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Saturday I took part in a group ride that broke a number of milestones for me. I have only been on a Bike Since July and at that time 5 km on the Trek Liquid 20 MTB i picked up used just about caused me to throw in the towel thinking there was no way I could get into shape no matter how much weight I lost.
The ride was advertised as an advanced ride through rolling hills totaling 55km. I had no ridden over 30km yet. A few 27 km and 29 km rides recently that I left me feeling I could have kept going more or at least should have ridden faster during. This would be my 3rd ride on a Specialized Allez that I picked up used. I figured the switch from MTB tires to Road should be good for a few KM gained.
I finished the ride. So I guess that is my first milestone getting in a PR for distance. My GPS shows the ride coming in at 53.47 km and in my true to form fashion I did not start it till I was on the road. So it was probably very close to 55km. The Rolling Hills felt more like a 27km Climb out and 27km Climb back. I know that is not Possible but it sure felt like it at the time. Total elevation gain came in at 227 Meters. Looking at other ride reports on Strava this does not seem like much but it sure knocked me on my butt. Each climb was followed with another with barely anytime to get the heart rate back down. 227 meters is another PR for me in elevation gained in a single ride. On the ride out there were a few other first timers in the group jumping off their bikes and walking part way a few of the hills. I managed to stay on the bike getting out of the saddle and pushing myself to the top. I could feel myself getting a little gassed by the turn around point so while the others were eating butter tarts and drinking Coffee I had a Gatorade and a Cliff Bar. I usually hate Gatorade but figured I should put something other than water into my body. The cliff bar which I normally do not mind had to be choked down. after a 10-15 minute break we started the ride back. The first couple of climbs on the way back I literally was saying "Shutup Legs" trying to hammer the last 1/3 of the hills. Then we hit the 3rd climb out and I had to get off. My legs were not having any part of this. The walk up the hill gave me a bit of a break and was probably a good thing for my body even if my brain felt otherwise. Somewhere after that third climb I guess the Cliff Bar finally kicked in. I felt great. A couple of fast downhills and managed to pull away from the group I was with and catch the group ahead of us. Then somewhere about 45km the effects of the cliff bar disappeared, I had no water left and fell off the pace and ended up back with the trailing pack again. But at least I knew it was mostly downhill to the car park from this point. So I plotted along with a group of 5 riders determined to finish this. During one of these final descents I managed to set a PR for top speed at 55 km/h which was pretty fun until I had the thought what happens if I fall. But I had started to figure out by getting up to max speed on the decent the next climb was allot easier and shorter, so i just let it roll.
By the finish when the bike was put away I was no feeling so hot. Left the car park and started heading out to do some errands and really felt like I had over did it. about 2 hours post ride I forced myself to eat a sandwich and that made all the difference in the world.
Ride Detail
Moving time 2:38.38 - Personal Record for time in Saddle for me
Average Moving Speed 20.2 km/h
Total Distance 53.47 km - PR for distance
Elevation Gain 227m PR Record for Single ride elevation
Top Speed 55km/h PR for speed
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Thats hell of an Average Heart Rate for a ride of that length (compared to what I do anyway!)0
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I started riding July 25th to burn calories because I found walking excruciatingly boring. I live in New York and I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I ride a 45-pound 3-speed CitiBike sharebike because I can't afford anything else. The highest cadence I can muster produces about 17mph on these beasts. And since there's a 45 minute CitiBike usage time limit I have to check the bike back in and get a new one intermittently on longer rides. But I've still grown to love these blue monstrosities.
In the beginning I could only ride a mile or two before my legs got tired and I'd have to rest. I kept at it and steadily my strength and endurance increased. I started riding up and down East River Park but gradually extended my route until I was circumnavigating lower Manhattan (about an 8.5 mile loop). I started to really enjoy riding. It's incredibly exhilarating even on a clunker. I've ridden every day except 3 since I started. DOMS was a major issue in the first two months. I learned the hard way about bonking and now make sure to fuel up and hydrate before longer rides. I always wear a helmet and endorse the "be dead sure or be dead for sure" credo about riding in the city--I've seen some awful things happen to careless riders in the ~1,000 miles I've ridden so far.
I'm still a Clyde at 6'2" and 212lbs (I've lost 21lbs so far). Yesterday I rode 20 miles (twice around the tip of Manhattan with a loop around East River Park). Today I did a personal best of 30 miles. My legs felt good afterwards, but my *kitten* was a little sore. Here's the GPS track of the ride.
I wanted to share my story. I'm hoping my circumstances change so I can get a real bike. Until then call me The Blue Bomber.1 -
great story wolf_tickets and goes to show you don't need a big budget and an expensive bike to reap the benefits of cycling, long may you continue!0
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it's surprising what you can do on one of those citibikes... down in london we have the "boris bike" which is pretty much exactly the same, apart from the usage cap is 24 hours. Three lads took one from London, drove over to france, climbed Mont Ventoux and got back to London before they were deemed to have stolen the bike...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUWCeAzkc2Q 0 -
Thanks for the fantastic video. I can't imagine the guts and determination (and wattage) it took to make that climb on a citybike. I tried climbing the WIlliamsburg bridge a while back and it took me almost 10 minutes to recover at the top. I turned around and came back home, unable to face the return climb. Manhattan is pretty flat in sharebike territory so I don't get much practice on gradients. I'd like to try it again but was kind of embarrassed by all the "real" cyclists zipping by me (seemingly without breaking a sweat) on the way up. And Brooklyn's overrated anyway.0
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Anyone riding? Took out the 29"r single speed today on the snow covered gravel trails.
70 minutes riding in the snow at 24F or -4 C for the Big Yin.0 -
Anyone riding? Took out the 29"r single speed today on the snow covered gravel trails.
70 minutes riding in the snow at 24F or -4 C for the Big Yin.
Still too cold for me in my area in the northeast of the USA; it is in the low single digits (Fahrenheit). I really miss getting outside. Spring will come at some point...I think?
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We had an intense summer storm last evening (Melbourne, Australia), so there was plenty of puddles and debris from trees on the roads and bike lanes. At one stage I must have picked up a small stick in the wheel, which made a whining noise. I thought I busted a spoke but fortunately the stick was spat out and all spokes were intact.
I rode down by Altona beach and there was lots of sand on the road. The wind whipped up the sand so I copped a nice sandblasting.
I was hoping to ride a 100 km today but while the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak. The legs just didn't want to be part of it. There's always next weekend....0 -
Climbing, climbing, climbing...
Keep those doggies climbing ...
https://sites.google.com/site/aweekofbicyclingonmountevans/0 -
Got in a little over twenty miles today. I think I'm ready to do twenty five or thirty. So happy to be improving. I want to be doing fifty mile rides by summers end.0
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Weather here in Toronto is improving but not quite to ride levels this week. Although a few days of Rain and above freezing temperatures has gotten rid of most our snow we are back in a bit of a cold snap for the next week with freezing temperatures again. I can live with it as I know spring is just around the corner and I found this
And no post would be complete with out the bike
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Completed my first century of the year on Saturday. 100.6 mi; Time-6:01; avg speed 16.8; 6,195 calories burned; Elizabeth City, NC; Tarwheel Century0
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mwhite61451 wrote: »Completed my first century of the year on Saturday. 100.6 mi; Time-6:01; avg speed 16.8; 6,195 calories burned; Elizabeth City, NC; Tarwheel Century
Some day, I will do that.
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Saturday was the grand opening of the Razorback Greenway, 36 miles of multi- use paved trails connecting 6 towns in Northwest Arkansas. I rode from end to end and back. Ended up with almost 75 miles in just under 6 hours in the saddle. There were thousands of people out on their bikes or walking. It was great!
Here's a pic of my bike at the end:
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last mile and half got caught in a downpour.
https://strava.com/activities/348155679
Friend me on Strava if you want.0 -
Here's a sort-of video ride report from a charity ride I did with a buddy on July 4, 2015.
What video settings do you use on the VIRB? It's a lot clearer than any of my efforts :-)0 -
TheChangingMan wrote: »Here's a sort-of video ride report from a charity ride I did with a buddy on July 4, 2015.
What video settings do you use on the VIRB? It's a lot clearer than any of my efforts :-)
Sorry, not sure how I missed this but I managed to do so.
I'm not sure exactly what the Vid settings on the VIRB are but I can definitely look for you later tonight if you wish. I think it's set to the standard 30fps and 720 resolution. Any more specific than that I couldn't say without looking.0 -
A video recap of my Cyclocross race on Saturday, 10/10/2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC-MLYExjUs 0
