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Post by fatmanona5a on Apr 4, 2014 14:19:28 GMT
I am fat, unfit, slow (Strava does not lie) cyclist. I've been thinking about building up too 2 long (for me) rides this year. Flat out in the Fens is 11 weeks away, and I have found a flattish 100 miler in 29 weeks time. Either or both of these would be a challenge:- But I've just got the chance to (try &) ride the route of the TdF stage 3 in six weeks time! I want to do it, but It's too much, too soon? Any advice?
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Post by goffski on Apr 4, 2014 14:33:56 GMT
My advice is to go for the second one, maybe the first is a little too soon! Get on the bike as much as you can and gradually build up your distance week by week to build up your fitness. As your fitness starts to build you'll find it much easier to do longer distances and your speeds will start ti increase.
Also look at your diet, i lost a bit of weight cycling (went from about 88kg down to 84kg) and then stuck at that, it wasn't until i changed my diet that i finally dropped to my target of 80kg. To be honest i wasn't eating too bad but i've since cut out a lot of the carbs and the weights comes off.
If you believe in yourself you can do it. Good luck!
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Post by Paulinblack on Apr 4, 2014 15:48:40 GMT
I think its really difficult to give advice. Weight isn't so much the issue, it really depends upon your general level of fitness and determination to do it.
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Post by Big Brother on Apr 4, 2014 22:18:31 GMT
The fitness will come. Stick with it, get out on the bike as often as possible. Build up the mileage alternatively ride a local loop and time it. Keep riding the loop and you will find your time gets better = fitness is increasing. Incorporate a few hills or rambling roads, make yourself work. It WILL get easier.
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Post by fatmanona5a on Apr 5, 2014 5:54:51 GMT
In my best "Baldrick" voice, "I have a cunning plan" (which means it's total b*ll*x!). For the next 5 weeks, delude myself with the idea that I COULD ride a 100 mile TdF stage route. Week before proposed TdF ride, admit truth to myself, and be grateful that TdF daydream had kick started training for original planned rides. 3 & 6 months to planned FLAT rides is much more realistic!!
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Post by zoltansocrates on Apr 5, 2014 10:02:11 GMT
In my best "Baldrick" voice, "I have a cunning plan" (which means it's total b*ll*x!). For the next 5 weeks, delude myself with the idea that I COULD ride a 100 mile TdF stage route. Week before proposed TdF ride, admit truth to myself, and be grateful that TdF daydream had kick started training for original planned rides. 3 & 6 months to planned FLAT rides is much more realistic!! You need to factor in a turnip somewhere
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2014 12:43:40 GMT
Hmm! I only started cycling again last September and quit smoking, but appeared to have a not totally atrocious base fitness level from walking, fell walking. I did one ride a week on a Sunday with a friend (with a Β£8000 bike :-O) and started with about 40km building upto now 90km. Another friend and I thought we'd do the Wiltshire Wildcat Epic 135km. We did it. We were okay for 100km then our speed just dropped right off. It became an endurance event, it felt hard, wrists, neck and back hurt. I'm a bit of a masochist and like pushing myself so I still enjoyed it. My friend however was less impressed. So all in all it was a bit of an eye opener. You have got to put some mileage in. Not matter what you think you will start faster than you should as you get carried along with the groups of riders. If you are reasonably fit you might complete it. If not you risk serious long lasting injury. On that basis I would say play safe and go for the 29 weeks away event. It gives you time to prepare and raise your fitness safely. I am certainly going to do some more Sportives over the Summer (New Forest Spring next weekend) but I am opting for the standard length until I've raised my game a little more. Whatever you choose, good luck!!!
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Post by cosybike on Apr 15, 2014 21:33:31 GMT
At Pedal for Scotland children do 50 miles in half a day easily on BMXes. So can the Scottish Tribanauts with hangovers.
Just do it! Make training runs with Stations en route and then you can escape home.
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Post by erictherat on Apr 16, 2014 7:00:26 GMT
Go on do it!... my brother in law is in a similar situation. He just bought a bike and is finding it hard. At the weekend, 1/2 way up a hill, I was holding his bike as he vomited all over the leggings I had lent him. unfortunately for him - its all hills here, luckily for you you live in the flats, so can go for a decent length ride without the pain of a hill.
Bad news, there is only one solution - ride lots, Good news, it gets easier quickly, within a couple of weeks you will feel it start to get easier.
Now the weather is better and the days longer, get out as often as you can. ride every day, after work, commute to work. and while riding, dont just cruise - push yourself. you can push on the flat as well as hills. When I got my bike it took me about a month to get reasonably fit, going out 4-5 times a week. Being 40+ and a smoker im not a paragon of fitness, but I can enjoy 100k rides in about 4 hrs and do all the hills with no worries (maybe not the fastest, but i get there). get out- everyday- enjoy the spring sunshine.
also - strava can be a good motivator. when you start increasing fitness, it's amazing to see your times tumble.
Is the the holme moss TDF stage you are wanting to do? I live near there, if you wanna do it together we could maybe hook up.
happy riding =)
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Post by captslog on Apr 16, 2014 7:50:13 GMT
In my best "Baldrick" voice, "I have a cunning plan" (which means it's total b*ll*x!). For the next 5 weeks, delude myself with the idea that I COULD ride a 100 mile TdF stage route. Week before proposed TdF ride, admit truth to myself, and be grateful that TdF daydream had kick started training for original planned rides. 3 & 6 months to planned FLAT rides is much more realistic!! You need to factor in a turnip somewhere Either that or some pure 'Green'. Bits of advice for building up to a distance.... Try 'clover leafing' around your home. What I mean by this is practice a few circular routes you can manage easily, and then combine them so that you keep returning to base before setting out on the next one. (The result looks like a cloverleaf when it's uploaded to Strava.) This means you get the distance in but have the security of a stop/refresh. Keep the speed down. That can come later. Once you have the confidence of distances around home, add a little pressure and set yourself a challenge of reaching a point further out. Pick a place you can ride to and have a stop, say a cafe 25 miles out, have a coffee and a break and then back again.
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Post by jondxxx on Apr 16, 2014 8:31:10 GMT
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Post by erictherat on Apr 16, 2014 9:33:37 GMT
ah - thanks for the link to the thread
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Post by fatmanona5a on Apr 16, 2014 19:09:49 GMT
My "fantasy" TdF stage is a run from Cambridge > London. Doing a flattish 100 miles is one thing (might be possible), but finishing a first 100 miler, going into London, on a weekday, could well be a little too rash!!
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