Questions from an overweight beginner

[Bianchi Babe]

Hello.
I am very new to cycling and I am finding it a bit overwhelming as there is so much to know and it has its own lingo and everything. My husband used to belong to clubs and do century rides all the time but I am short and about 20 lbs. overweight and that is simply beyond me at this point. I am so new to cycling that I don't even know whether my saddle is adjusted right or if I need a new saddle. All I know is that after 25 miles my saddle is killing me. I do have some questions about cycling. First, my husband says I should be using straps on my feet. Is this really necessary before I get into good enough shape to ride well? I still can't make it up hills unless they're small. My husband says it would be nice to join a club but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with the club or make any of the hills. We live in a hilly area. How long does it take for someone to be able to ride a bike up the hills? I can only stand up for a few pedal turns before I have to sit down again and usually the hills are much steeper and higher than just a few pedal turns so that I end up walking the bike. And how does one keep up their cadence when they come to a hill and have to shift down? How do you manage riding on public roads safely? I was nearly killed last weekend by someone wanting to run me down or shove me into his car and it scared the daylights out of me. How does one adjust for the wind blowing against you? Does anyone know of a good book for beginning women cyclists? I realize I have tons of questions but any help at all would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

[Grasshopper]

Hi, I'm new to this too but if you search you may be able to find beginner rides where they have a "no drop" policy. Basically they will not leave you and will even come help push you up the hill if you really need the help.

As for the pedals...I am amazed at how much easier it is to ride and how much further I can go by being able to pull up on the pedals instead of just pushing them down!! Don't be scared of them - they're an adjustment but if they were impossible there's no way so many people would love them!! I practiced on a trainer first - getting in and out of them...but be ware!! Pay attention to not leaning your body over when you pull them out of the pedals!! I was doing just that and didn't know it...the first time I got on the bike for a real ride I came to a stop and fell over!! I laughed more than I hurt - promise!!

Good luck!!! My boyfriend dropped 30 pounds FAST riding and he wasn't even trying to lose weight!!

[administrator]

Hi Bianchi Babe, if you are looking for a good introductory book, you may want to try "A Woman's Guide To Cycling" by Susan Weaver. http://www.teamestrogen.com/books.asp

[imdawn]

1) My bike has stirrups (aka clips) and I really like them. They aren't as complicated as clipless pedals but they do help give you a little more leverage and they actually make me feel more secure when I am riding.

2) For the hills, anticipate them. Shift into an easier gear before you get there (my buddy is constantly reminding me of this as sometimes I end up riding my bike like it is a one speed). This way you won't have to get out of the saddle. Just take it slow and steady. I haven't encountered any huge hills, but I haven't had to stand up yet. Try asking your hubby to help you find some very flat routes until your legs are a little stronger.

3) My butt was my biggest problem (see "SORE BUTT" post). Do you have padded shorts? That helped a lot.

Good luck

[waterlilli]

Welcome! I am new to the road also and got many great responses to the road saftey question check it out the thread is New to road I hope this link works:
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...p?threadid=532

[Bianchi Babe]

Thank you so much for all the information and helpful advice. The book sounds just like what I need and I am going to check into it right away. Yes, I do have a pair of padded shorts by Shebeest which I like very much. Thank you all for your replies.

[BikeLady]

The only cure for being a beginner is to keep riding

As to riding hills...I've come to the conclusion that climbing hills is 5% conditioning and 95% mental. Find a hill, however small that you can ride up successfully and do it over and over and over...when that hill gets to be easy, find a bigger one and repeat.

I love it every year when we go on vacation and I realize that hills I thought were mountains 4 or 5 years ago are now so easy that I don't have to downshift to get to the top.

And do not let your husband push you into club rides before you are ready. "Learned helplessness" is a very real problem that I encountered when my daughter started riding. We pushed her beyond her abilities and it took years for her to recover!

Just go ride and have fun!

[MightyMitre]

I agree with BikeLady - as a beginner don't worry too much about individual things, take it easy and just get out there and ride.

TITS or Time In The Saddle is all you need to concentrate on to start with. It'll help you get used to your bike, get used to the road and if you're interested in weigh loss, there'll be a few pounds lost in the process. As you get stronger you can gradually start to concentrate on more specific things.

About pedals, if you don't feel ready for clipless ones yet, then why not try out the toe- clip & strap combo for a while and see how you get on. ( it really does make things easier.)

Happy riding

[Bianchi Babe]

Hi Bike Lady:

Your answer brought another question to my mind. Since we live in a very hilly area, there are few flat roads around, will you really improve? My most difficult road is the Chalk Hill Road which is one hill after another, big and small, until you come to this really intense, steep, almost straight up, to my mind, hill. If I keep trying this road, which I have been since I started cycling a month ago, is it ever really going to get easier? I still can't do this road without panting and gasping for breath the whole way. The only improvement I've seen is that it now takes me less time to reach the steepest hill, which I refuse to even attempt any more. Or at least not until I can make it to the foot of that hill without gasping for air.

Mighty Mitre:

When can I expect to start losing weight? Does it depend on how often or how long I ride? I generally ride between 45 minutes and two hours each time. This weekend I plan on doing a really long ride, yes even with steep hills, hope I don't end up walking. When I realized I was eating to much junk food and put on the 20 lbs. I quit eating junk food and returned to eating nutritious balanced meals. Not dieting though. But I haven't lost any weight. I thought starting exercising and giving up poor food choices would have resulted in weight loss but not so far. Maybe it takes more than a month though. Thank you both for your replies.

[Grasshopper]

Bianche Babe,

Thank you for asking the weightloss questions I was searching this morning, before asking it myself. How long DOES it usually take. Shopping for cycling clothing is such a bear!! I'll be glad when the weight starts coming off!! Guess I'm pretty impatient!!

[BikeLady]

Yes, Bianchi Babe, it really will get easier! I promise! But see, that big hill at the end of your ride has you mentally whipped I used to have one of those too...I just kept struggling up it until one day when I realised I'd ridden up the whole thing without dropping to my granny ring! And if you've only been riding this road for a month, it's probably a little early to be expecting major improvement.

Be patient with yourself. It's easy to be your own worst critic.

[aka_kim]

Bianchi Babe, some of those wine country climbs are killer! And Chalk Hill is a semi-notorious one, so you can be proud of yourself to be tackling this as a newbie. Just remind yourself how lucky you are to be cycling in such a beautiful area, one in which people pay companies like Backroads major bucks to ride. Happy trails.

[MightyMitre]

I'm not a total expert on weight loss, but I have been a cycling beginner. Again, time in the saddle will burn up those calories. A popular approach is to do long , steady rides.

This is the kind of riding a lot of people might do over the winter to improve endurance and keep weight under control. The temptation might be to whizz off as fast as you can for a long as you can in an attempt to work off the weight, but while you need to putting in some effort, in the long run this kind of riding isn't the most effective as it'll leave your tired and frazzelled.

Aim for a pace where you're still able to talk enough to be carry out a convesation ( except up those especially nasty hills! ). At this kind of level your body can burn fat at a steady pace, you'll be able to enjoy the view and you'll be suprised at how long you can actaully ride for. Don't worry too much about distance, go more for duration.

By the way - even if you're trying to loose weight you might want to check out some of the threads on Nutrition. There's loads of good stuff.If you're going on a long ride, ie 1.5 hours + you need to make sure you eat. When I was starting out I used to get extremely hungry after relatively short distances and still make sure I eat after an hour , even if it's just a nibble.
Likewise, when you get home make sure you eat some nice carbs as soon as you get in, otherwise there's a chance your body might think it's going into famine slip into preservation mode and actually start retaing body fat!

I'd also second Bikelady - be patient with yourself , especially regarding weight loss. If you've got a lot of weight to loose, just think about how long it took to put on . Chances are quite steadily over a long period of time, so for it to stay off ,it's got to come off in the same way.

Good luck and enjoy your long ride this weekend.

[Bianchi Babe]

Aka_Kim:

Thank you for such an encouraging email. I had no idea Chalk Hill was semi-notorious I just knew it is one of the roads included in the Wine Country Classic Ride. I feel greatly encouraged by your email as I sensed that perhaps beginners don't usually attempt this road. I will keep trying it. It has to get better sometime. Since I am new to cycling I don't know what the Backroads company is. Would you please explain? You are right I am lucky to be able to ride in such a pretty area. I always knew I lived in the wine country but since I've started riding I've become aware that there are so many wineries even more than I realized. I usually pass quite a few on any given ride.

MightyMitre:

Thank you for those nutrition facts. I'm a type 1 diabetic and I had no idea that you should eat that often when you ride. On week days I usually ride for 40 minutes to an hour and on weekends an hour to two without eating. Well unless you count those gu packets which I use if my blood sugar drops to low. Tomorrow we are planning a ride for three hours one way then we'll stop at a winery and have lunch before returning home. That is, if I make it. Do you know if cycling books cover nutrition at all? I'm awaiting the arrival of the book the administrator recommended but I don't know if cycling books cover that kind of stuff as well as the others.

[MightyMitre]

Hi Bianchi Babe - I think most cycling books should touch on nutrition, but failing that you could always look for a general endurance sport nutrition book . l don't know any titles of any but I'm sure some of the other girlies out there might be able to help. There's also tonnes of stuff on this website on fave food during rides etc.

The eating thing is quite important - if you don't eat enough you can't ride as well, simple as that. What you don't want is to 'bonk' or hit the wall, call it what you will. This is when your body has to start burning stored fat , which in motoring terms is the equivilant of low-octatane fuel or diesel. This has only happened to me once or twice but basically you loose all enegry . No matter how hard you try you just can't get up any speed and generally feel a bit miserable.

By making sure you eat enough carbs you 'll keep flying! After a bit of experimentation and listening to your body you'll soon start to know how much to eat and how often.