goldfinch

Good to hear there are kids that still play Pooh Sticks.

wombat94

We love Pooh Sticks, we've been playing it almost as long as the girls could walk... (though truth be told, I almost always lose

wombat94

Okay... I'm really getting excited by riding.

My three short rides (2 - 5 miles each) in the last week have all been great. I'm hoping to get out with the family for an 8 - 10 mile ride this saturday, and we're probably going to sign up for a local charity ride on Father's Day that has a 10 mile family ride option.

That ride has other options from 29 to 65 miles, which I thought would be pushing it to far too fast.

Then, tonight, I logged on to Facebook and found a posting about the American Cancer Society bike-a-thon in Philadelphia/South Jersey on July 14.

A friend posted about it - he has ridden in the event for the last 10 years - and this year was diagnosed himself with prostate cancer.

I'd really like to support him and not just donate, but also ride in the event. There are options from 20 to 100 miles for the bike-a-thon, with the most popular being 65 miles (from the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia to the finish in South Jersey.

I'd love to target that 65 mile ride, but is that too much too soon?

I'm sure I could do it from a cardio standpoint - I have no problem with 3+ hour runs at this point and I think for me a 15 mph pace would be about the same (or slightly less) effort. The main thing keeping me from going longer than the 3 hour runs right now is the pounding on feet, legs, etc.

Does anyone have any idea if, as a cardio fit runner clydesdale I could really go from almost no bike riding in the last 10 years to a 65 mile ride in two months time?

I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks

Ted

10 Wheels

"Does anyone have any idea if, as a cardio fit runner clydesdale I could really go from almost no bike riding in the last 10 years to a 65 mile ride in two months time?"

You have 7 weeks to get in some miles.

Get in some 5 mile rides each day.

Next day off go for a 15 mile ride.
Increase the day off rides by five miles each week.
2nd week day off ride go for a 20 mile ride.

You can sign up for cancer ride at the day of the ride if you feel you are ready.

cplager

Yes. Here's what I did (where I had a little more biking and was a lot less cardio fit than you are):



And it worked very well. Just make sure you train on terrain that's not easier than the ride (e.g., don't train on flat lands when the 60 mile ride is hilly).

MRT2

I don't want to be a naysayer. It is, of course possible, but it might be too much, too soon. You want to be able to have fun and continue cycling long term, not wind up passed out from heat stroke halfway through the ride (and maybe disgusted and burned out after just a couple of months).

15 mph for 4 to 4 1/2 hours of continuous riding on an old mountain bike sounds like quite a workout to me. You can research the route and see whether it is flat and/or how many hills you need to plan for. What you can't account for is weather, and wind. I would guess your final pace might wind up being slower, so count on up to 6 hours in the saddle. You need to train and build up a base of miles now if you want to do that. I would say the shorter route might be more realistic at this point. However, try riding 25 to 30 miles in the next few weeks and see what your average speed is. If you can handle that and don't feel too wiped out, then maybe you can do 65 miles in a couple of months.

wombat94

Thanks for the feedback. (MRT2, I don't think you are being a naysayer at all... I know it will be a challenge - last year going from no running to half marathon in 7 months was a huge challenge as well so I have some idea of what will be involved).

First, the course is F-L-A-T. The biggest climb in the whole course is the first mile up and over the bridge from Philadelphia to New Jersey. After that, the course has less than 500 feet of total gain over the 64 miles. The course on Map My Ride has no rated climbs at all. I grew up in Southern New Jersey and actually as a teenager rode on many of the roads that the course follow - as far as distance rides go, I doubt the elevation gets much less challenging than this for a 65 - 100 mile course. The recommendation on the ACS website for the ride is that you be able to average 12-14 mph for the 65 mile ride.

Second, the ride has a total of 4 different starting points and seven total route options so if I plan to do the ride at all, I can decide very late in the game whether 21, 40, 53, 65, 76, 89 or 100 miles is right. The three higher numbers are not my target at all, and the 21 miles is really short as a fall-back target so 40, 53 or 65 are what I'd shoot for. Each of these distances has an attraction to me so I really won't be disappointed in starting at any of those locations (65 starts in Philadelphia and crosses the bridge to New Jersey, 53 starts in the parking lot of my old high school, 40 starts in the parking lot of a school very near to my parents' current house).

It was an audacious goal to start last year as a 310+ pound guy and after running a total of just 3-ish miles (week 1 of Couch 2 5K) set the goal to run a half marathon in 7 months time... but that goal was REALLY motivating. This popped up on my radar and though it is a lot more aggressive, I am starting from a HUGE advantage in leg strength and cardio endurance, so it doesn't seem on the face of it to be outrageous.

Like I did with running, I plan to take it step by step and adjust my plans accordingly. If I have to back off I will, if I feel I can do the 65 miles without injuring myself I'll go for it.

MRT2, I do hear you about the weather... my first 10 mile race last summer was in August, on the beach at 5 PM... it was 84 degrees and 100% humidity and it was a SLOG, but I learned a lot both training for and running that race about hydration and endurance sports in hot weather, and I expect that to serve me well on the bike as I'm already comfortable with eating and drinking on the move for the long runs.

The plan is for a 10 - 15 mile ride this weekend to see where things really stand with a good hour + workout, and then see where I stand.

Neil_B

I think you are capable of doing it, but as others have posted, you need to build up the miles. And that's not just for conditioning's sake, but also so you can dial in the fit of your bike. What feels OK for five or ten miles might be murder at 30 or 60.

Go for it!

MRT2

I grew up in South Jersey (Cinnaminson and Moorestown) so I know it can get hot and humid in the summer. It does sound like a lot of what you learned with running about training, hydration, nutrition and endurance might transfer over to cycling.

I am sort of in the same boat as you, but I have been cycling longer. after getting in pretty good shape from '04 to '08, I let myself go from late 2010 through 2012. Work and several family tragedies took up my time and by spring of 2012, I had balooned up all the way from my "fighting weight" of 215 all the way up to 288. I probably should have held off on a new bike, but I just wanted to start fresh, so I went from my workhorse '97 Bianchi Advantage and hybrid and '86 Schwinn Le Tour Road bike up to a Salsa Casseroll. So I started biking last summer, working my way up to several 25 to 30 mile rides by the end of the season. And I changed my diet. I am now down to around 245, so still 30 lbs up from where I was in '05 but a lot fitter than last year.

So right now, I can comfortably do 25 miles in about 2 hours. Yesterday, I went out on a group ride that turned out to be 33 miles and had a few more climbs than I was used to, and I really felt those last 7 or 8 miles. And it was almost 3 hours in the saddle. I was pretty wiped out physically yesterday, but I feel pretty good today.

I hope that by later this summer, I will build up to a 62 mile, maybe even 100 mile ride, or alternately, 120 to 150 miles in 2 days.

steve2k

I think you'll be fine, you seem like a sensible chap, if you've run half marathons you know about training, nutrition, recovery etc. You know to listen to your body.

I think trying to do it at 15mph might be the tricky bit, so maybe slow down a bit and enjoy it.

I did a ride with some friends a few weeks back. One of our group had only bought his bike the weekend before. He isn't a clyde, runs a couple of times a week and is in his 20s. He managed 85 miles @ 10mph that day with no problem, probably could have gone faster but we were out to enjoy the ride and explore the country.

I have done a few 100 mile rides through stubbornness and ignorance, and have lived to tell the tale.

The key things for me are contact points, nutrition and enthusiasm.
- Where your body contacts the bike are going to hurt so ensure you have different hand positions (bar ends help) and make sure you have good shorts and shoes (don't cycle in your barefoot running shoes). More miles on your bike running up to the event will help this.

- You'll need to eat and drink, so take lots of water (I use electrolyte drinks) and some food - about 250 calories an hour. If you've run for 3 hours you know this stuff.

- Other than that put on a smile and a helmet, take your time and enjoy it.

wombat94

Thanks again for the input everyone... keep it coming.

I was looking a bit more at the website for the ACS bike-a-thon, and I think I can scale back my speed goals a bit. The recommendation for 14-16 MPH for the 65 mile ride had me thinking about the course/aid station timing being an issue, but as I look at it, the 100 mile option (which starts from the same place) has a recommendation of 16 - 18 MPH, so they have to at least be thinking of having the overall course open for at least 6.5 hours or so. I think I'll be okay with shooting for 10 - 12 MPH average, which I do feel a lot more comfortable.

Ted

wombat94

Just got back from my first true training ride. 14.5 miles in exactly 1 hour. It was a blast. Everything feels good after the ride. I think I need to adjust the handlebar position slightly (and get gloves) as my hands were starting to get a little bit sore toward the end.

Legs feel good, no saddle soreness, etc.

I didn't really have the highest gearing as I apparently need to adjust the front deraileur to get it to stick in top gear, but I was still able to get to just about 20 mph top speed on the flattest section (it is a very flat trail).

It was as I thought just about the same level of effort as running 11-ish minute miles is for me... and I can sustain that for 3+ hours.

I don't know if I can do the 65 mile ride as fast as I was hoping, but this is definitely a good sign that I can train up to complete it.

We are all going to go back to the same MUP later and let Kathy and the kids get some longer distance in, so I'll probably get another 5 - 7 miles in this afternoon.

Right now, I'm off to a 15 family yard sale in the neighborhood across the main drag from us... I'll see if there is a decent looking road bike for me or a 20" multispeed bike for my youngest daughter.

Ted

MRT2

You are doing fine. Keep up the good work.

wombat94

So, I found a trek 20" 6-speed girls mountain bike at the garage sale for $10. I need to adjust the shifter, but otherwise it is in pretty good shape. I have to check the serial number, but I think it is about a 2006 - 2007 model. My youngest tried it out, and likes it, but given the adjustments and the fact that she's not very comfortable on it, she decided to take the older Schwinn 16" she's been riding for yesterday's family bike outing.

The four of us went back to the same MUP I rode on yesterday morning and we rode 4 miles out and 4 miles back for a total of another 8 miles. Very low speed, slow stuff as this trail has a lot of street crossings and we are still teaching the kids the best, safest way to negotiate said crossings as well as etiquette and courtesy for other bikers, runners, dog walkers, etc. They are picking things up very well, but it does make for slow going, so it was 8 miles in just about 80 minutes.

That made it a bit over 22 miles for the day for me, and almost 32 miles for week 1 of cycling.

Everything feels good this morning (well, almost everything - my left knee is a bit sore. It didn't bother me during or right after the rides, but this morning is is a bit balky. Not pain, but a different kind of evidence of use.)

With the ride yesterday, I feel confident we can do the 10 mile Family ride on Father's day, and that it is not a pipe dream to participate in the July 14 ACS Bike-A-Thon for me. I definitely will participate now - at least the 40 mile option, maybe the 65 mile option, and possibly the 76 mile option - the last has a different course that is intriguing to me as an alternate to the 65 mile... no start in Philadelphia, but a more scenic tour of the state forrest near my parents' house.

So many options, so much fun riding!

I am definitely on the lookout for a bargain on something with 700c wheels and more road gearing. I know I'm leaving speed on the table with my Trek 800 right now, and I'm okay with that, but those 2 - 3 mph will add up over the course of a long tour. I'm trying to find a used bargain on a hybrid or a flat bar road bike on craigslist or used at a LBS.

The best thing right now, is that this really does seem like it will be good cross training for my running (which is one of the reasons I decided to pull the bike out in the first place). All of that riding yesterday and my legs feel fresh as a daisy for a 5K charity run that we are doing this morning. We'll see how I perform, but at the moment, I'm not concerned about my running muscles feeling dead at all.

wombat94

Things are going very well with cycling so far...

After my post on Sunday morning, I went out and ran my fastest 5K since the fall - on legs that had ridden 20 miles the day before. (31:45 - I'm not a speed demon running OR riding, but I'll take that any day).

I still felt really good, so on Sunday afternoon, I rode 9.5 miles on the hills around our house... my first hill workout and it was a challenge.

Tuesday and Wednesday I took the bike to one of my normal local running routes - 5.5 miles on hills in the neighborhood. On the bike this becomes a really nice 25ish minute workout - and as it is getting light enough in the morning will become a standard way to start my day, I think. I feel like 5 - 6 miles in a half hour or less is something I can do just about every day.

Thursday and Friday were rest days due to weather and work, and this morning I got up and took the bike out for my first 20 mile ride - 87 minutes (14 mph). If it wasn't for time, I could have pretty easily stretched that another 5 miles to make it my first 25 mile ride, but that might come on Monday.

This ride was on the island here at the shore, and is absolutely flat (minimum elevation 0, max elevation 29 feet)... top speed on the flat was 18.3 mph... but there was a steady 15 mph wind, with gusts up to 25-30mph. It was a REALLY good workout with average HR of 160 over the 87 minutes.

I'm up to 74 miles since I started riding 15 days ago and took my first little test ride after putting the continentals on. It feels great... legs no problem and no signs of saddle soreness, even on my 90 minute ride this morning. I'm pretty confident now that I can commit to doing the ACS Bike-A-Thon in another 7 weeks... I'll finish and be able to recover pretty quickly. It's just a question of how fast I finish and how fast I'll recover.

I'm okay with my Trek 800 for now, but I am keeping an eye on Garage sales and Craigslist for a decent 700c flat bar road bike or hybrid. There is a listing that popped up last night for a Giant Cypress. No real details on year... and no indication if it is just the Cypress or is one of the other variants of the model. I have been trying to find out the exact details, but haven't heard back from the poster yet. He's asking $200, which is a bit much, I think if it is just the base model, but not bad. If I can get it in the $150 range, I might jump on it.

If I don't find anything in the next week or two, I probably will stick with my Trek until after the ACS bike-a-thon as I want to make sure I have enough time to get totally comfortable on the new bike before attempting such a long ride.

Thanks again for all the advice and info and encouragement.

I'm having a great time getting in to riding my bike for long distances.

Ted

phread59

Well I'm late to the party. Work and other commitments has kept me away. I want to add some advice here. I would highly reccomend shorts,jersey and shoes. What I'm talking about is cycling specific clothing here. Shorts(or bibs,most people's choice) will make a huge improvement in comfort. They will definatly help on longer rides. A snug (not tight) jersey has pockets for you're essentials in the back. Out od the way and secure. You're keys,wallet and cell phone for sure.

Now i'm gonna get a little technical,SHOES! I cannot stress shoes enough. I mean cycling shoes and clipless pedals. The change in power transfer and foot comfort cannot be overstated. Nearly all of us use clipless and shoes. The shoes have a hard stiff sole. You use the whole bottom of you're foot as apposed to just a few small points at the balls of you're feet. Regular pedals have pressure points on you're feet due to pedal design. Cycling shoes eliminate this and stop "Hot Spots" and sore spots on you're feet. Comfort on a long ride is essential.

You will be faced with 2 types of shoes. Road shoes and mountain shoes. I use both. I also use Shimano pedals for both. There are other options, Look,Time and so on. But Shimano and Look are the 2 brands most shops carry in pedals. I use SPD's 520's for my mountains and SPD-SL's for road. I much prefer the mountains. Easier to use, and feel better to me than the roads. You can walk in road shoes but mountains are much better to walk in. Do some searches here in different forums there is a wealth of info on this subject.

Brands, I use Specialized exclusivly. This is because of price and wide width availability. I use "Comp" shoes in both styles 44 and 43.5. They are great shoes and highly regarded here. I would also suggest Shimano. I've tried some on and liked them too. Bike line may cary them. I know Performance does. I go to the store in Paoli when I go to school (I'm heading down Teusday!!). They have a pretty good selection. Try on some shoes and buy what fits. Performance has a good return policy I believe.

So I highly reccomend you look into clothing and shoes. Also the 800 should have 1 or 2 water bottle mounts. USE THEM!!!! Bondtrager cheapie mounts work great. Get 2 and water bottles. You'll thank us later. Bar ends as others suggested would be helpful. These things will be make or break on the 65 mile decision,trust me, I'm not lyin'.

Good luck on you're ride, hell I might even try it, finances depending. And bless you and the family, I think it's fantastic you and the family ride together. Keep an eye on Craigs list and shop you're local bike shops for used. You can find great deals for the family and yourself. Never know where you'll find a great road bike used.

Best of luck, and sorry for the long post.

Mark Shuman

MRT2

Giant Cypress is a comfort hybrid. If you are looking for a road bike, the Cypress probably isn't what you are looking for. Don't think a comfort hybrid will be any faster than your Trek 800 with slicks. Save the cash and either use it for some cycling shorts or other accessories, or put it towards a future road bike. There are used road bikes on CL, but they usually go for more than $150 or $200.

rica rica

I'm glad you're enjoying cycling so much. Having done both distance running and cycling i will say that for most people i know cycling is MUCH more forgiving of mileage increases. As others have said, you need miles in, but in biking its often more about testing gear.

Long distance biking isn't easy, but its much more forgiving than running for most of us. Just take a look at the prevalence of articles about injuries in runners world vs a bike mag ;

vesteroid

I didnt read all this, but last year I went from running my first half in the first week of may, to riding my first metric in june. I had not been on a bike before (I dont count when I was a kid).

My back hurt, my legs hurt, but I was fine.

It was a flat course about 1700 feet of climbing over 64 miles and I did it in 3:45 minutes....you can do that NO PROBLEM.

wombat94

Mark,

Thanks very much for the input. As for clothing, I'm off to a good start. I was able to pick up a pair of Pearl Izumi padded shorts, a nishiki pair of liner shorts and a decent nishiki short sleeved jersey that fits me okay. So far, clothing is not a problem... the only thing I need is more of it as I am going riding a lot more than I had anticipated and need to wash them nearly every other day.

Shoes will be interesting to see. I am kind of unusual as right now I am riding with minimalist shoes. I know this is a no no from a cycling standpoint, but ALL I wear are minimalist shoes... I run in Vibram FiveFingers and have been riding in Altra Adams and Altra Instincts. So far so good. My feet are actually REALLY strong due to the minimalist running and my 20 mile ride was no problem.

I will eventually get some pedals and mtb shoes, but for cost, that will come later.

I appreciate the recommendations, though, I will keep them in mind.

I actually stopped by the Performance Bike in Paoli on Friday because I needed an adapter bar so we could put my wife's new step-through frame bike on the bike rack. I'll check back with them as I'm shopping for shoes eventually. I really liked the size and selection of the store... much wider selection of just about everything than bike line.

wombat94

Thanks for the info on the Cypress... after I posted that yesterday, I did some more research, and I think it is not a bike I'll be interested in after all... even moreso since the Craigslist poster hasn't responded to me all weekend.

I am actually pretty well equipped for accessories, etc right now.

If it is not too much of a heresy here on bikeforums, I'm actually considering a very cheap walmart flat bar road bike to try out... it is low cost and a decent frame by reputation... something I can build on, and if I outgrow it quickly, I've only invested $130 in the bike overall.

antimonysarah

Why look for a flat-bar road bike? As your distances get longer, a real drop bar (it doesn't have to be set up in a super-aggressive drop position) gives a lot more hand positions for comfort. An endurance road bike (or a slightly-sturdier touring bike, which would give you more low gears if you want them) sounds like a great idea.

The cheap Walmart-type bikes may cost you more in the long run as cheap components fail -- I'd actually suggest looking at used road bikes, especially if you have any shops that sell overhauled bikes (rather than craigslist specials).

MRT2

That is heresy. You get what you pay for, especially when it comes to road bikes. Components are junky and heavy, and no frame on a $130 Wal Mart bike is something you would actually build around. Might as well take $130 and flush it down the toilet. Your Trek 800 is a much better bike.

If you want a road bike, start learning about road bikes, and saving up. Agree with antimonysarah. If you plan on riding longer distances, why mess with flat bar road bikes, which in many cases is just a marketing term for a hybrid? It isn't that hybrids are bad, but since you already have the go anywhere utility bike covered with your Trek, why not get a real road bike?

bigfred 

I further endorse the plan of riding what you have while saving to purchase even a used road bike of CL before buying a $130 bike from Wallyworld.

wombat94

Okay, okay.

Message received everyone. I'll hold off on the walmart bike.

I will probably keep trolling craigslist and/or garage sales. There are a couple of local bike shops that do sell rehabbed bikes and I'll make a point of getting around to them in the next couple of weeks.

My only real inclination toward buying a road bike of any sort (or hybrid with 700c wheels) was whether it would be worthwhile for the ACS bike-a-thon... and if I was going to change bikes, I wanted to do it sooner rather than later so I could get comfortable and make any adjustments well in advance of the ride.

So far I have not had any problems with riding my trek up to 20 miles - and I'm planning a 25 - 30 mile ride for tomorrow morning, so I'll extend that distance a bit more. I think at this point, I will plan to ride the trek for the bike-a-thon unless some amazing deal that pops up.

I rode a drop bar road bike as a kid and in college - but for some reason I've been shying away from the idea of one as I get back in... probably just a lack of comfort in my new body getting back on the bike so far, but that is changing with each ride. By the time I do move toward a road bike, I'll probably be more inclined to consider drop bars.

If I do stick with the Trek 800 for the bike-a-thon, I think I need to address grips and probably some sort of bar ends to at least give me a secondary position to switch to for my hands.

Thanks for all the advice and (fairly gentle) redirection. I'm new to this, and I tend to jump in to things pretty quickly... I like having the more experienced voices sitting on my shoulder telling me when to slow down and when to go for it... I found running forums last year and advice from folks like you made all the difference in going from day one of Couch 2 5K to half marathon in less than 7 months. I appreciate you folks helping me not do stupid things.



Ted