how many seasons and/or miles til experienced?

[Adventure Girl]

BTW I have never passed Thom on his motorcycle. It was three other guys that I have passed on three different rides. Yes, I'm counting.

During the DMD, Robert and I had to REALLY work to catch you on that long stretch of road with a few twists. We were on an 1800cc motorcycle. And you were on.... Fluffy!

We have an intercom system on the bike, so we can talk to each other. When we were chasing you down, Robert said, "Man, she's haulin' a$$"!

[velogirl]

it is much easier to find mountain biking clinics than road clinics, it seems),

because he said he learned most of what he knows about bike handling from mountain biking (and also from riding BMX bikes as a kid).

I don't think there are more mtn bike clinics. It's just that they're easier to find. There will often be mtn bike clinics associated with larger races. And most mtn bike clinics are marketed to the more recreational riders (not the racers).

For road clinics, there are TONS all over the country. However, most are advertised through race-oriented organizations (even if they're not just race clinics). Check the website of local coaches or coaching organizations or clubs. Ask at your LBS.

Most recreational road riders don't understand the importance of learning skills, while most recreational mtn bikers do it because they realize that they can't improve unless they do (learn skills).

BTW, I bet Jeremy never took a mtn bike or bmx clinic. But you mentioned that he learned his skills as a kid. That's a very telling statement. Children are much more natural learners when it comes to anything that involves risk (like cycling). He attributes his skills to riding mtb & bmx, but the reality of it is that if he'd had a road bike as a kid, he'd probably learn the same skills. Kids are fabulous learners.

[SadieKate]

A steeper learning curve with a coach? I'd think working with a coach (assuming you spend on-bike time with her), would shorten the learning curve.......maybe a little slip, SK?

I guess it depends on what you put on the Y and X axis of your chart. For me, success is at the top of the chart and time/distance is across the bottom.

[CyclChyk]

TYGAB- you are not alone. I too ride like you. Brake on down hills, easiest gear up hills; focus on staying upright........... I'm turning into one giant bruise (not to mention the road rashes)......

Boy oh boy do I feel dumb. Pick up a water bottle while riding?? And the bottle be on the ground?? And I'm guessing you guys mean to do it and not fall over and go BOOM??? Yeh ok, I can tell you that's something I'll NEVER do.

I have my work cut out for me. And VELO, if you are ever in GA please let me know because I really need help. Steer the bike with my hips?? Wow I'm way more of a novice than I realized. The fear/timid thing; thats me. The non-athletic life history; me too. Geez..... you guys are really depressing me.

[SadieKate]

In what issue should I look for this article?

Eureka! October 2006. The cover has Floyd in yellow.

[Adventure Girl]

In what issue should I look for this article?

Eureka! October 2006. The cover has Floyd in yellow.

Did you notice that SK answered her own question here?

[Adventure Girl]

Did you notice that SK answered her own question here?

Yes. I noticed that!

[Kano]

I have my work cut out for me. And VELO, if you are ever in GA please let me know because I really need help. Steer the bike with my hips?? Wow I'm way more of a novice than I realized. The fear/timid thing; thats me. The non-athletic life history; me too. Geez..... you guys are really depressing me.

Don't feel depressed, CyclChyk! I don't plan to ever play with that water bottle trick either. But, steering with your hips -- you're probably doing that unconsciously, like I discovered when I paid attention after reading that earlier today! Then I tried deliberately doing it -- all it takes is a shift of weight, lean your butt a bit left or right, and wow, the bike follows! It's remarkably easy to do, hard to think about doing.

Now, I may not be doing what Velo teaches exactly, but I was sort of exxagerating to myself to get the sense of it, you know? I'd probably never REALLY do the silly feeling stuff I was doing today where there was no one to see!

Karen in Boise

[tygab]

In what issue should I look for this article?

It was online but the link is deactivated. I read it online first then bought the mag cause I wanted to see the full thing.

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...5058-1,00.html

[SadieKate]

Yes. I noticed that!

Did anyone notice that AG is being a smartass?

[SadieKate]

Did anyone notice that AG is being a smartass?

Why, yes I did. No one else would answer my question.

[tygab]

I had no idea this thread was taking off the way it did, thanks for all the comments!

It is reassuring to hear that the learning process is continuing for even the experienced cyclists, at least for the most part. I think taking one of these clinics or finding a coach might be a really good idea.

In reality, I had one big goal this year (the PMC), with several implied goals since I had not biked before (get base fitness, learn general riding in road traffic, learn clipless, learn my bike etc etc). Once it was over I could take stock of what I learned from March to August/now, and now that I know this is something I want to continue and improve, this kind of feedback is very helpful in understanding how I can make progress. I guess, at a very high level, this thread could have been titled "what are good things to learn to be a better cyclist" and gotten similar responses. Road riding is a lot more than what I learned as a kid riding a 10 speed.

[random sidebar - I used to ride my ten speed around our neighborhood cul de sacs imagining I was a famous bike racer. This was before I knew anything about the TdF or other races, but I knew racing existed. I had a peugeot hat that I wore regularly, the ones that had the small brims. If there'd been any competitive options for me as a kid in my small town I probably would have loved that.]

It's funny some of the things mentioned here I'd stumbled upon myself, such as getting way back in my seat for uphills, shifting early and 'pacing' my gears. I hated hills at first, because I was lacking either of these techniques. Once I somehow sorted this out I actually got half decent at going up them. Other things mentioned here I don't know if I've innately done or not, like using the hips to turn thing. But it's all very interesting to realize that the opportunity for learning is great, and someone's riding can really benefit from making a bit of effort to learn.

[BeeLady]

SadieKate if u go to the Bicycling Mag website and put "Jeremy" in the search the article will come up. Don't know what issue it is hard copy wise.

[SadieKate]

Thanks. See post #35 before Adventure Girl's wiseacre remarks.

[kelownagirl]

Boy oh boy do I feel dumb. Pick up a water bottle while riding?? And the bottle be on the ground?? And I'm guessing you guys mean to do it and not fall over and go BOOM??? Yeh ok, I can tell you that's something I'll NEVER do.
(

I'm still working on getting my water bottle out of the holder, drinking, and putting it back while riding. And all that without getting my heart rate up so high, I need to take a break...