New to CF, just saying Hi

Welcome to the forum Tom. Hope that you enjoy it here. I'm new too: I joined last night. One thing I found out a little bit by just browsing some of the topics is that there is a potential lack of posts, so it is very likely that it will take time to put a new post onto your threads, aside from me, haha!

Feel free to contact me on here via private message or if you have AIM, you can talk to me on there. My screen-name is BrianDoosey.

Regards,
BDoosey

Yea, I've noticed this forum isn't too active. Damn shame when you think about it.

Looks like this place needs a jumpstart... you game? I say we take this place and make it our own! I think I'm going to start by repainting the walls to something less bland...

Welcome.

This forum just got a huge makeover, along with tools to fight the spammers that have been plaguing here for quite a long time, so things are sure to pick up once again, it might just take a little time....

Oh - and this forum is not over-moderated like another one that IMO doesn't deserve any mention.... 😄

Welcome guys. Pshycobob, you are right that the way to increase your endurance is by getting out and riding. Since you are still basically starting out, try to ride at least three times a week. Time your rides for 30 minutes and do this for several weeks. You will find that as you go along, riding 30 minutes will get easier. When it is, then ride 45 minutes, and then an hour, and so on.

Riding fast is another story, but you have to build up your endurance first. When you can ride for an hour, you can start doing what is called Interval Training (two of the most hated words in bicycling training for some). Interval training is cycling's "wind sprints". First you want to follow the basics by keeping your cadence around 90 RPM. Basically you start by picking a distance, for the sake of the explanation lets say a mile. You begin on a long, fairly flat road. Small rolling hills are OK too. First you warm up by riding a couple of miles at a comfortable pace in a gear that is comfortable for you, then you sprint for a mile, and then you cool down for a mile, and then sprint for a mile and then cool down for a mile, and repeat as many times as you want or can stand. This builds leg speed. Expect to ride small intervals at first, maybe from telephone pole to telephone pole, but you will be able to ride longer ones after awhile. In your three rides a week, you should do intervals at least once and endurance rides the other two.

If you don't care for intervals, all is not lost. Just ride-ride-ride, and your speed and endurance will improve, maybe not up to its full potential, but you will get faster for longer periods of time.

kdelong said:

Welcome guys. Pshycobob, you are right that the way to increase your endurance is by getting out and riding. Since you are still basically starting out, try to ride at least three times a week. Time your rides for 30 minutes and do this for several weeks. You will find that as you go along, riding 30 minutes will get easier. When it is, then ride 45 minutes, and then an hour, and so on.

Riding fast is another story, but you have to build up your endurance first. When you can ride for an hour, you can start doing what is called Interval Training (two of the most hated words in bicycling training for some). Interval training is cycling's "wind sprints". First you want to follow the basics by keeping your cadence around 90 RPM. Basically you start by picking a distance, for the sake of the explanation lets say a mile. You begin on a long, fairly flat road. Small rolling hills are OK too. First you warm up by riding a couple of miles at a comfortable pace in a gear that is comfortable for you, then you sprint for a mile, and then you cool down for a mile, and then sprint for a mile and then cool down for a mile, and repeat as many times as you want or can stand. This builds leg speed. Expect to ride small intervals at first, maybe from telephone pole to telephone pole, but you will be able to ride longer ones after awhile. In your three rides a week, you should do intervals at least once and endurance rides the other two.

If you don't care for intervals, all is not lost. Just ride-ride-ride, and your speed and endurance will improve, maybe not up to its full potential, but you will get faster for longer periods of time.

Thanks for the advice. I'm wanting to do a half-ironman next year, around the end of April. The training plan that I'm looking at has me riding 3-4 times a week, so hopefuly I'll be up to snuff soon.

pshycobob hows life , this is hod65 other side big pond the emerald isle any bit of cycling im doing at the moment is between showers rain last couple weeks here, in cork but trying to keep up regullar rides when possible ...texas weather prity good i presume in summer .....

hod65 said:

pshycobob hows life , this is hod65 other side big pond the emerald isle any bit of cycling im doing at the moment is between showers rain last couple weeks here, in cork but trying to keep up regullar rides when possible ...texas weather prity good i presume in summer .....

That depends on what you call "good" weather. Its over 100* almost every day, and hasn't rained in so long, I think I've forgotten what rain looks like. I do my rides early in the morning, around sun up to try to beat the heat. But even then temperatures hover around 80* - 85*. Gotta love the heat to live in south Texas!

Hello,

Instead of trying to get some sort of riding program together, you should just use your bicycle as you main mode of transportation. This will not only help you get fit, it will also save you money in gasoline.

Is your workplace in bike-commuting distance?

You could rig your velocipede up with some racks, or a trailer, and run errands [i.e. grocery shopping, laundromat, video store, flower shop (for the significant other? 😉 ].

Good luck,
Cullen Carter

Cully_J said:

Hello,

Instead of trying to get some sort of riding program together, you should just use your bicycle as you main mode of transportation. This will not only help you get fit, it will also save you money in gasoline.

Is your workplace in bike-commuting distance?

I only wish I could. I work 13 miles from work, but its through some ROUGH neighborhoods, and several stints of the ride would be along non-bike-friendly streets.

I've been kinda brazen in some of my rides, but the ride to work scares the hell out of me 🙁

Do you have cycling clubs in your area. If so, you could probably hook up with one of them.

Here's a good site if you're fairly new and want thoughts on other kinds of biking besides road riding.

Welcome to BikeToledo!