Late beginner's first week
 

Hi,

So I have been riding a moderate amount since getting my first road bike less than a week ago. I have had two 25 mile rides on a mostly shaded very flat MUP (and felt great), a 13 miler on flat/hot highway which was harder, a 3 mile cool down ride after running 3 miles (just wanted to get on the bike), then went out today in 90 degrees with 42% humidity to ride some small hills and flats. Did 9 miles - about 17 mph ave on flats and not sure on hills (let's just say a lot slower). Pretty disappointing performance on the hills.

I just started riding and I'm 39 years old but thought I was in decent shape for an average guy (work out, run 3-4 miles 3-4 times a week, play sports) but this kind of hurt today. Certainly not frustrated and I expected it to be hard, especially once I started hitting hills, but wow, I realized I am really not that in shape!

Yes, HTFU, ride ride ride ride - will do all of that. But anyone here start in their 30s and feel like they should be able to do a lot more at the beginning? I guess it's all about realistic expectations and taking it slow and having fun when starting out.

The only weird thing I have had happen is that I am having some numbness in my left toes after awhile. Standing up in the saddle helps. I feel like I am not riding on the rear part of the saddle but that I am too far forward so that might have something to do with it.

Still having fun but sore sit bones, sore legs, and realization that I will need to be a little patient given my level of fitness and lack of experience at hills and bike sprinting.

Any suggestions from other late beginners?

Ride 4-5 times a week. Gradually increase your mileage, about 10% per week. Enjoy.

I started at age 65 years. Takes 500 miles for you legs to get used to bike riding. Takes another 1,000 miles for your legs to be ready for faster riding.
Bikes require different muscles from running.
Take two full years to reach your maxium.
Ride as much as you can. Rest, take a day off when you need to.

fwiw - I'm in process of selecting my first road bike at 41 (42 in nov.)... been active for years, got injured in my mid 30's (herniated lumbar disk) while weight lifting, needing to get back into shape, have had a mt bike for decades, used it for commuting to/from the train station, play time with the boys and neighborhood rides with the kids, starting to ride it more for fitness and now am needing a real road bike, I'll be right behind you very soon...

Don't worry about your progress too much, it will come with time. My wife is a runner, I "was" a biker about 10 years ago. We both bought new road bikes for fitness and for a sport we could enjoy together. She was in much better shape then I was, but did not have the muscle development to ride a bike, though it was years for me, it came back very rapidly. She can out run me any day, but I can bike further and faster. Its different for everyone, but it will come on fast and strong, its only been about 6 months for us, and I feel like an animal on the bike compared to when we started. I've lost 15 pounds as well.

I don't know that I agree with riding 4-5 times a week when you start out, though you can progress to that point rapidly. The main thing to watch is your knees and your butt! It takes a good fit and time for your knees and butt to get used to the punishment. Just my opinion.

Scott

Hey Bonz50,

I grew up around Antioch, lived on Lake Shangrila just north of Antioch. I used to ride my bike as a kid all over that area. Some time when I'm up there visiting family I'll have to bring my bike with and ride like I used to, thought it was BMX back then LOL.

Riding regularly is going to make you less prone to injury, than doing the weekend warrior 1-2 rides per week, with breaks in between.

That way you never really adapt, and each time out you hurt yourself again.

The 4-5 rides don't have to all be hard, or fast, but more regular riding will help you improve. 4-5 rides a week still gives 2-3 rest days a week. Also, note the advise to limit your increase in mileage to 10% a week.

Great stuff - thanks! It's definitely a different set of muscles than running - plus I don't sprint very often when I run so that's new as well. I plan on riding 4 times a week as I work out with a trainer 2 days a week. That will give me 1 day off from some sort of exercise per week. That's the goal anyway - with work that requires some travel it will be hard to be consistent but I plan on putting the time in to improve on the bike.

I like the 10%+ every week goal. I just started recording my miles on Excel and plan on trying to keep that 10% goal in mind. And good info on the 500/1000 miles range that it takes for the legs to get used to it. That's helpful to keep in mind.

I plan on going back out tonight once it cools down and getting more miles in. Probably wasn't the best idea to go out during the early afternoon in this heat. Got a workout tomorrow and then taking the kids to Kings Island (an amusement park in OH) on Thursday so want to make sure to get in some more.

Like all the others have said, the best thing for newer riders is really just putting in lots of time and miles on the bike, and most importantly, keep having fun!

I'm 50, and wasn't particularly fit when I started riding seven months ago. I get frustrated VERY easily that I don't make daily progress, but I try to look at the big picture. I could ride 3 or 4 miles and be winded in January, today I got done with a 30 mile ride, and I'm merely exhausted, not actually wishing I was dead...

That's where I was in January, my wife and I just got done with two 35 mile rides the past two weekends. I felt like I could do another 35, until I sat down for a half hour LOL. Congrats on progressing so well!

I guess what I meant to say was to take it easy, if my butt was sore from the saddle I would not continue to ride on it making it worse. It didn't take me very long to get used to the saddle where I could ride light 4 to 5 times a week and be ok. Same with my knee's, if they were sore I would take the next day off, taking it slow like that helped me a lot, and I can ride as much as I please without my knees or butt getting sore. By all means, ride as much as you can without hurting yourself!

Scott

cool, a friend of mine has a place on shangrila now... less than a mile from home for me...

I am 46 and just started riding 90 days ago. I do two to three 25 miles group rides a week. It can hard but keep having fun. It all about health and fitness.