MFP Cycling Club

TnTHawkins

I didn't cycle too much last week. My bike is in the shop getting a tune up and should have it for a ride on Tuesday. I'm hoping to get back on track and plan on riding Tues, Thursday, and probably doing a bike rally on Saturday. Sounds like everyone has been doing great.

Todd

LisaKC

Nice ride this morning, about 17 miles of rolling hills. I'm trying to up my frequency of cycling, and let the mileage take care of itself. Al has mapped out a 30 mile ride for Wednesday morning, so looking forward to that.

The bike saddle saga continues. I talked to a bunch of people about various saddles over the weekend. This morning, not wanting to ride on the old seat, I put on the seat from my hybrid bike, and it was surprisingly comfy! So think I may look for something similar to that. Stay tuned for the continuing adventures of Lisa's rear end! :laugh:

ClareRce

On the subject of seats, I ride a hybrid bike, a Specialized Sirrus. I was advised that I would need to change the seat as the seat it came with is a man's seat. However, I find it extremely comfortable, although the most I do are 20 mile rides at the moment. I also don't need cycling shorts just yet; trying to avoid the lycra look for as long as possible! I use regular exercise shorts and occasionally a bit of anti-friction cream if I'm dong some vigorous cycling.

So, checking in my mileage I managed to do 45 miles last week. I only cycled three days due to my coral calamity so not too bad I suppose. I also ate like the proverbial all weekend so back on track this week. We've got non-stop visitors at the moment so I'm doing a HUGE amount of cooking and it's very difficult not to eat it once it's cooked ... and have a couple of glasses of wine to be sociable ... Ho hum. I'll just need to up my cycling and to be honest it's the perfect excuse to get out of the house and have some peace and quiet for an hour or so.

Happy cycling my friends.

kellybelly078

Hi everyone, I just found this thread yesterday and read through all the posts. Everyone is doing such a great job putting in the miles! I'd love to join in on all the fun! I recently got into cycling about a month ago, and have been averaging about 125 miles a week. My goal for this week is 150 miles, if the weather holds out that is.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Kelly :-D

What did you do for exercise before cycling? To put in that kind of mileage after only a month can shread muscles and joints and lay you up for quite a while. Welcome to the group!

I guess I did make it sound like I just jumped on my bike one day and took off. :laugh: I've actually been an avid runner and have done some cycling to cross train, although that was on a MTB. Since I have gotten my road bike, I've steadily increased my miles based on how I feel. If I get back from a ride and felt I could have gone further then I do that on my next ride. I'm also pretty lucky in that I can get out 3-4 times a week. I've been doing 3 rides of 25 -30 miles during the week and 1 longer ride on the weekend which has been between 40-50 miles. So I guess I don't feel like I've been doing too much, but I'm always open to suggestions / advice.

Ellem86

Hi everyone, may I please join your cycling club? I have recently started cycling to work and would really like to keep it up! Strangely enough I have been finding that my 30 minute cycle to work whoops my butt way more than my usual 45 minute spinning class!

My goal for this week is a modest 37.2 miles (60 km), this would require me to cycle to and from work every weekday this week. If I manage to do this (and I will!) this will be the most I haver EVER cycled in a week

I currently ride a Dawes Haarlem Ladies bike. I am utterly in love with it but unfortunately it's not the best commuter's bike with only 3 gears. For Christmas I might just ask for another bike

There's heavy rain predicted for the rest of the week but I figured a little rain won't hurt me, right?!

tipusnr

Welcome Ellem86. No the rain itself won't hurt you but remember to have dry clothes available as well as a way to dry your shoes. Wet feet can become a problem really fast and waylay your plans.

LisaKC

Welcome Ellem86! I love it that we are seeing people commuting on their bikes.:drinker:

Nice 20 mile ride this morning. I can tell the hills are becoming much more manageable for me, so that's good news. Looks like I'll be riding just about every day this week, thanks to a variety of eating-out events, including a birthday, a retirement party, and out-of-town visitors. So, gotta keep working off those extra calories I know I'll need!:happy:

BarbieCat1

Lisa, I look forward to reading your tush's saddle adventures. :bigsmile:

I took the too narrow and hard factory supplied saddle that came with my bike [a Trek 7.7 FX] off... trading it [my bike dealer is very accommodating] for a hybrid seat that isn't too much wider, but has some memory foam and springs. It's very comfy without interfering with peddllng.

Well, got out biking early this morning. My odometer isn't working, again!, so I'm not sure exactly how far my bike buddy and I went, but we've done this route before and all in, just biking not including any stops, we rode for about 75 minutes. I foolishly didn't eat anything before venturing out so I really felt my energy diminish after about 5 miles. We stopped for a light breakfast at the halfway point and that made a huge difference. There's a lesson in there somewhere.

There are NO hills here in S. FL, so we must use highway overpasses to get the same training and calorie burning effect as others elsewhere would get from climbing rolling hills. On today's route, we had to cross overpasses 4 times, 2 of them into the teeth of some brisk wind... .but coming home, wheeeee !!

We passed a guy all decked out in his wild head to toe lycra racing attire, on a very very expensive and showy bike... and when he got to the overpass, he turned around, not wanting to do a hill. I've seen him do this before. silly man. Who's he fooling?

It's not that everyone needs to climb hills or is in shape to do it, but if you're going to kit yourself out like a racing pro, without doing the work, that's just lame.

skywalker

It's not that everyone needs to climb hills or is in shape to do it, but if you're going to kit yourself out like a racing pro, without doing the work, that's just lame.

Agreed, Barbie cat! :laugh: No one needs to see my butt in lycra yet (I wear the padded shorts, but with other shorts over them ), but I don't shy away from the hills. I may huff and puff the whole time, but I'll reach the top eventually. Lots of hills in the Pocono Mts region here in Pa.

Welcome, Ellem86!!! Glad to have you aboard! :drinker: :flowerforyou:
Good luck this week and do be careful in the rain. Depending on what kind of tires you have, rain can make for a slippery ride and ALWAYS wear a helmet. :happy:

gwynh

Yesterday I got stung 5 times by a hidden colony of yellow jackets while weed trimming. :sad: I went to bed at 5:30 pm and got up at 7 am. I felt much better. :flowerforyou: So I went for my ride. Well, at 9 miles from home, I realized I had overdone my trip. :yawn: I had lost all my energy and 9 miles from home. I made it back, but probably only topped 10 mph. That is a drawback for cycling vs a spinning class. You can't just give up, get off the bike and quit. you have to get home.

That is also why I don't want to cycle before going to work. I have a fear that I will have a bike problem like a flat or such, and have to walk back thus making me late to work. I am a school teacher, so my class would be unattended. On work days, i will have to cycle afterward.

What is the worst thing that has happened to you? not that my getting tired was my worst thing...(knock on wood)

Ellem86

Thanks for the welcome everyone! As I'm sure everyone knows, you cannot trust BBC Weather! There was no rain this morning, in fact it was really sunny, so all my prep borrowing my boyfriend's waterproof trousers and jacket was a little wasted. I've packed the jacket though just in case there is some rain later - I almost *want* a little rain so I can try it out

Tipusnr - I'm quite lucky that I have showers at work so if I had been caught in the rain I could have showered and changed into my work gear, including dry work shoes.

Skywalker - A slippery road was a bit of a worry, but I do know to avoid drains and move away from the kerb.

Gwynh - The worst thing that can happen to me is a big 'ole bus sitting on my *kitten* for ages. Being a new road cyclist, this still freaks me out a little. I also get the shivers when a big van inidcating left pulls up next to me at the traffic lights - I'm in London so the positioning of the driver's seat and height of vans mean they sometimes have a blind spot for cyclists when turning left. Other cyclists who jump lights also make me a little tense - I actually yelled at one today but the cheeky bugger just winked at me!

BarbieCat1

Skywalker... You ride in the Poconos?... some friends have a summer home on Lake Wallenpaupac [sp?] so I've seen the hills during visits. Kudos to you for biking there.

Ellem86, I've visited London a couple times. I can't imagine riding in that kind of traffic... but it's a good way to get around town, that's for sure, even if it is full of hazards. I worry less about other bikers, but trucks and buses are a problem everywhere. They have blind spots and we bikers become invisible. And then there are the car doors that open up unexpectedly just as we're passing by... yikes.:noway:

gwynth ... ah yes, strandings! always a bit of worry. I've had the odd flat tire and fatigue that's left me on the side of the road. I always carry a cell phone with me if biking alone, with friends who have larger cars on speed dial.

But ya know, I also have found that fellow bikers passing by are a helpful lot and are often willing to lend a hand or tool ... even when I'm just taking a breather, passing bikers will ask if all is well... and I try to "pay it back" for others.

Of course, it also helps to have your bike in good repair and well tuned. I take mine into my dealer every couple of months for a check up. Our dealer offers life of the bike free checks and minor tuneups with each purchase. This is yet another reason to buy one's bike from a reputable specialist bike shop and not a discount super store.

But there are unforeseeable times when one just has to hoof it or find shelter from a storm.

My ride yesterday, my first longish one in 10 days because of travel and house guests, kicked my weight loss back into gear, today's scale showed another pound and a half gone.

Keep riding !

TnTHawkins

Well, I did better on the ride last night. Went almost 30 miles and avg. 17.8 MPH. My goal was 18 but some of these riders avg 20 - 22 and I'm mentally beat as they pass me and can't stay on. It is not that they are young because most of the riders in the group are in the 40’s, it is just that they are fast and have been doing it a while. There are hills on the route and feel that it is my down fall and have to get better. The one good this they will push me to get better and faster.

I will ride again with them on Thursday and I hope to avg 18 MPH.

Todd

LisaKC

Nice 30 mile ride today.
@Todd, wish I could average 18 mph! Good for you!
@Gwynh - The worst that has happened to me on a bike: I crashed my off-road bike on a single track trail in the woods, and the two riders with me didn't realize for about 5 minutes that I was no longer behind them. I separated my shoulder, and had to walk out of the woods (25 minutes) to get to a doctor. Recovery was about 4 months. No fun.

gwynh

Bummer on the crash. That had to be bad. Knock on wood, I hope that never happens to me.

Good job on your ride Tom. I have no idea what speed I am going. I just know it is not 18 mph. I checked on a digital speedometer. It said it measures distance, speed, calories burned. I can't see how that works, no wires like a standard car speedometer.

I actually got cold on my 6 am ride this morning. weird huh? lol

tipusnr

Had my only ride of the week tonight and put in 36+ miles with a couple of good hills and a variety of rollers. Had a good ride moving in and out of groups and learning to use gears better for an average of 16.2 mph. Only need 35 more miles to pass last year's total mileage. Won't make weekly goal as we are going on vacation. Won't make it next week either but hope to do a lot of walking.

Almost had my worst incident tonight as a screw fell out of the clip on my right shoe making it almost impossible to get unclipped from the bicycle but got unclipped just before going through one of the last gates of the ride and made it in floating one foot on the pedals.

Skywalker & Dino: I was going to challengethe two of you by putting a picture of me in one of my riding kits in here but I can't figure out how to insert a picture so you'll just have to go to my profile to see it.

Simplicity

Hey everybody, after two weeks of cycling too and from work I'm pleased to say I'm really enjoying being back on a bike. That said my thighs are rock solid but in a kinda good way though i know i will be resting them tomorrow.
Yesterday In my work break I cycled 2 miles to the post office only to find I had no address for my letter (idiot) and so had to cycle back twice which was rather annoying and also I went on a 8 mile mission round my town which was great fun I just wish it was safe to listen to my iPod at the same time but don't worry I know its not!.
I also fitted my speedometer this morning which will keep me in track of everything. I want to know how fast I'm going so I can plan ETA's.
Anyways it's the last day of my current job today and I move to my new one on monday five miles away. Hoping I'll be ready for the 10 mile round trip if not at least one direction each day.
Glad every one is doing well. One day I'll get my miles up too. And (touch wood) no accidents EVER!!
Ben

dinos

Skywalker & Dino: I was going to challengethe two of you by putting a picture of me in one of my riding kits in here but I can't figure out how to insert a picture so you'll just have to go to my profile to see it.

This is some fancy tight outfit you got there chief. I will post something after I complete my first 100k week, which won't be long. To insert your picture, you have to upload it to tinypic.com and then copy paste the IMG code in here. Remember to change the words

tipusnr

Thanks Dinos (I think?). That one of the purposes of a riding kit. Not that I ride fast enough to worry about aerodynamics but loose trousers can lead to saddle sores and I DON'T need those. There are enough things in my life trying to become a pain in my backside.

I didn't mean to leave the ladies out of the challenge, either. It just didn't seem gentlemanly to ask to see them dressed to ride! :embarassed:

skywalker

What is the worst thing that has happened to you? not that my getting tired was my worst thing...(knock on wood)

You may have heard me complain about my hip. Well, the problem was caused by a crash. I was out of the saddle and happened to look down at my odometer to see 18mph. Next thing I knew I was on the ground. I'm still not entirely sure how it happened. I think I just jerked the handlbars a bit and then went over. My head and hip hit the pavement (breaking my helmet in 3 places). I collected myself and called for a ride to the hospital for an xray. Nothing broken, but I used a crutch for a few days to help take pressure off. A year later (last summer) I stepped up my cycling and was having a fair bit of pain in that hip and had an MRI... bursitis, tendonitis, and arthritis... all thanks to that crash. Hopefully, that is the worst cycling accident I will experience (touch wood). I feel like I'm finally becomming a strong rider and it's just annoying that I have to slow down sometimes to give my hip a break.

skywalker

Thanks Dinos (I think?). That one of the purposes of a riding kit. Not that I ride fast enough to worry about aerodynamics but loose trousers can lead to saddle sores and I DON'T need those. There are enough things in my life trying to become a pain in my backside.

I didn't mean to leave the ladies out of the challenge, either. It just didn't seem gentlemanly to ask to see them dressed to ride! :embarassed:

Um.. I'm a lady.... :laugh:

tipusnr

Um.. I'm a lady.... :laugh:

I'm gonna HAVE to look at the pictures closer (or go to the profiles and read them)....sorry! :embarassed:

LisaKC

LOL! I think it's fine for the biker chicks to post their pics, too!

skywalker

Haha! :laugh: I don't like to post pics of myself. I've been changing my main profile pic to reflect the stage winners of the Tour. There is one pic of me in my profile wearing my old Discovery Team jersey tho :happy:

gwynh

As I have no idea what a Riding Kit is, I can't say I have one or not. I tried biking in regular shorts, but the material was bunching up between my leg and the saddle. So, I don't have a pair of biking shorts with a chamios yet, (no local bike shop carries one and scared to mail order my size) but I did buy some spandex lycra shorts and and tight Danskin exercise top to match. Oh well, If you don't like what you see, pass me quick. lol

Someday when I go to a bigger town to shop, I will get my riding shorts.

@skywalker, your profile pics must not be of you?
@tpusnr, I thing I would have been scared to death being "attached" to the bike as you said happened. Glad you got free and are ok.

I missed my ride this am, due to selling one of my siberian husky puppies to a lady from out of town. May try to ride a bit more tomorrow. It is way to hot to go in the 105 heat index during the high sun sky.

TnTHawkins

TnTHawkins burned 2316 calories doing 114 minutes of "Cycling (Avg 17.0 MPH)"

It was one of those hard rides even though it has roughly the same route. Distance ended up being 32.18 tonight and I did 29.38 on tuesday. I plan on riding either Saturday or Sunday but I'm taking a rest day tomorrow.

tipusnr

TnTHawkins burned 2316 calories doing 114 minutes of "Cycling (Avg 17.0 MPH)"

It was one of those hard rides even though it has roughly the same route. Distance ended up being 32.18 tonight and I did 29.38 on tuesday. I plan on riding either Saturday or Sunday but I'm taking a rest day tomorrow.

Good ride!

skywalker

Nice job, Todd! :drinker:

dinos

My worse mishap with a bike doesn't have to do with accidents. I had several of these over the years, but nothing very serious. When I was about 14-15 years old I wanted a bike so bad, but my dad wouldn't buy me one. He helped me find a summer job instead, where I worked for a couple of months, collected the money and bought a Mercier road bike. It was a dream to have this bike, I was feeling 10 feet tall and so proud. Unfortunately the dream lasted only a few months, because the bike got stolen :sad: :brokenheart:
Ever since I have an withdrawal syndrome. I've got to have a bike, and thanks to you people I'm now motivated to ride it more and more

gwynh

I had a great ride today. Being a geeky science teacher, I had to stop a mile from my house, find an empty soda bottle (trash along road) and stop to pick up a freshly killed copperhead snake. I love finding nice snake road kill. I will skin it and use it to teach with.

I just installed a memory foam seat cover for my bike's saddle. Wow, that helps. I was just startled by this one, rude, and dangerous pickup truck that past me at what seemed like 100 mph. He did get over, but didn't slow one bit.

Ok, it is official, since I have not purchased a speedometer yet, my top cruising speed on a flat patch of road is just a bit over that of the dragon fly that I chased. I you think I need to contact Guinness book of world records? lol

I have another question for pondering? How do you deal with that territorial big scary dog that runs out barking and chasing you down the road? I was chased by this pitbull dog. I was already going at my top speed, or so I thought. But he jumps out at me and I must have added 5 more mph. Do you just run, use some type of pepper spray, or talk to the dog and try to become his friend? Anyway, food for thought.

Dinos, man, that really must have been saddening for a young boy, to work hard for his dream yet to be stole from you.