winter months, I commute 20 miles a day everyday bar injury/illness or dress down at work. Other than that it is always on the bike and even when I was off the bike for just under a month my fitness waned, so I can only assume how low your fitness levels would have got after months off the bike!

ShutUpLegs

Two Flat Tyres wrote:

A poor ride is 100 times better than no ride.

It's a notch on the training calendar, they all count.

No, they don't.

slowsider

fitnesswontlie wrote:

Rant over

That's not a rant, that's a whinge. Rule 5. :twisted:

fitnesswontlie

Brian B wrote:

Quite surprised at this post - could expect it from a newbie but not somebody who has some experience.

1) Pays to check the weather on you chosen route and not just a squint at the horizon from your bedroom window.
2) Also how much training have you done over the winter to have lost so much fitness? 50miles for somebody who has done 100miles is not that much - if you take the weather out of the equation
3) A big run at this time of year is not the best time to try out new equipment. Small rides local to the house are essential for finding out any niggles.

Have to agree about sod's law though - when its goes pear shaped on a ride then it really does. :evil:

Correct Brian I think I would be thinking the same things had someone else written this. Did the weather report but it didn't tell me much really. As the ride is usually withing 3hrs I didn't really see much changing.

I think I was to eager to get out on the bike this year but won't hasppen again. As far as fair weather riders go am actually not to bad in extreme conditions as I did the Iditarod invitation on bike 1100 mile -35 anddone a few ultra marathons to around the world. I think yesterday was more of an awkward rides than anything else. Anyhow at least it will remind a few newbies on here not make the same mistakes as this dummie

thefd

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Two Flat Tyres wrote:

A poor ride is 100 times better than no ride.

It's a notch on the training calendar, they all count.

No, they don't.

Why not?

fitnesswontlie

I think every ride counts if you make it a positive or negative run still goes down as completed regardless.

I was riding in Scotland once and had the hardest day ever as I was cycling 166mile but it was so extreme that I had to jump off bike while it hail stoned so hard and sat in the woods which I must say was quite nice and had a nice smell of pine so I didn't mind. When I tried to stay on the bike I literally couldnt open my eyes as I was being pelted so much so I was on and off the bike through that ride but I still did it so I added it to the list. Different if you walk the bike in I guess

Brian B

Yikes Fitnesswontlie after reading your pal meres I am even more surprised with your 50miler - it must have been evil :twisted:

fitnesswontlie

Brian B wrote:

Yikes Fitnesswontlie after reading your pal meres I am even more surprised with your 50miler - it must have been evil :twisted:

It's was just one of the days that was hard to explain what the main problem was. Obviously with it being the 1st ride out this year and also breaking in the new bike (Which reminds me I need 2 chain links taken out note to self) I had so much going on with expectations. I was thinking of how the bike handles (Beautiful and Smooth) and also where I think my fitness levels are. While thinking of these things I then began to realise the weather sucked, the head wind was strong the sun had just lied to me and and it was freezing lol and all the cycle paths had c**p on them so I had to move on to a few sections of the dual carriage way until I could get back on the cycle paths.

1st run out on the usual route but didn't expect so much rubbish to fill the paths so this to was occupying my thoughts.

I must say if you wanted to get your welcome back in the saddle then yesterday did it for me haha.

Looking forward to this year though.

Garz

Thanks for sharing it fitnesswontlie, I agree that your eagerness to venture out on the new bike got the better of you without some shorter training rides!

It is a road bike yes - hence the road General section? Why were you on the paths? I avoid these due to not spotting a road-sweeper in years, do they even exist anymore?

fitnesswontlie

Garz wrote:

Thanks for sharing it fitnesswontlie, I agree that your eagerness to venture out on the new bike got the better of you without some shorter training rides!

It is a road bike yes - hence the road General section? Why were you on the paths? I avoid these due to not spotting a road-sweeper in years, do they even exist anymore?

Dual Carriageway and the cycle paths run along side it. In fairness they are not usually to bad in the past when I have done them so it's not normally a problem but with me not being on them for 6 months I didn't anticipate the build up of farmers crap that seems to stick around.