Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts yesterday about my purchase (Domane SL7) and helped settle my doubts! Appreciate it a lot. Went for my first ride and it was simply awesome. Obviously still in kindergarten of cycling and was playing with gears, how to sit etc, but was such a thrill biking at 20 mph in some patches. Was tentative as I navigated the curves but let it rip on the straight sections. Man!!!! I can now feel why cycling is addictive.
So much to learn and I am excited to begin my cycling journey at 47! I was a couch potato up until 8 years ago, but got into a weight loss challenge at work and fell in love with running. I have maintained consistency (for most parts) and have run ~12,000 miles since then.
Any guidance on how to approach biking? I will admit I read a few books to train myself for half/full marathons and wondering if this group has any suggestions on learning how to bike?
Excited already about my ride tomorrow. Hopefully I can get 2 hours and see if I can do 30 miles! Got a padded bike short for the ride tomorrow and let’s see how the bum feels! 😂
by Cute_Offer_7352
1 Comment
No mistake, no regrets!
I’m terms of suggestions getting into it:
Don’t skimp too much on clothing, especially bib shorts. You won’t know right away what is right for you, but getting good quality, good fitting bibs can be a gamechanger.
Pace yourself. Eventually if you push the distance and the speed, you’ll feel the pain. Either just tired muscles or bonking which is literally running out of fuel in your muscles.
Learn what you need to eat on the bike. For longer rides, you will need to refuel as you ride. This is most commonly in the form of sugar. You could read a textbook on all the advanced fueling strategies, but in short, on the bike, refuel with sugar.
Riding in a group can be a lot of fun. There is surely an organization around you that welcomes beginner riders. There you can find a lot of knowledge as well as friends.
Being able to fix little things on your bike on a ride, especially a flat tire, is a great skill to have. Being prepared with a flat repair kit in a saddle bag and the know how to use it is essential.
That’s probably enough for now. Good luck!