Re: New to cycling
 

Io got this for my birthday it's been 13 years since I've ridden a bike. I got this so I can ride with my son but I was told it's my birthday present.

https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/...84A19A35E0.jpg

This is my sons
https://i285.photobucket.com/albums/...516D81C017.jpg

We both went for our first ride yesterday it was a lot of fun. I'm now thinking of trying out some mountain bike tracks. Easy ones to start off with as I'm old and very rusty.

Re: New to cycling
 

Good to see Froome dog in yellow. Though I'm not to sure if I'm comfortable with it. Yellow jersey seems to be a bit of a curse so far. RD getting stuck in the chasers pack and Spartacus last night coining the new term "shuddup spine"
Stage 4 complete with cobbles hopefully I'm wrong and Froome comes through OK

Re: New to cycling
 

What a ride by Tony Martin last night. To top it off he was on a teamies bike too. Good to see the fab 4 + T.J get through unscathed.

Re: New to cycling
 

Re: New to cycling
 

I read that. Made me LOL

Re: New to cycling
 

Any cyclist will tell you - do a hard 100k - sub 2.5th or do a a 250-350k weekend , and you can't seem to ever feel full .. The problem then lies , once your riding tappers back - you have to retrain yourself to accept that you re full
I was off my riding due to a shoulder injury , but hadn't kerbed my intake - my bad .. Now back into riding , you got to go into deficient , to take the weigh off , yet its difficult , as you're are unfit - so it's hard to do the long k's .
There are many benefits as to why I ride , but agree , high on the list , do the miles and you don't need to worry about counting calories , especially when having dinner at mum's ..

Re: New to cycling
 

I do Lilydale to Warburton return on my Boone fairly often , sometimes with Donna climb - it is a perfect endurance ride for me as I only race crits which are generally around 1h duration .
Roady probably not ideal for the trail , but it is doable . Bigger tyres allow you to relax a bit more on gravel .

Re: New to cycling
 

this is me, except sometimes (often) its the other way around, esp in winter. due to my calorie intake, the pressure is on to pump out the rides :lol

Re: New to cycling
 

Spinners are winners - keep your cadence high. Not only will you burn more fat, but you will become more efficient in your cycling as well as your pedal stroke. Too many cyclists push hard gears for no reason other then to try and look cool.

Re: New to cycling
 

its not as cut and dry as that. everyone has different cardio capacity. depending on your fitness, higher cadence can also mean higher heart rate.

Re: New to cycling
 

So then if you spin more and not push a harder gear you can cycle longer and be less fatigued. Time in saddle is what makes you fitter, stronger and burn more fat.

Must talk to my coach that he has had it wrong for years :)

Re: New to cycling
 

i didn't say it was wrong. :grphug

Re: New to cycling
 

Actually to burn fat you need to stay in the lower % HR. E2 barely in to E3.
Spinning will usually increase HR TO E3 or above therefore work cardio more than fat burn. Yes you will burn calories still, but without the right metabolism training you will actually consume muscle tissue more than fat.
I'm a level 2 rated AIS coach. Forgive me if I'm wrong.

Re: New to cycling
 

even though i cycle, i've never really followed the professional sport of cycling. i know the odd name here and there, normally the main ones that make the headlines etc, but couldn't really tell you much more than that.

due to all the sport in that part of the world at the moment (wimbledon, ashes, TdF) i've found myself watching it (yes, cricket wasn't going so well:lol) and i must say, i find i have a much greater appreciation for what they do now that i ride myself.

i know these early stages are fairly flat, but 190km in 4 and a bit hours.... and then back up the next day.. and so on and so forth. i get tired just watching.

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couple of years back I setup my bike up on the trainer in front of the tv and tried to maintain their pace, even with stuff all load and in top gear, I failed dismally....

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I agree with you Rob. It's just amazing watching these guys hammer themselves for 190km everyday at 40kph+ average speeds every single day. Just goes to show the fitness these guys have to be able to do this.

In saying this, Im just coming off the end of a bout of manflu which has kept me off the bike for the last 2 weeks and its killing me. This weather also doesnt make it easy to want to get out in either.

Re: New to cycling
 

Now , I not saying they are not super fit , nor , that it is easy, far form it , but , don't forget , 40ks in a bunch , is going to be a lot easier that trying to sit on 40k's on your trainer , or out on your own .

Re: New to cycling
 

you're definitely right. In a bunch saves heaps of energy.

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First week of the TdF down with a rest day today. Man what a start! A dozen riders out due to injury from crashes. Pyrennes next. The climbers will start coming into their own now. Can Froome hold onto yellow till Paris?

Re: New to cycling
 

I bought myself a new new mountain bike earlier this year and have loved getting out on it.
A couple of others have mentioned riding the Lilydale - Warburton rail trail, which is where I mostly ride, trying to build up my distance and stamina on it, usually doing around 40-50k's on it. This time of year though really sucks with the cold weather so I'm after advice on what cold weather clothing works well for riding.
Cheers,
Matt

Re: New to cycling
 

what do you currently wear?

i'm on a pretty tight budget so don't have any specific winter gear, apart from my thermal long knicks. i don't wear them much though, as they make my legs feel a bit restricted, and i don't feel the cold on my legs much anyway. i have a reasonable natural coating:lol

i just double or triple up on the tops. lately i've been wearing arm warmers, 2 tops and a rain/wind gilet/vest thing. its a bit fresh for the first 5-10min but after that the blood is flowing nicely. i've been out on mornings where the 'feels like' temp has been 1deg, and its been ok.

obviously everyone feels the cold differently though.

get some thickish socks and shoe covers, and good long finger gloves, and possibly even a balaclava. important to keep the extremeties warm. when you are cold, the heart will concentrate on keeping the core warm.

Re: New to cycling
 

loved watching the team time trials last night. frome must be a strong lad, as every time they cut back to the sky team, he was pulling another turn on the front.

the finish was classic. ave gradient of about 4% with the last 500m or so at 7% with a 12% pinch on the last turn, according to the commentary. i found it amusing seeing them still nudging 30km/h!! obviously not at the top, but still.

Re: New to cycling
 

Keep your eye on the UK online stores for specials, they usually have their own brands which I've found to be OK but I have been lucky enough to pick up a few of the bigger brand pieces of kit and boy there can be a world of difference. In quality and comfort. I scored a couple of sportful branded long sleeve jerseys from the marketing dept at work and they are just awesome.

Usually I'll wear 3/4 length Knicks to keep my dodgy knees warm but will don the full length Knicks if it's single digits or raining. They key is to layer up but keep each layer relatively thin. Get a good quality merino base layer top, fleece Jersey then thin wind jacket or spray jacket. Keeping that cold air out is most important.
Grab a fleece lined skull cap for under your helmet, (or shrink wrap your helmet) some nice wind proof gloves are a must.
As Prydey said once you get moving you warm up pretty quick.
They key is to HTFU and just get out there once you do it's always worth it.

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I need a big cup of concrete at the moment. Haven't ridden for over a week. Weather not great all this week either. Just got to pony up and get out there!

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I heard about Ivan Basso last night from Tinkoff Saxo team. Was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Poor bloke.

Im with you Rob, I look outside at the moment and then bow my head in shame.

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I havnt for 2 weeks, not because of the weather just work. I won't be able to ride until Monday. Just wanna get on and ride some trails.

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I've ridden once in close to two months now mainly due to illness, on the mend and hopefully back at it soon, It's killing me.

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My excuse doesnt cut it now. Hope alls well mate. Yeah i work nights and one weekend i get 3 days the other i get only one so its bloody hard to get on the bike.

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Haha, all good, got a dose of the Flu (real Flu) followed by pneumonia which kept me off work for a few weeks, still getting over it now. I rode someones bike down my street on the weekend, testing it after doing some work to it and I was spent.

Re: New to cycling
 

Pneumonia is not good. I've had it twice. Once as a baby, the other only 10years ago and it takes literally months to recoup. Ease back into it otherwise you'll end up going backwards health wise. But cycling or swimming is excellent for helping the lungs.