In article said:after going out on my new bike and being so unfit as to be knackered after only 20 mins does
anyone know of any decent flat area's to ride around in birmingham until i get some fitness back
into my legs
im talking of billiard table flat as even slight inclines are making life difficult at the moment
and i really dont want to just go out for 20 mins!
would the canal toe paths be an option?(the bikes a raleigh pioneer 120 hybrid thing - ive never
ridden them before as i always used to go on road - i used to ride about 200 miles a week several
years back and it doesnt feel good to go out of the door and be back 20 mins later (my area is
either uphill or downhill ... not what anyone would call hilly but more than a match for me at the
moment!)
Stick with it...it does get easier fairly quickly.
When I reached 20 stone a couple of months ago, I began riding as regularly as work commitments
allowed, and it was quite hard.
Now I'm doing 10-12 miles 3 or 4 times a week, and the odd 45 - 50 at weekends (although rather
frustratingly, I'm still 19 stone).
Towpaths are ok, but you need good tyres I have found, as the amount of glass, rubbish and thorns
tends to give you a lot of punctures (I'm not far from you, in Stourbridge, so I know what your
canals are like!).
Other annoyances include anglers who won't shift rods to let you past, and those anti motorcycle
gate things, that make you constantly dismount. Also, strictly speaking you should have a permit
from British Waterways to ride on towpaths.
Then again, they can be very pleasant places to ride, in rural or industrial areas. I'm particularly
enjoying watching new families of ducks and geese at the moment.
I found it important to use routes that I enjoy riding, or the appeal tends to where off. So I
ride a mix of towpaths and quiet lanes, where there are hills. You have to tackle them sometime
I suppose.
HTH
--
Jon
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jondotrogersatntlworlddotcom
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