AllanC

Nice to meet Elaine and Allan for first time. Great run and lovely day.

Great run with good company and fantastic weather
 
Large bunch of 11 headed for the coast via Kilbirnie nice coffee stop and the now claimed 30 miler Bagel Basket where we met the main bunch famous 5 , out numbered they finished their stop early as we invited them to leave cause we wanted the table they were sat at
 
Allan was a bit tired and decided to get the train home fair play to him for making it to Largs after a long lay off the bike
We finished our 4 course lunch and headed towards Greenock and i have to say when i got to the rear of the bunch what a sight it was watching everyone ride together and in unison some idiot drivers out on a Sunday but we can live with that. I think the point has been proven that riding properly makes us all a little faster and safer well done everyone
 
Big thanks to Elaine M for the route i really had fun on my bike today See me? See happy?
 
Greig & Elaine :banana

Thanks to everyone for making me feel very welcome. Although I only made it to Largs this time I thoroughly enjoyed it nonetheless. Major kudos to Greig for hanging back and helping me drag my ample carcass up the hills outside Kilbirnie, when all I wanted to do was sit on the grass and cry for my mammy. The same goes for the rest who kindly regrouped a couple of times to let me catch up.
 
Thanks for a great morning, and for introducing me to The Bagel Basket!

I'm out on the bike with a few clients on Friday (cycling is the new golf for doing business) so probably not for me.
 
M

If you think we have it bad with potholes....check this one out. Thankfully it's in Ireland.
 

Ross
Do you want me so send you phot of the front of the bike as you have only ever seen the back of it

Allan,
 
I'm officially Skinny! and delight in reminding Billy Mac of that fact.
 
When I started riding my bike properly (debatable) with the club I was 12 and a half stone - too much of a well know Irish stout and a break from proper structured exercise. I now sit comfortably between 10 and a half and 11 stone depending on the time of year.
 
My advice would be to do regular long steady miles but gradually increasing speed and the amount of miles over time as your fitness improves and body adapts. When I started with the club I was doing a club run at the weekend Dec - Mar, and added 2 long commutes (20 miles+each way) during the week from mid March onwards, adding in the confined events in as they appeared on the calendar. Probably starting at 70 miles/week increasing to 200+ miles/week by mid summer.
 
On the food front - Breakfast! everyday don't skip it. The rest, in balance and generally a common sense approach worked for me. I didn't specifically cut anything out. Less Irish stout I suppose. I tend not to snack later in the evening unless after a bike ride and I don't really do takeaway food. I lost the weight fairly quickly, probably most of it in 6 months the rest within a year. To be fair it wasn't my primary goal, getting fit enough to ride in the main bunch at the time was. As others have alluded to here get out ride your bike in a constructive way, while keeping an eye on what you're eating and the rest will happen.
 
Good luck.
 
M
 
One last piece of advice - get a good tailor. Mine loves me given the number of suits, shirts and other items I have had to get altered.

Allan
Any increase in activity provided you don't increase your intake will result in weight loss
My only concern is if you are using only cadence I suppose it would be lower cadence and steady but don't know enough all I know if I spin a high cadence my heart rate rises lower cadence my legs get tired
Sorry not much help

Allan I speak as someone who has recently shed over 10kg since this time last year. First of all don't expect immediate results. Aim for the long term e.g. a year from now so that any weight is lost gradually. In order to do this unfortunately it is far more to do with what you do off the bike as opposed to what you do on it. You need to establish a calorie deficit based on your base metabolic rate (the no of calories you consume without exercise) and then adjust this intake for days you ride the bike e.g. a calorie burn of 800 calories = 800 more calories you can eat. BUT * and here's the important bit. you can't just eat anything to make up the 800 calories. You have to eat according to a balanced diet of slightly more protein (meat eggs chicken turkey fish etc.) and you have to time when you eat carbs to coincide with any activity which you will be doing. As Billy will agree 'racing weight' is a very good book which you can read which goes into this in great detail. Best of luck hope to hear how you get on

HI Allan
 
If you just wish to lose weight then your cadence is irrelevant.
 
Faster cadence is more efficient for most people but as long as you are moving your legs you are losing weight.
 
Even an easy hour of riding will burn up around 500 calories.
 
Unless you are a real numbers guy I suggest the best use for your Garmin is to record lots of riding, especially on hills, and enjoy watching the mileage stack up.
 
It is a great little GPS and good fun to see your route later.
 
Register on Strava and have a go at some of the local segments. The weight will drop off and you will get fit.
 
If you try to stick in HR or cadence zones you will find it difficult to ride with others and you will drive them mental by asking them to speed up or slow down.
 
I have had a few cadence and HR meters and found them pretty pointless after the novelty wore off (twenty minutes).
 
 
Alan

Duh. It's Harlem Shake.
 
Harlem Shuffle was a stones song.
 
Down with the kids Donnelly

Witty banter?
 
Is your mrs a patter merchant then?

'mon the bikies!

Coming soon