Fitness through cycling

[Bungleaio]

I bought a hybrid late last summer and it's amazing how fast you will be able to build up your stamina. I came up with a circular route of about 5 miles and after a week or so I was doing multiple laps of it. This was going from doing zero excercise.

Sadly I've not been out since last october but now the evenings are getting lighter I will be out again.

[Cheib]

It's very easy to be lazy on a bike even if you think you're exercising....get yourself a simple Heart Rate Monitor so you can quantify how hard you are working yourself and how hard you can push yourself without blowing up.

[BlackVanDyke]

My most favourite person in the entire world has been an enthusiastic cyclist for a long time, but is now slowly transforming into a very, very seriously good amateur cyclist who takes her cycling very seriously and puts in a huge amount of hard work.

This has coincided with her becoming vastly more physically fit and considerably less overweight.

Things I've seen that have and haven't worked for her (this list with her input):
- don't spend silly money on a bike. Get something that'll work, and for now that'll be plenty. You can always go for the nicer toys later on once you know what you want (eg once you've been cycling more than a hundred miles a week for a good few months, at least).
- DO get yourself kit that fits properly and keeps you warm/cool etc. enough. Aldi jerseys etc are good enough for about half the pro cyclists based round here (I'm about 5 miles away from the base of pretty much all British cycling) - again, no silly money required.
- don't start off with ridiculously high ambitions of doing 35 miles in your one hour a day or climbing several kilometers a week. You'll break yourself and end up less fit than before you started.
- have a look at Strava, Silly Commuter Racing (google it!) and so on. Loads of people seem to thrive on even quite minor bits of competition.
- read and reflect on the Rules of the Velominati. Have a good laugh and then go and get on your bike.

[Hoofy]

I suppose when it comes down to it, if you cycle enough then you'd have to eat an incredible amount to get fat. The question is, how far do you have to cycle a week to be lean and not worry about what you're eating?

[williamp]

havent done the maths mileage yet, but I have looked at y diet. Looking at the goodies- sweets, alcohol, even soft drinks then I consume nearly 5,500 calories a week- so I am consuming 9 days worth of callories every 7 days. Cutting these out and the cycling should see my weight drop.

I have been doing 15 mins of hard cycling eveyr day now: coast to the bottom of the local hill, cycle up it hard, then coast back down and repeat. I did this 6 times (I'm starting from a low base, remember) but its very hard work in the end which must mean its better then a long cycle along the toepath

[Hoofy]

Nice going, Williamp, everything helps and we all have to start somewhere! Keep going and you will see the results.

Check out this blog: http://theamazing39stonecyclist.wordpress.com/pict...

[otolith]

Dug the bikes out for the first time this year, pumped all the tyres up and off we went - less than a mile down the road, flat as a pancake. Leaking around the base of the valve stem. Sent the mrs to the local bike shop to get me a new inner tube while I walked my bike back

Ended up doing about 12 miles once the tube was replaced, and felt we could have done a lot more if there had been time. Wife has a milestone on her running programme tomorrow, though, so didn't want to do too much first time out. Will probably do 20 or so miles next weekend.

[BlackVanDyke]

swerni said:

And always remember rule 5

Exactly!

[helmutlaang]

I started off road cycling on a 300 Carerra from Halfords last year.

Started doing laps of the local bypass (7 miles) then going further afield as fitness improved.

Carried on through the winter and this week have done 50 miles in 3 sessions (2x20 and a 10 today)

Longest run has been a 40 mile session which took aroung 2hrs 20 mins.

Unfortunatley I have a sweet tooth so am maintaining rather than losing weight.

Start off slow and build strengh/stamina.Only do what you feel comfortable doing to start with.Make up a couple of nice routes and when you get used to them try and better your time.

If you are going out in poor weather wrap up warm.

I weighted 110kg last August and now I am 93kg.A little bit of deiting but mostly cycling has done this.I also joined the gym so I could keep it up when the weather was truly vile.

Enjoy it!