joining a club

sweetswing

hi guys , im cycling now the past 2 weeks and loving every minute of it, can feel myself getting stronger every time i go for a spin
my starter goals was to do 100k by the end of the summer , at the rate im going ill easily achieve this in the next month or two , every thing is going well apart from saddle soreness :(any tips to ease this?
was wondering what are the advantages of joining a club?

lukester

sweetswing wrote: »

hi guys , im cycling now the past 2 weeks and loving every minute of it, can feel myself getting stronger every time i go for a spin
my starter goals was to do 100k by the end of the summer , at the rate im going ill easily achieve this in the next month or two , every thing is going well apart from saddle soreness :(any tips to ease this?
was wondering what are the advantages of joining a club?

Saddle soreness- partly just getting used to it, but actual saddle sores are a no no. Always use chamois cream, and if you're prone to achy arse try and get out of the saddle, change position, frequently.

As for a club, much easier to get out for spins in winter with a group, lots of helpful tips, and if you're leisure cycling you tend to stretch yourself further with a group.

Where are you based?

sweetswing

lukester wrote: »

Saddle soreness- partly just getting used to it, but actual saddle sores are a no no. Always use chamois cream, and if you're prone to achy arse try and get out of the saddle, change position, frequently.

As for a club, much easier to get out for spins in winter with a group, lots of helpful tips, and if you're leisure cycling you tend to stretch yourself further with a group.

Where are you based?

im living on dublins north side (marino)
my first weeks cycling was done on a big old mountain bike with an ample saddle even this was sore,but i guess its just been so long since i was on a bike it was to be expected, all last week and this morning was done on my road bike (small saddle)and by jesus im sore:(its no bother when cycling only sore when i stop, i suppose ill have to tuff it out.
im going to have a look around my area and see if there are any clubs nearby,maybee go have a chat face to face and get a better idea what club cycling is all about:D

Lumen

Saddle soreness is to be expected for maybe the first month, but "if symptoms persist" consider changing the saddle.

DirkVoodoo

Also consider getting your position checked out, it could be that the discomfort is caused by poor setup.

papac

If you don't have a good pair of proper cycling shorts with a pad you should probably make it a priority to get some.

dave.obrien

+1 on the positional thing. I found that tiny, tiny changes in your set up can make huge differences to your comfort.

Joining a club also helps you get used to cycling in a group, encourages you to push yourself, helps you in the wind, will be a source of great info and advice and just lets you meet people with the same interest. Alternatively join the boards crew on their weekly spins, while I only have a few times, they're good people, welcoming and very helpful.

Ryder

+1 on the whols club advice. Ambled along for years on my own, didnt think group riding would add to my fitness. This was proven wrong on my first spin. Would really encourage you to join your local club (who will really want you no matter how slow you are)

Captain Havoc

+1 on everything that has been said about joining a club. I joined mine last March with the same goal as yourself and I did my first 100km event in May and another 9 by the end of the summer including 200km in July. You'll naturally want to stay with the group, you're legs will be spinning while you're protected which is good, there'll be some guys there that can give you wonderful advice, there's a bit of craic to be had. On sportives, you'll always meet people your own level and as you rely on the cyclists around you, everyone tends to be amicable. I remember been towed around the Burren last year by a great group of lads from Cork.

As for saddle sore, cycling shorts, I don't wash them with any detergents or anything just give them a good while in the machine as detergents can irritate the skin, no underwear under them, apply chamois cream. For current sores, I recommend Scholl blister plasters or putting any plaster over them.

sweetswing

thanks for all the replies guys, ill plug away for another month my self ,and then join a club and take it from there:D.
i can see this becoming an expencive pastime ,i love cool gear and gadgets and cycling seems to be full of them ,im already spending an unhealthy amount of time looking at bikes and gear and such online;)

brayblue24

sweetswing wrote: »

thanks for all the replies guys, ill plug away for another month my self ,and then join a club and take it from there:D.
i can see this becoming an expencive pastime ,i love cool gear and gadgets and cycling seems to be full of them ,im already spending an unhealthy amount of time looking at bikes and gear and such online;)

Ah, a sign of weakness:D You'll be needing this thread, sir;)

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055577641

Captain Havoc

brayblue24 wrote: »

Ah, a sign of weakness:D You'll be needing this thread, sir;)

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055577641

Since I starting posting on boards about a year ago, bringing the credit card with me isn't a problem any more as it's now maxed.

ba

dublin based cycling club, just up the road from marino... DWCC

Borneo Fnctn

Hi guys,
I'm also thinking about joining a club at the moment. I'd be looking to join a beginner group. I've never rode in a group before but I can cover 50-60km fairly comfortably. Assume I'm going to cycle from the city centre to Blessington and back. 28 km each way. I'll be going along the n81. What time should I aim to finish this in to be at a level where I won't embarrass myself on a club spin?

Also, are clubs taking members this late in the off season?

sweetswing

brayblue24 wrote: »

Ah, a sign of weakness:D You'll be needing this thread, sir;)

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055577641

yes i went through that thread from start to finish the other day , there and then i realised i may be showing symptoms of an addict.:Di wanted everything ,and i didnt even know what half of the stuff was .

sweetswing

ba wrote: »

dublin based cycling club, just up the road from marino... DWCC

thanks mate that looks ideal, just the job:D