Tell us about your new improved government regulations compliant cycle part II

magicbastarder

what sort of terrain/speed are you doing?
it probably is just a case of planning longer routes, and being conscious of fuelling properly. unless there's a specific issue you're dealing with which is limiting your options?

North of 32

wazzer1 wrote: »

Hi folks

Just recently started cycling and have been building up gradually from 20km, up to 40km now. Any tips going forward to push it on a bit more.

TIA

Some people recommend following a 'figure of 8' route with your home in the middle so if you feel that you can't keep going you'll generally be close to base.

I like cycling into a headwind when leaving so that the return leg is more of a tailwind. Pacing is important though and eating. I also find it easier in general to follow a route so I know where I am at all times. I don't recommend heading out on a big ride without a route in mind. Generally just keep eating and drinking regularly.

smacl

magicbastarder wrote: »

just the head unit, it's a cheapo jobbie.

At a guess then the Strava version is smoothing and/or fitting the GPS resulting in a different distance. Each GPS reading will have a certain amount of random error which can add to the total distance. Smoothing this will reduce the distance. You can also have missed GPS points going under trees etc... which can have the effect of cutting corners when you take a sharp turn. This can be corrected using mapping data by fitting your GPS to the nearest road. For road cycling I'd go with the map fitted results, for off-road the raw data may be a better bet.

dahat

wazzer1 wrote: »

Hi folks

Just recently started cycling and have been building up gradually from 20km, up to 40km now. Any tips going forward to push it on a bit more.

TIA

I'd focus on time rather than distance, km & speed will come later. Work towards hours on the bike firstly and enjoy it rather than metric focused cycling first and foremost.

magicbastarder

bleedin' warm out there. surprised at the people i saw wearing full sleeves and leggings.

didn't expect to have to wash the bike and my shoes after that; went past the boot in at the back of the airport and they'd just hosed down the road at the entrance/exit from the runway works so i ended up filthy.

on a positive note, today's earworm was fatima mansions cover of 'nite flights', which is a hell of a lot better than some other recent earworms.

positron

Lovely evening for a ride. Bright enough, warm, dry and no wind. Love this weather. I went exploring country lanes around Drogheda and came home dead jealous of some nice pads out there!!!

Anyways, glad to have found lanes that can take when the main roads get busy in a few weeks. Quick 30k today.

Mc Love

Last two mornings have been lovely, just a t-shirt and shorts.

JMcL

Easy enough short loop this morning. Legs were heavy on the back of some welly being given yesterday and Sunday. I'm on the coast so I've got a 5km semi-circle as opposed to a circle, which reduces options. There's also a very lumpy ridge about 100m high just inside the 5km so lots of up and down. A bunch of my usual short routes that I use to mix it up a bit are just frustratingly outside the 5km limit.

Traffic levels are well up on last week. The secondary road out of town is a horrible narrow drag race strip at commute times, and it's getting back that way unfortunately

smacl

Backup Stocking Lane and Killakee to the viewing point this morning, having got up there every day bar one since the 5km limit. Garmin died later on but saved all but the last few K of my spin completing my Strava hill climbing challenge for May with nine days to spare an giving me an excuse to take a day off tomorrow. Weather also looks crap for the next few days so might ditch the road for trails for a bit.

North of 32

Last night I achieved the unthinkable. I took a KOM on Strava in a head/cross wind - not a tail wind. I had to sleep on it and wake up to make sure it wasn't a dream.

It was a 20 minute effort. Interestingly (or at least i find it interesting), when I multiplied my average power by .95 it came up exactly as my threshold power as per my most recent indoor ramp test. So I guess the ramp test and the 20 min power x .95 are consistent.

Seth Brundle

Went out for 55km this evening. Lovely out but a decent breeze.
I noticed that traffic is back to normal given the number of stupid overtakes (overtaking with oncoming traffic approaching and overtaking before a blind bend). It's not like I was going thay slow either. Several close passes to make the stupid overtakes feel more "normal" :rolleyes:

Getting sick of my 5km bubble (but sticking to it)
https://www.strava.com/activities/3489255952

Mc Love

I've some way to go to get up there and I'm only on my commuter (I dont have a real bike yet). Did 20k this morning on my "commute" pretty strong breeze with gusts up to 40mph, only rained for the last ten minutes or so, which I didnt mind.

puddles22

i live on an island and the road is only 3km long and i managed to do 50km on it, boring but keeps the fitness up

retalivity

Think today may be a day for PR/KOM's!
A guy i know (who is a leisure cyclist) took a KOM earlier on a 2k bumpy stretch near home @47kph, beating all the lads in the Ras who covered it a few years ago 10km out from a sprint finish 😳😳!

magicbastarder

got a couple of PRs myself. not sure if that was a sailing trip or a cycling trip - managed to max out at over 60km/h on the flat, which is a record for me i think.

CantGetNoSleep

My club was back today (not in Ireland - following government & federation guidelines). Groups limited to 20, pre-registration needed for contact tracing in the event anyone did test positive, no physical contact etc.

Wasn't great from a road safety perspective tbh, group was that bit more spread out than usual so a few dodgy long passes.

Was great to be back though.

dahat

3.5hrs of bliss today &y first 100km since God knows when! A little breeze with loads of sunshine and no intervals to get through, all that was missing was a decent coffee.

106km, 1100 of up @ 31.1 plus took back a KOM I lost yesterday.

secman

A loopy loopy spin around Killenagh, Ballycanew, Ballyedmund , Kilmuckridge, 75km avg 28.3kph 500 meters. Lovely day and wind not nearly as bad as yesterday at all.

retalivity

50ish k around phoenix park @30kph, trying to maintain a decent speed for an extended period of time on the flat...not something ive done in a while and will probably not do that often again once the hills are opened to me...

https://www.strava.com/activities/3503503082

@27

60k lots of times around a very hilly loop @27.5k. First time outside on the bike since February, and I can't put in to words how much I missed it. Also bliss to get away from two very small kids for a few hours. Looking forward to getting fit again!

Gallant_JJ

90km comfortably within my 5km radius. Absolute bliss. Only now appreciating how lumpy it is locally. 900m in the 90km, but not 1 climb north of 100m. Drumlin country. 31.5kph average.

puddles22

70km today , my longest cycle yet , muckish and errigal mountain done to, strong headwind for about 40km , im sore tonight but feel good

puddles22

puddles22 wrote: »

70km today , my longest cycle yet , muckish and errigal mountain done to, strong headwind for about 40km , im sore tonight but feel good

God it's been 20 years since I've been up around there and you've put the want on me to visit there again. Absolutely stunning part of the country. Oh and watch out for sheep in the road , we had a close call there !!!!!

MrMiata

First ever cycle today on my first 'proper' bike!
Did a small loop by my house, little over 5 miles, slight uphill, some short downhill bits and one 'big' hill at the end, managed it in I'd say 20 minutes!
Now I need clipless pedals!

puddles22

Deleted User wrote: »

God it's been 20 years since I've been up around there and you've put the want on me to visit there again. Absolutely stunning part of the country. Oh and watch out for sheep in the road , we had a close call there !!!!!

yeah met few sheep in the middle of the road coming down from muckish

rushfan

I had been off for the last week, only got out once for 72km on Mon. Actually saw more of the inside of various tins of paint than I did of the bike. But lots of brownie points accumulated.

.red.

Currently sitting out the back with 2 ice packs on my quads as I've a feeling they might be sore later.
Set off at 8 on a 28km loop, finished up in just under 70mins without killing myself. Mix of main and back roads and a horrible hill to finish off.

Onwards and upwards. I'm very unfit and have a belly but hoping I might ease upto 50km in time.

silverharp

its strange being in Ireland looking out and thinking is it too hot and sunny to go cycling

Type 17

silverharp wrote: »

its strange being in Ireland looking out and thinking is it too hot and sunny to go cycling

In Ireland, it's never to hot and sunny to go cycling
(but bring extra water and wear factor 50 sunscreen)

CormacH94

silverharp wrote: »

its strange being in Ireland looking out and thinking is it too hot and sunny to go cycling

You'd be saying the same if it was lashing, get out there and do an aul loop