Road Cycling Essentials

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I'm the same as you Grievesy, though I do eat a lot during the day. I'm a lot heavier than I was, mainly because my legs are a lot bigger than they were. My stamina is way up. I can go out and run 5-10k at lunchtime and just shake it off in the afternoon and not realise. Love being fit!
 
CGrieves said:
I was the same to begin with, commuting 26 miles each way, although I only do it 2-3 times a week. I'd be ravenous all morning. After a month or two, once my body got used to it, I don't feel any hungrier than usual during the day. And that's when my body fat really started to fall off, although my weight stayed just about constant as my legs bulked up.

I've found the three brilliant things about being cycle-fit are:
1. I can eat pretty much whatever I want
2. Hangovers are almost nonexistent (and when they do occur, a good morning ride annihilates them)
3. I've now got the lungs for running again, and I'm almost at the stage where I enjoy it- legs still aren't quite there yet.

I love being fit, but know that I need to be disciplined to maintain it through winter.
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Commuting 21 miles each way at the moment and I'm always starving. Even when I was only doing 17 miles each way I was constantly eating. It's been like that for the last three years.

As long as I'm cycling hard every time I go out and trying to get quicker then I figure I'll need to keep eating like a horse. No losing weight, but I am still losing body fat.
 
Hi all

I've been commuting to work ~17 miles each way, 3 days a week for the last 3 weeks. I hope to bump it up for 4 or 5 when I'm stronger and fitter.

I'm really enjoying the rides but I feel that sometimes I lack energy. My best time so far is 55 minutes but I know I can do better.

Is this lack of energy because I need to get used to it and my recovery and energy levels will improve or is it diet? At the moment I am trying to shed a little bit of weight (up to a stone) so I'm trying to not to eat too much, though I am eating more than I was and I'm drinking LOADS of water. Lost 5lb so far. During the week I normally eat with the rest of the family, pastas, jacket potatoes, stir fry + meat. Weekends, aside from a Sunday dinner we usually eat what we want.

I'm not trying to become a fitness fanatic or break any speed records, I just want to become a bit fitter/stronger and give myself the best chance without drastically changing the way I live. I don't drink and I don't smoke any more and I feel better for it already, i just don't want to live like an athlete, too strict for me.

Any advice or suggestions appreciated.
 
When are you feeling low energy levels? I graze constantly at work and I try to have porridge or similar around 45 minutes before I ride home, otherwise I'd hit the wall before I made it home.
 
Sometimes first thing in the morning during the commute I feel I don't have the power and my legs hurt/ache when I try to push it, other mornings I feel great, but mostly on the ride home in the afternoon I struggle to maintain power/speed. I'm pretty much a vegatable when I get home in the evening. :D Strangely though I often feel wide awake when I go to bed!
 
R0B75 said:
Sometimes first thing in the morning during the commute I feel I don't have the power and my legs hurt/ache when I try to push it, other mornings I feel great, but mostly on the ride home in the afternoon I struggle to maintain power/speed. I'm pretty much a vegatable when I get home in the evening. :D Strangely though I often feel wide awake when I go to bed!
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I'm exactly the same in the evening, I don't generally bonk as a rule, but it always seems to be very grindy on the way back. At first I thought it was elevation on the route- there's a significant, but not huge, net elevation gain on the way back, and in addition it's mainly sharp uphills and long gentle downhills on the way in in the morning- great for maintaining pace but not so good on the way back. But the main, and surprising thing I found was one day the ride in was hard, and the ride back was great and I did it in record time. Couldn't work out why until I checked the weather- it was an 8mph North-Easterly tailwind on the way back, very rare in Surrey where we generally get 5-10mph SouthWesterlies. Made a huge difference.

Although I still can't work out why it always seems to be a headwind in Richmond Park, no matter which way you go....

Also bear in mind that spending a day at work does take it out of you, even if you're doing a desk job.
 
Here she is!

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^ That's what happened to my foot and leg when I was hit by a car.
It took nearly 3 months for the swelling to heal completely.

you'll probably get a large black bruise around your ankle soon.
 
I can't believe how much I'm enjoying my bike since I got it about two weeks ago. I'm only riding 5-12 miles at a time at the moment because my fitness is just horrendous, but I'm really looking forward to going on some longer ones.

Pleasantly surprised at how crap my bike isn't as well, for such a cheap one.

I know bits will break and I know I'm saving for a 'proper' one but it's really fine for me right now. I honestly find it way more fun than I expected to. Love it! Definitely got the bug. Just wish I could pack in smoking easier, getting a passion for riding has really made it bother me more that I smoke - because it makes me feel it more. It really hurts sometimes and it's my lungs that are doing it, they give up way before my legs nearly every time :(
 
PardonTheWait said:
It really hurts sometimes and it's my lungs that are doing it, they give up way before my legs nearly every time :(
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Thats a good thing! Its quicker to build up cardiovascular fitness than it is to build up muscle.
Unfortunately, as the saying goes: "It never stops hurting, you just get faster" :p
 
CGrieves said:
I'm exactly the same in the evening, I don't generally bonk as a rule, but it always seems to be very grindy on the way back. At first I thought it was elevation on the route- there's a significant, but not huge, net elevation gain on the way back, and in addition it's mainly sharp uphills and long gentle downhills on the way in in the morning- great for maintaining pace but not so good on the way back. But the main, and surprising thing I found was one day the ride in was hard, and the ride back was great and I did it in record time. Couldn't work out why until I checked the weather- it was an 8mph North-Easterly tailwind on the way back, very rare in Surrey where we generally get 5-10mph SouthWesterlies. Made a huge difference.

Although I still can't work out why it always seems to be a headwind in Richmond Park, no matter which way you go....

Also bear in mind that spending a day at work does take it out of you, even if you're doing a desk job.
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I suppose it could be head winds on my return journey making me slower, tonight especially there was some gusting and nearly blew me off the bike a couple of times. Also, like you, my route home is slightly up hill which again will make things slower. But even on the flat sections when I don't feel the wind against me I sometimes don't have the energy to put the power down for any real length of time. I guess it will become easier as I get stronger.
 
PardonTheWait said:
I can't believe how much I'm enjoying my bike since I got it about two weeks ago. I'm only riding 5-12 miles at a time at the moment because my fitness is just horrendous, but I'm really looking forward to going on some longer ones.

I know bits will break and I know I'm saving for a 'proper' one but it's really fine for me right now. I honestly find it way more fun than I expected to. Love it! Definitely got the bug. Just wish I could pack in smoking easier, getting a passion for riding has really made it bother me more that I smoke - because it makes me feel it more. It really hurts sometimes and it's my lungs that are doing it, they give up way before my legs nearly every time :(
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You sound like I did around 3 years ago. I loved it when I got a new mountain bike but my fitness was also horrendous and I also smoked. The Lung burning was awful but it was made slightly better by gradually feeling fitter. Certain parts of my commute back then were getting easier and easier the more I did them. It was only 3 miles but it made a difference and was able to enjoy longer rides. Keep at it :)

I quit smoking at the beginning of April this year and my first ride at the end of that first week without cigarettes was like waking up as someone else. I no longer got out of breath as easily or felt sick at the top of climbs, no more lung burning, the difference was truly amazing.

4 months later and I'm commuting 34 miles a day (3 days a week) and still not getting out of breath, I realise now that the cigarettes have held me back in a massive way. I'm now really enjoying getting fitter and healthier. I liked smoking as I suspect you do but I implore you, quit smoking, the difference it makes to your riding will stop you wanting to smoke again, honestly. Try and quit, after 5 days with no cigarettes go for a ride and feel the difference.
 
R0B75; said:
I liked smoking as I suspect you do but I implore you, quit smoking, the difference it makes to your riding will stop you wanting to smoke again, honestly. Try and quit, after 5 days with no cigarettes go for a ride and feel the difference.
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I don't even like it, for more than a year now I've hated the fact that I smoke and not even really enjoyed the act of doing it, it's just that I can't shake it. I will though
 
You will shake it if you discover the difference on that first ride a week after quitting. It was like a switch being pressed in my head to turn off the craving. They say nicotine addiction never goes away, which I suppose is true, but now I just think how bad exercise made me feel when I was smoking and how good it makes me feel now I'm not. I never want another cigarette.
 
R0B75 said:
You will shake it if you discover the difference on that first ride a week after quitting. It was like a switch being pressed in my head to turn off the craving. They say nicotine addiction never goes away, which I suppose is true, but now I just think how bad exercise made me feel when I was smoking and how good it makes me feel now I'm not. I never want another cigarette.
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Its strange but I really think my road bike might be the thing that lets me kick it. I've been into bikes on and off since I was a nipper but i was crap at bmx and while I love my MTB and will never be without one, road biking has really grabbed me. I'm a very faddy person so time will tell but I know I need to improve my fitness and I really feel like I've found a way to do it that I genuinely enjoy so I really hope it sticks :)
 
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