Ande Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Went out on my first decently long ride today. My sister accompanied me on her e-bike. According to the kingsong app, I covered 26km, so probably a bit less than that in real life. Felt great on the “out” part of th journey, but really struggled on the return leg. I think I was both mentally, and physically tired. What really surprised me was how much it took out of my legs. They felt like jelly on the home run, to the point where my control inputs started suffering, and my balance suddenly took a turn for the worst. Nothing drastic. I didn’t fall off or anything, but really struggled. Also, I had a strange phenomena whereby I felt like I was suddenly balancing precariously on a pin head, and was due to fall off at any second. Very disconcerting, as I’d felt rock- solid initially. I actually had to get off for a stretch, and walk a couple of hundred yards to get my mind and body to settle down a bit. I think my main problem was going straight from small rides around the block, to a comparatively epic voyage. Is it normal to feel so fatigued in the early days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaz Bon Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 It will get easier Conditioning as they call it Try different types of shoes and as you improve foot movement while riding helps What wheel you riding KS ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 Hi Gaz Shoes-wise, I’m quite happy, as I have some motorbike boots, that are ankle length, and part-trainer. Super comfy, and very supportive. It was more my thighs and upper legs that developed the shakes. I’m riding the KS18L. Oh, and I’m the wrong side of fifty which can’t help much either, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick McCutcheon Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Congrats on your first journey! It does get easier as you do more long rides, it’s a different experience than short trips. Just like how your ankles hurt when you first start short-distance riding, and the pain goes away as your muscles get stronger and are able to control the wheel better, your legs will hurt during the first few long rides as you develop strength. Also it’s not a bad thing to take breaks and sit down somewhere. Sometimes I have to take a few breaks on super long rides, and even if it’s just for a few minutes they do help a lot. No point in riding if you’re not enjoying it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeler Posted February 22, 2019 Share Posted February 22, 2019 Good going @Ande. I am a newbie, too and I'm also getting "up there". Just celebrated my 53rd! Your report of jelly legs and "losing the plot" sound all too familiar. Rest assured that you will find your legs. I haven't taken a ride anywhere near as long as yours but I felt exactly the same as you did on my longest one. Later on, I added in quite a few sessions in a deserted parking lot where I practiced slaloms around car stops and quick stopping. This might have worked more muscles than straight rides around the block and now I rarely feel fatigued. And, as @Nick McCutcheon said, take some breaks. Too often we forget to stop and appreciate where we went. There are so many places I've explored on my wheel that I wouldn't have bothered to see if I were driving. Cheers! 😃 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted February 22, 2019 Author Share Posted February 22, 2019 Thanks both. I did have a couple of rests on the way back. A few minutes sucking in the air on a bench worked wonders. Guess I just need to build up the necessary strength. I really need some car park time too, to reinforce some basics. As it is, I’m just riding off, and picking it up along the way. Slalom would be a good thing for me to practice, and I could do with inducing tilt back, in a controlled environment, so as not to get caught out come the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sidewalk Enforcer Posted February 23, 2019 Share Posted February 23, 2019 Consolation from a fellow newbie here - only been riding for ~ 1 month. Your experience sounds very familiar, heck after the first week I was so black and blue from contact with the wheel that my work colleagues were concerned for my well being. I've found that it's always a bad idea to try and exceed the limits of my body's endurance and when those signals show up I have to stop, rest a bit and reset. If I try and "force" it, my control of the wheel gets even worse and end having near misses with parked cars, potholes, lamp posts etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 On 2/23/2019 at 9:43 AM, Sidewalk Enforcer said: Consolation from a fellow newbie here - only been riding for ~ 1 month. Your experience sounds very familiar, heck after the first week I was so black and blue from contact with the wheel that my work colleagues were concerned for my well being. I've found that it's always a bad idea to try and exceed the limits of my body's endurance and when those signals show up I have to stop, rest a bit and reset. If I try and "force" it, my control of the wheel gets even worse and end having near misses with parked cars, potholes, lamp posts etc. Glad I’m not alone in my ineptitude and newbie-ness, lol. Definitely going to downsize the next trip. I’m off to Holland for a few days, and won’t have any time to ride out there, so I’ll start anew at the end of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeler Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 One quick tip.. instead of doing slaloms around car stops (which could be dangerous) I pretend that parts of the painted lines are obstacles and use those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ande Posted February 24, 2019 Author Share Posted February 24, 2019 Or just weave in and out of the myriad of dog-turds around here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olav Posted February 24, 2019 Share Posted February 24, 2019 9 minutes ago, Ande said: Or just weave in and out of the myriad of dog-turds around here I would recommend avoiding those yes, otherwise it would suck (and stink ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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