[midlands1]

Originally Posted by mel.b

I'm on a bit of a cycling high at the moment and thought it would be a great idea to have a thread for newbies to post their cycling acheivements, whether it be their first spin, longest spin, fastest spin, making it up a hill they hadn't managed before, first ride with clipless pedals, learning to ride while drinking from a drink bottle...the list could go on and on.

So my newbie acheivement is that I made it up Corkscrew hill in the Burren this evening! I stopped at the near the hotel to take a photo of the sign and then was able to make it to the first lookout. Stopped at the lookout for a few minutes to take a few photos, have a drink (& get my breath back) and then hopped back on the bike and continued onto Lisdoonvarna, then down to Fenore and back to Ballyvaughan. I didn't need the stop at the sign at the time, but without it I don't know if I would have made it to the first lookout. Am so delighted and will be back in the area next Fri so planning on giving it another crack!

So what other newbie acheivements are there?

An issue I have with so-called leisure cycles is the speed . For new cyclists its not much fun having to go flat out just to keep the front group in your sights. Think experienced cyclists should be allowed to dictate the pace on leisure cycles. Put them in their own group and give the rest of us a chance .

[cdaly_]

Originally Posted by midlands1

An issue I have with so-called leisure cycles is the speed . For new cyclists its not much fun having to go flat out just to keep the front group in your sights. Think experienced cyclists should be allowed to dictate the pace on leisure cycles. Put them in their own group and give the rest of us a chance .

On sportives there is usually a fair mix of abilities. A classic mistake is to try to keep up with a group that is too strong for you. It's generally better to take it a bit easy to start with and find your legs. At that point you're likely to fall in with similarly paced riders as the fast ones will all have gone on ahead.

[nilhg]

Originally Posted by Annunakicoming

Hi all
Just started ..have a mountain bike I bought ages ago..it's still brand new practically......doing 20 km spins ...very unfit...and haven't the right gear..any tips....places to buy...also would love some advice re whether bike is fitted with proper tyres ...etc etc.....plan on pursuing this to increase fitness levels and see more of north Dublin coastline etc etc...feedback anyone???

Good stuff, keep it up it's hard at first but when the improvement comes (and it will) it's a great feeling.

As for gear, I got some nice stuff at a reasonable price from Tenn Outdoors, they are on ebay and amazon too, proper cycling gear makes a difference even if you aren't doing huge distances. The dhb stuff on wiggle.co.uk seems good value too.

As for your tyre you'll need to tell us what's on it already for any constructive advice.

[Fatbiker]

Originally Posted by Annunakicoming

Cool

sorry. Meant to quote Peadarmac an Walaw too.
Thanks all for the explanations. In many ways that is how I cycle. I do not feel strong enough or safe enough to stand in the pedals so I use all the gears to stay seated and pedal at a rate I am comfortable with.

[BrianBoru00]

Excellent idea for a thread. May keep me motivated!!
Started 2 weeks ago on a new Trek 1.5 (on the BTWS). v overweight 295lbs So weight loss is the initial goal need to lose realistically70lbs+...

Starting out, A few 8k spins had me knackered but i felt great after a shower an hour later.
Did one 16k trip with a return that evening - again tired but not sore.
Now up to 14k spins. averaging 24.5k at the moment.


Targetting the tour of Sligo Sportive 60k on 6th May. ( Anyone think this is too optimistic???)
I intend to increase my distance to 18/20/25 over the next week, then increase to 35k and 45k....

[Crow92]

I've read recently that you need to do low intensity cycling to burn off fat to lose weight as fat takes longer to convert into energy as apposed to medium intensity where your body uses carbohydrates aerobically and high intensity your body uses up the muscles glycogen stores anaerobically.

Just a thought if you hope to lose weight not to push really hard as it doesn't burn fat.

[Peadarmac1]

Originally Posted by Crow92

I've read recently that you need to do low intensity cycling to burn off fat to lose weight as fat takes longer to convert into energy as apposed to medium intensity where your body uses carbohydrates aerobically and high intensity your body uses up the muscles glycogen stores anaerobically.

Just a thought if you hope to lose weight not to push really hard as it doesn't burn fat.

I see what you mean

http://www.livestrong.com/article/36...r-fat-burning/

[sham2]

Sort of a reformed newbie here. 44 and slightly over weight. Was always into cycling but drifted away a while back. Got into this new wave of cycling again in a big way last year with a new road bike on the BTW. Also had an MTB for about 18 mths before that. Love both but in different ways.
Achievements to date:
Best month total - 280km.
Longest - 85km Rebel Tour '11
2011 total - 1450kms
2012 target - 3000kms or as many sportives as possible without annoying the OH – next up is the 100km TDC in May.
Amount spent on cycling gear and diverted to work to hide from OH – €1200 and counting.
Switching to clipless which I dreaded. Can clip in now without looking most of the time.
Switching to bib tights. You look like a gymp but who’s looking and they are the best.
Complete obsession achieved.
What I love – I want to go out anytime in any weather. In contrast I hated jogging in any weather.
What I hate – My average speed at the moment. Need to lose weight to get over those hills!
Faster, leaner, fitter.

[Lusk Doyle]

Originally Posted by sham2

Sort of a reformed newbie here. 44 and slightly over weight. Was always into cycling but drifted away a while back. Got into this new wave of cycling again in a big way last year with a new road bike on the BTW. Also had an MTB for about 18 mths before that. Love both but in different ways.
Achievements to date:
Best month total - 280km.
Longest - 85km Rebel Tour '11
2011 total - 1450kms
2012 target - 3000kms or as many sportives as possible without annoying the OH – next up is the 100km TDC in May.
Amount spent on cycling gear and diverted to work to hide from OH – €1200 and counting.
Switching to clipless which I dreaded. Can clip in now without looking most of the time.
Switching to bib tights. You look like a gymp awesome, but who’s looking? Everybody - at you being awesome, and they are the best.
Complete obsession achieved.
What I love – I want to go out anytime in any weather. In contrast I hated jogging in any weather.
What I hate – My average speed at the moment. Don't Need to lose weight to get over those hills just need a lighter, more expensive bike!
Faster, leaner, fitter, more awesome!

Fixed that for you

[Lumen]

Originally Posted by Crow92

I've read recently that you need to do low intensity cycling to burn off fat to lose weight as fat takes longer to convert into energy as apposed to medium intensity where your body uses carbohydrates aerobically and high intensity your body uses up the muscles glycogen stores anaerobically.

Just a thought if you hope to lose weight not to push really hard as it doesn't burn fat.

That's misleading. It doesn't really matter how you ride, as long as you burn more than you eat you cannot help but lose weight. Calories in, calories out.

I hate the idea of people deliberately cycling around slowly because they think it will burn more fat. The faster you ride the fitter you will get and the more calories you can burn. Speed is good!

[seamus]

Originally Posted by Lumen

That's misleading. It doesn't really matter how you ride, as long as you burn more than you eat you cannot help but lose weight. Calories in, calories out.

Pretty much this.
The science behind it is sound, the problem is how it's communicated. The idea is that working out at a lower intensity will mean your body burns more fat. Higher intensity, your body uses glycogen reserves. At the end of the day, if you still have some glycogen left over in reserve when you go to bed, it will eventually make its way into your fat stores as that same old fat because the equation has to balance out somewhere. High intensity/low intensity is only relevant for ridiculously focussed training. If your aim is to lose weight and get fit, then eat less and exercise more and you can't lose.

The only real difference is in performance - if you go at a lower intensity, you have more glycogen there to call on if you need up the intensity.

[smacl]

Originally Posted by Lumen

The faster you ride the fitter you will get and the more calories you can burn. Speed is good!

Distance is good too! For a given person, bike, route, etc... would you burn more calories cycling 100k in 4 hours @ 25kph or 5 hours @ 20kph? My guess is similar, but the latter might be more doable for a less experienced cyclist.

[Lumen]

Originally Posted by smacl

Distance is good too! For a given person, bike, route, etc... would you burn more calories cycling 100k in 4 hours @ 25kph or 5 hours @ 20kph? My guess is similar, but the latter might be more doable for a less experienced cyclist.

It doesn't really matter.

Inactive fat people have two problems: a fitness problem and an eating problem.

The fitness problem is fixed by doing exercise that you enjoy. If you start obsessing over intensity for weight loss you risk ruining the thing that's supposed to be fun.

The eating problem is fixed by changing dietary habits and exercising portion control.

If you don't fix the eating problem, no amount of cycling will help.

If you don't enjoy the cycling for its own sake it won't be a sustainable lifestyle change.

[ROK ON]

Originally Posted by Lumen

It doesn't really matter.

Inactive fat people have two problems: a fitness problem and an eating problem.

The fitness problem is fixed by doing exercise that you enjoy. If you start obsessing over intensity for weight loss you risk ruining the thing that's supposed to be fun.

The eating problem is fixed by changing dietary habits and exercising portion control.

If you don't fix the eating problem, no amount of cycling will help.

If you don't enjoy the cycling for its own sake it won't be a sustainable lifestyle change.

What is this portion control that you speak of. It sounds intriguing!!!!

BTW, I agree with Lumen on this. Much of the weight loss that I have achieved has been on cycles where I have had some sort of intensity (such as lot of hills). While intensity is good, cycling regularly also helps. I have found the 2 hours say four days a week is better than 8 hours on one day.
What I have found is that for long cycles a good breakfast before hand plus eating regular small (healthy) bites during the cycle are important for two reasons:
(i) They give you the fuel to go further and faster,
(ii) They mean that you are not absolutely starving at the finish - I am more likely to eat absolute junk if I am starving at the finish.

[Dublintim]

Slightly off topic lads, but Ive a Trek Hybrid and I try to cycle a few kilometers every day. Im based in Crumlin, but am looking for a decent scenic route to cycle, does anyone have any ideas? I generally just go to the Pheno but am getting bored of it at this stage? Also, would you recommend joining a cycling club, or does it make any difference?