am i being over ambitous? fitness people please!

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am i being over ambitous? fitness people please!

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well im about 3/4 stone overweight, i used to ride everywhere on bikes before i passed my test, then things happened(long story) and i stopped riding as much then none existant.

i bought a new bike earlier this year to get fit and ride again (loved xc mountain biking) and never really did much, apart from hit a tree and end up in casualty.

my motivation to do this has not been a priority (jobs, house, money etc) but now i wanna get fit again, so........

i kind of volounteered to do a 200 mile bike ride in may next year, giving me something to work towards.

have i got time to get right for it? what shoud i do? i cant use treadmills because i need to keep impact on my knee to a minimum ( i buggered it 11 years ago riding). i was thinking plenty of riding (obviously) and swimming.

any ideas/thoughts?
 
Course you have :D I kicked off my first cycling for 20 years with a 17 mile bike ride and amazingly enough didn't hurt the next day :eek: Though it was pretty flat.

You could also use a cross trainer if you were gymming it, plus (gentle to start) squats, lunges, deadlifts (including rows to help shoulders) and calf raises to help tone legs. Also I did my left knee in walking/ climbing so now use a neoprene support and find it excellent, don't know if this would be any help to you?

Good luck and don't forget to post your sponsorship up nearer the time!
 
It does depend on how long you have to complete the 200 mile bike ride. 50 fairly gentle miles a day would be quite easy for anyone with a reasonable level of fitness. Doing 200 miles in a day would be a killer though! How long are you expected to complete the trip in?

I'm in not too bad shape for my age and when I took up cycling again it was a matter of weeks before I was easily doing 25 miles in two hours. Shame I got hit by dangerous driving prick in a Mercedes and got put off road riding :(
 
I wouldnt say its out of the question at all, Id recommend working on your cardio vascuar system so its not so much of a shock to the system but ovbiously your gonna be working that when you go riding and other exercise's

I would try and get a gental jog in once a week or at least try something like power walking

how long have you got to do the 200 miles

good luck with it all im sure you can do it
 
about three days to do it, but it involves moors and pennines.....

thinking of starting pretty soon, no point leaving it till after xmas.

joggings not really good. i may also start weekend walks as well as i find with me knee i can walk all day or stand on it all day, its if i stop for more than 15 mins im in agony and it siezes
 
about three days to do it, but it involves moors and pennines.....

thinking of starting pretty soon, no point leaving it till after xmas.

joggings not really good. i may also start weekend walks as well as i find with me knee i can walk all day or stand on it all day, its if i stop for more than 15 mins im in agony and it siezes

i reckon you will be fine with it

just gradually build up your riding times and distances so you dont do yourself any more damage and then just give it a bloody good go
 
I have kept an eye on this thread for a few days now but haven't had a chance to post.

You will be fine, as has been said above. Make sure you do plenty of cardio and work on your legs. Try not to build too much muscle, as at the end of the day you have to carry the weight!

Also, make sure you build up your core as it is very important to cycling.

I am doing Land's End to John O'Groats in April next year and previous to starting training in September, I had not really done too much cycling, so you should be OK. What cycle is it you are doing? Is it an organised event?

P
 
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