xXStanXx

Let me start this off by telling you a bit about myself. I'm 23 and am starting to get into cycling. I have never been an avid rider and have never done any serious, consistent riding. Before late July of this year, the last time I had been out riding was probably the same time last year, and only about 4 times on pretty short and easy rides (maybe 10 or 15km tops and on nice, paved trails). Previous to that I haven't been on a bike for probably 6 or 8 years.

Height: 6' give or take
Weight: 185lbs
Current fitness level: About as close to 0 as you can get

I'm currently riding my bike to university, which is an 8km ride on way, and it's taking me on average 26 minutes. My ride consists of roughly 1/4 road, 1/4 gravel/dirt, and 1/2 poorly paved trail with a fairly even mix of level, uphill, and downhill riding by my estimation. Every day I've ridden so far (5 in total) I've had a headwind at least one way, with a speed of 5km/h or so.

On the way in, given that it's only my first or second day of riding, I can power through probably 1/3 to 1/2 of my ride before I start to feel it in my quads and let up. The way home is an entirely different story. My legs (my quads in particular) fatigue very easily and I find it very difficult to get or maintain any sort of momentum. Honestly most days I half contemplate walking the last could of km home because my legs feel so bad.

My question is should I keep doing what I'm doing - that is power through on my morning ride and take the ride home a little easier - or should I forgo the ling rides for now in favor of shorter, daily rides in order to build up my fitness level to where I can comfortably make the commute to school every day (currently I'm taking a day or 2 off between riding to school)?

Thanks for the help!

wolfchild

Continue to ride everyday. You need to be consistent and ride regularly or else you will never be able to build an aerobic fitness base and make any progress...You need to get out of your comfort zone or else you will never get stronger....Don't hammer at a maximum intensity everyday because it's counterproductive to do that...Listen to your body. If you feeling strong on that particular day then go for it an hammer hard and then take it easy the next day... Change things around. Do an easy ride in the morning and ride harder in the afternoon or vice versa. Don't do two hard rides on the same day. Just continue to ride everyday and your body will get stronger and your aerobic conditioning will improve. Your commute is so short, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to ride everyday.

10 Wheels

Ride easy the First 200 miles.

Go with more effort after that.

Once you pass 2000 miles you can then kick it way up.

Seattle Forrest

Since you're new to this, you're going to go through some quick fitness gains. At the end of a week or two you might be a little amazed.

For now, commute every day and take the weekends off. Your body needs stress to tell it to get stronger, but also needs rest for that to happen.

Walk a bit after riding to work some of the soreness out.

xXStanXx

Thanks for the suggestions so far. There's a couple different routes I can take to school and the one I don't take is 3/4 street level paths, so perhaps that one might be a bit nicer for an easier ride home.

I have also noticed that even a tiny walk, such as walking across the 2 streets I cross instead of staying on my bike, makes a world of difference, even though it's only for a few seconds.

wphamilton

Check saddle height.

Seattle Forrest

A lot of people take the easy way in, and then the hard route home. That way you don't show up at school (or work) all sweaty. Food for thought.

Rest really and truly is important. You damage your muscles (microscopic level) with exercise, that tells your body they aren't strong enough to do their job. Your body responds by repairing them and making them stronger than before. But that only happens when they're resting. So going hard every day is actually worse than taking a day or two off. You'll feel when you need it. As you get stronger, it will take more before you need to recover.

Finally, make sure you're getting protein and carbs, ideally the carbs within an hour or so after you ride.

xXStanXx

I've checked and adjusted my saddle height over the last couple of weeks and I'm pretty sure it's right where it should be.

Unfortunately I don't think taking the easy way in will alleviate much of the sweating for me, but it might be worth a try.

I did do 3 days in a row last week and my legs were a tiny bit sore and felt just a little weak all weekend (it was a 5 day weekend BTW). That was my main motivation for taking 2 days of in between rides this week. Your point about carbs and protein is a good one. I definitely don't eat enough before my ride most mornings (usually just a cup of coffee) and despite the fact that I'm in class for 5 straight hours, really the only food I eat during the day is a couple of Nature Valley bars and maybe a banana, so nutrition is definitely something I'll need to keep an eye on.

Seattle Forrest

It's important that you get the right nutrients and enough calories (you're improving your fitness), but it doesn't really matter so much when you get them. There are actually some health benefits to skipping meals. So if that's working for you, don't sweat it.

pvillemasher

Yes.

Getting on the bike and riding is 90% of it. The rest is just details.
Just get on and enjoy the ride.

wphamilton

That's odd, because quads burning excessively early is most often because the saddle is too low.

Nothing will relieve the sweating, unless it's an easy shaded commute in a mild climate.

Carbs and protein before an 5 mile ride is not a factor for fatigue. I commute every day, 8-12 miles each way, since 2010. I have never eaten breakfast prior to the commute, and I have not experienced fatigue during the commute in that time. I started at 48 btw, almost surely in worse condition than you are now.

Now before 2010, several years before when I was just starting, there were times when it was difficult. It may sound flippant. but all you really need to do at this point is take longer rides several times a week, and push yourself, which will get you into aerobic shape so that the 5 mile commute seems easy. By longer I mean even one or two miles longer, gradually increasing as you feel you can handle it. At the beginning, with this length of riding at this level of exertion, training plans and nutrition are extraneous. The goal should be to ride longer, or more strongly, without worrying about metrics.

sprince

Yes and no. Keep doing the rides but alternate a few days a week allowing more time to go at a comfortable pace. It takes some time to increase the fitness, why not make it more enjoyable.

xXStanXx

I've raised my saddle height probably a good inch to inch and a half over the last week. I wouldn't say my quads are burning so much as they're sore. I'll definitely get a small but distinct burning feeling in my quads just above my knees for the first little bit of my ride, but that goes away pretty quick, replaced with more of the tired and sore (but not burning) feeling. I'll certainly try moving up my saddle a little more, but as is I'm near the point where raising it any more is going to me fully extended legs with the pedal down.

wphamilton

Don't raise it for no reason. 88% of the cycling inseam to start, from the center of the bottom bracket to saddle top is a starting place. OR, sitting, heel on the pedal to the furthest extension the knee should be just short of locked.

If you've raised it 1.5 inches only a week ago, that's a large change with not enough time or miles in the saddle to know the effect. You have to get used to any change. Get approximately right, ride a bunch, experiment with small changes. Like half a centimeter or less.

xXStanXx

Going by the heel on pedal method, I'm just hitting the near full extension now. My saddle was definitely way too low before, hence the big change. I'll leave it where is is for now and see how it feels.

OBoile

Try using a lower gear and spinning faster. That may help. Also, it's not a race. If you're getting really tired after a few kilometers, go slower (both early on and if/when you get tired).