Aren't Bicycles Great.

brat

daivid wrote: »

It's very rare for me to have a camera with me when I cycle but as Sunday was an exception I can share a cycling photo at last:



I hope you all had/have the chance to catch some of the Tour of Britain, it was great to see a decent turn out of spectators:

Got a nice 90 mile group cycle trip planned for tomorrow to take in the stage finish at Hartside. :j :beer:

wealdroam

daivid wrote: »

Surprised those Skoda plumes in the front two riders' helmets don't slow them down.

daivid

wealdroam wrote: »

Surprised those Skoda plumes in the front two riders' helmets don't slow them down.

You'd have thought so! Explains how everyone else knew who to follow though...

What I could't help thinking was "I'm sure the delivery company that sponsor this event would be happier if their van driver shut the side door so their name was prominant in photos and tv footage"

Johnmcl7

brat wrote: »

That's the crux of it for me. I have road cycling friends who spend most of their time on the flat, taking on the occasional sprint (usually a strava segment :cool:) to mix it up a bit. I prefer to stick a few hills in and use them as my heart rate raiser.

For calorie consumption to lose weight I think it's important to do what you enjoy most so that you will spend more time on the bike. You can use up to 8,000 calories in a 10 hour weekly cycling plan (depending on bodyweight and effort), which is about 2.5lbs in weight per week. If you do that, you could look at a reasonable weight loss programme of about 6lbs per month while still eating relatively normally.

It seems completely obvious but it surprises me how many people take part in fitness regimes they hate doing and spend most of their time trying to avoid. People are often puzzled by my mountain biking as I don't do it for fitness so the idea of getting enjoyment from plunging into dark and mucky forests in cold and wet conditions seems completely daft. I'll admit I thought the same after my second night ride (and second MTB ride) as I'd struggled in the dark muddy conditions lacking the fitness, ability and lights. Even as I slowly got better I still couldn't understand why some in the group needed to get out on the ride regardless of the conditions.

Now of course I do understand although probably can't explain it either, I look forward to my weekly group rides particularly if I've been having a stressful week as it's a great release. It's also great that it's enjoyable pretty much all year round regardless of the light levels or weather.

I've not been out for a couple of weeks on the bike though which has been frustrating, I have a minor neck injury that has been slow to heal and the bike is obviously not good for that as I don't want to risk agitating it. I had the road bike back out today for work and my muscles felt a bit stiff when accelerating which is quite surprising for such a short break but felt fine otherwise and hoping to get back on the MTB tomorrow night. The nights are fair coming in fast though so it's time to dig out the proper lights to banish the darkness.

John

Retrogamer

When i was younger i used to do a lot of mountain biking and bmxing mainly for the fun element. Regular cycling back then was just to kill boredom or to go somewhere on the cheap.

Nowadays i still love mountain biking and have a lot of fun with it. I'm in my earlier 30's and have an office job with very long hours and drive for my commute so the weight's piled on over the years. Bad diet as well sadly.

Part of wanting to lose the weight is for the health side but another part of it is it'll mean i can have a lot more fun on the mountain bike as i'm not carrying as much redundant weight. After a few jumps or on technical tracks with a lot of corners and downhill my arms are like jelly from all the weight transfer.On the uphill on off road i usually need to dismount a lot as well and walk as just don't have the strength and stamini to keep going.

Ideally i'd like to keep the muscle i have just now and lose the redundant weight so i can enjoy the cycling more. Go faster on the tracks and higher on the jumps and keep it up for longer.
Ideally i'd like to lose 3-4 stone but i only have 3 days off a week i can cycle due to the long hours. With the working shift and the commute i'm out the house about 12-13 hours a day.

Rummer

Interesting chat on cycling for weight loss as it was one of the reasons I invested in a bike. I have a bit to lose and thought cycling would be a fun way to do it. It is hard to get out some days so I am looking at an exercise bike so I can cycle indoors too.

So far I have been using interval style training with a warm up then sprints with slower breaks in-between. I can see a steady improvement in my fitness levels however as Daivid said I need to get my diet sorted to see the impact on my weight.

Richard53

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

It seems completely obvious but it surprises me how many people take part in fitness regimes they hate doing and spend most of their time trying to avoid.

Retrogamer wrote: »

Ideally i'd like to lose 3-4 stone but i only have 3 days off a week i can cycle due to the long hours. With the working shift and the commute i'm out the house about 12-13 hours a day.

I have been an exercise-phobe all my life (probably after bad experiences with school PE) and the thought of spending time in a gym turns me off. Same with running. I even have a cross-trainer at home that I never use because it bores me silly. But I have always loved bicycles and cycling, even if I was never very good at it. This year, I took the bull by the horns and started riding to work. It's only alternate days, and the bike has electrical assistance, but 13 hilly miles is a good workout and since April I have lost 3½ stone. I have been using MFP in the way Brat relates above to keep my calorie intake sensible. I am now much fitter (and lighter) and have bought a road bike and fully refurbed my MTB, with a view to selling the electric bike in the Spring and using one of the pushbikes for the commute. I work long shifts too (12 hours working plus 2 hours commuting on the days I use the bike) but the overall result is well worth it.


Point is, if your exercise is something you love, you will do it and stick with it for the length of time necessary to make a big change.

brat

What a day to have a ride out to see the tour! 93 miles of hills, over Shap and up to Hartside.

Viewed the race from Kirkoswald then near the summit of Hartside. Lots of cyclists out enjoying the weather and the event.

Kirkoswald





Hartside






Aren't Bicycles Great!!

Very_Goodman

I think the bike - it's really cool! it's a pitty that I realized this only recently. I did not know how to ride a bike until last summer. now I realize how much I had lost.

armyknife

brat wrote: »

What a day to have a ride out to see the tour! 93 miles of hills, over Shap and up to Hartside.

Viewed the race from Kirkoswald then near the summit of Hartside. Lots of cyclists out enjoying the weather and the event.

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Aren't Bicycles Great!!

Yeah, great day by the look of it, thanks for the photos.

Brat, did the motorcyclist copper recognise you as a collegue?