London to brighton bike ride (and turbo trainers)

[benr]

Hi, I really got into cycling after i tore my cartilage in my knee a couple of years back as it was good for my recovery being low impact. I really picked it up for about a year but i havent been into it for a year or so and really want to get back into it as im really out of shape.

so i signed up to do london to brighton does anyone have any advice if you have done it before etc?

I got myself a turbo trainer (cycleops fluid 2) to train in the evenings after work as at the moment i can only get out on the weekend.

Anyway hoping to lose a couple of stone before the ride (to about 12.5st) at the end of june so any tips for turbo training would be good. Im looking to do an hour each evening on the trainer and similar times at the weekend on the road.

ta

 

[205man]

get yourself a training partner for when your out on the road, it makes a huge difference to your attitude and makes it enjoyable and also good as support from a safety point of view

i use my areo trainer almost everynight for around 2 hours a time but you defo need to put in the road miles to

i rode from london to worcester a couple of years ago for charity with 5 other mates and you could tell who had made the effort and who hadnt when it came to prepation and training.

i take it you will be using a racing bike? i only use a mountain bike but have a spare set of wheels with slick/thinner tyres fitted for using on trainer and road.

i have my trainer in a spare room in front of the tv and usually watch a moive etc when riding,

make sure tyres are pumped up as the do generate alot of heat and effect performance, also ive put mine on foam pads, that you can get for gym equipment as the noise from vibration can travel through the house lol

 

[benr]

Thanks very much for the advice much appreciated.

I will be using a hybrid (Specialized sirrus) which is very light with thin road tyres and nice to ride.

Had a go on the trainer last night infront of the tv and it was ok, i stuck it on a foam camping mat so it seems all good.

Cheers

 

[auditek]

was on the turbo just 30 mins ago, i have the tv in front of me 2 in garage watchn dvds, man they are borin as hell but it has to be done.
good luck gettin the miles in..................................

 

[jcs356]

I've done London to Brighton 3 times. Best recommendation if you want to cycle all the way is to leave London as early as possible. The later it gets the more bikes you have on narrow roads (especially as you get in the Sussex countryside), and Ditchling Beacon can be a mare - narrow road and too many unfit people pushing their bikes up the hill. The first time I did it I followed a mate who was shouting at people to get out the way - it worked, so I did that the next two times. IF you don't shout, you'll get stuck behind someone pushing their bike and end up stopping.

Turbo trainers are ok but you can't beat proper road miles and getting used to cycling in a group. The clocks go back in a few weeks so no excuse not to ride on the road.

 

[benr]

Cheers for the advice guys, the main reason for getting the turbo was to use in the evenings as i hope to get out for road miles at the weekend and its just nice to train when weather is bad etc.

I used it a couple of times (with dvd's of simpsons etc) and it is hard work but still good.

I made a bit of a schoolboy error and i think and selected a preffered 8:00 start. Do you recon i could just go mega early (6:30) and allow you to go and miss traffic?

 

[benr]

Hi Guys. Thought id post up how it went.

I done the london to brighton my brother and started at 9:00am which was a nightmare as there were far too many people, however we had already decided to take the ride easy and enjoy the day. It was an excellent day out and was a fairly easy ride, i would definatly do it again but would get an early start time.

As for the training. It has been going very well, started at the beginning of march at 15st 3lb and am now at 11st 12lb and loads, loads fitter . I still want to keep it up as i am enjoying it (even the turbo trainer). I also got myself a high end cannondale road bike which has been brilliant for training and really getting into the roadbiking lark.

Im thinking of doing london-amsterdam next summer if i can get a good group to do it. Can anyone recommend any other rides/challenges to aim for?

Cheers
Ben

 

[recomdos]

wow - well done! that's an impressive amount of weight to lose, you must have kept to the schedule well! what's a turbo trainer then? before I go google it!

 

[benr]

Cheers, yeah did stick quite well to it but i think the main thing was cutting out the beer when not going out and just tracking and planning what i eat each day. Once i was in the routine it wasnt hard at all.

A turbo trainer attaches to the back wheel of your bike so you can train indoors like an excercise bike, but allows you to use your own bike and provides resistance to you can do a tough workout.

I got the cycleops fluid 2 and think its excellent

Thinking of doing london to brighton again next year but riding back too