n00bie milestones

[jnrgiant]

What an EPIC thread!
I bought a flat bar in January and have been riding since when I get time, mostly commuting once/twice a week. Family thinks I'm nuts, I can't seem to get enough time riding

Basic stats since Jan.:
Total distance: 1012km - I wish I have more time to ride!
Average distance: 15.82km - rough one way commute distance
Average speed: 23.13km/h
Total calories: 30303! - even if that isn't accurate...

Rode into work in the rain today and loved it, it helps that I'm a winter/snow guy and thrive in the cold.

Scrap that statement!
GPS takes for ever to load and doesn't seem to record the entire trip. Drops out occasionally.

Might I recommend "Cyclemeter". Been using it because I didn't want to fork out on a cycle computer and for $5.99 it is a killer app!

[Spork!]

65k's today. Launceston (Blackstone Heights) to Cressy and back. Kept a decent (for me) average speed too, 23.6 kph. I even resisted the temptation to stop at Longford bakery - twice!

My first ride with overshoes (and a glad wrap intermediate layer). Feet were slightly less frozen, wish I'd got neoprene ones... When I arrived home I almost managed my first clip-stack too, as the overshoes (oversocks?) got caught on my SPD pedals. I've made the cleat holes bigger, hopefully will prevent that happening again.

[Old and Rusty]

Not really a milestone but set a new PB for my trip from Prestons to the Bubbler at Eastern Creek and back. The trip is 38.6km with some pretty good hills.

My first times run there and back was a little over 3 weeks ago on 15/5/10 and took me 1:40:5s
http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/work ... id=2501972

Today with a head wind I did it in 1:32:1s
http://sportstracker.nokia.com/nts/work ... id=2634110

Pretty happy with that, 3.36km faster than 3 weeks ago.

[novice]

Pesonal best for me today. Distance of 41.6 kilometres from Longford via bishopsbourne to cressy and back to Longford.
Average 20 kph.
Killed my backside and I felt stuffed but I made it.

[Spork!]

Pesonal best for me today. Distance of 41.6 kilometres from Longford via bishopsbourne to cressy and back to Longford.
Average 20 kph.
Killed my backside and I felt stuffed but I made it.

What time were you on the road? I may have seen you out there.

[novice]

What time were you on the road? I may have seen you out there.

Between 10.20am and 12.20pm.

[Spork!]

Didn't see you then. I didn't leave home until after lunch, didn't like the idea of black ice on Pateena Rd.

[novice]

Results are showing.
Weigh in this morning showed a loss of 7.4kg in 6 weeks. 143kg down to 135.6kg
Long way to go but pleased with the progress so far.

[Spork!]

Great going Novice.
Going on my first group ride tomorrow. Could be interesting... Sister-in-law asked me to come, but it's a group she hasn't ridden with before. Apparently they are mostly pretty powerful riders, but (supposedly) tomorrow is "just a casual ride, not a training ride or anything"... Doing a 60k loop, with 600m of climbing. I don't expect to keep up all the way, first 20-30k's I'd be happy.
We'll see. I'll report back here when I get back, which should be before lunchtime tomorrow.

[Old and Rusty]

Results are showing.
Weigh in this morning showed a loss of 7.4kg in 6 weeks. 143kg down to 135.6kg
Long way to go but pleased with the progress so far.

Mate be really proud of that effort, we're all out there having a go improving our health and hopefully living a whole lot longer than we may have if we didn't make the effort. After my heart scare I went to Liverpool Hospital to take some Krispy Kreme's and a thank you letter to the ICU staff as my way of thanking them for some truly excellent care, I was chatting to a guy near the front door and he was telling me about his 6 stents in his heart..... While he was smoking in his hospital gown with his mobile drip stand beside him....

I really didn't think giving up smoking was a sacrifice and I would have thought heart problems would have been a good gun to the head.

[Spork!]

What a great group of people! I kept up pretty well for first 20 or so k's, (I had a 10k ride to the start, most drove there) but then I started to get left behind on every hill. A couple of times someone would come back are ride up the hills with me, other times the group stopped and waited for me at the top. Where there was a decent descent on the other side one of the ladies riding didn't like going too fast, so I could catch (and pass) her, and the group would be waiting, either stationary or just rolling along slowly. She was a machine on the climbs though.

Can compact chainwheels fit on a standard crankset? I noticed most the people in this group had compacts. Bloody mountain goats.

[novice]

What a great group of people! I kept up pretty well for first 20 or so k's

Where did the ride take you Spork?
Sounds like you enjoyed the experience. I reckon the hills would be my downfall.
Did another 41 klm ride today and the numbness in the gentlemens area felt a little better after I angled the nose of the saddle down a couple of degree's.

[Spork!]

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/427094 + a few k's from my place to the main circuit and back.
Blackstone heights - town - St Leonards - White Hills - Evandale - Perth - Pateena Rd turnoff - Blackstone.

Yep, the (600m of) climbs were a killer. Even on the flats in parts the pace got pretty quick and I was going pretty much flat out to keep up. Certainly more strenuous and a lot faster than riding solo, but more fun too. Looking forwards to riding with this group again. Some of them also do the Sat. morning "Fish shop" ride from town to Rosevears and back. Only one real hill (Muddy Creek hill) on that one, but it's a biggun... I might go along on that ride this Sat.

[Old and Rusty]

First sub zero celsius ride today, minus 2 at home when I left.

[novice]

First sub zero celsius ride today, minus 2 at home when I left.

Harden up buddy! We ride in temperatures equal and below this on most Winter mornings down here
Guess we are a bit thicker skinned and conditioned to the cold.

Tried to reach the magic 50klm mark on todays ride.
Got to 48.2 klm when I turned into my street and could not push that little bit further.
I hit a wall at 40 klm with a stiff headwind for the last 10 klm to home and my legs were shot.
Ha! and I had the cheek to tell you to harden up.

[Spork!]

Yep. 1/2 the group I rode with on Monday walked their bikes across the Corra-lynn bridge. I opted for "unclip and roll". It was covered in ice. In fact there was still a white frost in lots of places when we finished the ride (AT) 1100 am!
Tonight they are forecasting a minimum 3c, so tomorrow morning will be balmy!

[trailgumby]

First sub zero celsius ride today, minus 2 at home when I left.

Harden up buddy! We ride in temperatures equal and below this on most Winter mornings down here
Guess we are a bit thicker skinned and conditioned to the cold.

That's cool. We'll just wait for summer, and return the compliment.

[hh445f]

I did 44km's yesterday arvo. This is my longest stint on my roadie. Got home and I was stuffed. But when I thought back about the ride I had done I realised there where some really good hills in it. So I think I did well. Went out again today but only did 28km's, with not so many hills. I was still feeling yesterdays ride.

[Old and Rusty]

I reckon this is a great thread, it would be so easy to read other threads about 100 & 200km rides and feel disheartened but this one keeps it realistic for us new guys. I used to think 12km was a serious ride when I first got my mountain bike but now on the road bike I get to that 6km turnaround point and I still haven't warmed up. This morning I was approx 12km when I felt the first trace of sweat under the ear warmers and to be honest it wasn't until I got to the 38km finish that I felt any tiredness in the legs.
Next weekend I'm going to have a crack at 100km and see how I go, I reckon 3 or 4 short breaks and maybe 1 energy gel tube should get me there.
I noticed too that I'm down to about 750ml of water an hour now.

[novice]

That's cool. We'll just wait for summer, and return the compliment.

Yes I expect we Tassie Penguins will really suffer on rides where the temp gets above 21-22 Celcius.

[hh445f]

Next weekend I'm going to have a crack at 100km and see how I go, I reckon 3 or 4 short breaks and maybe 1 energy gel tube should get me there.

So old and rusty, what part of the world are you from ? and where is this ride going to take you? I'm from Melbourne [northern suburbs] . I am considering doing 100km's as soon as I get my new roadie set up properly. I still have a one comfort issue nagging me. Once that is sorted I will try 100km's.

[Old and Rusty]

I'll probably ride the length of the M7 cycleway, that's 80km and add 20km with a pedal to Campbelltown. I live just near Prestons in NSW which is handy.

[Spork!]

Did my 2nd group ride today. A much more casual ride / group than my first one was on Monday. Several people on MTB's, one guy on a single speed (and he had about 20 - 25k's each way to and from the group ride!) and a bloke who's ridden all the way across Australia, as well as a lady who's climbed the Cors de somethingorother (sp) in Italy. Being on a roadie, I was in the "fast" group. (A first for me) We stopped frequently for the slower ones to catch up, and after the bakery stop where most took the direct (4k's) way back to the cars I was among the 4 who took the longer (12k's) route.
I had a ball. Met some great people, and plan to ride with this group frequently. Might not do their ride next weekend as it's a moonlight ride, and my lights aren't great, but I might plan my first 100. Solo, or possibly with some of the people I met today. The following weekend they have a ride leaving from just near my house along my "usual" solo route with lunch at Woolmers. Will def. be going on that one, unless the weather is foul.

[you cannot be sirrus]

Did a social group ride today and clocked up 87kms so that's a new PB. Highlight was climbing the infamous Willunga Hill, wasn't quick at 7 km/h but I got up,. Bloody good fun coming back down again. I would loved to have carried on and tried for the ton but the fuel tank was completely empty so that will have to wait for another day.

[Spork!]

Nice work YCBS. So close... I'm sure your ton isn't far away.