Perceptions of cycling

I've just re-started cycling after a longggggg gap of over 10 years. I'm
22st and 6ft and once a week I cycle the 10.5 miles to work and 10.5 miles
back. When I'm fitter then I'm going to go the whole hog and cycle 15 miles
from my home to work and back.

Gareth

"Tim Hall" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A very good friend (no not me) has been told by his GP to sort his
lifestyle out. Cut out the [censored], drink less, do gentle excercise.
He's also on statins, to try and fix his high chlolesterol.

He packed in the [censored] at Easter (he's 50-ish and has smoked, blimey,
since he was a young man).

I said I'd go out for a trundle with him as gentle excercise and that
he should cycle the four miles to work. We haven't yet fixed a cycling
date and he still drives to work. And has bought a soft top as a "fun
car".

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Tim

Tim Hall said:

A very good friend (no not me) has been told by his GP to sort his
lifestyle out. Cut out the [censored], drink less, do gentle excercise.
He's also on statins, to try and fix his high chlolesterol.

He packed in the [censored] at Easter (he's 50-ish and has smoked, blimey,
since he was a young man).

I said I'd go out for a trundle with him as gentle excercise and that
he should cycle the four miles to work. We haven't yet fixed a cycling
date and he still drives to work. And has bought a soft top as a "fun
car".

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Tim

Normal perception and one I held till I came and resided here!!
has been shattered now and am going to ride to local town 7miles each
way and hilly once fit enough! will use route 8 instead of road though!
(would have used it pre sustranse anyway)
ttfn
Jane

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Don't tell 'em the distance in miles, tell 'em it in minutes. 4 miles is a
20 minute trundle[1]. At trundly speeds cycling is a pleasant and relaxing
way to get about - you get to sit down the whole way! That should persuade
'em.

Many people live completely sedentary lives and as such have neither the
muscles nor the lungs to do, well, anything really.

[1] 10-12mph

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Don't tell 'em the distance in miles, tell 'em it in minutes. 4 miles is a
20 minute trundle[1]. At trundly speeds cycling is a pleasant and relaxing
way to get about - you get to sit down the whole way! That should persuade
'em.

Many people live completely sedentary lives and as such have neither the
muscles nor the lungs to do, well, anything really.

[1] 10-12mph

Personally I think there is something in your hairdressers assumptions.

If your friend is very overweight and underfit,I would suggest working
up to the cycling by taking progressively longer walks and shed a bit of
weight prior to the cycling.

Sudden unacustomed excercise in the very obese can be quite
dangerous,and lets be honest cycling can sometimes be quite hard
excercise depending on where you live.

Sam Salt

Tim Hall said:

A very good friend (no not me) has been told by his GP to sort his
lifestyle out. Cut out the [censored], drink less, do gentle excercise.
He's also on statins, to try and fix his high chlolesterol.

He packed in the [censored] at Easter (he's 50-ish and has smoked, blimey,
since he was a young man).

I said I'd go out for a trundle with him as gentle excercise and that
he should cycle the four miles to work. We haven't yet fixed a cycling
date and he still drives to work. And has bought a soft top as a "fun
car".

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Most people are speechless and gobsmacked when I tell them I am
accompanying two primary school pupils cycling five miles into Central
London to collect an environmental award from Ken Livingstone. Others
are delighted. There are few in between.

--

"Sam Salt" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Don't tell 'em the distance in miles, tell 'em it in minutes. 4 miles is
a 20 minute trundle[1]. At trundly speeds cycling is a pleasant and
relaxing way to get about - you get to sit down the whole way! That
should persuade 'em.

Many people live completely sedentary lives and as such have neither the
muscles nor the lungs to do, well, anything really.

[1] 10-12mph

Personally I think there is something in your hairdressers assumptions.

If your friend is very overweight and underfit,I would suggest working up
to the cycling by taking progressively longer walks and shed a bit of
weight prior to the cycling.

Sudden unacustomed excercise in the very obese can be quite dangerous,and
lets be honest cycling can sometimes be quite hard excercise depending on
where you live.

Sam Salt

4 years ago I was 118 kg and a declared diabetic 2
I am now a fairly trim 85 kg and in 2004 and 2005 I cycled 5000 miles (
including two long cycle camping tours) and did less than 2000 each year in
my car.
This year I am behind schedule because I had 3 1/2 months with no cycling
due to broken ribs. But I have just got back from my annual long tour (
Rhein and Mosel) and so far this year I have managed 2137 miles.

I cycle every day and try and do 20 miles but it is usually about 100 to 120
a week.

And I take colestral and blood pressure tablets and an aspirin and an alpha
blocker ( prostate problems) every day.

Above all I am fitter and enjoy life so much more than I did 4 years ago.
Next year, if I can afford it I am hoping to do a trans USA coast to coast
to celebrate my 70 birthday.

At the York show I met lots of active cyclists in their 70's and I hope to
continue as long as I can. I had a long hard look at, and a 2 hours trial
ride on, a Trice recumbent that I would consider necessary for a long 4/5
month camping tour in USA but they are costly when fully equipped.

Anyway in the end -- just buy a reasonable bike ( your LBS will give you
good advice) and start pedalling.. It is worth every inch you lose from your
waist.
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

"Tim Hall" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Her view is quite normal of that held by non-cyclists about how difficult
cycling is perceived to be.

Cheers, helen s

I cycle to various places I am sent to by work. Usually up to 8 miles
away, but the occassional 15 miles does happen.

The clients are usually amazed that I have cycled "that far" and that
my legs must either "really ache" or "you must be fit enough to race"

So in answer most non cycling people are both amazed and amused by us
cyclists.

Lee

Tim Hall said:

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Tim

Mark Thompson pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com said:

Many people live completely sedentary lives and as such have neither the
muscles nor the lungs to do, well, anything really.

Which I didn't realise because most people I spend time with are fairly
fit. Until some weeks ago when a women who had lost her cat came to see me
as I had seen a cat near our house that fitted the description. She parked
at our house and we walked around the corner to where I had seen it,
probably a couple of hundred meters. Within a minute she was puffing and
saying she should have driven if she'd known it was this far....

Roos

in message <[email hidden]>, Tim Hall

(') said:

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Sadly, no.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Generally Not Used
;; Except by Middle Aged Computer Scientists

in message <[email hidden]>, Sam Salt

(') said:

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population
of the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Don't tell 'em the distance in miles, tell 'em it in minutes. 4 miles
is a
20 minute trundle[1]. At trundly speeds cycling is a pleasant and
relaxing
way to get about - you get to sit down the whole way! That should
persuade 'em.

Many people live completely sedentary lives and as such have neither
the muscles nor the lungs to do, well, anything really.

[1] 10-12mph

Personally I think there is something in your hairdressers assumptions.

If your friend is very overweight and underfit,I would suggest working
up to the cycling by taking progressively longer walks and shed a bit
of weight prior to the cycling.

Oh, come on, don't be ridiculous. Cycling at a gentle pace for 4 miles is
less work than walking 800 yards. Anyone who isn't fit enough to walk
800 yards is ready for a coffin.

There are people who for various bio-mechanical reasons can't walk, of
course, but that's a different issue from fitness.

Quoted message said:

Sudden unacustomed excercise in the very obese can be quite
dangerous,and lets be honest cycling can sometimes be quite hard
excercise depending on where you live.

No-one was suggesting taking him time-trialling.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; When all else fails, read the distractions.

There are four of us here who ride to work and all our co-workers think
that we're some sort of mad super humans so, of course, we don't
disabuse them of that image LOL

Robert

BigRab said:

There are four of us here who ride to work and all our co-workers think
that we're some sort of mad super humans so, of course, we don't
disabuse them of that image LOL

Looking around the lab, there are a number of cyclists (in fact pretty
much the whole lab). There are two randonneurs, a lass who used to do
sub 5h 100mile tt's, and most of the others ride or walk to work. One
is a very competitive (international standard) sailor.

So my little trundle last week was 'Oh, that was a good ride then'
rather than gobsmacked amazement. Another lad and his friend went to
Rock Ness. They took the train to Kingussie and walked in over a couple
of days.

They don't think I'm some kind of superfit freak..

;-(

...d

"Simon Brooke" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Tim Hall

(') said:

I was talking about this to my hairdresser, who was horrified that I
suggested he should cycle a whole 4 miles. She thought I'd kill him
off.

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Sadly, no.

--

I recently started cycling, having just been diagnosed as type 2 diabetic.
Medical advice (insistence) to take more exercise, and a reluctance to go to
a gym, resulted in me buying a bike with the intention of cycling just the 3
miles to work and back in the good weather. A month or so later I am really
enjoying cycling and now go out most days for a ride if not working.
Distancewise I still have my training wheels on as the farthest I have gone
is 23 miles. However colleagues at work seem to view that as a lot, and even
a 10 mile ride is viewed by most as a long way. Mind you, 2 months ago I
would probably have agreed with them. I think what has changed is my
perception of distance, rather than my perception of cyclists.

Dave

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Don't tell 'em the distance in miles, tell 'em it in minutes. 4 miles is a
20 minute trundle[1].

[snip]

Quoted message said:

[1] 10-12mph

Which is exactly 12mph. Depending on the bike, terrain and amount of
places that you have to give way that is probably not trundly for the
kind of person Tim described. It would be disheartening for the guy
not to make it in that time (or make it and be absolutely shagged out)
and for it to be described as trundly. I would say aim for 30 minutes
to begin with and work up to 20 minutes. If he is really unfit maybe
even 30 minutes maybe too fast. For utility cycling it isn't a race
the guy can pick a pace he feels comfortable at and as he gets fitter,
and more comfortable with riding bikes that pace will increase over
time.

--
Andy Leighton => [email hidden]
"The Lord is my shepherd, but we still lost the sheep dog trials"
- Robert Rankin, _They Came And Ate Us_

"Sam Salt" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Mark Thompson said:

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

Don't tell 'em the distance in miles, tell 'em it in minutes. 4 miles is
a 20 minute trundle[1]. At trundly speeds cycling is a pleasant and
relaxing way to get about - you get to sit down the whole way! That
should persuade 'em.

Many people live completely sedentary lives and as such have neither the
muscles nor the lungs to do, well, anything really.

[1] 10-12mph

Personally I think there is something in your hairdressers assumptions.

If your friend is very overweight and underfit,I would suggest working up
to the cycling by taking progressively longer walks and shed a bit of
weight prior to the cycling.

Sudden unacustomed excercise in the very obese can be quite dangerous,and
lets be honest cycling can sometimes be quite hard excercise depending on
where you live.

Sam Salt

Speaking as an overweight person who came back to cycling after many years
away from it....

When I first got back on a bike I couldn't manage the 4-5 miles into my
nearest town without having to get off for a breather a couple of times...
The thing is, not to be afraid of getting off for a breather... and not to
expect too much and not to think that if you don't come up to what others
expect, then you're somehow a failure.

The key with cycling is if you keep at it... little and often, you do notice
a swift and positive benefit to health and fitness. How I did it - little
and often - pick a short distance - do it *at my pace* and not be afraid to
know that I need to get off for a breather. Keep hydrated with either water
or low calorie/sugar free drinks on such short rides. When I got comfortable
at the short distance - increase distance gradually - repeat over time.

They key for me was to say 'b*gg*rrit' to the seemingly vast distances and
huge speeds that the fit do, but to do what *I* could do and gradually
increase what *I* was capable of. There's nothing more off-putting than some
thin know-it-all who zooms up hills and insists there's no need for a triple
chainset and that it's easier to cycle up hills than it is to walk up them
;-)

Now - well, I'm still overweight but I can cycle a century at my own pace -
which is significantly lower than the speed of many, but it's *my* pace and
I'm happy with it. So I am much fitter than I used to be even if I'm not
svelte in shape :-)

Cheers, helen s

Tim Hall said the following on 28/06/2006 23:55:

Quoted message said:

Is this a typical view of the non cycling members of the population of
the rest of us nutters, or is she extreme?

No, this is typical. I'm seen as mad and slightly eccentric because I
choose to cycle 2.5 miles to work, in all weathers, rather than drive.
Occasionally I do have to drive, usually when having to transport bulky
stuff, and personally I think those who choose to drive a few miles are
the insane ones!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Roos Eisma said the following on 29/06/2006 08:28:

Quoted message said:

probably a couple of hundred meters. Within a minute she was puffing and
saying she should have driven if she'd known it was this far....

That's becoming more of an issue these days. I nearly always walk into
town when I go, about 1.5 miles, and pass people at bus stops less than
half a mile from town waiting to go in (I know that because if the bus
went any further, it would end up in the sea!). I once asked for a
carrier bag for something, and was told that as I'm only taking it to my
car, why bother. Total incomprehension that I was actually going to
carry it!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

wafflycat said:

There's nothing more off-putting than some
thin know-it-all who zooms up hills and insists there's no need for a triple
chainset and that it's easier to cycle up hills than it is to walk up them

Sounds like some teenagers I know..

...d