Zvolen

I will just simply ask my question then provide some background? Do you think I am trying to sustain too high of a pace?

Here are some details, I am a young, 29, fairly athletic guy - I'm 6'3" and about 200lbs. I just recently got into riding which I hadn't done since I was in my teens. Because I am fairly athletic and in good shape (did a recent 17 mile strenuous hike without much problem) I jumped into the saddle and pumped the pedals pretty hard.

As of yet I haven't tried any distance over 12 miles but during my recent rides my quads will burn pretty bad to the point where I feel fatigued, this even happens on my relatively short 3 mile commute. I don't get this during my other what seems like more strenuous activities especially so early in the workout.

Which brings me to my point, I've been trying to maintain a 15mph pace, is this too much for a newbie like myself? Is that even a decent pace? Or is this burn due to other reasons like lack or warming up or just the simple fact that I have not logged that many miles - only about 30 or so.

Any help or other suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

-Z

hybridbkrdr

I'm not a racer but I know when I ran track, I was more competitive in the 3000m than the 1500m. So, I might have a higher percentage of slow twitch muscle tissue fibers. I noticed if I push myself rather than pacing myself, I can get muscle fatigue/aching much faster and take more time to recuperate.

kevin_stevens

Get your bike fitted to you.

KeS

dspaff088

youve ridden your bike less than five times it seems.


just ride your bike. tired? slow down lol.

Zvolen

I know my bike is not too small, if anything it may be too big. But thats a good point I will look into doing that at my LBS.

Its been more than 5 times, but your logic is correct as the miles during that time have been minimal as my commute is fairly short. However its not like "I" am tired as I'm not really breathing heavy more so that my legs are just tired or burn. I too figured I may just need more saddle time since its been so long.

No one really replied regarding the pace, is that an aggressive pace for a newbie - or should that be attainable by a fairly athletic but new rider?

gaspony

I'm Pretty new myself. Been riding about a month but I had been running about 6 months before that so I was not totally new to aerobic exercise. My last ride of 27 miles I averaged 16.9 mph over rolling hills. I have a max heart rate of 185 and I try to keep it between 150-160 when I ride with peaks around 170 for the steepest climbs. Depending on how well your bike fits and the type of bike 15mph is pretty decent I would think for the amount of riding you have done.

gaspony

Also again I am very new but I think I have gone faster when I keep the gears where I can maintain my cadence Verses slowing down revolutions in favor of a tougher gear. Plus my legs feel fresher longer.

SlowOlympian

lol

craftygeek

I've recently started road cycling - your body needs to adapt to the bike (assuming the fit is correct) & you need to learn what gears, cadence & effort levels work for you best. I'm still working out the maximum level that I can push at continually without my legs filling with lactic acid...finally got it right last night for the first time - with my improving fitness levels, that has taken 15-20 15+mile rides to get right.

You may also be pushing too hard in a low gear (smaller rear gear), when a higher rpm in a higher gear (larger rear gear) would suit you better.

Nbob

Sounds like your seat is too low and/or too far forward - that will cause your legs to become too compact at the top of your stroke ( i.e. your knees bend too much). If that's what it is then you're using your quads to straighten out your legs as opposed to powering the down stroke. Try doing some rapid reps of squats where you bend your knees 90 degrees then try some where you only go down to 45 degrees to get an idea of what your quads are going through on the bike.

You may also be pushing too high a gear - you maintain speed by either pushing harder but slower ( higher gear) or you can use less force but spin faster ( lower gear) . The first takes more out of your legs the second takes more out of your cardio. If you push to hard the quad burn comes much quicker and you're risking knee damage.

nyxis

sounds like you are pushing to high of a gear.. push up the cadence. stop by your lbs see if they can do a quick comfort fit. i know when i first started riding i was having a hard time keeping up and was burn through glycogen especially on hills.. you will learn what cadence is comfortable for you and what you can sustain..

WHOOOSSHHH...

First off, like me, you're to fat for cycling....I've biked around 28,000 miles over the last 3 years, my bikes are perfectly fitted, and when I exert maxium effort my quads also are sore also and tired. You're using different muscles,. Give it some time. Bike often, bike fast and repeat for the next 100 days straight, and then report back. Days off in cycling are overated....

jmX

1) 15mph seems normal for a fit newb. You'll probably easily hit 17mph averages fairly quickly.
2) Your seat is probably too low. Legs should be fairly extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Check sheldon browns site.
3) Your cadence is too low. Almost everybody spins too slowly when they first start riding, and I doubt you're an exception to this.

rustybrown

htfu

and then post about it.

big chainring 

Seems as if evryone I see out riding these days is pushing themselves to the limit. Take it easy. No point in pushing yourself to fatigue and injury. Long, slow rides are the way to build your cycling abilities. On a 40 mile ride, I take the first 10 miles slow and easy. Next 10 spirited quick cadence. Next 10 driving pretty hard, but not exhausting myself. Last 10 slow and easy. Why stress out your body? Build speed and endurance. It takes many many miles to get a good base of cycling fitness. Dont rush it.

rangerdavid

no such thing.

sijray21

Increase your cadence

motobecane69

your just not in cycling shape for one. What you describe is how I felt this year after the long winter layoff. I could barely get up any hills whatsoever, i was so deconditioned vs where i was at at the end of the year last year. it was disheartening. Focus on your cadence being 90+ and get out and ride more

byrnemm

you could probably double that distance and maintain the same pace. Just do it.

bonz50

pretty much this...

being fairly new myself (I've got about 300ish miles under my belt), I find 16-17mph average to be prety easy to maintain for 20+ mile rides, and I'm not some pillar of fitness either at 6-1 220 (when I started) and 42 yrs old... down to 210 now and getting faster and stronger...

miles will get you there, get your cadence to 80-90 and keep it there using your shift levers... time will fix it...

ahsposo 

FactVord

You can't expect to pick a sport/hobby and be great at it after a few tries. Report back after a season, and you'll notice you've come a long way if you put in the time and focus.

jayp410

+1 on all of the above - at least #2 and #3.

Avg speed also depends so much on hills, it's hard for us on the forum to judge whether that is a good pace on your terrain. At 6'3" / 200 lb you have a similar build to me (I'm 6'4" / 190, although I used to weigh 225 a couple years ago). Guys like us will never be as fast as shorter 150 lb riders on the hills, but I've gotten a lot better than I was.

bonz50

true, but on sprints.... bwhahahahaa

cyclezen

man, I'd be confused by the crazy terminology in this thread.

High gear = gear which requires more effort - which different combinations of front 'chainring' and rear 'cog'. This is a relative thing, for some a 'high gear' is a 50/16, for others it's a 53/14, and on an uphill it might be 39/17.
A Low Gear = the opposite

if you keep the chain in the same front ring - 'higher' gear means chain is further down/out the cassette/cogset, onto the smaller/outside gears. 'Lower' means the chain is being put onto the larger/inside gears/cogs.

you're legs are burning because you're 'pushing' too large a gear for your leg strength. Use an easier gear and turn the cranks faster
what others have said about 'cadence' (speed at which you turn the cranks/rpm) is good.
if you don;t have a computer which shows 'cadence' - then - turn the cranks to "1 potatoe, 2 potatoe, 3 potatoe, 4 potatoe, ..." recycle the numbers before ten... pick a gear that you can turn at that speed.
A little larger gear means you'll work a bit harder, smaller means you might 'spin the cranks faster (also a good thing to get the pedaling muscle groups to become more efficient.
When you get much better, you'll be able to 'spin' comfortably to "1 cat, 2 cat, 3 cat,..."

15 mph also depends, if you riding mostly flattish terrain, it's a nice touring pace. If you're on a long hard uphill, you're prolly tearing the legs off cat 3 racers...

riding the bike is a relative thing - it's all about 'you', in the riding moment - that's a good thing. Might want to keep it there to find the real valuable stuff that cycling offers.