Fifty Plus (50+) - 19.11 miles, and my sit bones are happy !!

We headed out for a ride this morning, figuring it would be a short one due to the heat. After circling around a couple of streets a few times to warm up, Hubby took us up the main street about a mile, then up the next street :eek:.... up further, and further :eek: then down :) then up again :eek: :eek:. Just when I thought my legs couldn't take any more, we decided to head over to Thompson Trail which we completed then rode to the bagel shop on the way home. Unfortunately (or, maybe it was a good thing) I was more focused on the heat and trying to stay hydrated than technique, and like idiots we forgot to take a snack with us. :cry: 19.11 miles later we arrived back home.

I am happy to report MUCH less tingling/numbness in my hands this time and I focused on changing hand positions as much as I could and I practiced just resting my hands, not resting on my hands. Best of all, my sit bones are starting to feel MUCH better, very little discomfort at all :D. My skills are also developing a little each time, yet at the same time I realize how much I still do not know. I know I will improve with time and practice.

I'm wondering..... when you were a brand-new newbie like myself (just 3 months so far for me), how long did it take before you felt skilled and not so new? I'm setting a realistic goal of a year before I'll feel like a real cyclist....

Jen

Good job! Glad you're trying different things. Soon those will be so second nature you won't have to remind yourself to do them. You'll look down at your hands and wonder when you moved them.


I'm wondering..... when you were a brand-new newbie like myself (just 3 months so far for me), how long did it take before you felt skilled and not so new? I'm setting a realistic goal of a year before I'll feel like a real cyclist.... Jen

I'm still waiting...and it's two years the end of this month for me, 9 months with tandem...

I guess it depends on what you mean by "skilled"

I spent my entire youth -from ages 5 to 16- on a bike. Until I got my CDL, that was how I got to where I wanted to go (I suppose today, that would be "go to where I wanted to went" :rolleyes:). Even in my adult years I still rode but not as consistently.

After 20 years off the bike, I felt pretty darned rusty (and silly) on a bike when I started again.
After a couple months, maybe, after I started getting back into some kind of shape, it just felt like "home" and was handling to bike pretty comfortably. I'm still learning, though, for sure, as many of my posts will attest

edit: but, damn, girl... 20 miles -let's call it 20, ok?- after 3 months. What's your worry? Just keep doing what you're doing

Good job! Glad you're trying different things. Soon those will be so second nature you won't have to remind yourself to do them. You'll look down at your hands and wonder when you moved them.



I'm still waiting...and it's two years the end of this month for me, 9 months with tandem...

Still got a way to go then- Just wait till you get offroad with the thing.


Yen- 20 miles after 3 months and you have finally learnt the most imprtant rule of Cycling- The stop for a bagel is the Best part of a ride. Even better is a pie or a breakfast and when you get to the ultimate- You will be there

I'm wondering..... when you were a brand-new newbie like myself (just 3 months so far for me), how long did it take before you felt skilled and not so new? I'm setting a realistic goal of a year before I'll feel like a real cyclist....

Jen

After 10 years back into cycling I'm still learning:)

I joined the cycling club a couple years ago and have learned a lot from the more experienced riders. Fortunately the long-time riders in the club are willing to teach the new members the skills they need for safe riding. If you can find such a club or experienced rider take advantage of their knowledge.

After 10 years back into cycling I'm still learning:)

I joined the cycling club a couple years ago and have learned a lot from the more experienced riders. Fortunately the long-time riders in the club are willing to teach the new members the skills they need for safe riding. If you can find such a club or experienced rider take advantage of their knowledge.

Good advice, Beverly.

In addition to learning from more experienced riders, there is also the camraderie.

Not to sound depressing or anything, but I've been riding for about 15 months since buying a bike again and I still feel wet behind the ears, slow up the hills and ignorant about so many of the finer points.

Good job! Glad you're trying different things. Soon those will be so second nature you won't have to remind yourself to do them. You'll look down at your hands and wonder when you moved them.
Thanks. I'm more aware of my hand positions now, and wish I had more... I see new bars in my future but at least things are getting better.



edit: but, damn, girl... 20 miles -let's call it 20, ok?- after 3 months. What's your worry? Just keep doing what you're doing
:) Thank you. I'm not worried, just wondering. Our 24 mile ride a few weeks ago (in mid-70s temps) was MUCH more comfortable all the way around. My legs feel pretty good now, better than I thought they'd feel today.



Yen- 20 miles after 3 months and you have finally learnt the most imprtant rule of Cycling- The stop for a bagel is the Best part of a ride. Even better is a pie or a breakfast and when you get to the ultimate- You will be there
I love the bagel stop. Oooh that pie looks good.... it looks like cheesecake or a creamy pie of some sort. But what's the round thing on the left that appears to be coated with sugar? The bagel shop sells tiny, bit-size cinnamon rolls which look irresistible. I'd like to try one but I'm afraid the sugar crash will kick in on the way home. We always get some type of bagel (me: whole wheat.... Hubby: egg/cheese wrap) with a large fresh fruit cup. Some day, we will ride to the ice cream shop several miles away.



I joined the cycling club a couple years ago and have learned a lot from the more experienced riders. Fortunately the long-time riders in the club are willing to teach the new members the skills they need for safe riding. If you can find such a club or experienced rider take advantage of their knowledge.
Great idea, I would love to do that.

Not to sound depressing or anything, but I've been riding for about 15 months since buying a bike again and I still feel wet behind the ears, slow up the hills and ignorant about so many of the finer points.
Actually, that makes me feel good. :) As the saying goes, the more I learn the more I realize how much more I need to learn.

In addition to riding as often as I can, I am also learning about proper nutrition for refueling, and recovery techniques. If I get home and eat too few calories or too much junk for the rest of the day, I can't really expect my muscles to thank me for that tomorrow when I'm using them to get up a hill. I believe that what I eat today determines how I'll feel and perform tomorrow. Also, lots of stretching after each ride.

Don't keep putting yourself down- You are doing pretty well. Pain is part of the joys of Cycling so shortly it will that the only pain you will be getting is the day after a ride because you have done a few more miles or taken it too hard.

The Cheesecake was just that and the round thing is what we a call a Doughnut. Mind you- this was not a good one so don't drool over it too much. The good one is shown below but as others pointed out- Chocolate is healthy and it has a bit of orange in it too-If you look hard enough

Hey Yen, your doing great, but you wont be, if you eat like stapfam. I wouldn't be anyhow.

Thanks George. Oh I eat like that occasionally. I can afford to eat more calories now, but it's the sugar crash afterward that makes me limit it to only occasionally, and then it's really a treat and I enjoy every bite without any guilt.

You are doing great! Consider this fact: There are more than a dozen people who didn't ride as far as you did that day.

You are doing great! Consider this fact: There are more than a dozen people who didn't ride as far as you did that day.

Actually you probably rode more than 99% of the folks in the U.S. All the above chat about how it takes some sort of forever to get to where you feel a bit skilled is sort of over stating. Once you start doing double digit mileage every ride or once you start thinking of 15 or 20 miles as a "normal" ride or once a non-riding friend gets wide eyed when you tell them how many miles you rode last month or comes to you for bicycle advice, then you are an expert in the eyes of the general population.

It was just three months ago that the following post appeared on the Forum

A Breezer, eh? I've never heard of it
See how much more of an expert you have become?

Skill is the same sort of thing. Look back to when you were writing about all those test rides you did and where you are now. There are always new problems to work out no matter how long you ride. There are a lot of "skilled" riders who would like to have no sore butt and no tingly hands--and you already have achieved that....pretty good skill, I'd say.:rolleyes:

Yen-you probably do this already but if not, every so often shake one hand and then the other while riding. That helps me with improving circulation and prevents the tingling.

Cycling is a constant learning curve. The learning curve probably flattens a little more the longer you ride. Still constantly learning after 6 years of riding again. A year or two from now you'll look back and take stock at how much you've learned......the learning seems to just creep up on you.

I'm wondering..... when you were a brand-new newbie like myself (just 3 months so far for me), how long did it take before you felt skilled and not so new?

It was about 48 hours

It's really good that you keep riding. Some day you'll look back on this 20-miler and it will seem like a very short ride to you. Congrats and keep doing more of what you are doing. Your own body will guide you to ride in the fashion most comfortable for you.

Good luck - and don't let the folks here fool you about those bagel shops. Less is better with regards to all things baked!

Caruso

Yen, so glad your hands and all other parts feel okay. Maybe since your rear and hands are both feeling less stressed you've strengthened your core. Having a stronger midsection really helps with sitting up straighter and leaning on hands less. Since reading your post, I've decided to increase mileage. You've inspired me as a beginner to ride longer distances. My longest ride is 8 miles on hills (been riding 2 months), so am thinking of adding a 1/2 mile per week to gradually increase to 16 miles for my longer rides. Thanks for the positive posts.

Glad your points of contact are feeling better!

Since I rode a lot as a kid, the basic skills just arrived organically. Learning these sorts of things as an adult is much more difficult. I seem to be able to ride all day ever day, but one skill I never developed: going fast.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the kind remarks.

I'm not feeling down at all, I'm really pretty happy with my progress so far.

Rosie: I think you have a good plan, it sounds very reasonable. But hey, 8 miles is something to be proud of! Keep up the good work! When you make it to 18 miles, don't be surprised if you want to go even further. :)

Jen

I'm wondering..... when you were a brand-new newbie like myself (just 3 months so far for me), how long did it take before you felt skilled and not so new? Jen

Over two decades and I'm not there yet.

Yep, I remember when I did my 18 miler in early May, my first ride of more than 12 miles since I was in my early 20s. It was a great feeling, like I was really getting somewhere with this activity. And when I go out and do 12-15 miles with relative ease, that feels like an accomplishment too. There are still days where I top out at 6-8 miles.

Jen, did your 19 miles of relative comfort come on your Specialized saddle?

And back to your question about riding skills, mine have been slowly improving. This past weekend, when I did the 71 miles across two days, I noticed that my bike handling skills had gotten much better.

Yep, I remember when I did my 18 miler in early May, my first ride of more than 12 miles since I was in my early 20s. It was a great feeling, like I was really getting somewhere with this activity. And when I go out and do 12-15 miles with relative ease, that feels like an accomplishment too. There are still days where I top out at 6-8 miles.
Tom, no doubt everyone has those days.


Jen, did your 19 miles of relative comfort come on your Specialized saddle?
Yep! :)


And back to your question about riding skills, mine have been slowly improving. This past weekend, when I did the 71 miles across two days, I noticed that my bike handling skills had gotten much better.
That's great!:)

Not that I need a lot of bike handling skill to ride a rail trail.

Probably would have come a lot sooner had I been riding anything where better road skills were needed.

Here's to happy sit bones!!!


Necessary, but not sufficient for a fun ride.

Sounds like the bike is getting more comfortable to you. Did your LBS make any adjustments or have you just tried small shifts in position to get achieve a comfort level? Glad to hear it's going well!

Yen, the most important thing is to enjoy cycling, and you have that now. Anything else will follow in good time. The more you enjoy it, the more you will read about it and ride with others.

I have been cycling regularly since 1983. Some years I didnt pick up much at all, and others I have.

Good Luck! :)

Jen: I've been back at it two years next month after a brief hiatus of 50+ years. One suggestion: take an inventory of where you were when you started (e.g. how good was you handling, knowledge of the bike, when to correct for mistakes) - even write it down if, like me, you have senior moments. Then go back and look at that inventory at the end of a year. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised at your progress. We tend to measure ourselves ride-to-ride and not over an extended period of time. Betcha by summer of '08 you'll won't recognize the newbie.