50

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Feeling a) rather chuffed with myself and b) very numb in my little
fingers. Going to have to sort that out at some point.

You can get some gel gloves to sort out the numb fingers.

Quoted message said:

I did briefly consider going for the metric century, before coming to my
senses. I'm pretty sure the Imperial century's going to have to wait for
a year or two, though.

You can do it next week Keith! I went from nothing to 200 miles in 16 weeks
with rides of 30, 40 50, 96, 115 and 200 between Feb and Jun 1999 and I'm
not Superman.

--
Simon Mason
Anlaby
East Yorkshire.
53°44'N 0°26'W
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

Simon Mason said:

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Feeling a) rather chuffed with myself and b) very numb in my little
fingers. Going to have to sort that out at some point.

You can get some gel gloves to sort out the numb fingers.

I have a pair of those Tchibo padded gloves, but they don't help. I
suppose I should give the proper gel ones a go. The basic problem,
though, is all the weight that's pressing down on my wrists. I should
lose some of it.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I did briefly consider going for the metric century, before coming to my
senses. I'm pretty sure the Imperial century's going to have to wait for
a year or two, though.

You can do it next week Keith! I went from nothing to 200 miles in 16 weeks
with rides of 30, 40 50, 96, 115 and 200 between Feb and Jun 1999 and I'm
not Superman.

I bet you weren't 20+ stone, either 🙂

Yeah, I know I'm being defeatist, and I shouldn't, but at the speeds I
go, a century would take me 14/15 hours including stops, and I just
don't see any way, yet, that I could keep going that long.

On the positive side, when I do lose a stone or six, if I can keep the
legs as they are, it'll feel like I'm peddaling downhill all the time 🙂

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
Fair and balanced

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can do it next week Keith! I went from nothing to 200 miles in 16

weeks

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with rides of 30, 40 50, 96, 115 and 200 between Feb and Jun 1999 and

I'm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

not Superman.

I bet you weren't 20+ stone, either 🙂

No I was 12 stone, sorry I didn't take that into account. In that case,
your ride was even more remarkable and I forgot to say well done :-)

--
Simon M.

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Simon Mason said:

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Feeling a) rather chuffed with myself and b) very numb in my little
fingers. Going to have to sort that out at some point.

You can get some gel gloves to sort out the numb fingers.

I have a pair of those Tchibo padded gloves, but they don't help. I
suppose I should give the proper gel ones a go. The basic problem,
though, is all the weight that's pressing down on my wrists. I should
lose some of it.

Is it the little finger and one next to it? If so it might be
http://www.handsurgeon.com/guyon.html.

Try drop handle bars (worked for me) or bar ends. It seems to be about
keeping my wrists straight, gloves don't make a difference.

Frank X said:

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Simon Mason said:

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

>
> Feeling a) rather chuffed with myself and b) very numb in my little
> fingers. Going to have to sort that out at some point.

You can get some gel gloves to sort out the numb fingers.

I have a pair of those Tchibo padded gloves, but they don't help. I
suppose I should give the proper gel ones a go. The basic problem,
though, is all the weight that's pressing down on my wrists. I should
lose some of it.

Is it the little finger and one next to it? If so it might be
http://www.handsurgeon.com/guyon.html.

Yeah, that looks like it.

Quoted message said:

Try drop handle bars (worked for me) or bar ends.

I have bar ends. Maybe I should try to stay on them longer.

Quoted message said:

It seems to be about keeping my wrists straight, gloves don't make a
difference.

That also makes sense. At the beginning of a ride, I can keep my wrist
straight and it's fine. At the end, as I tire, it bends and becomes
sore, and the two fingers go numb.

I wonder if some kind of strapping around the wrist would help.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
Ceci n'est pas une sig

Simon Mason said:

"Keith Willoughby" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can do it next week Keith! I went from nothing to 200 miles in 16

weeks

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with rides of 30, 40 50, 96, 115 and 200 between Feb and Jun 1999 and

I'm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

not Superman.

I bet you weren't 20+ stone, either 🙂

No I was 12 stone, sorry I didn't take that into account. In that case,
your ride was even more remarkable and I forgot to say well done :-)

Cheers fella!

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"If I knew I'd live this long, I would have taken better care of myself."
- Mickey Mantle

Quoted message said:

I have a pair of those Tchibo padded gloves, but they don't help. I
suppose I should give the proper gel ones a go. The basic problem,
though, is all the weight that's pressing down on my wrists. I

should

Quoted message said:

lose some of it.

Well, your weight is supported in three places - your hands on the
handlebars, your seat on the saddle, and your feet on the pedals. If
you sat bolt upright, Dutch bike style, you would have a lot less
weight on your wrists, but more on your seat. You would have more
wind resistance, too, but it might be worth while make a small
adjustment.

If you pedalled like mad, your feet would be taking more of the
weight, lessening the force needed elsewhere. Hot shot racers are
sometimes pulling themselves down on the handlebars to counteract
their pedalling force, rather than leaning on the handlebars at all.

Jeremy Parker

Keith Willoughby said:

I have a pair of those Tchibo padded gloves, but they don't help. I
suppose I should give the proper gel ones a go. The basic problem,
though, is all the weight that's pressing down on my wrists. I should
lose some of it.

Lightweight cyclists can get the same problem too. Try altering the
handlebar position: tilt, up, down. Strange as it may seem, I find
putting the bars /down/ can help sometimes.

~PB

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can do it next week Keith! I went from nothing to 200 miles in 16

weeks

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with rides of 30, 40 50, 96, 115 and 200 between Feb and Jun 1999 and

I'm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

not Superman.

I bet you weren't 20+ stone, either 🙂

Shouldn't be a problem Keith. I am a svelte 20 stone, down from 23.5 stone
and I did 90 miles this Saturday - best one day mileage in nearly 30 years!

Quoted message said:

Yeah, I know I'm being defeatist, and I shouldn't, but at the speeds I
go, a century would take me 14/15 hours including stops, and I just
don't see any way, yet, that I could keep going that long.

You would be surprised how far you can go in a day with ample rest and food
breaks.

Quoted message said:

On the positive side, when I do lose a stone or six, if I can keep the
legs as they are, it'll feel like I'm peddaling downhill all the time 🙂

I'm curious as to what I I'll be capable of when I am five stone lighter.
Having done 50 miles in 2.5 hours as a 20 stone lard [censored] the same mileage
should be a breeze when i've shed the weight equivalent of seven gallons of
water or 32 bags of sugar.

Keep at it Keith, you'll get there, I saw bigger lard arses than me on the
Great Yorkshire Bike Ride (70 of the 90 miles done on Saturday) some of them
left me on the hills but there again they had lower geared mountain bikes
and I reeled them back in on the descents and level bits.

Glad to see that you also use trains as part of some of your rides. I
though I was a lone in integrating public transport options into some of the
rides that I do - has worked out quite well when I've suffered mechanical
failures.

Vernon in Leeds

Keith Willoughby:

Quoted message said:

Today I extended my personal best distance from 33 miles to 51.85 miles!

Woo-hoo! Nice one. Good pace too.

Quoted message said:

I did briefly consider going for the metric century, before coming to my
senses. I'm pretty sure the Imperial century's going to have to wait for
a year or two, though.

At the start of this year, I thought 50 miles was beyond me and I just did
150 miles... Yes, I saw your response to Simon's comments, but seriously,
don't underestimate yourself - it sounds like you're making great progress.
In any case, it's not a competition or a test - as long as you are enjoying
your rides, that's all that matters. The miles will add up soon enough of
their own accord.

d.

Keith Willoughby said:

Today I extended my personal best distance from 33 miles to 51.85 miles!

Well done! Sounds similar to my previous PB and extension of - I'd
never have thought I'd do 50 milers this year, based on previous years
cycling. Mind you, mine was over *much* less hilly terrain than yours!

--

Velvet

vernon levy said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You can do it next week Keith! I went from nothing to 200 miles in 16

weeks

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

with rides of 30, 40 50, 96, 115 and 200 between Feb and Jun 1999 and

I'm

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

not Superman.

I bet you weren't 20+ stone, either 🙂

Shouldn't be a problem Keith. I am a svelte 20 stone, down from 23.5 stone
and I did 90 miles this Saturday - best one day mileage in nearly 30 years!

Wow! Damned impressive.

My next challenge is going to be the bus up to Brecon, then cycling
back. It's 45 miles or so back to my house, but if I feel OK, then I
could do the whole length of the Taff Trail, 55 miles or so into
Cardiff, then back up the valley to Ponty.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On the positive side, when I do lose a stone or six, if I can keep the
legs as they are, it'll feel like I'm peddaling downhill all the time 🙂

I'm curious as to what I I'll be capable of when I am five stone lighter.
Having done 50 miles in 2.5 hours as a 20 stone lard [censored] the same mileage
should be a breeze when i've shed the weight equivalent of seven gallons of
water or 32 bags of sugar.

[censored]. That's twice as fast as I manage.

Quoted message said:

Glad to see that you also use trains as part of some of your rides. I
though I was a lone in integrating public transport options into some
of the rides that I do - has worked out quite well when I've suffered
mechanical failures.

Yeah, I don't think I've ever been more than 5 miles away from a train
station on my rides. I like the comfort factor of knowing I can wimp
out, even though I generally don't.

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"You've sunk my battleship!"

davek said:

Keith Willoughby:

Quoted message said:

Today I extended my personal best distance from 33 miles to 51.85 miles!

Woo-hoo! Nice one. Good pace too.

Ta!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I did briefly consider going for the metric century, before coming to my
senses. I'm pretty sure the Imperial century's going to have to wait for
a year or two, though.

At the start of this year, I thought 50 miles was beyond me and I just did
150 miles...

Blimey. I find 150 miles . . . incomprehensible. I mean, I can see how I
could do 100, although I'm not ready, but I really don't understand 150
🙂

Quoted message said:

Yes, I saw your response to Simon's comments, but seriously, don't
underestimate yourself - it sounds like you're making great progress.
In any case, it's not a competition or a test - as long as you are
enjoying your rides, that's all that matters. The miles will add up
soon enough of their own accord.

Aye!

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
"You've sunk my battleship!"

Velvet said:

Keith Willoughby said:

Today I extended my personal best distance from 33 miles to 51.85 miles!

Well done! Sounds similar to my previous PB and extension of - I'd
never have thought I'd do 50 milers this year, based on previous years
cycling.

I remember being very chuffed at having done 10 miles a few months
ago. Amazing, isn't it?

Quoted message said:

Mind you, mine was over *much* less hilly terrain than yours!

--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting,
it has been found difficult and left untried."
-- G K Chesterton

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Shouldn't be a problem Keith. I am a svelte 20 stone, down from 23.5

stone

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and I did 90 miles this Saturday - best one day mileage in nearly 30

years!

Quoted message said:

Wow! Damned impressive.

I felt great at the end even though the last two hours were spent in drizzle
then rain and depressed ambient teperatures.

Quoted message said:

My next challenge is going to be the bus up to Brecon, then cycling
back. It's 45 miles or so back to my house, but if I feel OK, then I
could do the whole length of the Taff Trail, 55 miles or so into
Cardiff, then back up the valley to Ponty.

Some of the limitations on distance are mental ones. I've copped out of two
potential century rides by simply catching a train when I felt 'potentially
tired' . If my routes were further away from railway stations then perhaps
I'd get a century ride under my belt sooner rather than later.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I'm curious as to what I I'll be capable of when I am five stone

lighter.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Having done 50 miles in 2.5 hours as a 20 stone lard [censored] the same

mileage

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

should be a breeze when i've shed the weight equivalent of seven

gallons of

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

water or 32 bags of sugar.

[censored]. That's twice as fast as I manage.

It's worth bearing in mind that I was once a very fit youth and young man
who thought nothing of playing rugby on a Saturday and cycling 60 -70 miles
on a Sunday. I think that the underlying capacity for challenging exercise
has never deserted me.

Quoted message said:

Yeah, I don't think I've ever been more than 5 miles away from a train
station on my rides. I like the comfort factor of knowing I can wimp
out, even though I generally don't.

See previous comments - the trains provide a security blanket and do offer
an easy way out. I thought that I'd have had a 100 mile ride under my belt
by now. My 90 miler this weekend indicated that i'm up to the challenge.

Keep plugging away, you'll get there.

Reply to Keith Willoughby

Quoted message said:

Blimey. I find 150 miles . . . incomprehensible. I mean, I can see how I
could do 100, although I'm not ready, but I really don't understand 150
🙂

<AOL> Me too. </AOL> A mate of mine is a keen marathon runner, but
never mentions cycling. A couple of weeks ago he cycled to a party in
Essex, a distance of 180 miles or so each way, taking two days going
down, and one day returning. To a short-distance commuter and
occasional day-out trundler like me, that sort of distance just
doesn't exist!

--
Mark, UK.
We hope to hear him swear, we love to hear him squeak,
We like to see him biting fingers in his horny beak.

Jeremy Parker said:

Well, your weight is supported in three places - your hands on the
handlebars, your seat on the saddle, and your feet on the pedals. If
you sat bolt upright, Dutch bike style, you would have a lot less
weight on your wrists, but more on your seat. You would have more
wind resistance, too, but it might be worth while make a small
adjustment.

Or if you lie down, recumbent style, the weight is taken along the whole
length of your spine as well as your bum, with no weight on arms. Which
is why 'bents are so much more comfortable to most riders.

As someone who had their distance limit set at about 100 km when my arms
felt like they'd entered the brittle failure zone, rather than my legs
being finished, I /really/ appreciate that. It means I enjoy my cycling
more is the bottom line.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Keith Willoughb said:

Today I extended my personal best distance from 33 miles to
51.85 miles!
I set off at 5:15 towards Barry Island, through Treforest Estate, Taff's
Well, Radyr, Llandaf, Canton, past Leckwith stadium, up Leckwith Hill
(never again. I had to push 2/3rds of the way. I'd completely forgotten
it existed), Landough, Dinas Powys, and to Barry Island.
I misjudged how long it would take me. I allowed myself 3 hours, and it
took 2 hours 20 minutes. So, I arrived in Barry at 7:35, it was cold, it
was miserable, there was nothing open, and I was hungry. I wandered
around, did another 3 miles going over to Jackson's Bay and up and down
the prom to keep warm, then left at 9:30 to get brekkie in Morrison's.
Then back, via Sully, up through Cosmeston Lakes (feeling pretty bad at
this point, the constant drag up hill turning my legs into jelly) and
then to my mate's house in Cardiff bay for a cuppa and a sit down. It
was at this point I decided to get a train home from Cardiff Central, as
I wasn't feeling too good. However, 10 minutes in the saddle to Cardiff
left me feeling a lot better, and the last leg was much more comfortable
than the second leg.
Feeling a) rather chuffed with myself and b) very numb in my little
fingers. Going to have to sort that out at some point.
I did briefly consider going for the metric century, before coming to my
senses. I'm pretty sure the Imperial century's going to have to wait for
a year or two, though.
--
Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/http://flat222.org/keith/ "Do
you want it pasteurised, 'cause pasteurised is best??" "Ernie, I'll be
happy if it comes up to my chest"

Well done Keith, good effort.

Keep at it. Now you have the basic fitness and are through the "I can do
it" barrier. With a steady pace and regular eating and drinking you can
push yourself to greater distances than you think you are capable of.

All the best,
Ian

--