help needed

[jelly legs]

hi everyone im new on here im 36 years old and from milton keynes.
ok long story so here goes 3 years ago i seriously damaged my knee ligaments playing football and i used to be a keen cyclist about 100 miles a week. since doing my knee in ive only done about 100 miles in the last 3 years. i started drinking heavily and smoking so now ive gone from a healthy 10 and half stone to nearly 14 stone. ive managed to kick the drink for well over a year but the ciggies still have a hold on me.
anyway you get the picture. ive managed to buy myself a decent mountain bike because that was what i was into many years ago but since then i have found audax and would love to give it a go, the thing is as you can imagine im not going to be completing any serious distance in the near future.
the problem is ive agreed to do the london to brighon in june which is about 12 weeks ive registed and everything its only 56 miles and to you long distance guys that probably sounds nothing but to me its like climbing everest.
i was just wondering if anybody had any tips or if there was anybody in the milton keynes area wants a really slow unfit riding buddy that they could take under their wing.
i know i should just get out and ride but if your as unfit as me its hard to find the motivation to get out and kill yourself.

thanks for taking the time to read

[Hummers]

You might want to check out the local clubs in your area, including the CTC.

Many clubs have rides suited to people where they are at in terms of levels of fitness.

Good luck on the L2B.

H

[Charlotte]

Hummers is spot on, definitely check out the CTC.

Also, our Rich Forrest runs regular rides in Milton Keynes that sound like they might be right up your street.

[RichForrest]

Beaten to it by Charlotte who can type faster than me
I've been leading rides from Bletchley for 8yrs now on the 1st Sunday of each month, you've missed this months one by 4 days    anyone is welcome to just turn up and ride. One of the ladies who comes out with us told me she's doing L2B this year  .
The parks trust do a program of rides also (Easy riders) which quite a few riders from my rides go along to.

Rich.

[Wendy]

There's no need to kill yourself to get fit again.  Why not ride slow and enjoy, go down to the pub for a half, nip over to the library for a read, etc?  For now just keep doing little rides for the pure enjoyment.

[jelly legs]

thanks for the replies guys n girls.
any idea what would be a good distance to start with and how often i should do it.

[Wendy]

Little and often.  Even a 5-20 minute jaunt down to the shops is plenty to start with.  As you learn what your body is happy to handle nowadays, then you can increase little by little.

[MSeries]

The books say increase mileage by 10% per week. I'd say start with a flat route of about 7 miles and see how you feel immediately after and in the 36 hours after that. The increase it to 10. The extra three miles will take about 15 mins. That's not much.

[Hummers]

Try to get out at least once every two weeks and maintain this even when you think you are fit enough.

Fitness takes a while to build up but can be lost very quickly.

H

[mattc]

thanks for the replies guys n girls.
any idea what would be a good distance to start with and how often i should do it.

It makes much more sense to look at TIME not distance. Aim to build up how long you can ride at what feels like a "steady pace". The miles will come, because as you train you will inevitably become quicker!

This also allows you to mix flat/hilly, road/off-road, more easily.

[vorsprung]

hi everyone im new on here im 36 years old and from milton keynes.
...
the problem is ive agreed to do the london to brighon in june which is about 12 weeks ive registed and everything its only 56 miles and to you long distance guys that probably sounds nothing but to me its like climbing everest.

You are in MK?
Two words "teethgrinder" and "tandem" would solve your problem 

Seriously though, yes 56 miles is a long way but the London to Brighton isn't a race and there will be people less fit than you doing it

[MattH]

ive managed to buy myself a decent mountain bike

<snip>

the problem is ive agreed to do the london to brighon in june

Here's a big tip - make sure you aren't riding on knobblies, get some slicks. They will make a huge difference when riding on road for L2B.

L2B isn't a trivial ride by any means - but it is achievable by just about anybody with a little application. It's more about how much it will hurt you to do it, rather than if you'll finish!

I've run training rides for people from work aiming to do L2B. We went out once a week, starting off with a five mile ride (with pub stop in the middle) and built up to doing twenty (with a pub stop in the middle) over the course of three months. Everybody got around OK, even those who had had to walk up the slightest incline originally.

Ideally I'd aim to gradually build up so that you are riding 25 miles a couple of weeks beforehand (more if you are comfortable, but don't kill yourself). A good rule of thumb is that if you can manage half of an events distance in training then you can manage the event.
Certainly don't try to build up fitness in the last couple of weeks before the event, it'll do you more harm than good. Ideally get out on rides with others, as has been suggested up thread. If you can get together with a group aiming to do the same ride, then even better!

[Hummers]

Do you notice that BEER is a constant in any training plan?

H

[Seineseeker]

First up, you can do it! You need a decent bike for a start, doing L2B on a MTB makes it even harder.

Just start short, say 5 miles, then double it, and I'm sure in a couple of weeks you'll be easily into the 20-30 mile range. Then add a little more, and as long as you have managed at least a 40 mile before L2B you'll be alright. Don't be afraid to walk on Ditchling if you have to.

Good luck.

[jelly legs]

thanks guys.
just come back from 11 miles in 59 mins with knobbly tyres on. with jeans and doc marten boots. now i know why padded shorts were invented some serious chaffing going on
didnt really get that out of breath but on the inclines my legs certainly felt it.
i forgot how interesting road riding was. i nearly got run over, got hit by a football and had some old guy moan because i was going to fast on the cycle path and scared his dog which i think was a pitbull so it was probably the other way around. . and i didnt even stop for a pint.
so maybe i wasnt as unfit as i thought.
just a quick question on a long ride such as l2b should i be riding at a high cadence to preserve muscles or push a big gear for the speed?


oh yes ive just been reading about the LEL you guys are seriously barmy.

[RichForrest]

thanks guys.
just come back from 11 miles in 59 mins with knobbly tyres on. with jeans and doc marten boots. now i know why padded shorts were invented some serious chaffing going on
didnt really get that out of breath but on the inclines my legs certainly felt it.
i forgot how interesting road riding was. i nearly got run over, got hit by a football and had some old guy moan because i was going to fast on the cycle path and scared his dog which i think was a pitbull so it was probably the other way around. . and i didnt even stop for a pint.
so maybe i wasnt as unfit as i thought.
just a quick question on a long ride such as l2b should i be riding at a high cadence to preserve muscles or push a big gear for the speed?

ive just been reading about the LEL you guys are seriously barmy.

Sounds like you'll fit into my group rides ok, that's about the speed we go  It takes about 2.5 - 3hrs usually to do the 20miles with a refreshment stop about 2/3rds the way round. There are always mountain bikes along and an age range from teens to OAPs.
The dog walkers on the redways are always fun I pass Willen lake daily and it gets mad there in the summer.

The first thing I would do is change the tyres from nobblies, unless you do lots of offroading they are unnecessary on the redways. Ride at a cadence that's comfortable and as you get fitter you will find a speed that suits you.

Rich.

[Charlotte]

Well done!  Maybe you deserve that pint after all?

Definitely learn to spin a higher cadence rather than pushing a big gear.  Your knees will thank you in the long run.

[RichForrest]

Don't know where abouts you are in MK but if you want to check the routes I use for the rides they are all on Find Bike Trails at Bikely.com

Rich

[jogler]

oh yes ive just been reading about the LEL you guys are seriously barmy.

certiifiable actualy,& some have been I reckon.This is the place where the lunatics run the asylum

welcome to the forum

[jelly legs]

thanks rich.
im in oldbrook right in the centre so its hard to find decent routes. i rode to stony stratford today along the v4 so not really that hilly.

[RichForrest]

I'm in Fenny Stratford myself.
A nice route near you is if you go down to the station across the railway line and turn left you can pick up Route 51 that takes you towards Winslow past teardrop and Furzton lakes. It's signposted and mostly on cycle tracks, there's also pubs and cafes at Winslow for a break. We had 50 people turn up for the ride there one Sunday 
Route 51 goes the other way also towards Bedford but there is a nice cafe at Marston Vale Forest Centre if you don't want to cycle all the way.

[jogler]

I'm in Fenny Stratford myself.

that's a brave admissin Rich

[teethgrinder]

Get out often and don't worry about doing too much. Better to do 10 miles every day than one 100 miler once a fortnight. Can you cycle to work? That makes a big difference. It'll save you money too if you usualy drive a car or use the bus. Don't worry about speed either, just go out and enjoy.
Slick tyres will help you go faster, but I'd wear out the knobblies first myself. Get your money's worth out of them. Plus they'll help you get fit. You'll really notice it if you swap to slicks then. Unless you want to do offroading too, then I keep the knobblies for that.
Woburn and The Brickhills is the honeypot for mountain biking.

We could always go for an evening or early morning ride. But I can only do Mondays and Fridays for evening rides.

I'm in Fenny Stratford myself.

that's a brave admissin Rich

I'm posh. I'm from Two Mile Ash. 

[jelly legs]

thanks teethgrinder. your house is probably bigger than our whole street.
how early is early?
but i would love to come on a ride sometime. if your gentle with me. im pretty new to the area too and not really sure of whats about and where to avoid ive noticed some dodgy looking areas including where i live.

[3peaker]

Loads of practical advise here and you might think about entering 100km Audaxes soon.  And then 150s and then 200s and you may be hooked!!!  But have you noticed any change to the weight?  You will need to eat calories to maintain the effort on the bike but if you are carrying a few extra pounds then that is where some of those Cals will come from. Eat less on the days in between? And check the quality; stay off (low) on the junk foods. If you check out the profiles of regular cyclists, you will find we are not carrying much fat up those hills.  Also, if you can reduce the smoke, your lungs will respond and provide extra capacity.  It may be that a belief in the benefits of cycling and a new lifestyle will persuade you.

If you have had dodgy knees, then spinning 80-100 rpm will preserve.  Club-style riding will find you with folk who can provide loads of advise on bike set-up, position, clothing etc.

SteveP
BC Club Coach
ABCC Level 3 Coach