I suck.

Bob said:

David L. Johnson said:

I went through this when I got back on the bike.
Roads that I had never noticed were not flat suddenly became brutal hills.
But, eventually, I found that I could go longer without feeling like I was
gonna die.

I don't ride for fitness. I just ride because I like to ride but I
notice something similiar every riding season.

March: "I am not even going to *try* that hill."
April: "Damn, this hill is killing me."
May: "Hey, my speed is staying constant."
June: "Maybe I can accelerate up this hill."
July: "What hill? You mean this little *bump* in the road?!?"
:-)

How true it is!

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [email hidden]
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog

Neil Cherry said:

Be warey of those who brag (myself included). Soemtimes we do things
that are not the wisest way of handling things. I almost blew my
training for a double century (<400K) when I trained too hard and too
often.

Oh, well, nobody's ever done that! <eg>

Quoted message said:

I was lucky to take a week off and recover in time to do the
event (6/11, interesting ride).

OK, Big Neil. Give. <tapping foot>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

I can't do a 100K without stopping now! :-) I need a few stops to pick
up food and water. Of course we now have lots of heat and humidity
(South/Central NJ, USA).

Allow me to brag a bit but with some sarcasm (towards myself). Last
September I rode with a group who did 107 mile ride at 19.8 mph avg.

<Sally Field>
I can't deny the fact that I hate you! I really, hate you! With a passion!!
</Sally Field>

jj
Of course if you give a detailed blow-by-blow description of your 6/11 ride
I might not hate you so much, you freak of nature, you speed demon.

"Joe Canuck" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

C.J.Patten said:

Man... the last entry from a few years back: "35km, 195lbs, caeser salad
with bacon bits."
<shaking head>

Don't worry about being out of shape. If you are diligent, by summer's end
you may be down to about ~200 lbs.

I'm the same, 6' 250 lbs. I'm able to comfortably ride from Aylmer out to
Kanata and back on a mountain bike with slicks installed. I used to do
that with knobbies. I'm not exactly sure on the distance, but it is a good
hike.

Hey Joe!

According to Mapquest, that's about 35km one way if "Kanata" means corner of
Carling & March roads - and you don't swim any of it. 😉

Nice!

C.

C.J.Patten said:

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall -
my leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are
only half-hour rides.

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month?

Yes easily. I restarted cycling after a 20 year layoff, wasn't
much overweight, but was seriously underfit. 8km from home on the first
ride I'd had it. My neighbours went by in a car, stopped & asked if I'd
like a ride home. Nope, I was going to get home myself. Three months
later that same point was where I felt I'd warmed up and was ready to run
at proper cruising speed. Ten years later my cruising speed has not
increased a lot maybe 10%, still about 20-24kph, but the distance I can do
at that speed has gone up to allow centuries. I'm happy at that level, I
can go to lots of interesting places, and with the help of a decent-ish
local train service can get a hundred miles & back in a day.

In your case I'd suggest that you slow down a touch on the longer rides,
but also do some harder shorter rides. And *always* take *lots* of water,
if you've got too much it can go into the nearest ditch, if you haven't
got enough *you* might go into the ditch.

Mike

C.J.Patten said:

I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\

I am badly out of shape. Much worse than I thought.
I'm about 50lbs overweight (6'0", 240lbs) and haven't cycled seriously in
years.
Having bought a bike to get out and get in shape, I ride every day except
for a rest day maybe once a week. (doing this now for a couple of weeks)

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall - my
leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are only
half-hour rides.

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let yourself
get unhealthy again...)

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

<frustrated ... but determined>

Chris

I got back into cycling about 10 years ago. I was in my mid-40's,
sedentary, overweight (+30), had smoked a long time, etc. I just started
riding longer and longer, starting with 20 mi flat rides and going up
from there. I did a 100 mi solo within 4-5 months of starting. I think
the best strategy in the beginning is just go long and steady a few
times a week.

After 7-8 months, I began riding with a local club. In the beginning I
would get dropped within the first half mile. I started working on my
speed, trying to hang with that group every week as long as I could. It
took me perhaps a year before I could finish with the group.

"Mike Causer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:42:18 -0400, C.J.Patten wrote:

Quoted message said:

Yes easily. I restarted cycling after a 20 year layoff, wasn't
much overweight, but was seriously underfit. 8km from home on the first
ride I'd had it. My neighbours went by in a car, stopped & asked if I'd
like a ride home. Nope, I was going to get home myself. Three months
later that same point was where I felt I'd warmed up and was ready to run

Cool!

Quoted message said:

at proper cruising speed. Ten years later my cruising speed has not
increased a lot maybe 10%, still about 20-24kph, but the distance I can do
at that speed has gone up to allow centuries. I'm happy at that level, I
can go to lots of interesting places, and with the help of a decent-ish
local train service can get a hundred miles & back in a day.

20 to 24km/h is a great speed.

I remember this like it was yesterday: "Cycling" magazine in the early 90's,
a photo of the Soviet Olympic cycling team, head on. The article described
their winning run. In short, it averaged ~30+km/hr over a 200km course -
non-stop.

To be honest, the folks here who report "20mph"aka "36km/hr" over long
runs - I imagine these folks are superhuman. I used to *try* to average
30km/h but to do that for more than 50 or 60km?!

Hats off - you guys are well conditioned!

I'd probably be happy averaging 20km/h over long distances - though the Greg
Lemond quote in someone's sig file is priceless: "It never gets any easier.
You just go faster." ;p

Quoted message said:

In your case I'd suggest that you slow down a touch on the longer rides,
but also do some harder shorter rides. And *always* take *lots* of water,
if you've got too much it can go into the nearest ditch, if you haven't
got enough *you* might go into the ditch.

Absolutely! I've ended up in the ditch clutching at seized muscles when I
didn't drink enough. 😉

Good advice on mixing it up.

Just got back from a 6km ride - a bit harder than I'm used to.

Man, my pistons are KILLIN' me! :p
On the plus side, my butt isn't getting sore when I ride. 😄

C.

"Peter Cole" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got back into cycling about 10 years ago. I was in my mid-40's,
sedentary, overweight (+30), had smoked a long time, etc. I just started
riding longer and longer, starting with 20 mi flat rides and going up from
there. I did a 100 mi solo within 4-5 months of starting. I think the best
strategy in the beginning is just go long and steady a few times a week.

After 7-8 months, I began riding with a local club. In the beginning I
would get dropped within the first half mile. I started working on my
speed, trying to hang with that group every week as long as I could. It
took me perhaps a year before I could finish with the group.

Hey Peter!

I've been trying to find a local cycling group for, well, outta shape
cyclists like me. ;p
No takers yet.

Just me or are all organized cycle groups for die-hards? I suppose in 7-8
months I'll BE one of those die-hards. 😉

C.J.Patten said:

I remember this like it was yesterday: "Cycling" magazine in the early
90's, a photo of the Soviet Olympic cycling team, head on. The article
described their winning run. In short, it averaged ~30+km/hr over a 200km
course - non-stop.

What would you think of 40.94kph over 3427km? That's what Lance did in
the Tour de France in 2003. Last year I saw it from the roadside
for the first time and it's FANTASTIC. We're not doing this year, but
will be back in 2006.

Quoted message said:

Just got back from a 6km ride - a bit harder than I'm used to.

Man, my pistons are KILLIN' me! :p
On the plus side, my butt isn't getting sore when I ride. 😄

As an accredited representative of the dark-side I can help you here. On
a recumbent your butt *never* gets sore. Nor do your hands go numb. Nor
do you have to wear lycra pants just to avoid boils on the balls.

OTOH, when things break you can't just take it to the LBS to get it fixed
(see my mishap described on uk.rec.cycling yesterday ).

Mike

jj said:

Neil Cherry said:

Be warey of those who brag (myself included). Soemtimes we do things
that are not the wisest way of handling things. I almost blew my
training for a double century (<400K) when I trained too hard and too
often.

Oh, well, nobody's ever done that! <eg>

It's been the first time I ever went that far. I thought something was
really wrong with my legs. I could spin just fine but when I went to
climb my legs would get all wobbly.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I was lucky to take a week off and recover in time to do the
event (6/11, interesting ride).

OK, Big Neil. Give. <tapping foot>

I'll post that as a seperate thread (remember you asked for it).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Allow me to brag a bit but with some sarcasm (towards myself). Last
September I rode with a group who did 107 mile ride at 19.8 mph avg.

<Sally Field>
I can't deny the fact that I hate you! I really, hate you! With a passion!!
</Sally Field>

To make JJ feel better, as a kid (~13 yrs) I once road to a store 7
miles from my home. It took 2 hours to get ther and back. In 1990 I
again started riding to relieve the tension from work. I could do 3
miles, then a month later 7 miles. Then I road to work (32 miles), my
wife came and picked me up at the end of the day. I then bought a road
bike. My first club rides were 30 miles at about 15 - 16 mph. That was
about 10 years ago. I've increased the pace each year since then. Oh,
I can't climb hills but I can handle strong wind (20 mph). I don't
know why. I've been a ride leader for the last 8 years (16-17 mph
during the winter, 17-18 during the spring, 18-19 avg during the
summer and fall). I didn't get legs like this by just sitting on my
ass sometimes I stood up. :-)

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [email hidden]
http://home.comcast.net/~ncherry/ (Text only)
http://hcs.sourceforge.net/ (HCS II)
http://linuxha.blogspot.com/ My HA Blog

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 11:42:18 -0400, <[email hidden]>,
"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote, in part:
\snip

Quoted message said:

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall - my
leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are only
half-hour rides.

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let yourself
get unhealthy again...)

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

By working in construction for 20+ years, I'd never let myself get too
fluffy in middle-age. But, by smoking, eating garbage and drinking way
too much coffee I'd gotten a good scare from the croaker who'd
detected a heart arrhythmia. I changed my occupation and became afraid
I'd keel over if I pushed my heart. I sold the car and cut way back on
junk food, coffee and smokes. I walked and bused most everywhere.

I still had my two old road bikes that had been stored for ~14 years
and they kept haunting me. I was procrastinating putting them back on
the road. I wanted to ride but didn't want to die.

For my upcoming 50th birthday I bought a folding kick scooter so I'd
not spend as long walking to the stores and bus stops. They were still
new and trendy when I rode the wheels off of it.

I'd ventured into a couple bike shops to buy the scooter and
replacement wheels. I'd not been in one for 15 yrs.The smells brought
flooding back all the memories of an earlier bicycle happy freakdom.

Coasting home some time later I realised I'd not died and these dinky
hard wheels sucked. I had two perfectly good Campagnolo equipped
bicycles at home. Upon arrival I started putting them together.

On the first road test I didn't like the look of some guy on a fat
tire bike when he passed me. I ate him on the hill and then almost
puked at the top. I rode home on jelly legs with a face stretched from
smiling. I was still alive and hadn't felt happier about it in years.

I started the next week riding a 19.7 Km loop that gave me an easy
climb out and a variety of routes back home. After a week of that I
didn't have jelly legs, just that pleasantly heavy feeling. I started
riding a different loop in the evenings so after about two months I
was riding near 200 Km per week without any problems.

My objective was to get to all reasonable destinations around town, in
an hour or less, without arriving beat. It wasn't too hard to achieve
since I rarely venture further than 20 Km from home. After a half year
of daily utility riding, I'd no trouble riding 60 Km in a day. A 100
Km day just leaves me savouring the pulse of tired muscles as I drift
off to a deep refreshing sleep.

Don't despair, you're young and basically healthy so you'll be able to
progress even more rapidly. LSD (long slow distance) burns fat so
don't concentrate so much on speed. The folding bike gives you extra
options for getting home so don't be afraid to stretch your limits.

Now I'm getting fluffy from laying around for the past 65 days while
this leg mends. I'm hoping there's not going to be knee or ankle
issues slowing my return to form.
--
zk

Neil Cherry said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Allow me to brag a bit but with some sarcasm (towards myself). Last
September I rode with a group who did 107 mile ride at 19.8 mph avg.

<Sally Field>
I can't deny the fact that I hate you! I really, hate you! With a passion!!
</Sally Field>

To make JJ feel better, as a kid (~13 yrs) I once road to a store 7
miles from my home. It took 2 hours to get ther and back. In 1990 I
again started riding to relieve the tension from work. I could do 3
miles, then a month later 7 miles. Then I road to work (32 miles), my
wife came and picked me up at the end of the day. I then bought a road
bike. My first club rides were 30 miles at about 15 - 16 mph. That was
about 10 years ago. I've increased the pace each year since then. Oh,
I can't climb hills but I can handle strong wind (20 mph). I don't
know why. I've been a ride leader for the last 8 years (16-17 mph
during the winter, 17-18 during the spring, 18-19 avg during the
summer and fall). I didn't get legs like this by just sitting on my
ass sometimes I stood up. :-)

The "no brag, just fact; don't clap, throw money" School of Cycling..

Quoted message said:

--
Linux Home Automation Neil Cherry [email hidden]

We're playing all this week, folks. Be sure and tip your waitresses. ;-D

jj

C.J.Patten said:

To be honest, the folks here who report "20mph"aka "36km/hr"

20mph is 32, not 36, kph.

over long

Quoted message said:

runs - I imagine these folks are superhuman. I used to *try* to average
30km/h but to do that for more than 50 or 60km?!

Averaging 20mph for 30 miles is not superhuman, if the course is
reasonably flat. But don't believe everything that people claim here.

Quoted message said:

I'd probably be happy averaging 20km/h over long distances - though the
Greg Lemond quote in someone's sig file is priceless: "It never gets any
easier. You just go faster." ;p

That would be me. Not this post, though, but that is a random
quote-generator.

Quoted message said:

Just got back from a 6km ride - a bit harder than I'm used to.

Man, my pistons are KILLIN' me! :p
On the plus side, my butt isn't getting sore when I ride. 😄

Well, for 6km you should not expect the butt to be sore.

You will go through periods where it's your legs that give out, then your
lungs give out (longer rides), then your butt gives out (even longer).
But your body will respond, and eventually all three will survive hours in
the saddle.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Arguing with an engineer is like mud wrestling with a pig... You
_`\(,_ | soon find out the pig likes it!
(_)/ (_) |

C.J.Patten said:

LOL! On the flip side, the brutal hills I used to squirt up like a possum
I'd need climbing gear or a Toyota for now!

Yeah, I understand. My racing bike from the '70s had 7 usable gears (10
speed, but with overlaps and bad reach issues that is about as many
different gears as we got back then). Now, I have more than twice as many
usable gears. All the new ones are lower. And I need them.

Quoted message said:

I'm not using this as an excuse but I wonder if different tires would
make a difference?

Sure they would. Even semi-slicks have a lot more rolling resistance than
real slicks, and those have more than real road bike tires. That would
make a big difference, moving to a road bike (after all, you are riding on
roads).

Quoted message said:

For now, even if they have a lot of extra resistance, they DO serve to
add to my workout. Any thoughts to snipping off some of the middle
knobs? (they're about half the size of pencil erasers - eg: tiny)

I would save those for their use (mixed road/trails) and get some real
slicks for your road rides, or get a real road bike if you have the bucks
available.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | And what if you track down these men and kill them, what if you
_`\(,_ | killed all of us? From every corner of Europe, hundreds,
(_)/ (_) | thousands would rise up to take our places. Even Nazis can't
kill that fast. -- Paul Henreid (Casablanca).

On Mon, 13 Jun 2005 16:19:44 -0700, Zoot Katz <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 14:12:47 -0400,
<[email hidden]>,

jj said:

In fact mere physical pain is the easiest to conquer. Mental pain and
anguish (like a broken heart) is much, much harder to deal with. Physical
pain you can do something about. Mental pain just eats away at you.

Mental pain can be ridden into the ground.

<smacks forehead> BTDT.

Quoted message said:

Physical pain can knock you off your bike.

<smacks forehead again> BTDT.

Quoted message said:

Riding around on dope is a solution for the later but not the former.

<smacks forehead again> Durn, I didn't even feel that smack. ;-)

jj

C.J.Patten said:

A client friend of mine (great shape, 50-something) had a coronary prompt
him to make healthy lifestyle choices.

I try to re-iterate to myself slow-and-steady wins the race and I'm not
quite 30 with no heart problems (big "yet" to both) so I really am one of
the lucky ones.

Not 30! Child! But this is the time to take stock and see the road
ahead, and decide what to do with your life. At 30, I sure as hell wished
I had done so. It would have saved me a lot of aggravation until 47 when
I finally got my head out of my ass and realized I was committing slow
suicide, with smoking, drinking, and sitting in front of the damn computer.

OK, I still drink (less), and still sit in front of the computer (comes
with the job), but I am out there when I can and have kept the avoirdupois
under control. Not the 140 lbs I was when I was a real hillclimber, but
no increase in several years, when lots of the people I work with need to
buy bigger pants each year.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
_`\(,_ | -- Paul Erdos
(_)/ (_) |

C.J.Patten said:

I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\

I am badly out of shape. Much worse than I thought.
I'm about 50lbs overweight (6'0", 240lbs) and haven't cycled seriously in
years.
Having bought a bike to get out and get in shape, I ride every day except
for a rest day maybe once a week. (doing this now for a couple of weeks)

I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired overall - my
leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello feeling...can't walk when
stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging about 15-20km/hr so these are only
half-hour rides.

If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going to be
able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't ever let yourself
get unhealthy again...)

I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead weights
tied to me.

<frustrated ... but determined>

The thing you have to remember is that you didn't get out of shape in
a few months, so it's not realistic to expect to undo the lack of
workouts in just a few months. I can confidently say that you will go
through periods when you don't seem to be getting any faster/stronger,
but then suddenly you'll notice that - wow - you DID get
faster/stronger. It'll keep on happening too as long as you don't
rest on your laurels.

You know where you are, you know where you want to be. The only thing
that can stop you is yourself (well, that and a semi with no brakes,
but let's not dwell on that...). ;-) Cycling is an amazing sport
that allows you to start slow and build up more quickly than any other
sport I'm aware of. Just keep doing "a little more" and pretty soon
all those "little mores" will add up to "a lot more".

Tailwinds,

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

"Mark Hickey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You know where you are, you know where you want to be. The only thing
that can stop you is yourself (well, that and a semi with no brakes,
but let's not dwell on that...). ;-) Cycling is an amazing sport
that allows you to start slow and build up more quickly than any other
sport I'm aware of. Just keep doing "a little more" and pretty soon
all those "little mores" will add up to "a lot more".

Thanks Mark! I'd previously seen your site while looking at the state of the
art in Titanium. Nice. Very nice.

Remembering back to when I used cycling as a tool to get fit last, I have to
admit, it went quickly back then. I probably dropped 10lbs a month but more
importantly just felt a lot healthier, had more energy. (I mention weight a
lot because it's a tangible)

See you on the road!

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 19:38:45 -0400, <[email hidden]>,

C.J.Patten said:

Good scene near the end of the film "Gattica" where the gifted brother asks
the less fortunate but more determined one how he does it - the reply is "I
don't save anything for the return trip."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The recipe for ultimate gonzo.

Quoted message said:

Get well Zoot! Being layed up sucks - what happened to the leg again?!

(I don't think you were around when that thread started, April 12)

http://tinyurl.com/85gw7

Radical body modification over a curb. Busted the left tibia and
fibula under me and a chopper. Got an implant and screws that same
day. I bore people with it as the mend progresses.

The group ride last Friday sorely tempted me to try riding but I'm
waiting to see new pictures Thursday and hear what the sawbones says.
Until then I'll stick to riding indoors. The weather this spring has
been great for bicycling and I've missed it. That sucks, for me.
--
zk

"Zoot Katz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 19:38:45 -0400, <[email hidden]>,

C.J.Patten said:

Good scene near the end of the film "Gattica" where the gifted brother
asks
the less fortunate but more determined one how he does it - the reply is
"I
don't save anything for the return trip."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The recipe for ultimate gonzo.

Gonzo? Help...?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Get well Zoot! Being layed up sucks - what happened to the leg again?!

(I don't think you were around when that thread started, April 12)

http://tinyurl.com/85gw7

Radical body modification over a curb. Busted the left tibia and
fibula under me and a chopper. Got an implant and screws that same
day. I bore people with it as the mend progresses.

OMG. What a nasty accident! :0
If they take anything out, keep it and incorporate it in to your bike! 😄

Not boring - post jpegs of the XRAYS!
(and the bike - or what's left of it)

Quoted message said:

The group ride last Friday sorely tempted me to try riding but I'm
waiting to see new pictures Thursday and hear what the sawbones says.
Until then I'll stick to riding indoors. The weather this spring has
been great for bicycling and I've missed it. That sucks, for me.

Kayaking? (that's my second love)

C.J.Patten said:

"Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Don't focus on your ultimate goal. Let yourself feel the enjoyment
of the outdoors and the ride. If you turn it into torture, you will
become discouraged, and probably feel like quitting. The progress
will come--gradually, imperceptibly, and you will feel exhilarated
at the end of each ride. The rest will come.

This is very good advice. I think I might just put the bike in the
car and take a slow roll around the core of downtown. If I only get
5km, so be it! I can always stop in a park and <ahem> watch the
wild-life. 🙂

That's one of the better side benefits of cycling, <ahem> watching the
wildlife. 🙂 It keeps me alert.

--
Craig Holl
Mechanical Engineer; New Berlin, WI
http://www.midwestroads.com/craigholl/bike
*remove all numbers and caps to reply*