# need advice, my mapmyride map included.



## respro (Jun 21, 2012)

Viewing 12.09 mile Road Cycling in Augusta on Jul 3, 2012 at 10:42 am | MapMyRIDE
42yo, 260lbs. Getting back into biking after a several year layoff. (Never been ANY good at climbing. So far i've been on the trainer several times and riding a couple of times. The ride in the mapmyride link was brutal. I stopped on almost all the climbs after the first couple. It was 90+ degrees and almost no wind. The night before I drank a bunch of water as well as the next morning. Two Mcdonalds breakfast biscuits and more water before and during the ride. My primary goal is 185lbs. 2nd goal is to enjoy riding again. 2nd goal requires being able to climb at a decent pace. 3rd goal is to race maybe. So please take a look at my map and make suggestions if you like. Thanks.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

1. keep riding. that's the only way to get better. nothing wrong with sneaking in quick breaks.

2. Mickie D's for breakfast probably not the best fuel for a ride

3. see if your LBS offers beginner group rides (no drop)


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## willieboy (Nov 27, 2010)

You will be fine in time. This sport takes just that. My first ride about two years ago was 4.5 miles and I felt totally spent. Do not get discouraged. With time you will improve. Your diet and hydration will play a huge part in your success. Also be sure to get plenty of sleep as that aids in recovery. Lastly, don't worry about speed and maintain healthy heart rate and cadence levels. You will smoke that route in no time  And then more and more achievements.  Keep rolling !


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## RJP Diver (Jul 2, 2010)

Just keep riding. 

And stop eating McDonald's Breakfast Biscuits, whether before a ride or not. Depending on which biscuit you're talking about you ingested between 840 and 1020 calories. You didn't burn off anywhere near that amount on your ride. (Plus, more than half the calories were from fat.) Eating more calories than you burn isn't going to get you from 260lbs to 185lbs.

http://nutrition.mcdonalds.com/getnutrition/nutritionfacts.pdf


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## Allthatflash (Jun 7, 2012)

Your ride wasn't that bad it was good and short with climbing upto 436 ft which is not that high but if you keep at it those small climbs will get you the leg power you need. Mc D is like drinkling soda, taste great but really bad for you.....#1 rule eliminate all the junk food and @260 lbs you had enough of it already in your life, so in order to drop all those pounds you need to get serious on dropping all those fat producing junk. Like someone said you ate more then you burned on that ride, so you need to re-evaluate your goals because if you can't stop if bingin on Mc D's foos then you need to add about 20 miles to your rides....Sorry if this is being harsh but there is no easy way to put it. good luck, keep working hard and have fun


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

respro said:


> The night before I drank a bunch of water as well as the next morning. Two Mcdonalds breakfast biscuits and more water before and during the ride.


You're eating and drinking WAY too much. Not to mention you're eating McCrap.

On a 12mi ride, you're not even really getting to the point where your body is digesting all that or needing it. As mentioned, you've consumed 800+ calories (of garbage) and probably only burned off a couple hundred calories. One step forward, three steps back. 

It's important to stay hydrated in this heat. Pre-hydrating is definitely smart. But you don't need that much for a short ride. Drink some water the night before. A bottle before you go, and one bottle per hour is about all you need.

How long did it take you to ride 12mi?


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## respro (Jun 21, 2012)

1.25Hr for the ride. Took several 5 minute breaks (on the upswing of the last several hills).


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## respro (Jun 21, 2012)

So this was going to be my next search or thread. What should I be eating and drinking. Currently I have lost about 15 pounds by just cutting back. Now I want to get into great riding shape, I'm at a loss when it comes to food. I hear people say you need to eat so you won't bonk. I just don't know what to eat so I'll have enough energy for the rides and still get the benfit of losing weight. Any links to other threads on this or info would be greatly appreciated.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

respro said:


> I hear people say you need to eat so you won't bonk. I just don't know what to eat so I'll have enough energy for the rides and still get the benfit of losing weight. Any links to other threads on this or info would be greatly appreciated.


For a 1hr ride, you really don't need to eat anything. You won't burn enough calories, plus it's not enough time to really digest it. You have enough calories stored in your body to suffice for 1hr. 
People talking about having energy to not bonk for rides are talking about multi hour rides. 2,3,4, 5hrs.

Here's some good info...
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/racing-training-nutrition-triathlons/need-more-calories-282206.html

Check out the threads over at.....
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/racing-training-nutrition-triathlons/


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## RJP Diver (Jul 2, 2010)

tlg said:


> For a 1hr ride, you really don't need to eat anything. You won't burn enough calories, plus it's not enough time to really digest it. You have enough calories stored in your body to suffice for 1hr.


I might recommend a single GU gel or similar 15min before a 1hr ride, just to take the edge off. Riders who weight 160lbs and are accustomed to riding harder/longer don't need extra calories for a 1hr ride. But a person weighing 260lbs and not used to pushing it might do well to throw 90cal of "energy" in the tank before heading out. 

Just a thought.


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## Allthatflash (Jun 7, 2012)

RJP might be right for you ....instead of chowing down two big Macs take a energy bar before you head out, Keep the hills as part of your work out to build the lags and every ride make it longer and longer....soon you will see the drop if you an keep your hands out of th ecookie jar and eat healthy.

I have a diet and it works for me.... 2 packets of instant oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch and a reg dinner (I don't mean an all you can eat steak and potatoes either) with regular rides and hitting the gym 3 times a week I have lost 30 pounds and now maintaing at 165 but if I cut the lifting I can probably get to 155 very easy with my 20-30 miles rides during the week and weekend. I was in your shoes last year so you got to keep the regiment and you MUSt hold back on the the junk food(no soda,Mc Ds, bread,danish, anything with corn syrup of any kind)


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## torch511 (Mar 4, 2012)

I know that area! Was stationed at Benning for a while, been to Gordon a couple of times. Never biked there but I certain ran in the area. Short hills, but lots of them. Benning was similar to that. Nothing compared to Mt. Phase, but sill enough to put some hurt on you.

To defend McD's - the McDonalds Egg McMuffin with Ham (no cheese) is not such a bad breakfast. Though one is plenty. It is in the "Eat This Not That" books. Most of the menu is BAD, and I mean REALLY BAD for you.

But to echo others, you really don't need to "Fuel Up" for a ride of that duration. When you start doing rides of 50+ miles THEN worry about bonking. And then it's not so much what you eat, but that you are eating something.


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## the_don (Mar 23, 2008)

I agree with everything here, 

I have found that the best way to loose weight is to cut back on the food intake.

I am currently on a weight loss "binge" to get back down to my weight 2 years ago, i managed to put on 10 kilos and hit 81kg, I have lost 7 kilos in the past couple of months, so well on my way back down.

I aim for a daily intake of 1500kcals a day, which equates to about 1kg loss a week (2.2lbs) I was also clueless about weight loss, but I got the calorie count app (free and they have a website you can use if you don't want to use the app) You can search food and they have a huge user generated database of food products and nutrition information.

Before I got into the calorie counting, I was doing a lot of training, 5km run in the morning, with a 1.5km fast swim in the evening, and alternating days with 1hr rides in the morning before work, I got healthy, but didn't loose weight (I was probably building muscle though). So now, I count the calories to loose the weight, and do the exercise for the health benefits. Don't rely only on exercise to loose weight, because it will never work, especially as we are terrible at estimating how many calories we burn when exercising and how many we eat.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

Well done on getting back on the bike. That's the first and biggest step to take. I would recommend thinking about riding in terms of time, at least for a while. Shoot to being able to go out for 1 hour at least 4 days a week and do something longer 1-2 other days. If you could build up to 1 hour on 4 days a week and 2+ hours on 2 other days you'd be golden. 

To do that I'd start trying ride at least 3 days a week doing what you're doing. Just go out and have fun. Add days and duration as you feel up to it.

I will echo the sentiment that you don't need to worry to much about food on a one hour ride. Have a normal breakfast and go for it. Make sure to drink plenty of water when it's hot out. For all around diet I'd shoot to eat lots of veggies and whole grains, plenty of fruit, beans and legumes, not too much meat (if any) and not too many sweets. Limit processed foods and pop as much as possible. In fact, ditch pop entirely.

Figure out how to ride in a way that's fun for you, you'll be way more likely to stick to it. I know that for me I'm way more inclined to ride and ride long (3-6 hours) when I'm enjoying myself. Good luck!


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