Newbie weekly achievement thread

[hebe]

Well done on losing 3lbs Roadtrip - do you train most days as well as riding outside? That's a brilliant loss in a week.

I have just Been And Done It - the bridleway that I found. I couldn't make it up a couple of the hills so had to walk them but oh boy did I love riding down the other side, braking all the way and a face somewhere between and I did some cyclepath riding the other side of the trail too and got into 3rd gear on the big wheels for the first time ever. It was also the first outing ever for my padded cycling boxers - will see tomorrow how well they worked!

yeeeeha! Can't wait to do it again

[Roadtrip]

I'm trying to get on the bike three to four times a week (haven't been out since Saturday tho), but not feeling well Sunday so just did a small ride working on hills/climbing, tho in heinsight I perhaps should have listened... back and calves have been barking at me since.

Weatherman states my plan is to get out for a long ride tomorrow after work. Off day Thursday (Rain), another ride Friday, off day Saturday (Rain), and if I'm feeling up to it I'd like to do at least 10 miles on Sunday... I'm also walking with a group here at work to get extra steps in.

Gotta set some goals sometime

Shannon

[Roadtrip]

I thought I'd report in.. last week I had a pretty productive week!!

9-25 : First ever experience in a trail ride; 6 miles
9-28 : Trail Ride; 4 miles
9-30 : Trail Ride; 4 miles
10-01 : Trail Ride; 4 miles
10-03 : First ever road ride, which involved riding up the monster hill next to my house to the grocery store. About a mile or so. Later in the day ventured around the neighborhood on the bike, including a DECEPTIVE slow grinding hill that killed my legs and lungs. 2-3 miles in total, but with the hills, feels like MUCH more.

"Grocery" Hill





The official weigh in for our work weight loss challenge is tomorrow, but my own weigh in at home showed lost 2-3 pounds and I'm now the lowest weight I've been in over five years!! I'm down 10 pounds since I started riding about eight weeks ago.

Shannon

[hebe]

Excellent! Congratulations on the first ever road road and also on your weight loss

I didn't get to ride today, the forecast was awful so I put dd in creche for an hour and went to the gym. Except of course the forecast rain didn't materialise so I could have saved a couple of pounds and gone for a good long ride.

Stella, how are you and your beautiful Pashley doing?

[Bike Writer]

I thought I'd report in.. last week I had a pretty productive week!!

9-25 : First ever experience in a trail ride; 6 miles
9-28 : Trail Ride; 4 miles
9-30 : Trail Ride; 4 miles
10-01 : Trail Ride; 4 miles
10-03 : First ever road ride, which involved riding up the monster hill next to my house to the grocery store. About a mile or so. Later in the day ventured around the neighborhood on the bike, including a DECEPTIVE slow grinding hill that killed my legs and lungs. 2-3 miles in total, but with the hills, feels like MUCH more.

"Grocery" Hill





The official weigh in for our work weight loss challenge is tomorrow, but my own weigh in at home showed lost 2-3 pounds and I'm now the lowest weight I've been in over five years!! I'm down 10 pounds since I started riding about eight weeks ago.

Shannon

Thanks for turning me to the site of mapmyfitness. It looks far superior to what I was using!

[nikkoblu2]

I've been reading all your successes for the last week or so. I had a "woo hoo moment" on Saturday.

I did a charity ride with some of the family in Hazleton, PA. They tell me Hazleton has the highest elevation of any town in PA. We started at the top, but of course what goes down must come back up.

There was a 50k and a 100k. I was trying out my new road bike with a compact double and a little nervous about being able to spin up some of these hills (one was brutal) so I opted to do the 50k (about 31 miles).

Anyway, besides taking the hills like a trooper, I passed two guys. I knew they did the 100k so I didn't think anything of it - after all - they went a lot further than me and should me more tired. So when I passed I made a little light conversation. The guy immediately went on the defensive about how he hasn't done any training since the such-a-such ride. Puulllease! Don't be such a dweeb!

So, I kicked it up a notch and went straight uphill for 9 miles and put more and more distance between us. He never saw me again. Certainly helped build up the old confidence on the new bike.

Now, if I just get those clipless next year...imagine...

[Bike Writer]

anyway, besides taking the hills like a trooper, i passed two guys. I knew they did the 100k so i didn't think anything of it - after all - they went a lot further than me and should me more tired. So when i passed i made a little light conversation. The guy immediately went on the defensive about how he hasn't done any training since the such-a-such ride. Puulllease! Don't be such a dweeb!

So, i kicked it up a notch and went straight uphill for 9 miles and put more and more distance between us. He never saw me again. Certainly helped build up the old confidence on the new bike.

Now, if i just get those clipless next year...imagine...

priceless!!!!!!

[Bike Writer]

Well done on losing 3lbs Roadtrip - do you train most days as well as riding outside? That's a brilliant loss in a week.

I have just Been And Done It - the bridleway that I found. I couldn't make it up a couple of the hills so had to walk them but oh boy did I love riding down the other side, braking all the way and a face somewhere between and I did some cyclepath riding the other side of the trail too and got into 3rd gear on the big wheels for the first time ever. It was also the first outing ever for my padded cycling boxers - will see tomorrow how well they worked!

yeeeeha! Can't wait to do it again

Hebe,

Don't know how I missed this post but congratulations on your ride on your newfound bridleway! Sounds like you had a ball and it has pumped you up with enthusiasm.

[hebe]

Hebe,

Don't know how I missed this post but congratulations on your ride on your newfound bridleway! Sounds like you had a ball and it has pumped you up with enthusiasm.

Thank you! I've been up there again today, did a little bit better with the steep sections but it's going to take time before I can ride the whole thing. I did some more road riding at the other end than before, and also found the continuation of the trail which I am DESPERATE to try as it gives some brilliant views. I was all out of legs to get up the hill today though. It was my first ride using my cheapie bike shoes, I was so fed up with my trainers feeling like they were soaking up all my pedalling. I covered a lot more ground this time and came home all muddy and again. I also rode the busy road section going to the trail rather than short-cutting through the park (which is not really a short cut because I have to get off to get the bike through the barrier). It was such a beautiful morning and I was so happy to be out on my bike.

Nikkiblu, that sounds fantastic! I bet you can't wait to try it clipless

[Roadtrip]

• Tried out a new trail and got a whole new lesson on defensive riding skills.
• Logged about 16 miles this week, but not SO bad considering as things kept coming up and couldn't get out to ride the first part of the week.
• Had a busy Saturday, where we rode with a friend for a quick little bit before heading off to the Amusement park for a day of fun in the sun and roller coasters (eight hours on my feet and walking around the park, legs dead) This ride also happened to be the first time I rode right beside someone as I had been afraid of not being able to hold my line and crashing. Rode this way for several miles. I DID still get out the next day and bike 5 miles and back/legs did feel better afterward.
• Lost 2.4 pounds last week-- so just over 8 pounds in last four weeks and nearing 15 pounds since I started biking.

Shannon

[Roadtrip]

This thread has been pretty quite for the last week, so I thought I'd bump it to the top with report from ride today.

Here goes...

We were supposed to go to the movies with a friend today, but plans fell through last night, so I hatched an idea for a longer ride and started looking at trail maps. Had been wanting to try the Little Miami Scenic Trail that runs from Newtown (burb of Cincinnati and only 10 minutes from home) all the way north for seventy some odd miles to Xenia, Ohio.

Plan was ride from Newtown to Loveland and grab some lunch and then ride back home... my longest ever ride. Previous longest ride was about 6 miles, so this ride well exceeded this. Thought it was going to be about a 10 mile ride to Loveland, but ended up being more then 13 miles, so was a 26 miles out and back. Twenty miles further then my previous best.

To add to my accomplishment, I rode part of the ride clip-less. so it was also my first ever ride clipped in. It actually happened much my accident really. I have pedals that are dual sided, platforms on one side and the other side is SPD. Sometimes then taking off when I put my left foot on the pedal, they don't always flip to the platform side and I have to coast while working my foot to flip it over. We had stopped at an intersection and when I took off it didn't flip, but I didn't fully notice, which was because my foot slid into the clip and was quite happy there. Down the road I realized my foot was locked into the pedal, but felt pretty stable, so I rode along. At the next stop I made sure I tested clipping out before coming to a stop, which was smooth, so when I started back up I went ahead ad clipped, this time on purpose.

I'm tired and my right knee was yelling at me the last few miles. Feeling pretty darn good about my ride today!!!

Shannon

[hebe]

oh wow Shannon, Go you! 26 miles AND clipped in! That'll show up in your weight loss this week. You must be so pleased!

I worked out that last Sunday's ride was about 8miles, so I'm very happy with that. Today I planned a new route - up the favourite bridleway, then joining a new one, then onto the Wessex Ridgeway, which is a national trail with some fantastic views. Then dropping down onto a country road, which is a 60mph limit so quite a fast road (albeit with very little traffic). I managed to come off the bike on the first 100metre stretch of road leading to the first bridleway No idea what happened - empty road, slightly downhill, I braked for my turning and the back of the bike fishtailed and I came off into the road. I must have braked harder than I thought. Anyway, I checked the bike and myself, got back on and rode the route anyway. The Ridgeway was beautiful but completely unmade for most of the part I was on - lush green grass with big muddy ruts and dips. I really need to get a mountain bike!

I had my Garmin in my pocket and it reckons I did 3.17miles, 330feet of climbing, a top speed of 61.3mph (clearly wrong) and a second top speed of 13.9mph which looks more realistic. Can't wait to get out again!

[Roadtrip]

I did sorta come off the bike as DH stopped suddenly and as I stopped I dropped the bike in order to stay on my feet. After we had lunch and was about to head back I realized my bike wasn't right... my chain had come off, so I had to put it back and made sure things were smooth rolling.

Feeling good, yes. I also am not as sore today as I thought I might be. We're already plotting another trip up the trail and things up that way to see and do.

If I am down two pounds (which I think I am), then I'll have done the ten pound loss challenge in five week instead of ten, but my real goal is twenty pounds in that ten weeks!

Hope you're OK after your tumble. I hate when you do something like that.. most of the time it's RIGHT where loads of people are looking and you feel like a total idiot.

Shannon