Starting out
07-20-19, 10:04 AM
#1
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Starting out
I am a road cycling newbie. I just bought a trek road bike and went for my first ride (night ride) yesterday and fell in love.
For my first ride I set a destination of a grocery store in the next town over 4.6 miles away, 9.2 miles total.
The first leg of the trip took 13 min, 13 seconds and the return trip took 13 min, 22 seconds. On flat stretches I was averaging a bit over 17mph, declines over 25 and steeper inclines a bit over 11mph. I'm 44. The bike is 3x8. Is this approximately an appropriate place to start or should I be going on longer rides?
Thanks
For my first ride I set a destination of a grocery store in the next town over 4.6 miles away, 9.2 miles total.
The first leg of the trip took 13 min, 13 seconds and the return trip took 13 min, 22 seconds. On flat stretches I was averaging a bit over 17mph, declines over 25 and steeper inclines a bit over 11mph. I'm 44. The bike is 3x8. Is this approximately an appropriate place to start or should I be going on longer rides?
Thanks
07-20-19, 10:11 AM
#2
mechanically sound
I would recommend thinking more in terms of hours than miles. 1 hour rides routinely, longer epic rides occasionally(3-4 hours feels pretty epic to me) And just ride until you’re done! Sounds like you are doing just that.
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07-20-19, 10:19 AM
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I agree, don't worry about miles, worry about time on the bike. I try to ride an hour minimum when I ride. If it's a flat and no wind day I'll go a lot farther than on a hilly, windy ride.
07-20-19, 11:13 AM
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07-23-19, 04:47 AM
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Rides like the one you did are great to get used to the bike, learn the gearing and stopping, etc. As others said, increasing gradually to longer rides will be more impact for increasing your fitness level. As you do, take note of how your knees, back and shoulders feel - if you feel discomfort there you could probably benefit from a bike fitting session.
After you've done some longer rides, you should have built up some rear end toughness, so I wouldn't worry about a sore behind at first. But, on every bike I've bought I've ended up replacing the seat (oops, we are supposed to call them saddles...) to one that fit my butt better. So, if your rear end never gets comfortable you might want to look there.
After you've done some longer rides, you should have built up some rear end toughness, so I wouldn't worry about a sore behind at first. But, on every bike I've bought I've ended up replacing the seat (oops, we are supposed to call them saddles...) to one that fit my butt better. So, if your rear end never gets comfortable you might want to look there.
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