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did about 10 – 11km today (damn strava didnt gps the first section, granted it was my first time using strava so i probably did something wrong).
took me 65mins but considering i rode it with my 4yo son tagging along on his BMX i rekon we did pretty good. (no training wheels, hasnt had them since he was 3). poor kid was struggling a bit ¾ way through but he got a second wind not long after and powered it through to the end.0 -
put in 18km in 65 minutes today. this is my farthest ride by about 6km so was really struggling towards the end. plus a strong head wind on the way back didnt help the cause.
man my *kitten* is sore too0 -
This Garmin stuff sounds cool. All I really want to track, at this point, is distance and time..Maybe routes in the future..Can I input a route prior to the ride and use the Garmin as a "map"0
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Can I input a route prior to the ride and use the Garmin as a "map"
With the 800/810 yes - it'll even do turn by turn instructions like an automotive satnav (though not audio, just onscreen) with the correct mapping installed.0 -
Went on my first ride after the winter months. Lost a lot of ground. It took me 29 min to do 2 miles. But I feel great.0
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Had one of my best rides today. 8.21 miles and I averaged 19 mph. Overall, it is a 350 descent so it isn't too surprising. However, I've never averaged that speed before (and I've done this route 100's of times) and there were other things. I wasn't even trying to beat any former time, my bike isn't set up right (I have a spare rim and tire meant for a 24 speed while the rest of the bike is set up for 21, so I can't use my top gears). It was encouraging!!!!0
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Terrific lunch time ride today.
19 miles
1:27 minutes
Avg. speed of 13 mph
Got home to find my new tires had arrived, so hopefully that avg. speed will increase even more soon.0 -
I may as well do a bit of a "ride report" of my trip up to the Dales last week to have a little look around one or two of the roads that they're using for the TdF in a couple of weeks.
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be only 90 minutes or so from the nicer bits of the yorkshire dales... Near enough to wake at a normal time, have breakfast, pack the bike in the back of the car along with my riding kit (remembering my Sidi's this time - wouldn't be the first time I'd got to the start of a ride, only to remember the cycling shoes were still at home!), a couple of bottles and an emergency flapjack, and still be able to park up and be ready to roll by 10:30.
I'd a vague idea of doing a loop from West Witton, down to Aysgarth, crossing the river at the falls then heading towards Hawes on the northerly side of the Ure through Askrigg and then up and over the "Côte de Buttertubs" :LOL: then down the vallet through Muker, Gunnerside and Reeth, before nipping back over the ridge at Grinton, taking in the "Côte de Griton Moor" :)lol: again - really does make me giggle seeing these names "en francaise")before hitting Leyburn and rolling back to West Witton and the car.
What I hadn't counted on was the number of roadworks still in progress, and the fact that there was a charity bike ride on that day. Fortunately, it appeared that the charity bike ride was taking in the route in the opposite direction, so I was spared the ignominy of being passed by a continuous stream of people on assorted ill-fitting and badly maintained Bike-Shaped-Objects. Unfortunately, the roadworks did cause a couple of diversions - forcing me back onto the A684 after Askrigg as the Long Shaw section was off-limits due to maintenance. I really hope that the tarmac isn't still "green" by the time they pass over on the 5th July.
Anyway, the diversion gave me another mile or so extra to warm up before what is basically the "main event" of the ride. Yep, Buttertubs. Not the toughest of hill-climbs in the country. Or even the County. Probably not even in that particular Dale. But, for a 50+ year old bloke that's the wrong side of 110kg's who's got a dodgy knee on the right side and a iffy hip on the left... it's quite bad enough thank you...
http://veloviewer.com/segments/5066439/athlete/165533
6km of sheer misery for me I'm afraid - 302m of ascent overall gives a 5% gradient - but that doesn't really tell the whole story... the 21.5% section just before the cattle grid did for me I'm afraid - weaving side to side, I was just about making it, then I pulled my cleat out of the pedal and that was it. Couldn't get started again, and had to walk maybe 20 yards until the gradient abated.
Of course, what goes up must go down, so at least the fact that gravity likes me had its compensations. If only the tool in the Mondeo who passed me on the crest of the descent hadn't then proceded to ride his brakes on the fast bit of the descent, it'd have been even better. Still - there WAS a section that was straight enough, and he'd finally realised that I was far faster than him on the twisty bits, so he let me through, and I could enjoy the rest of the descent. As to how much I enjoyed it... well, Strava said I enjoyed it at least 72.7kph, but the un-smoothed data in Training peaks seems to imply I enjoyed it at least 104.8kph.
Anyway - the rest of the run down Swaledale was wonderful - about a 15kph tailwind, sun was finally out again, and beautiful roads, decorated all over the place with a series of yellow painted bikes. It really does seem that the people up there are getting behind the whole thing.
One thing that's conspicuous by it's absence from this write up is the lack of pictures. I'd intended taking my new toy with me - a iON Adventurecamera - it's sort of a go-pro with inbuilt GPS tracking of the video. INTENDED... I'd charged it, taken out the memory card to clear the old files down and have a blank slate to record on. I'd mounted the handlebar attachment, and rigged a secondary mount on my helmet. What I hadn't done is taken the memory-card out of the reader after clearing the files and re-fitted it to the iON :oops:
Anyhow, once again the road mending caused an amendment to my prospective route, and I sadly had to knock the Grinton Moor climb on the head, instead riding a little further around the end of the valley and back into Leyburn before returning to my car, packing up and collapsing in a fat sweaty heap for half a hour's nap before even thinking of driving home.
if anyone wants to chart my suffering - have a look here - http://app.strava.com/activities/152251673
So - what did I learn from this...
1) I may have lost over 65kg, but if I'm going to climb 20%+ hills, it's not enough - that last 20-25kg need to be addressed
2) Check your cleats before going on a ride like this, and maybe ratchet up the tension on the pedals a notch or two as well
3) Take proper food to eat after your ride, to save having to drive into the nearest village and raid the sandwich shop
4) PUT THE DAMNED CARD BACK IN THE CAMERA
5) The Yorkshire Dales are beautiful, and I NEED to get out there more often - even if they are a bit hilly in places.0 -
I may as well do a bit of a "ride report" of my trip up to the Dales last week to have a little look around one or two of the roads that they're using for the TdF in a couple of weeks.
Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to be only 90 minutes or so from the nicer bits of the yorkshire dales... Near enough to wake at a normal time, have breakfast, pack the bike in the back of the car along with my riding kit (remembering my Sidi's this time - wouldn't be the first time I'd got to the start of a ride, only to remember the cycling shoes were still at home!), a couple of bottles and an emergency flapjack, and still be able to park up and be ready to roll by 10:30.
I'd a vague idea of doing a loop from West Witton, down to Aysgarth, crossing the river at the falls then heading towards Hawes on the northerly side of the Ure through Askrigg and then up and over the "Côte de Buttertubs" :LOL: then down the vallet through Muker, Gunnerside and Reeth, before nipping back over the ridge at Grinton, taking in the "Côte de Griton Moor" :)lol: again - really does make me giggle seeing these names "en francaise")before hitting Leyburn and rolling back to West Witton and the car.
What I hadn't counted on was the number of roadworks still in progress, and the fact that there was a charity bike ride on that day. Fortunately, it appeared that the charity bike ride was taking in the route in the opposite direction, so I was spared the ignominy of being passed by a continuous stream of people on assorted ill-fitting and badly maintained Bike-Shaped-Objects. Unfortunately, the roadworks did cause a couple of diversions - forcing me back onto the A684 after Askrigg as the Long Shaw section was off-limits due to maintenance. I really hope that the tarmac isn't still "green" by the time they pass over on the 5th July.
Anyway, the diversion gave me another mile or so extra to warm up before what is basically the "main event" of the ride. Yep, Buttertubs. Not the toughest of hill-climbs in the country. Or even the County. Probably not even in that particular Dale. But, for a 50+ year old bloke that's the wrong side of 110kg's who's got a dodgy knee on the right side and a iffy hip on the left... it's quite bad enough thank you...
http://veloviewer.com/segments/5066439/athlete/165533
6km of sheer misery for me I'm afraid - 302m of ascent overall gives a 5% gradient - but that doesn't really tell the whole story... the 21.5% section just before the cattle grid did for me I'm afraid - weaving side to side, I was just about making it, then I pulled my cleat out of the pedal and that was it. Couldn't get started again, and had to walk maybe 20 yards until the gradient abated.
Of course, what goes up must go down, so at least the fact that gravity likes me had its compensations. If only the tool in the Mondeo who passed me on the crest of the descent hadn't then proceded to ride his brakes on the fast bit of the descent, it'd have been even better. Still - there WAS a section that was straight enough, and he'd finally realised that I was far faster than him on the twisty bits, so he let me through, and I could enjoy the rest of the descent. As to how much I enjoyed it... well, Strava said I enjoyed it at least 72.7kph, but the un-smoothed data in Training peaks seems to imply I enjoyed it at least 104.8kph.
Anyway - the rest of the run down Swaledale was wonderful - about a 15kph tailwind, sun was finally out again, and beautiful roads, decorated all over the place with a series of yellow painted bikes. It really does seem that the people up there are getting behind the whole thing.
One thing that's conspicuous by it's absence from this write up is the lack of pictures. I'd intended taking my new toy with me - a iON Adventurecamera - it's sort of a go-pro with inbuilt GPS tracking of the video. INTENDED... I'd charged it, taken out the memory card to clear the old files down and have a blank slate to record on. I'd mounted the handlebar attachment, and rigged a secondary mount on my helmet. What I hadn't done is taken the memory-card out of the reader after clearing the files and re-fitted it to the iON :oops:
Anyhow, once again the road mending caused an amendment to my prospective route, and I sadly had to knock the Grinton Moor climb on the head, instead riding a little further around the end of the valley and back into Leyburn before returning to my car, packing up and collapsing in a fat sweaty heap for half a hour's nap before even thinking of driving home.
if anyone wants to chart my suffering - have a look here - http://app.strava.com/activities/152251673
So - what did I learn from this...
1) I may have lost over 65kg, but if I'm going to climb 20%+ hills, it's not enough - that last 20-25kg need to be addressed
2) Check your cleats before going on a ride like this, and maybe ratchet up the tension on the pedals a notch or two as well
3) Take proper food to eat after your ride, to save having to drive into the nearest village and raid the sandwich shop
4) PUT THE DAMNED CARD BACK IN THE CAMERA
5) The Yorkshire Dales are beautiful, and I NEED to get out there more often - even if they are a bit hilly in places.
Love your ride reports
Mine are all boring and at the moment and involve a lot of heavy breathing(hills) and bloody tractors squashing me on the road! x0 -
I enjoyed reading TheBigYin's report too 0
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earlier in my ride report I mentioned the "yellow bikes"....
well - one that stood out for me was "the one that didn't make it around the chicane"
theonethatdidntmakeit by The Big Yin, on Flickr 0 -
Ride from Saturday
http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/607072875
Does anyone else use Map my ride, if you want to add me please do. e nice to have some more friends on there.0 -
Done my first ride in company today!! The West Wales Bike Ride for The British Heart Foundation. Decided on the long route at 46 miles(gulp) but have to say I loved it and was very well run The start was a bit hairy and I didn't clip in for the first few miles as there were sooo many cyclists but after that was great :happy: 0
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So on Sunday I took part in a local Hill Climb, up one of the more iconic climbs near me. This is Porlock Hill, on the North coast of Somerset just up the road from the town of Minehead.
It really is a stunning climb, roughly 6.4km at an average gradient of 5%, not too steep but long enough to know about it!
I did it in a time of 20m48s which isn't too shabby but definitely lots of room for improvement. I went off the start too quick, caught up in the excitement of having crowds of people cheering me off, and paid for it later on. There was a fair bit of support along the hill which is always nice, and the riders who had finished already waited at the top and cheered riders over the line.
The reigning champion won again this year in a time of 14 minutes something which is crazy! Mind you he was a stick so not surprising I suppose! :laugh: Also representing the ladies was Wendy Houvenaghel, former World Champion and Olympic medalist! Needless to say she beat me too with a time of 17 minutes something....
And for some pics....
My dossard...
My trusty steed...
My bro's ride...
I was number 21...
My results board...
And my bro's - he's number 52 - and quicker than me! :frown:
They had a start ramp! I was more nervous of this than the blumming hill! Although my bro said I looked good going off it 
All in all a fantastic morning out! Next one's not till Novemeber now so plenty of time to strengthen up and shed some excess weight! That one is shorter but much steeper! :ohwell:
Edited to include my Strava link.... http://app.strava.com/activities/1975656670 -
What a great ride report, Kit. Sounds like it was a lot of fun 0
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So on Sunday I took part in a local Hill Climb, up one of the more iconic climbs near me. This is Porlock Hill, on the North coast of Somerset just up the road from the town of Minehead.
It really is a stunning climb, roughly 6.4km at an average gradient of 5%, not too steep but long enough to know about it!
I did it in a time of 20m48s which isn't too shabby but definitely lots of room for improvement. I went off the start too quick, caught up in the excitement of having crowds of people cheering me off, and paid for it later on. There was a fair bit of support along the hill which is always nice, and the riders who had finished already waited at the top and cheered riders over the line.
The reigning champion won again this year in a time of 14 minutes something which is crazy! Mind you he was a stick so not surprising I suppose! :laugh: Also representing the ladies was Wendy Houvenaghel, former World Champion and Olympic medalist! Needless to say she beat me too with a time of 17 minutes something....
And for some pics....
My dossard...
My trusty steed...
My bro's ride...
I was number 21...
My results board...
And my bro's - he's number 52 - and quicker than me! :frown:
They had a start ramp! I was more nervous of this than the blumming hill! Although my bro said I looked good going off it
An action shot!
All in all a fantastic morning out! Next one's not till Novemeber now so plenty of time to strengthen up and shed some excess weight! That one is shorter but much steeper! :ohwell:
Edited to include my Strava link.... http://app.strava.com/activities/1975656670 -
I started riding seriously at the beginning of the summer. I do road cycling on a hybrid bike - couldn't afford a road bike at the time. My rides then were 8-10 miles, and I gradually built up to 12 miles. I was stuck between 12 and 15 for a long time. There are a lot of cyclists here in Northern Colorado, and I had seen them riding on CO Hwy 66 between Longmont and Lyons, and some even climbing the mountains up to Estes Park. I set a goal for myself to eventually ride to Lyons, which is about a 12 mile 1-way ride going direct. One day I just decided to go for it, and hit 25 miles, about a month or so ago. I started extending my ride at the beginning, adding distance gradually. Last week I went over 30 miles for the first time, and felt good at the end. I saw a poster for a 50-mile ride in a neighboring town about 10 days ago, scheduled for this coming Saturday. I decided to go for it! Yesterday, the last day I have time for a practice ride, I extended my ride even further, and rode a little over 35 miles in 2 hrs 43 mins, which is not bad on a hybrid, especially since I was not going for time but rather distance. I felt like I could have easily gone another 15 miles, but I actually ran out of time due to a prior commitment. I feel as if I am ready for this upcoming 50-mile ride, and I'm really stoked about the prospect of doing it!0
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Excellent bdgfn. Let us know how the 50mi one goes!0
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That hill climb looks like a blast!0
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It's great once you make that break through with distance. If you did 35, you can do 50. Might be a bit tired at the end, but you can do it. Next stop is a Metric Century! Signing up for a ride is a great motivator, that is how I made my best gains early on.I started riding seriously at the beginning of the summer. I do road cycling on a hybrid bike - couldn't afford a road bike at the time. My rides then were 8-10 miles, and I gradually built up to 12 miles. I was stuck between 12 and 15 for a long time. There are a lot of cyclists here in Northern Colorado, and I had seen them riding on CO Hwy 66 between Longmont and Lyons, and some even climbing the mountains up to Estes Park. I set a goal for myself to eventually ride to Lyons, which is about a 12 mile 1-way ride going direct. One day I just decided to go for it, and hit 25 miles, about a month or so ago. I started extending my ride at the beginning, adding distance gradually. Last week I went over 30 miles for the first time, and felt good at the end. I saw a poster for a 50-mile ride in a neighboring town about 10 days ago, scheduled for this coming Saturday. I decided to go for it! Yesterday, the last day I have time for a practice ride, I extended my ride even further, and rode a little over 35 miles in 2 hrs 43 mins, which is not bad on a hybrid, especially since I was not going for time but rather distance. I felt like I could have easily gone another 15 miles, but I actually ran out of time due to a prior commitment. I feel as if I am ready for this upcoming 50-mile ride, and I'm really stoked about the prospect of doing it!0
