Stockton

Finally got all the little details taken care of and had time before the sun went down to go for a ride I had planned out.

I went on a 23.65 mile ride. 1hr 32mins 34secs. Avg Speed 15.4mph.

I think I woulda averaged closer to 17mph but I had to go through some stop and go traffic and slow down for some intersections in the beginning.

I also stopped at a 711 for some water cause I was running low.

I felt fine the whole ride till toward the very end, maybe with 5miles left I got crazy hungry out of no where. I bought a Cliff Bar but forgot it of course. I had one bottle of water and one of gatoraide so I finished off the gatorade and I was ok till I got home but I was so hungry when I got home and had a couple graham crackers with peanut butter to curb it till I showered and I grilled a nice tuna steak for dinner.

Only discomfort I had was my fingers felt like they were going numb at about the 10 mile mark but I took my hands off the bars and sat up and relaxed my hands to get the circulation going and they were ok after that.

I tried riding like this:


but my arms were all sweaty and as soon as they hit the bars they slid off and I almost fell on my face, haha.

Besides that I got a little cramp, well more like a pinch in my left shoulder blade for some reason.

I got a little hot spot on my big toe of my left foot at the very end.

Here's my bike all set up with everything on it before I headed out today...the seat is higher now cause I underestimated how long my legs were and I need to move the saddle further back for next time but besides that I was comfortable and if I had a powerbar and some more gatorade I think I coulda gone another 10 easily.



And here's my shoes with the new cleats on them for my new Look pedals which are so much nicer then the crappy STP pedals it came with...and the cleats match too, nice.


Should I ride again tomorrow or should I take it easy and rest a day? I used to run a lot and knowing getting back into I would run hard one day and rest the next till I was in better condition to push everyday.

My legs aren't sore really I feel ok, except my ass.

waterrockets 

Welcome to the sport!



Some of your issues may go away with some more chamois-time. Stay relaxed and as loose as possible on the bike. Have fun!

bluecd

good job. if you keep at it, it won't be long before you can do 23 miles in your sleep. then you can look back at this thread & see how far you've come. again well done.

Stockton

Thanks a lot.

I know I coulda went more but I was just hungry and by my house I didn't want to keep going. Next time I'll be sure to have a powerbar in my bag.

Like I said I do run, not as much as I used to but I'm not in horrible shape or anything. I was never once winded. Going up inclines I would push harder to try to keep my speed at a decent rate and would breath heavy after but was never sucking wind.

Also I didn't break a sweat all ride. Maybe it's cause I was moving and the breeze was keeping me cool but I was expecting to be pouring sweat but I was fine....untill I stopped then I was dripping all over.

I'll see how I feel tomorrow when I wake up but I really want to ride again. I want to ride now, haha.

We're supposed to get passing thunderstorms Sat and Sun so as long as I feel ok tomorrow I'm gunna ride again incase I can't because weather for 2 days.

How good are those gel things? I also some sport beans candy things, do they have protien or just calories?

I don't want anything sugar based, I don't have much sugar in my diet and I just don't like it. It makes me really sleepy cause I don't ever have sugar so it messes me up. It gives me that sugar high but I crash real hard from it.

bluecd

now that it's hot but still not to humid the wind will keep you dry but you should notice dried salt sweat marks on your clothes after your ride. even though your dry, your losing water & still need to drink. july & august when the humidity kicks in you will be soaked.

if you feel like riding tomorrow, go for it. the more miles you get on your ass the less it will hurt.

i know you said you dont like sugar and it gives me the same sugar low when i'm not riding but it doesn't affect me the same way when i'm on the bike. i've never tried the gels or beans, i usuallly grab a couple of my kid's rice crispy treats and eat them 1/2 way through my 50 mile daily ride. works for me.

since you sound to be in pretty good shape, you will get to the point where you will be able to ride 23 miles without eating anything and if you stay at it, that will happen sooner than you think.

Stockton

Yea, I'm sure could have riden the 23 without needing anything if I had prepared.

I was running around all day looking for a new seat post clamp since I snapped the bolt in my original from over tightening, then the LBS gave me the wrong size and I had to go back.

I didn't really eat today. I had a slice of pizza for breakfast(I'm from Jersey) then I had a cliff bar for lunch that I grabbed at the LBS cause I was starving.

I'm sure if I ate a real meal I would have been fine.

Yesterday was really hot and sunny and I rode a little before I broke the seat clamp, then ran 4 miles and after that I played full court basketball till it got dark and I was fine, just thirsty and didn't really eat much all day. The heat makes me just not feel like eating a lot.

I think I'll make some pasta/tuna salad early tomorrow to have to get some fuel in and maybe a pb&j sandwich and I'll take the cliff bar with me.

bluecd

fueling up more before you go will help. i used to be a runner (just to stay in shape) before i got into cycling and would run 6-10 miles a day depending on how i felt. i never carried water or food on my runs. once i got into cycling and got up to 2.5-3 hours on a bike i realized how important it was to stay hydrated & fueled. i have bonked a couple times and you probably will to. but with experience come knowledge and now i know what my body needs for any particular ride. with time you'll learn what your body needs also. everybody is different.


edit: pretty good rule of thumb, during your ride, drink before you're thirsty and eat before you're hungry.

WildH

Yes...before you know it, you will be riding a century and eating some tex mex afterwards! Nice work....you are officially hooked.

mpearson76

For that toe pain you might want to move those cleats back a bit--they look awfully far forward. Pedal spindle between the first and fifth metatarsal head works for me. Just a guess though.

etz

why is everyone faster than me?

johnny99

Technique and equipment will only get you so far. The best way to get faster is to ride more. Once you have a good base laid down, you can start doing speed specific training. However, for the first thousand miles or more, you're better off just focusing on your endurance (do at least one increasingly longer ride every week).

grahny

There's a line on the side of the Look cleats that should line up with the ball of your foot. Check the positioning of the cleats to eliminate that hotspot (the book that came with the pedals should show how to line them up).

If your hands are going numb, get gloves (if you don't already)... otherwise, keep rotating hand positions throughout the bar to prevent compressing those nerves running through your wrists

....and as always, drink before you're thristy, eat before you're hungy

Stockton

Yea I have gloves, I think I was just holding on to tight at first. It was my first ride and going around 20 mph on a bicycle seems a lot faster then I thought it would. I hit a little over 26 coming down a bridge and I thought for sure I was breaking some kind of land speed record.

After I sat up and took my hands of the bars I relaxed and just let them rest on the bars loosely instead of gripping them tightly.

As for the cleats thats where I got them that they're comfortable for my feet and knees. I think I need to just turn them a little so my toe points in a tad more. I adjusted my right foot that way but no my left and when riding I did notice my left heel was kicked out a little more. Even though there's some float in the pedals my feet seem to go back towards center as I ride unless I'm thinking about it.

Paul Barnard

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one here who isn't a semi-professional racer who can ride centuries backwards without working up a sweat. It sounds like you and I are at about the same developmental point. This past week I went 30.5 miles, 21 miles and 32 miles. My butt, lower back and wrists are limiting factors at this point. It was a few short weeks ago that I topped 20 miles for the first time. I don't have any real performance objectives. At 44 years old with 3 knee surgeries and a shoulder surgery, I am in it for the pleasure and health benefits. I have been entertaining the hopes that I will do a century one day. I eat an energy bar, drink some gatorade, pop a vitamin and swallow a motrin or two before I head out. I drink only the water in my two bottles along the way. With longer distances and warming temps on the horizon, I will have to address the hydration issue.

For me, it's important not to put any unrealistic pressure on myself. I really do simply want to have fun and stay fit. I keep an eye toward improvement without setting any specific goals.

ggg300

You just need more time in...

Don't over eat after a ride...

You don't need to ride like that guy in the pick at this point...spend more time on pedal tec. and use a heart rate computer to aid your development...

nice ride btw...

TickDoc

I just finished a 25 mile ride this morning, also took me an hour and a half, and I also rode a Motobecane (Le Champion SL). I didn't have the hunger pangs, but I had a great breakfast before the ride that consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and fruit.

Not my longest ride this year, but I chose a new route today that covered more steep hills (steep for OK, at least) and they proved to be more fun than I expected.

you push yourself to go farther and I'll do the same.

I will make it to that century before the year is out. I am also committed to a local MS 150 ride later in the year.

nice ride.

Stockton

Thanks for all the compliments and advice.

I had a good breakfast today, around noon, haha. Raisin Bran with skim milk, a banana and an egg with a glass of apple juice.

I'm gunna have probably 2 pb&js for lunch.

I'm running out now this a female friend of mine who is home from the city for the weekend. She needs a new a sadal on her bike so I'm gunna help her with that then we're gunna on a ride.

I know she can't keep up with me but it's at least a 5 mile ride to her house then we'll take a leisurely ride around that when she's tired she can go home and ill stretch my ride out on the way home.

I would like to at least break 30 miles today.

I would like to do a century before the summer is over.