blueduckxx

I just started in august 2011 [I am 27/f], I keep making the mistake of comparing myself to people who bike daily, have been riding for YEARS, and just have way more cycling experience.

did anyone else get really anxious in the beginning to be faster, better at climbing, etc?
I guess I am still just learning where I am at physically, it can be a huge trial and error. Usually I get really pissed at myself for my legs giving out of me during a hill, struggling on a hill, and so on. I need to lighten up.

//I should've mentioned how old you are as well

fishymamba

Got my bike September 2010, but did not start riding till ~June 2011.

I guess I am not too bad at riding, not really fast, but not slow either.

LowCel 

I started riding about 10 1/2 years ago, got serious about it around 9 years ago. I had to take about two years off due to four knee surgeries (was told I would never ride again) and got back into it about 1 1/2 years ago. I am nowhere near as fast as I was, mainly due to my weight. My power threshold is actually higher than it ever was, however, my power to weight absolutely sucks.

big john

I restarted around 1983 but didn't do a century until 1988. I've never been especially fast.

Machka 

I started riding in about 1973 ... as a child. I rode everywhere until about the age of 17 when I eased back to doing a few rides each year. My focus in my late teens and early twenties was more on running. But even that had diminished by about 22.

Then on April 29, 1990 ... I decided to take up cycling again. My first ride was 2 miles and I had to take a break halfway through. That just made me all the more determined to stick with it. That year, my longest ride was 50 miles.

It was 1994 when I rode my first century. When I finished that century, I told myself that I was so glad that was finished and I never wanted to do something like that again. But in 1997 I rode two centuries ... and that was the beginning of my long distance cycling.

I raced for 3 years between 1998 and 2000, and discovered that I did reasonably well at the crits (I made money in 1999), but the races I really liked were the Time Trials. Since 2000, the only races I've done have been two 24-hour Time Trials ... my focus has been on long distance cycling instead.

See more on my website ... link in signature line.

banerjek

Sure.

The good news is that practically everyone sucks, and so long as you don't aspire to be one of the few people this isn't true for, you'll be fine. BTW, biology eventually conspires against you. While you can expect to improve for years, you will reach a point where the natural aging process takes away performance no matter what.

grwoolf

I started riding 'seriously' about 2.5 years ago and was addicted from the start. I bought a powermeter after about 6 months and started racing early in 2011. I made dramatic gains in the first 9 months. Since then, I've made incremental improvements, but it's more about ability to recover than performance over a given interval.

And yes, you probably need to lighten up about your progress. There are good days and bad. There will always be people faster than you. If you are not struggling sometimes, you aren't going to get better. The struggling never stops, you just struggle at harder tasks. I think Lemond said "It doesn't get easier, you just go faster".

RB1-luvr

I started riding for fitness and competition in 1984.

dayday82

about a year ago. wish i had gotten into this a long time ago.

carpediemracing 

I started racing in 1983. I kept a training diary for a couple years before that, but I didn't know much about actual riding.

Experience counts more than "riding daily".

Strength is mainly genetic. You'll see about 80% of your potential in the first 3 years of riding (I think anyway). If you're going to be good you'll be good pretty quickly. There are guys who went from Cat 5 to Cat 2 in a year (and placed highly in the first Pro-1-2 race they did at the end of the year). Then there are guys like me.

As long as you understand the limitations you'll have a fun time cycling. You can't always beat everyone.

https://sprinterdellacasa.blogspot.co...s-on-road.html

Enjoy the ride
cdr

Yo Spiff

Been riding pretty much most of my life, but with some hiatuses. A 4 year break from 95-99 when I was doing the single parent thing and didn't have time or inclination to ride, then pawned my precious Allez when $$ was tight. A couple of times with a year or so off since then. The hardest was after the 4 years off the bike. I did 5 miles thinking that would be an easy starter ride. I did it but dropped the bike in the yard and stumbled inside hyperventilating like a woman in labor.

Since then, when I've been off the bike a while, I start with 2 miles and then add a mile or two at a time. I'm usually up to doing 15-20 inside a month. This time I intend on staying on the bike, however.

mollusk

In 1956, at age 2, I rode my tricycle away from my house in Chicago and rode over a mile including crossing Halsted Ave before being apprehended.

I've been riding something with wheels and pedals ever since.

blueduckxx

wow great story!! Yea, I am looking into doing Levi's Gran Fondo Medio Route, around 60 miles.
my husband says at the rate I am going, I am so ready for it, if not the century.

I am also curious what my strongpoint is or will be with cycling, and would love to do sprints, time trials, crits etc

david58

I first started riding, excepting having lived on my bike as a kid, when I was in college. Rejoined riding a year or so after I graduated, pedaling a lot in 1893-4. My wife and I rode a whole lot until we moved to Tejas in 1987, when we realized that wasn't the best place to be riding at the time. A brief interlude of riding when I was car-free for about 5 weeks in '96. Back on the bike for real this past April 23. My first ride was 4.5 miles, with three stops for rest, and one hellaciously sore tail the next day. Did my first century in July (72mi), first 100 miler in August, and first Cyclocross race in September. I am overjoyed at the freedom riding has given me - I don't have to deal with the pain that I did while running, and I have no parents or coaches cursing me as they did when I was a referee. Cycling has opened up a wonderfully fun way to be fit, to see the country, and to socialize. Looking forward to my 54th birthday for two reasons: first, I'll take as many as I can get, and second, I'll get some more cycling gear!

mollusk

You win.

AllezDada

So I guess we can say you've ridden a century . . .

arcticbiker

My first 10 speed riding in earnest began in 1963 with a used Fiorelli my dad bought for me. Similar to the one below. In 1972 I purchased a custom Don Farrell in London with Campy. I have 2 road bikes, 1 cross, 1 touring, and 1 MTB now (all being ridden). I've been fairly active all my life and hope to continue riding for another 20 years plus.

david58

oooopths!

patentcad

Longer than some of you Freds have been on the planet.

rekmeyata

I started riding when I was 8...yeah I know I got started late in life, blame my parents for that. But I didn't start riding seriously until 1976 when after years of running I thought I would try cycling so I bought a 76 Trek TX900 decked out with Campy Super Record, entered a few local races, did ok. But a year later sold it because girls thought I was missing a few screws because my bike was nicer then my car! So sold both and bought a nice car and went back to running full time. Then I went back to cycling in 79 because I missed going places I couldn't run to. I've been riding ever since.

david58

See above...............

mkadam68

There is always somebody faster. There is always somebody slower. Jes sayin'...

Here's my write-up of Levi's Gran Fondo. Hopefully, it will help you. If you're up to the challenge, you will definitely enjoy the event. It's the best I've ever done.

I have ridden for a total of 18 years. I began in 1987 (after high school and while in college), started racing in 1993, and took a siesta from riding in 1997.

I took riding up again in 2006 when a doctor said my blood pressure was getting borderline high. Started racing again in 2007. Been doing it since.

trobinson017

I've been riding on/off seriously for 23 years. Started out with road in my mid 20's but quickly changed to mountain biking when I got stationed in South Korea (Air Force). Great hills for MB'ing! I then got back stateside and into road biking with a new Bridgestone RB2. I rode that for about 8 years, then I bought a Cannondale H300 hybrid for more urban riding. I used that for telecommuting 27 miles round trip for work for several years. I rode that Cannondale for 14 years total and still have it. I bought a new road bike last year, a Specialized Sectuer Elite Apex as I wanted back into the road biking. I'm loving it! I'll be riding the rest of my life, or at least as long as I'm able to. In our club we have a few 70+ riders that are FAST (Sandy Scott and Rose Marie Ray to name two)! And we have one guy with a prosthetic leg and another that's paraplegic. So I'm confident I can keep riding unless I lose all limb capabilities.

BTWI, Sandy Scott has an incredible story of breaking his neck during a race in his 60's then recovering and now continuing to set state and national records for his age group (70's). Check it out: https://growingbolder.com/media/sport...ds-574333.html. He, along with the others I've mentioned, are very inspirational in their love for cycling and overcoming great odds to continue the sport.

nastystang

Just got back into cycling after about 15 years. I rode a bike most of my growing up years and bought a Trek 2100 after I returned home from the Marines. Did the cycling thing for a while and got interested in building high horsepower mustangs. About a 1-1/2 years ago sold my mustang and found my way into a bike shop. They completely ripped me off and mislead me on what they sold me so a big lesson in road cycling started then and after selling that bike and finding a good honest shop I have a Felt F75 and a new desire to ride. I hope to keep this a part of my life from here forward. At 42 I do not think I will do too much racing and probably just look at personal improvement and that works because I get real competitive with my self.

blueduckxx

thanks for the Gran Fondo write up, my husband did the Gran route last year for the first time :]
he is an inspiration to me for sure.