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newbie question

Hello,
Sorry to bother you with this (probably) stupid question. It's just that I'm
a 32 year old novice and don't know where to find my answer. I've been
riding for about two months and have an interest in racing, perhaps in
triathlons. I'm trying to find out if I'm genetically predisposed to be
successful at cycling. Tonight I rode 70 minutes taking in about 17+ miles.
I averaged around 90-95 rpm's for the entire ride with many times going over
100 rpm's for several minutes at a time. Even though I stopped after 70
minutes I felt I could still go on and on and on. The thing is, I don't know
if this is good, poor, excellent, or what exactly I should aim for. Any help would be
appreciated.
sincerely,
Christopher

Comments

  • Hi Christopher,

    I am a newbie myself, and have found that reading some of the recommended books for beginners is a great help. The easiest to digest is TRIATHLON 101, but if you have time constraints Eric Harrs Triathlon Training in four hours a week is great. It sounds to me as though you are getting a little stressed about it, don't, just enjoy it. Train hard (but sensible) and set your sites on a target (maybe your first tri, as I have done), and just build up to it. As they say, it takes years to build the groundwork fitness to be at your peak, so just enjoy the journey!!!

    Hope this helps.

    Andy[:D][:D][:D]
  • chischis Posts: 94
    Hi Christopher (gentlesavage)



    Your first effort sounds promising to me especially if you felt good an could have carried on further. As a former PE teacher, experienced runner but fairly new to triathlon and duathlon I would applaud your efforts and encourage you to push on and have a go at a sprint event - sprint triathlon if you are happy to swim - but also a short course duathlon will give a real flavour of the multi-sport scene. Believe me the whole atmosphere is brilliant and such good fun.



    Don't be put off by being a new starter - you will find a lot of us at any event. Also we all start with entry level gear so don't worry about whether you have all the expensive kit - it doesn't matter. What is important is that you get stuck in and enjoy yourself - you will make good progress. Also you will get an idea of where you are in relation to others of your age and experience.



    Chis
  • bigmatbigmat Posts: 20
    hi chris,



    thought i'd drop you a line to give you a few words of encouragement.



    i come from a pretty strong cycling background, and got into triathlon last year, and would definitely say have a go. i was pretty nervous about my first event last year, the swim in particular, but once i'd finished it, i couldn't wait to enter another one. i'd raced 8 times by the end of the season.



    if you're just starting out on the bike rides then 17+ miles in just over an hour is pretty good. you'll find that the more you ride the longer your rides will get, and the more you'll get used to just being on a bike. if you're doing that sort of mph on your training rides, then i'd say you're ok on a bike, and you've got nothing to worry about as far as triathlons go. no offence to anybody reading this, but from what i've seen triathletes are no where near as good on the bike as a dedicated cyclist, so it's a lot easier for a beginner to get into triathlon, and you should give it a go. it is a very friendly sport, and i much prefer it to just cycling.



    andy's right. just relax and enjoy it, and don't worry about all the kit. i've seen people racing with shopping baskets on their bikes.



    i don't think you'll regret it.



    matt



  • WardyWardy Posts: 2
    Have to agree with Big Mat.

    Chris you are doing fine....

    A few tips if I may...

    1. Concentrate on a smooth effective stroke...by that I mean make sure that you are pushing (and pulling ) equally on the pedals.



    2. Mix it up a bit...try some out of the saddle bursts for 15 seconds or find a short hill and climb it a couple of times.



    3. ENJOY IT.......don't worry about what other people are doing.......the more you put in the better you will become.....I started in 1994 and I'm still enjoying and learning.



    To be honest at this time of year you are doing well!!



  • wanted to thank all for the generous replies.

    --Christopher
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