Cycling - Another goal beaten :o)

cloggsy71
cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
edited September 29 in Success Stories
Since starting cycling, I have given myself several mini-goals to beat.

The first one was riding the 12.8 mile commute to work; this took 1 hour and 7 minutes the first time I did it! :huh:

The second one was beating 40 minutes, which I have done :smile:

The next goal I set myself was to have an average speed for the commute of above 20mph - well today I achieve that & I'm chuffed to bits!!!

Finished Cycle: 28 Jun 2011 07:55:22
Ride Time: 37:56
Stopped Time: 1:18
Distance: 12.88 miles
Average: 20.37 miles/h
Fastest Speed: 27.20 miles/h
Ahead of Best Ride: 1:05
Calories: 845

Mile 01 - Average 18.72 miles/h
Mile 02 - Average 22.04 miles/h
Mile 03 - Average 18.54 miles/h
Mile 04 - Average 22.91 miles/h
Mile 05 - Average 20.70 miles/h
Mile 06 - Average 19.92 miles/h
Mile 07 - Average 20.78 miles/h
Mile 08 - Average 19.83 miles/h
Mile 09 - Average 23.56 miles/h
Mile 10 - Average 20.15 miles/h
Mile 11 - Average 20.24 miles/h
Mile 12 - Average 19.51 miles/h

Replies

  • whiskey9890
    whiskey9890 Posts: 652 Member
    thats really good going! i'm impressed, well done and keep up the great work
  • InspoAdam
    InspoAdam Posts: 17 Member
    Nice one, very impressive. An average faster than 20mph is some going. I don't commute on my bike for a number of reasons. Firstly, it's 22 miles. Secondly, my work doesn't have showers and thirdly, I have to carry my laptop and a few other bits and pieces. As a result, I get out in the evenings and at the weekends. My best average is 17.1mph and I am not hanging around so I can appreciate your achievement.

    Well done

    Adam
  • leilaphoenix
    leilaphoenix Posts: 839 Member
    Congratulations! I'm a cycle commuter although probably averaging nearer 10mph than 20! Well done.
  • AlwaysWanderer
    AlwaysWanderer Posts: 641 Member
    Well done! I've beaten my personal goal yesterday. 19.2 miles back from work in 1h 15min! It might not be quick to you, but speed of 15mph is quick to me... And I've got a mountain bike, with massive tyres, so it's not very easy to cycle. But gonna try to work my speed to 17mph in the next month. I'm so impressed with your achievement!
  • OttawaJeannie
    OttawaJeannie Posts: 206
    That's great! Congrats!

    How are you tracking your data? Is it an app?
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    That's great! Congrats!

    How are you tracking your data? Is it an app?

    Yup. Cyclemeter on the iPhone :wink:

    T'is very good!
  • OttawaJeannie
    OttawaJeannie Posts: 206
    Awesome. Thanks. I have been using logyourrun but yours seems to have more stats :)
  • Iam918
    Iam918 Posts: 118 Member
    Since starting cycling, I have given myself several mini-goals to beat.

    The first one was riding the 12.8 mile commute to work; this took 1 hour and 7 minutes the first time I did it! huh

    The second one was beating 40 minutes, which I have done smile

    The next goal I set myself was to have an average speed for the commute of above 20mph - well today I achieve that & I'm chuffed to bits!!!

    Grats! I just started bike commuting a few mo's ago myself and only avg ~16mph atm, started on my mtb but now I use a cyclocross bike. I only have a 4mi commute (8mi/round) though. However, I've been getting out on Sat mornings for a 30-50mi ride.

    Well done! I've beaten my personal goal yesterday. 19.2 miles back from work in 1h 15min! It might not be quick to you, but speed of 15mph is quick to me... And I've got a mountain bike, with massive tyres, so it's not very easy to cycle. But gonna try to work my speed to 17mph in the next month. I'm so impressed with your achievement!

    --- halina20

    I rode my mtn bike for a bit on the roads using mtb tires. Switching to Continental Travel Contact tires (run ~$35 to 45 each) was the best thing I did but just switching upped my avg speed by 3mph.
  • evilbanks
    evilbanks Posts: 166
    Since starting cycling, I have given myself several mini-goals to beat.

    The first one was riding the 12.8 mile commute to work; this took 1 hour and 7 minutes the first time I did it! :huh:

    The second one was beating 40 minutes, which I have done :smile:

    The next goal I set myself was to have an average speed for the commute of above 20mph - well today I achieve that & I'm chuffed to bits!!!

    Finished Cycle: 28 Jun 2011 07:55:22
    Ride Time: 37:56
    Stopped Time: 1:18
    Distance: 12.88 miles
    Average: 20.37 miles/h
    Fastest Speed: 27.20 miles/h
    Ahead of Best Ride: 1:05
    Calories: 845

    Mile 01 - Average 18.72 miles/h
    Mile 02 - Average 22.04 miles/h
    Mile 03 - Average 18.54 miles/h
    Mile 04 - Average 22.91 miles/h
    Mile 05 - Average 20.70 miles/h
    Mile 06 - Average 19.92 miles/h
    Mile 07 - Average 20.78 miles/h
    Mile 08 - Average 19.83 miles/h
    Mile 09 - Average 23.56 miles/h
    Mile 10 - Average 20.15 miles/h
    Mile 11 - Average 20.24 miles/h
    Mile 12 - Average 19.51 miles/h

    Nice one. Way to go.......keep on keepin' on.
  • incircles_lp2
    incircles_lp2 Posts: 132 Member
    Just out of curiosity, how is the terrain on your commute? Do you have a lot of elevation change? That is really a good time. I wish I was that fast on my road bike! I can do 10 miles in about 50 minutes, but there are lots of hills and the road is pretty bumpy in spots.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    Just out of curiosity, how is the terrain on your commute? Do you have a lot of elevation change?

    My total ascent over the whole route is 102ft, so not too bad. Some of the road surfaces are pretty shocking, but some are as smooth as silk.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    That's good going! I cycle12 miles to work when I manage to get out of bed the half hour earlier! when I firs started it took about one hour, best time I have down is 44 minutes at average of about 16.2mph, I'd love to break the 40 min mark, any tips? Also I use Runkeeper for iPhone to log my runs and my bikerides, I wouldn't mind using s dedicate cycle app though, but ip like it that one app logs everything, 2.99 in app store though, I might try it!

    It takes 25 mins to drive to work, so if I could only get the 35-40 min time frame it'd be a much better argument for how it's not that much longer to ride!
  • rgutie1
    rgutie1 Posts: 84 Member
    That's a great pace to maintain for that distance.

    I am nowhere near that pace but I would suggest adding some distance goals. My longest ride so far was 35 miles and I hoping to train for this summer to finish a century this fall.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    That's good going! I cycle12 miles to work when I manage to get out of bed the half hour earlier! when I firs started it took about one hour, best time I have down is 44 minutes at average of about 16.2mph, I'd love to break the 40 min mark, any tips? Also I use Runkeeper for iPhone to log my runs and my bikerides, I wouldn't mind using s dedicate cycle app though, but ip like it that one app logs everything, 2.99 in app store though, I might try it!

    It takes 25 mins to drive to work, so if I could only get the 35-40 min time frame it'd be a much better argument for how it's not that much longer to ride!

    What bike are yiou riding & what tyres does it have? This may seem a stupid question, but 'having the right tool for the job' is essential for a quicker ride.

    For instance, my bike is a Boardman Team Carbon bike (all carbon fibre) which weighs 7.9KG in total (before lights & accessories etc.) It has 700 x 23 tyres which are inflated to 110psi - All in all, this helps you to fly!

    If you are riding a mountain-type bike, you'll stuggle to get anywhere near as quick as these times. You can improve by putting slick-style tyres on, but unfortunately it won't make a massive amount of difference!
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    That's a great pace to maintain for that distance.

    I am nowhere near that pace but I would suggest adding some distance goals. My longest ride so far was 35 miles and I hoping to train for this summer to finish a century this fall.

    My longest ride so far is 53.6 miles. I also do a 27 mile loop and a 33 mile loop quite regularly...

    I'm doing a 'Sea to Sea' ride in August for charity; this is a ride of about 130 miles over two days - looking forward to it!
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    I ride a specialized Allez road bike, 700x24c I think about 110 too. I can hit abiur 25mph, but not hold it for too long
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    Today's ride, a bit sower today... :cry:

    Finished Cycle: 29 Jun 2011 07:59:33
    Ride Time: 38:39
    Stopped Time: 0:54
    Distance: 12.87 miles
    Average: 19.98 miles/h
    Fastest Speed: 27.38 miles/h
    Behind Best Ride: 0:43
    Ascent: 131 feet
    Calories: 923

    Mile 01 - Average 18.31 miles/h
    Mile 02 - Average 22.34 miles/h
    Mile 03 - Average 18.02 miles/h
    Mile 04 - Average 22.63 miles/h
    Mile 05 - Average 19.73 miles/h
    Mile 06 - Average 20.28 miles/h
    Mile 07 - Average 19.87 miles/h
    Mile 08 - Average 20.02 miles/h
    Mile 09 - Average 23.43 miles/h
    Mile 10 - Average 17.87 miles/h
    Mile 11 - Average 21.18 miles/h
    Mile 12 - Average 19.03 miles/h
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    How did you notice your fitness/weigh loss change as you improved?
  • Papillon22
    Papillon22 Posts: 1,160 Member
    That's great!
  • Dahamac
    Dahamac Posts: 213 Member
    Awesome Job!

    I picked up an '83 Schwinn World Tourist this weekend to start riding. I'm waiting on fresh tubes and tires to start riding and I am sure that the WT will not top out well compared to a CF road bike. However, I will get started and maybe, just maybe someday I will feel plucky enough to make the 20+ mile trip to work.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    How did you notice your fitness/weigh loss change as you improved?

    My fitness has gradually improved over time; I only started 'cycling to work' at the end of April! I'd already lost 2 stones (28lbs) using MFP by that point. I have now (to date) lost a further 17lbs (45lbs in total.)

    Don't get me wrong, the uphill slog is still a slog, but the recovery time is much quicker than it used to be :laugh:

    I use Whey Protein (in skimmed milk) to 'feed' my muscles after a ride; 1 x 23g scoop in 250ml of milk.

    Most days I'm trying not to to use my exercise calories, but sometimes you just need to eat. My weightloss has slowed somewhat, but muscle weighs more than fat (allegidly,) so I'm OK with that... Besides, it's not the weight that bothers me, it's the inches.

    The big bonus for me is I really enjoy cycling. Before April I hadn't been on a bike since I was a teenager. I wish I'd have found cycling again sooner; then perhaps I wouldn't have got up to 20+ stones (280lbs) in the first place :sad:

    Fingers crossed, I'll reach my goal weight by November :smile:
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    At work today I noticed my rear tyre had a bulge in it. The last thing I needed was a blow out, so I had to buy a new tyre and tube on the way home tonight :mad:

    It was the last thing I expected having only done 855 miles on the bike since new, but hey, one of those things I guess...

    New tyre and tube now fitted - guess I'll put it down to experience :grumble:
  • NiallWallace
    NiallWallace Posts: 78 Member
    What tyre was on?

    I find the rears last around 1 to 1.5 thousand Kilometers before being square.
    That's been with Schwalbe Blizzards, Conti UltraSport and Conti UltraRace which are all fitness/training tyres.

    Have got a Conti GatorHardshell to go on the back, hoping it will last a bit longer being 20kg lighter now.

    First Front lasted around 3000km, I've only put 5000km on that bike so was a whiel ago the change happened, I think the sidewall was showing signs of failure at that.

    Edit:

    Saw your post on BikeRadar.
    Apparently the Ultra Sports are fairly sticky and changing to higher end tyres can have a 1/2mph improvement in speed.

    What have you put on?
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    What have you put on?

    I've just replaced like for like (i.e. Conti' Ultra Sports.) I was going to buy a pair of Schwalbe Ultrimo ZX's, but can't justify the cost at the moment...

    I'll get a set when I need a pair though I think :wink:
  • doctrk
    doctrk Posts: 27 Member
    I just bought a hybrid bike recently. We have a nice path / trail that goes for miles in either direction. been riding about 6 -8 miles a day. You know i never knew bike riding burned as many calories as it does. cycling beats jogging, esp at my weight. I would like a more accurate tracker to see how far and fast im going. any info helps.
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    I just bought a hybrid bike recently. We have a nice path / trail that goes for miles in either direction. been riding about 6 -8 miles a day. You know i never knew bike riding burned as many calories as it does. cycling beats jogging, esp at my weight. I would like a more accurate tracker to see how far and fast im going. any info helps.

    There are several app on the iPhone (if you have one?) I use 'Cyclemeter.'

    Alternatively, you could look at a cycle computer (from your local bike shop?)

    Cycling is great because it is no impact; great when you are overweight, plus, like you say, the calories burnt are great compaired to other exercise...
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    A new goal I have set myself (now I managed to do the 20+mph on my way to work,) is achieve 20+mph for my homeward journey...

    Well, today I was close, but not quite!

    These were my speeds/times for today's ride home...

    Finished Cycle: 4 Jul 2011 17:11:03
    Ride Time: 38:43
    Stopped Time: 0:36
    Distance: 12.84 miles
    Average: 19.90 miles/h
    Fastest Speed: 27.30 miles/h
    Ahead of Best Ride: 3:58
    Ascent: 305 feet
    Calories: 893

    Mile 01 - Average 18.26 miles/h
    Mile 02 - Average 20.25 miles/h
    Mile 03 - Average 19.73 miles/h
    Mile 04 - Average 20.76 miles/h
    Mile 05 - Average 19.20 miles/h
    Mile 06 - Average 20.31 miles/h
    Mile 07 - Average 19.68 miles/h
    Mile 08 - Average 21.14 miles/h
    Mile 09 - Average 20.80 miles/h
    Mile 10 - Average 19.46 miles/h
    Mile 11 - Average 23.52 miles/h
    Mile 12 - Average 20.11 miles/h

    If it hadn't have been for a learner driver hesitating at a junction I'd have probably done it too :grumble:

    Never mind, tomorrow is a new day...
  • NiallWallace
    NiallWallace Posts: 78 Member
    You probably did do it, GPS accuracy (on phones at least) is no where near as good as a 700x23c trundle wheel :wink:
  • cloggsy71
    cloggsy71 Posts: 2,208 Member
    You probably did do it, GPS accuracy (on phones at least) is no where near as good as a 700x23c trundle wheel :wink:

    True, but I really like CycleMeter on the iPhone & if I use that for all my trips, then that is my 'yard stick.' Much like bathroom scales; as long as you use the same set of scales every time you weigh yourself, you will always get a consistent measurement!
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