50 Mile Day!
 

Well i just got home from my first 50 mile day!! Previously I have gone as far as 25, but today I just set out with a goal of 50. Whew that was a long way (for me at least I am pretty new to this cycling thing (little over two weeks now)). I learned alot from this trip:

1:) Hybrids weren't meant to do that long of a ride, way too much weight is put on the seat from the upright position. They are relatively slow compared to road bikes, and my shock steals alot of my power which really isnt that noticeable on shorter rides. But thats all I own at the moment so I guess it will have to work for now.

2:) Dogs = bad. I have never been chased previously before this ride so I figured it wasnt really that bad of a thing. About 32 miles into the ride as I am riding uphill into a headwind a large black growling dog flys out of the woods/yard of someones house and runs me for about a quater mile. I am giving it absolutly everything I got and I am just barely keeping him off my rear wheel, at one point he was racing right next to me. Thats just a very bad feeling when you arent fimailer with the dog.

3:) My cycling shorts need to arrive in the mail soon. Very soon.

4:) Gloves = Good. I need to invest in a pair, as well as some kind of foot retention system.

5:) Wind. Never had much of a problem with the wind, guess I have just been fortunate the last couple weeks. About 20 or so miles in i was moving surprisingly faster then I had expected, figured the path was a little smoother then I was used to for less rolling resistance. Most of you probably know it wasnt the path by now. And you probably know why I wasnt able to get away from aformentioned dog on the return trip.

6:) 267 Lbs is alot of weight for 50 miles. But thats only going to get better as I keep it up.

7:) 12 miles seems like a pretty good goal for tomorrow, but Maybe a metric century by next weekend? We'll see.

Well thats my story. Thanks for reading.

Congratulations, a half century is certainly nothing to sneeze at!

Great job!http://www.comicguide.net/images/smilies/rad2.gif

So, did the dog get you on the return trip?

I'm impressed that you were able to tackle 50 miles so soon. If I were you, I wouldn't push the metric century right away--build up a good mileage base first. You are also discovering a lot of important lessons about biking. This forum should help speed up that process.

My wife has done two 50s and a 30 on her hybrid--and is seriously looking at road bikes now.

Wow, Fribley, good job. I'm amazed you don't have shorts and gloves, as soon as you get those you'll be a happy camper. Not all hybrids are the overweight comfort bikes you describe, my hybrid is pretty lightweight and snappy. Yeah, shocks have no use on road bikes.

But you prevailed and ground out 50 miles, that's pretty fracken good! I'd make tomorrow's ride a leisurely recovery ride.

Outstanding!

By the way.....
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ts/Fribley.gif

You've learned alot and looks like you've gotten it right!:D...Good job!

50 miles on a hybrid is like 75 on a road bike. So get a road bike and you'll improve immediately by 50%!

Congratulations on the half century, and enjoy your nice, easy, relaxing, stretch-out sort of ride today!

Congrats on the 50 miler, especially on a hybrid, with no gloves or bike shorts, while being chased by dogs!

Take a recovery ride today, and maybe even take a couple easy days. After my last series of hard rides (2 hilly centuries, 9 days apart) I took an entire week off from my commute and just did some elliptical at the gym and short rides around the neighbourhood. The recovery is important to allow your muscles to build back up after a harsh day. Take a day off after your recovery day; when you get back on the bike, you'll feel 10x stronger. :)

Well done. However, I disagree with the comment about hybrids. I've ridden metrics and a century on mine with no problems.

Thanks everyone for the support. I will definitely take it easy today I am kinda sore but not really as bad as I thought I would be. I think getting a bit of cycling in today will loosen me up a bit.

Maybe I should have specified a bit. My stock Trek 7100, with its stock saddle/suspension fork wasnt designed to go that far. Or maybe it was the engine, either way I am sure there are hybrids out there that would work very well (i.e. the FX series that I can only drool over but not afford).

I did have a slight bit of knee pain last night, nothing really "painful" just kind of annoying. And it was gone by this morning. should that be expected given how far I went yesterday? Or is there something I should be adjusting. Or maybe I just mashed it to hard sprinting from the dog? I have never noticed the pain before on my 5,12, 25 mile rides, I usually get at least 12 miles a day in.

I did a 102 mile week last week, with a goal of 150 miles this week, so far I am sitting at 75 for monday and tuesday, probably an easy slow relaxing 12 today.

Thanks for reading and any advice!

You may have strained the knee a tad, or your saddle may need a mm up or down.

I did a half Sunday on my Giant Cypress and lived to talk about it. Took Monday as a full rest day, then did some upper-body strength training Tuesday, and with the bike still in the shop this morning opted for 50 minutes on the elliptical at the gym. Thighs still a bit stiff, but other than that, everything's fine.

Im envious. Ive come no where near that amount. Good job.

So far I've done 3 30's and 1 32 on my Cypress and I've come the same conclusion--I need a road bike. Hopefully by summers end I'll be able to get one. I'm saving for a Specialized Roubaix