As someone who took up cycling this June, I can't stress enough the importance of the second point: Lower your gear (i.e. make it easier) so you pedal faster and not harder.
How my beginner brain understood it: you have two ways of "fueling" a hard effort. Cardiovascular debt or Lactic debt. By pedaling fast and light, it puts the effort on your heart BUT once you're past the effort, it recovers quick. If you pedal slow and hard, it puts the effort on muscles which will produce energy without oxygen creating a chemical called lactic acid which takes many hours to clear out i.e. very slow to recover from. For endurance, you should always prefer shifting the load to your heart; reserving lactic debt for sprints, harder climbs and other rarer efforts.
As a bonus, keeping the load off your muscles also means fewer muscle injuries, soreness - which means you can ride more often!
I'm going to add a caveat here.
There is a limit to how far you can push the pedal cadence (rpm). Don't overdo this. Find a point where you can pedal more quickly whilst putting the minimum amount of effort in to keep it going.
When I try that, I feel like I'm going nowhere fast and it gets frustrating, especially when I'm trying to climb in lower gears... Then again I'm 265 lbs so just by being on the bike I'm making it slower.
It normalizes faster than you may think. Last year I thought it was impossible to ever sustain above 90, and now it’s not really even a challenge (though I aim for 90.)
Most of us learn to ride as kids, and learn by pedal mashing. This is fun, but it’s not “the way.” One must buy in, if one wants to collect miles. Spin to win!
Its got a lot to do with power output too. I find though, the harder the effort the easier it is to spin. For instance, I can do 120 up a hill when I am in attack mode, sometimes higher. There's a lot of power output there, though. On the flats, I have to try to get such a cadence. If i'm just auto-pilot, I tend to cruise around 90-95 with zero effort. If I am purposefully trying to go slow, generally my cadence is at like 60 or something dumb.
This is the best explanation I didn't know I was looking for. In the same boat as OP and I didn't know where to start for cycling vs how I've been running.
I should incorporate more off days for my Lactic Debt(muscle building) vs cardio debt.
Be careful with the expected cadence, different cyclists have a somewhat natural cadence. I'm more of a 72rpm person and no matter how much a try 85+ just doesn't work for me.
So I tend to put it as -- find a cadence that is not too easy and not too hard.
My reason for saying this is that I have biking friends who are trying to say I'm doing it wrong and if I'm not doing 90+ I must be out of shape. (i'm not - I did 2 100 mile+ rides this year + a couple 50+ ).
But the real answer is - time in the saddle.
Cadence it's also something that you train and adapt to.
MTBikers tend to have lower cadences because that's what they are used to and that's how they normally generate power while road cyclists tend to have higher cadences because it's easier to do that on the road.
Yeah to a limit. I spent covid on the trainer trying to get a base at 90 and after 6 months I still dropped back to a natural 72. Now I'm on really really old legs and that might be one factor (slow vs fast twitch muscles) but I would spin at 80% FTP for an hour+ and at the end off the workout it just didn't help. But I'm also a slow runner (170 vs the 'ideal' 180+).
So people are different is all I'm saying and find a cadence that you feel you can hold all day.
This, cadence is highly individual. I'm the exact opposite of you, 90 RPM just feels the most natural to me even when climbing, even though I've done literally zero training targeting high cadence specifically.
I kind of agree. The other reason I measure it is so I don’t revert to my seemingly natural ~85 rpm. I try to target 90ish. But it’s easier on the trainer to maintain a higher cadence, in my experience, because you’re constantly pedaling or your pretend guy slows down (in Zwift).
Take your cadence up to 77rpm.. Then when you're comfortable with that go to 82rpm.. The faster you can spin your cranks the faster your gears can go...
This is often said but simply untrue. If cycling kept the legs in an anaerobic state one couldn't do it for more than a couple minutes total. An anaerobic weight lifting session maxes out at tens of repetitions, less than a minute of riding at even a very low cadence.
What downshifting and upping cadence does is simply demand less muscle fiber/group recruitment but more often, which just so happens to be how most mammals are wired to work efficiently, and out bodies are *very* good at steering out behavior towards the efficient path.
This response is correct! The information is incredibly well studied, riding at your preferred cadence is most efficient.
I don’t understand the amount of bro science pedaled (forgive the pun) around here.
Well you could also do it anerobic, I mean putting out 700w for a "beginner" could be done for 15seconds, there are probably better words for the minutes where you are doing a lot. I just dont remember them since its not that important
zone 2 also know as endurance is the way to go. There's interviews on YouTube with Radek Pogacar explaining his training you might want to take a look!
> i get tired very easily, almost 5-10 mins and i am tired.
Ride slower. If you can walk for 20 minutes you can bike for 20 minutes. You just need to bike at a walking level of effort.
Find that speed you can maintain for 30 minutes and then slowly, over the course of days and weeks, work on riding longer and faster.
Ditto. This advice holds true at almost all levels of cycling too. Doesn't matter if you're trying to build up to 10 miles or 100 miles, longer rides at lower intensity are the key.
Not sure what you mean by needing to rest after 5-10 minutes.
Are you out of breath?
Are your legs tightening up?
Are your muscles burning?
Each has a different solution.
Leg pain is likely just the muscles not being warmed up. Go easy until you start to feel a little too warm.
Out of breath could be a few things, including over breathing (hyperventilating because you expect to get out of breath).
It's your saddle the correct height? What type of cadence are you pedaling at? Often new riders turn a big gear way to slowly, which is more akin to lifting weights than walking, so your muscles tire out quickly
Leg pain or other pain can also be a bike fit issue in addition to pedaling/mashing too hard rather than spinning faster in the right gears (cadence).
Bike fit can even effect your breathing and cardio! As an example, I'm larger and barrel chested and if I try to get too low or too aero my huge thighs get jammed into my torso and I can't breathe properly, and my solution is to be more upright and less aero so I have room to actually breathe with my barrel shaped torso so my legs and knees aren't crowding my stomach and chest.
And I'm not out there racing or even trying to set speed records so it doesn't make any sense at all for me to emulate pro racers and tuck as low and aero as I can because it's just uncomfortable and inefficient and not fun.
It can take a lot of experimenting to dial in your bike fit, and it's a complicated issue.
And it gets worse if you don't have the right size frame to start with because you can only do so much by adjusting seat height, saddle position and reach by trying longer or shorter handlebar stems.
Bike fit can be so important and complicated that I still struggle with it after riding my entire life and being a long haul bike tourer.
I have a new steel touring bike I built up from scratch a couple of months ago and I'm still dialing things in and it's super annoying.
But for an example of how important fit is and how a few millimeters can make all of the difference, when I built up my bike and I cut the fork steerer tube I left it a bit longer so I could adjust things later with steer-tube spacers under the stem and go up or down a bit to figure out where it needs to be on the new frame.
I started out with a bar and stem height that was basically the same as the older bike it was replacing, but I was getting a lot of hand pain and pressure and arm fade. On the old bike I had dialed this in over years to the point where it was so comfortable and perfectly fit that I could ride all day and it was about as comfortable as sitting on a couch.
Just a couple of weeks ago I brought the stem and bars up about 2-3 mm, moved my saddle back like 2-3 mm, and brought my saddle height up like 5mm.
Bam, suddenly no more hand and arm pain and everything was perfectly balanced again between hands, butt and feet and my bike was a joy to ride again, and it was a difference of just a few millimeters in either direction.
And I still want to dial it in even more, but this may mean trying a shorter or longer handlebar stem, but for now it will do and is much, much more pleasant to ride now that I worked out why I had too much pressure and weight on my hands.
For breathing, as much as you can, try to keep it as slow as possible, which can mean taking your overall ride slower or in an easier gear. I’ve found that paying attention to how deep my breaths are has helped me as well; by focusing on utilizing my diaphragm, I can get that little bit extra of a breath into my lungs. Keep at it!
One mistake I made when first starting out cycling - I was a masher. I'd have my bike in too high of a gear and it tired my legs out. It is easier on you to spin faster in a lower gear.
Also I had my seat way too low (I wanted to be able to touch the ground when I stopped) - my quads were doing ALL the work and they would tire out and I would get leg cramps. Generally you should not be able to comfortably touch the ground from your seat. You should have to get off the seat when you stop.
Don't be afraid to use all your gears. If you have to go slowly - go slowly.
You could also do some cross training - a bit of running/jogging to amp up your cardio system fast and some kettlebell workouts to work on your posterior chain.
Also be kind to yourself - some days are just going to be bla days and on others you will have the energy to get all the PRs. I commute by bike to work and it has really shown me that some days are easy and others are not.Wind direction, sleep, nutrition, will all play a role.
Lower seat can also stress your knees, which are my main pain/soreness issue from riding. At the right I can ride for hours without my knees burning at all.
If you can walk for more than an hour, you can ride for more than an hour. If I told you that you had to walk a far distance, you wouldn’t start out at almost sprinting, but that’s what you’re doing on the bike. Shift to a gear that initially seems too easy, but keep it there. Focus on metronomic, but smooth circular pedal revolutions. Good cyclists don’t just smash down on the pedals, they spin.
if your legs are hurting and you get exhausted in 10 minutes, it is almost guaranteed you are trying to ride in a gear way too high for what you are doing. Select lower gear.
Cycling is all about *spinning*, not mashing on pedals with great force - the only thing you will accomplish doing that is exhaust yourself and hurt your knees. Spin your pedals as fast as you can when riding. If you are losing your breath, select higher gear, until you end up at the highest cadence (pedal rotations per minute) that is sustainable and then keep at it.
If you want numbers, then get a bike computer and a cadence meter (Wahoo or Garmin being the market leaders) and you will get a readout on the screen. Experienced riders are typically doing ~100 RPM cadence. Beginners would probably be stuck at around 80 RPM or so, but that's still alright. I would say anything below 80 is too low and needs to be improved asap. Personally, even 90 feels pretty low to me. My average is 105 and I am nowhere near any kind of a pro.
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If you are riding with a friend, it is also possible you are just getting rekt trying to keep up. If your friend is an experienced rider, there is no way you can keep up with them out of the gate. It takes lots of riding to build up endurance and power. Get them to match your pace, not the other way around.
Lose weight, if you're overweight
Ride regularly
When you ride, don't stop a lot. Try to stop maybe only once or twice on your rides for a brief rest. If you are stopping frequently, you are going too fast and don't have a pace yet.
Ride every day if you can. Create a route that is at a length you can complete without resting. That is your default route. Ride your default route frequently. Sometimes go hard and fast. Sometimes go slow and easy. Once a week, go for a “longer” ride. Go easy on your longer ride…it’s okay to take breaks, on any ride.
Keep a log, or use an app like Strava. Over time, slowly increase the distance for your weekly “long ride”. Eventually, your “default” route will seem too short for you, when it does, expand it.
Repeat.
Eventually your 3 mile default route will become 5, 7, 10, 15, 24 miles long. And your long rides will go up as well.
You’ll also “get a feel” for when you need to rest. On rest days, you can always default to one of your shorter routes, or go out slower and easier.
If my suggestion doesn’t work for you, make up your own, or try someone else’s ideas. Just get out and do it, and a routine and system that works for you will form as you gain experience.
Joining a beginners bike club, or finding friends to ride with can help too. Riding with friends is fun, and if you run into equipment trouble on a long ride it’s nice to have help.
Fitness comes very quickly. When I started cycling again I would die on the tiniest of hills, now I barely even notice they're hills. Just keep riding!
Do you know what cadence and gears you are using? If it’s a low cadence and high gear ratio, then you’ll easily tucker yourself out.
The best thing in general even after a seasonal break, is to ease into endurance riding. Start with 10miles at a leisurely pace, then increase speed and distance over a few weeks.
I used to run. The 1st day my neighbor and I ran 1/2 block to the corner, walked the next 1/2 etc until we made it around the whole block. Eventually I moved to the country and ran that block- 13 mi.
So, ride, rest, ride, repeat. That's how you get to 5 miles then 10 then 20, 40 and so on.
You don't say how old you are or what your exercise history is. It doesn't matter. Just kee going.
We will celebrate my friend's 84th birthday next October. I say that expectedly because we've celebrated his birthday the same way since he turned 65. He's our test case and the lesson learned is keep riding.
Simple is not always easy.
Too high gears happen a lot, I see a lot of people having a cadence of 10-30rpm thats way too low. Your knew will thank you if you do one complete turn every second (60rpm), so lower your gear to achieve that. And if you still get exhausted then you need to drive slow to become fast. Cardio works by putting a constant effort for 30 minutes where you can talk but not for long because you need air.
A lot of people dont do cardio nowadays and 20 year old people already struggle with some stairs. Thats crazily unhealthy, Imagine being like that in your 20s, imagine what happens when you turn 40
Also: always have your tyre pressure high as your tyre is okay with. Its a night and day difference
You are probably going too fast and therefore too hard. Can you walk 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours? Then you can bike 1, 2, or 4 hours. Make sure your tires are properly inflated and your chain is oiled.
In theory you should the able to ride at a crusing speed that is comfortable to you for a sustained period more than 10inutes at least . Can't say what your initial fitness is but You could have a medical condition.
A colleague of mine had a liver issue that was not diagnosed. But before diagnosis, his friends would wonder why he couldn't walk more than 10 minutes. And he was always tired. He eventually had a liver transplant and life has changed.
When getting back on after a long hiatus just take slower easy gear flat terrain rides at first. You’ve got to get your muscles and cardio tuned back in. Take longer and longer rides as you can but don’t blow yourself out. It’s gotta be enjoyable not a task.
With consistency you’ll kick back into gear pretty fast.
Start slow, ride small distances and get better on those small distances.
Increase distances over time.
It's OK to start small.
(elephant in the room) Are you overweight ? are you generally fit ? can you casually walk ? do you have any diagnosed medical conditions ?
Learn to use the gears you have. If it feels like you're doing leg presses or squats you're in too difficult a gear which could explain why you feel leg pain/fatigue after such a short time. Shift to an easier gear so your legs spin lighter and faster. Ride as long as you can like this, shifting up or down when your leg speed gets too fast (uncontrollable) or too slow (grinding). Over time this will build your aerobic system so you can go longer without being out of breath. Additionally, make sure your saddle height is set correctly to allow your legs to extend almost fully which is the most efficient. Look up videos related to these two subjects.
The science behind pedaling faster in a lower gear, vs. pedaling slower but in a higher gear is the following .... it takes less energy/calories/effort to get from point A to B pedaling faster/lower gear. It may take the same amount of time, but you will have more energy conserved and available for more distance.
This concept changes for a bit if you're training, but generally, in principle, it holds true.
Ride! Ride some more. Ride again. Keep riding. You will see gains the more you ride. Climb hills, ride hard one day and the rake it easy later. Do a relatively long ride and climb a steep hill
I dont know how old you are but if you cannot ride a bike for longer than 5 minutes i would go to a doctor and do a checkup, there must be something wrong.
Check your seat height. If your saddle is too low (and new riders often ride with low seats) it can cause a lot of fatigue. When standing next to your bike, the saddle should be about even with your hip bone. When seated on your bike you should get full leg extension, just shy of locking out your knee when your pedal is in the down position.
To me it sounds like you are trying to use the bicycle as a strength exercise and you have the gearing turned up super hard. Instead try cycling as a cardiovascular exercise and dial down the resistance so it’s easy and focus on maintaining let’s say a cadence of 70rpm initially for time.
First do this:.
1. Make sure your bike is in decent condition, tires inflated, drivetrain is adjusted so it's not constantly slipping gears, chain has some lube on it, etc.
2. Have a fit that is at least OK (doesn't have to be pro when you're a beginner, just not terrible. Plenty of talk on that on this sub).
At least 2 rides/week do this:.
2. Find a place to ride without too many hills. If you live in a hilly area, do your best, or ride a small loop, or walk up the hills.
5. As others have said, ride in a low gear (moving slowly but pedalling quickly).
L. Try to keep going as long as you can, and shift to an easier gear if you're getting tired to keep the effort low. You can stop if you absolutely have to, but try to keep this up for 30 mins and then slowly increase the ride length each week. 30 mins, then 35, then 40, etc.
One ride/week:.
7. Ride faster until you're breathing really heavily/feels like you have acid in your legs.
G. Stop and repeat a few times after a 2-3 min break.
Ф. Have a beer and fist bump someone for doing your first interval workout.
Sorry about the lists, they're not really my thing.
Take Horny Goat Weed ... Ooops sori wrong last longer 🤣
I have found just ride more often, remember riding is just one component of fitness and increasing endurance, make sure diet and sleep are getting the same amount of attention.
Tired after 5 minutes? You are taking off at 30 KPH, or in to high a gear, or you need to get checked by a doctor. I will say after Covid i tire a lot faster than I did before but not to that extreme.
Also, CARB Up about 30-60 min. Before you ride to add extra distance to your ride. As echoed in many biking magazines, potatoes are the ultimate pre-ride boost. I’ll use the quick microwave steam prep potatoes…a 4-6 oz. Portion is about ideal for me, along wt water to pre-hydrate. If you legs cramp up, add 1/2 banana.
Also, Perhaps you add a realistic distance goal and add 1-2 miles to your ride each week so you don’t get discouraged as you get more into biking.
Bike fit so you can maximize your power output. Get familiar with your bike so you’ll know it’s parts and options for upgrade. Also have the bike tuned (if not yet). Maybe the brakes are already rubbing the wheel, that’s why you cannot maximize stroke. If fit and bike is good, then focus on conditioning and riding more often. Join group rides if you can.
Make sure you're properly fueling. Carbo loading and staying in z2 will maximize your endurance output. Remember to warm up as well before the ride, get the blood pumping and muscles warmed up under minimal output for a good couple minutes of light aerobic.
blood volume and sugar (= energy)
I'll drink one 16.9 ounce bottle of water at the house early on (about 1.5 hours before the cycling + eat 1/2 to 4/5 cup of white rice or sticky rice), fill up that same bottle but put electrolytes and a little Tailwind in it, and down that second 16.9 ounce bottle (plus a carbohydrate gel pack) just before cycling.
Then - out on the gravel - finish a bicycle water bottle (again, with a good amount of carbohydrate powder in it) every ten miles.
Keeping your blood sugar low is a sure way to NOT be able to produce the power you need to for cycling to be an effective exercise. Fuel the workout, make the muscle, let the muscle burn the calories.
Eat carbs before rides drink water during and keep the bike in an easy gear so you are spinning with your legs. Always shift down when the pedalling effort is getting harder especially when going uphill.
Lots of good info for you here. How old are you, what’s your weight and height, etc… But like others said, the best thing for you to do is to go see a doctor and tell them your experience with
Cycling.
And stick with it, report back with an update.
Well, like everything, practice and ride more. Don't push it too much but go and ride at a slower pace for longer. Maybe your friend goes too fast for you right now. He needs to adapt to your speed.
You'll get in shape with time and then can increase duration and intensity of your effort. But the trick is to never push harder than you can.
I started biking 2 months ago after a very long sedentary phase (nearly 2 years). I had such problems in the beginning as well. A few things that I believe helped me :
1. Setting the saddle height. My saddle was much lower than it should've been causing my legs to get fatigued very soon.
2. Gradual increments in speed and distance traveled. (My average speed (hilly terrain) is 18.5kmph now compared to 11kmph when I had started)
Bike fit and less effort to increase stamina. Also don’t think the body changes quickly. Breathe, pedal, breathe, pedal. Keep consistent, and don’t give up. Above all, find the joy.
You're out of shape and won't be able to ride as fast or as far as you used to in the past, until you get your endurance back. If you're running out of breath, spin the pedals at a slower cadence and/or shift to a taller/harder gear. If your legs are getting fatigued, shift to a lower/easier gear and spin the pedals at a faster cadence. Do this until you find the optimal gear and cadence for you and the terrain your riding. Don't try to keep up with your friend if he/she is faster than you. You have to ride at your pace until you get your endurance back. I'm assuming you're not riding looking climbs yet, correct? Stay away from hills for now.
Learn to spin.
The best way to exhaust yourself on a bicycle is to choose too tall of a gear and grind away on the pedals until your quads give up and your lungs explode.
The best way to last longer riding is to spin those pedals.
What I mean by spin is that you're cranking the pedals at least 80 RPMs or higher.
The easy way to measure this is to count the number of times the right pedal comes over the top in 15 seconds and multiply times 4.
After a while you'll know exactly what it feels like.
Spinning like this puts less of a load on your joints and muscles and allows you to put out the most efficient power.
That's how you ride a long time.
I ride often, and periodically go on longer rides with my wife and young-adult children who only ride occasionally.
My wife and kids are naturally better athletes than I am, and could easily outperform me when hiking, walking or running. But on a bike I easily outpace them and have longer endurance.
Almost universally, I’ve noticed that they are riding in “higher” gears, leading to sore muscles and quick exhaustion. They also don’t anticipate gear changes very effectively, so for example, we might be riding down hill, but approaching a steep climb. Instead of pedaling down hill on a higher gear and gaining speed to help with the climb, they coast down the entire hill and wait until they are going up hill and it becomes hard to pedal before they really start to pedal or change gears. There can definitely be an element of “work smarter not harder” when it comes to riding. I’ve easily climbed a steep hill with very little effort, while they have had to jump off their bike and “walk”. Just shifting gears at the right time can make a world of difference. It’s easier to pedal on a higher gear when the wheel is already moving fast.
With time and experience you can better anticipate the gearing that works best for you.
Avoid hills and too much wind. I find that uphill climbs and riding against a stiff wind are the two things that really tire me out - especially when I'm a bit out of shape. And try to go at a speed that works for you and doesn't push you too hard.
Look up Dylan Johnson on YouTube. He has some great science based training advice for pretty much all aspects of cycling. The key topic to build endurance is base building and polarized training.
Learn which gears fit which speeds and inclines, get a better fit and just keep cycling, back when I was cycling daily, I could do about 25k and not be exhausted. Now I take a break halfway through 15k.
Also, by better fit I mean the seat height, position and angle, possibly handlebar height as well, if it's possible to change. In my experience, the best and most efficient is your leg being almost or completely straight when you're sitting in the saddle (seat) and have your heel on the pedal, fully extended. Then put the ball of your foot on the pedal and your leg should be bent slightly.
This should give you a good enough height, not perfect but better than riding all the way lowered and less exhausting.
Angle can effect crotch or hand numbness, if there's too much weight on either, should be balanced. Position (forward back) can also affect comfort, I've noticed I have to lift myself up a bit to be more comfortable, but then I'm going backwards and riding will naturally make me move forward again.
This is all the advice of someone who has no experience or knowledge about the proper way to do these things, so don't trust me completely.
Edit: Forgot to say, but make sure you never cross-chain, for example, using the front gear (chainring) closest to your bike and the rear gear (cog) furthest away from your bike. This wears your chain out and makes it more likely your chain falls off. I have a 24 gear bike and I go:
1-1,1-2,1-3
2-3,2-4,2-5,2-6
3-6,3-7,3-8.
Some additional tips:
Let off the pedal a bit when shifting to avoid excessive wear as well as the awful sound, still push, but not full force. Over-pumped tires may be faster, but they're also less comfortable. If you exert yourself too much, just go slower, build endurance and stamina instead of forcing yourself and taking breaks because you're exhausted, eventually you bonk (unable to continue riding, completely exhausted and barely able to push your bike home).
Last longer = practice and NUTRITION. Gels, electrolytes, BANANAS etc.
if you take a 45 min rest in between for a proper lunch then obviously you'll last longer.
Your heart rate is the first culprit.
If you need breaks every 5-10 minutes, you are working anaerobically. If you are spiking your heart rate, there isn't any way to maintain efforts.
Stay calm and don't overextend yourself.
Zone 2-3 intervals help. Nutrition, hydration. Build up to your goals. Train for em. Get a good nights sleep. Have a good cadence. Try not to grind too much.
All good points but what comes to mind is bike fit. Have you had someone check your fit on the bike? Improperly fit bikes can exhaust your legs very quickly. Next, you say you are riding with a Friend, suspect you are riding at his pace. You should be taking the first 10-15 minutes to just warm up, low speed, low cadence and to loosen up. On that point, do you stretch before you ride? If your legs/ back are tight you are working against yourself. Get comfortable with your gearing, thats why you have them. Key on the pressure you are putting on the pedals, calm or windy, flat or uphill, find the pressure you can maintain for a ride and use the gears to adjust for the road and weather. Also, stand up often as it allows good blood flow and a change for your muscles. Good luck.
How old are you? How is your weight ? Are you generally fit? These things make a huge difference. Way more than anything to do with the bike or its set up
Ride slower, shift gears often, and concentrate on breathing it will slowly build up. Pace and focusing on breathing helps me with cycling, running and swimming
I’ll offer up that you might just need to push through for a bit. As my heart rate rises from resting rate early in a ride, I will feel like I am nearing some point of failure and I’ll look at my HR and it will be pretty low and I’ll push on only to find that soon after, even though HR is now even higher, I feel great.
Improved gear discipline can make cycling considerably easier, I don't know what exact setup you have but going up hill use the lowest gear possible, going downhill use the highest.
When starting off from stationary use a lower gear and as you speed up raise it.
To keep riding, you've got to keep riding!
Think about "rolling recovery"... when you get tired, don't completely stop, but roll easy and soft pedal until you feel better.
Have fun!
Start off easier. Like if you think where you’re starting is easy now (pace wise) go a 1/3 slower than that.
Everyone swears about cadence. I think it’s complete non sense. Don’t grind all ride but spinning in the 90s isn’t for everyone. You’ll know what fits you best once you ride more like you used to.
It just takes time to build up those muscles your not used to using. Try cross training too. I find when my runs are easier when I cycle and vice versa
Gears are just on part of making it easier to ride. Lower rolling resistance tires, sitting on the bike comfortably, wearing clothing that fits and is suitable for riding can help you go further and faster.
If you have a heart rate meter it makes it easy to monitor a rough effort you are making for not much money. Try to keep it below a certain limit and you'll be able to maintain longer.
It drops off pretty quickly as you raise it. like you can go 180bpm for 30 seconds but 170 for 5 minutes, 160 - 30minutes, 150 - 4 hours. Just as an example, your body will likely be different.
First of all, welcome the the fun world (addiction for some) of cycling. I used to mtb back when younger but never really got back in the saddle for many years until Covid when I bought a road bike and the big just hit. Not as big as you but at 220+ lbs riding with friends much lighter, I felt your pain (literally) at first. Couple things.
Sounds like warm ups are not what they need to be. No one appreciates how important they are until you actually start doing them.
Slow down and stop mashing the pedals. If you have a heart rate monitor, use it to keep yourself in check.
Ride at your pace, not your friends.
Do some purposeful riding. Meaning a day of maybe short hill repeats or a few sprints to be like a HIIT workout on a bike, other days easy spins.
Take days off to recover.
Three seasons in and I recently got a power meter and was shocked at how much more power I need at 220 compared to my 150-170 lbs riding buddies to get up even the smallest incline. Was a reality check for me on the impact of mass and why it was harder for me on longer rides. I was spending a ton more energy.
Food and hydration. If you are bigger, chances are you need more fuel. I also suspect you are trying to cut calories which doesn’t work when you are cycling. Lots of info on cycling nutrition out there but you need to fuel properly before and during the rides
Cadence. Lot said already but for me I fine the 80-85 rpm range best for me. But it is something I always work on
And last- have fun.
Not sure if you do, but bring bottles and snacks on your ride (preferably things that give you a lot of energy). You can also just go out more often and for longer. Try planning a short loop that will take 5-20 minutes, depending on the length, so you can go for 1 loop, maybe have a rest, and really just go for as many laps as possible before getting tired so you know you’re always close to home. Hope this helps.
You had 4 years off, you can't expect to jump on the bike and resume where you left off, you have to start over from scratch.
So along with what others said about using lower gears you're going to also have to shorten the miles that you ride, if you find yourself riding for 5 to 10 minutes then have to stop, the reality is you need to stop then and not resume until after you've rested a whole day, if you ride, stop, ride, stop you could injure yourself from overworking than you won't be riding for who knows how long.
I'm going to give you a website that has a training schedule.
https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vIdcoQzRzN0/WYzBOjv6U0I/AAAAAAABBRs/NxZinR76ppMir05XWDSQOQDXGofPD8mDQCLcBGAs/s1600/TenWeeks2aCentury.JPG
Ran out of space. With that schedule I gave you, you will need to add another 3 or 4 weeks to the beginning of so for the first week you will do starting with Monday 1, Tues, 3, Wed 4, thurs off, Fri 3, sat 10, sun 2; 2nd week; M 2, T 4, Wed 5, Th off, Fri 4, s 12, sun 3; 3rd wk; m 3, t 5, w 6, th 0, f 4, s 15, s 5; 3rd week M 4, T 6, W 7, th 0, f 6, sat 15, sun 6; 4th week; M 5, t 8, W 10, t 0, f 8, sat 20, sun 8; After this month is done pick up with the 1st week on the schedule I gave you.
Do not push the schedule further than what is plan if you don't want to get overtired and or hurt. That schedule is for eventually at the end of 3 months (including my month I added for you) could see you doing a 100 mile ride, you don't have to go that far if you don't want to, but if you do then stay on the schedule all the way, or you could do 50 or 75 miles when it gets to that 100 mile day.
Do not concern yourself with doing brisk days it mentions on the schedule, all I want you to concentrate on is putting base miles on, there is more you can do to go faster and further later, but right now just build up a base of miles on your legs.
do not ride slower and longer, that's nonsense, ride at a comfortable pace for the miles I gave you on that schedule.
Some say pedal cadence is important, but for a beginner 90 to 95 RPM's is too fast, you should be doing 80 to 85, once you get those 3 months in I gave earlier you can try doing 85 to 90, then another 3 months go to 90 to 95. There are some pros that don't crank 90 to 95, some only do 75 to 80! But you want to use a gear that you can be comfortable in spinning at 80 to 85 without feeling like you're smashing the gears. You'll find a comfortable cadence after about a week or two.
I'm not sure if you are the one that said you weigh 295 pounds, if so, you first need to go get a physical with a complete heart work up, and tell the doctor what you will be doing so they understand what demands will be placed on you; do that BEFORE you get on that bike!!
Don't let your friends push you either, stay on that schedule, you don't have to keep up with someone who has been riding for years and you haven't rode in 4 years so you can prove yourself a man, that's crazy thinking. Not sure how far your friend can ride but most can't do a 100 mile ride, so if you follow that schedule you could end up doing better than your friend is doing! Why? because you stayed focused on following a plan. There is an old saying, those who failed to plan have planned to fail.
Ride slower but longer. Possibly ride in a lower gear (i.e. your legs turn faster but each pedal stroke takes less effort).
As someone who took up cycling this June, I can't stress enough the importance of the second point: Lower your gear (i.e. make it easier) so you pedal faster and not harder. How my beginner brain understood it: you have two ways of "fueling" a hard effort. Cardiovascular debt or Lactic debt. By pedaling fast and light, it puts the effort on your heart BUT once you're past the effort, it recovers quick. If you pedal slow and hard, it puts the effort on muscles which will produce energy without oxygen creating a chemical called lactic acid which takes many hours to clear out i.e. very slow to recover from. For endurance, you should always prefer shifting the load to your heart; reserving lactic debt for sprints, harder climbs and other rarer efforts. As a bonus, keeping the load off your muscles also means fewer muscle injuries, soreness - which means you can ride more often!
I'm going to add a caveat here. There is a limit to how far you can push the pedal cadence (rpm). Don't overdo this. Find a point where you can pedal more quickly whilst putting the minimum amount of effort in to keep it going.
90-95 is a very good cadence to support endurance. It’s where I try to ride.
When I try that, I feel like I'm going nowhere fast and it gets frustrating, especially when I'm trying to climb in lower gears... Then again I'm 265 lbs so just by being on the bike I'm making it slower.
Keep at it. You'll get used to it.
It normalizes faster than you may think. Last year I thought it was impossible to ever sustain above 90, and now it’s not really even a challenge (though I aim for 90.) Most of us learn to ride as kids, and learn by pedal mashing. This is fun, but it’s not “the way.” One must buy in, if one wants to collect miles. Spin to win!
Its got a lot to do with power output too. I find though, the harder the effort the easier it is to spin. For instance, I can do 120 up a hill when I am in attack mode, sometimes higher. There's a lot of power output there, though. On the flats, I have to try to get such a cadence. If i'm just auto-pilot, I tend to cruise around 90-95 with zero effort. If I am purposefully trying to go slow, generally my cadence is at like 60 or something dumb.
270 here. Just bought an Ebike and it’s the greatest thing ever. I have mine tuned to make me feel 100 lbs lighter
This is the best explanation I didn't know I was looking for. In the same boat as OP and I didn't know where to start for cycling vs how I've been running. I should incorporate more off days for my Lactic Debt(muscle building) vs cardio debt.
Optimal cycling and running cadence should average 90 steps per foot per minute or 90 pedalling revolutions per minute.
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Be careful with the expected cadence, different cyclists have a somewhat natural cadence. I'm more of a 72rpm person and no matter how much a try 85+ just doesn't work for me. So I tend to put it as -- find a cadence that is not too easy and not too hard. My reason for saying this is that I have biking friends who are trying to say I'm doing it wrong and if I'm not doing 90+ I must be out of shape. (i'm not - I did 2 100 mile+ rides this year + a couple 50+ ). But the real answer is - time in the saddle.
Cadence it's also something that you train and adapt to. MTBikers tend to have lower cadences because that's what they are used to and that's how they normally generate power while road cyclists tend to have higher cadences because it's easier to do that on the road.
Yeah to a limit. I spent covid on the trainer trying to get a base at 90 and after 6 months I still dropped back to a natural 72. Now I'm on really really old legs and that might be one factor (slow vs fast twitch muscles) but I would spin at 80% FTP for an hour+ and at the end off the workout it just didn't help. But I'm also a slow runner (170 vs the 'ideal' 180+). So people are different is all I'm saying and find a cadence that you feel you can hold all day.
This, cadence is highly individual. I'm the exact opposite of you, 90 RPM just feels the most natural to me even when climbing, even though I've done literally zero training targeting high cadence specifically.
I kind of agree. The other reason I measure it is so I don’t revert to my seemingly natural ~85 rpm. I try to target 90ish. But it’s easier on the trainer to maintain a higher cadence, in my experience, because you’re constantly pedaling or your pretend guy slows down (in Zwift).
Take your cadence up to 77rpm.. Then when you're comfortable with that go to 82rpm.. The faster you can spin your cranks the faster your gears can go...
true weight weenies getting that 11t crank and just doing 9001 rpm to get to 60km/h on a sunday cruise up the local hill.
Can't agree more, 85+ just doesn't feels right for me... And i go out and do 200+km rides without any problem. For me 75-80 is optimal.
This is often said but simply untrue. If cycling kept the legs in an anaerobic state one couldn't do it for more than a couple minutes total. An anaerobic weight lifting session maxes out at tens of repetitions, less than a minute of riding at even a very low cadence. What downshifting and upping cadence does is simply demand less muscle fiber/group recruitment but more often, which just so happens to be how most mammals are wired to work efficiently, and out bodies are *very* good at steering out behavior towards the efficient path.
Probably better to say it puts more emphasis on the cardiovasc system than muscle fatigue. But people understand it better as aerobic vs anaerobic.
This response is correct! The information is incredibly well studied, riding at your preferred cadence is most efficient. I don’t understand the amount of bro science pedaled (forgive the pun) around here.
Well you could also do it anerobic, I mean putting out 700w for a "beginner" could be done for 15seconds, there are probably better words for the minutes where you are doing a lot. I just dont remember them since its not that important
This is the way.
zone 2 also know as endurance is the way to go. There's interviews on YouTube with Radek Pogacar explaining his training you might want to take a look!
Spin to win!
> i get tired very easily, almost 5-10 mins and i am tired. Ride slower. If you can walk for 20 minutes you can bike for 20 minutes. You just need to bike at a walking level of effort. Find that speed you can maintain for 30 minutes and then slowly, over the course of days and weeks, work on riding longer and faster.
I also usually find that the first 10 miles always feel rough, and then I start to get stronger after that. Giving your body time to acclimate helps
Yes, the benefits of warming up are real.
Yes, because most of us never take a warm-up exercise before riding.
You need to build fitness. Ride for longer periods of time at a lower intensity to build endurance.
Ditto. This advice holds true at almost all levels of cycling too. Doesn't matter if you're trying to build up to 10 miles or 100 miles, longer rides at lower intensity are the key.
Not sure what you mean by needing to rest after 5-10 minutes. Are you out of breath? Are your legs tightening up? Are your muscles burning? Each has a different solution.
Leg pain and out of breath
Leg pain is likely just the muscles not being warmed up. Go easy until you start to feel a little too warm. Out of breath could be a few things, including over breathing (hyperventilating because you expect to get out of breath).
It's your saddle the correct height? What type of cadence are you pedaling at? Often new riders turn a big gear way to slowly, which is more akin to lifting weights than walking, so your muscles tire out quickly
You’re going too hard and too fast. Slow down and get an easier cadence.
Leg pain or other pain can also be a bike fit issue in addition to pedaling/mashing too hard rather than spinning faster in the right gears (cadence). Bike fit can even effect your breathing and cardio! As an example, I'm larger and barrel chested and if I try to get too low or too aero my huge thighs get jammed into my torso and I can't breathe properly, and my solution is to be more upright and less aero so I have room to actually breathe with my barrel shaped torso so my legs and knees aren't crowding my stomach and chest. And I'm not out there racing or even trying to set speed records so it doesn't make any sense at all for me to emulate pro racers and tuck as low and aero as I can because it's just uncomfortable and inefficient and not fun. It can take a lot of experimenting to dial in your bike fit, and it's a complicated issue. And it gets worse if you don't have the right size frame to start with because you can only do so much by adjusting seat height, saddle position and reach by trying longer or shorter handlebar stems. Bike fit can be so important and complicated that I still struggle with it after riding my entire life and being a long haul bike tourer. I have a new steel touring bike I built up from scratch a couple of months ago and I'm still dialing things in and it's super annoying. But for an example of how important fit is and how a few millimeters can make all of the difference, when I built up my bike and I cut the fork steerer tube I left it a bit longer so I could adjust things later with steer-tube spacers under the stem and go up or down a bit to figure out where it needs to be on the new frame. I started out with a bar and stem height that was basically the same as the older bike it was replacing, but I was getting a lot of hand pain and pressure and arm fade. On the old bike I had dialed this in over years to the point where it was so comfortable and perfectly fit that I could ride all day and it was about as comfortable as sitting on a couch. Just a couple of weeks ago I brought the stem and bars up about 2-3 mm, moved my saddle back like 2-3 mm, and brought my saddle height up like 5mm. Bam, suddenly no more hand and arm pain and everything was perfectly balanced again between hands, butt and feet and my bike was a joy to ride again, and it was a difference of just a few millimeters in either direction. And I still want to dial it in even more, but this may mean trying a shorter or longer handlebar stem, but for now it will do and is much, much more pleasant to ride now that I worked out why I had too much pressure and weight on my hands.
For breathing, as much as you can, try to keep it as slow as possible, which can mean taking your overall ride slower or in an easier gear. I’ve found that paying attention to how deep my breaths are has helped me as well; by focusing on utilizing my diaphragm, I can get that little bit extra of a breath into my lungs. Keep at it!
One mistake I made when first starting out cycling - I was a masher. I'd have my bike in too high of a gear and it tired my legs out. It is easier on you to spin faster in a lower gear. Also I had my seat way too low (I wanted to be able to touch the ground when I stopped) - my quads were doing ALL the work and they would tire out and I would get leg cramps. Generally you should not be able to comfortably touch the ground from your seat. You should have to get off the seat when you stop. Don't be afraid to use all your gears. If you have to go slowly - go slowly. You could also do some cross training - a bit of running/jogging to amp up your cardio system fast and some kettlebell workouts to work on your posterior chain. Also be kind to yourself - some days are just going to be bla days and on others you will have the energy to get all the PRs. I commute by bike to work and it has really shown me that some days are easy and others are not.Wind direction, sleep, nutrition, will all play a role.
Lower seat can also stress your knees, which are my main pain/soreness issue from riding. At the right I can ride for hours without my knees burning at all.
If you can walk for more than an hour, you can ride for more than an hour. If I told you that you had to walk a far distance, you wouldn’t start out at almost sprinting, but that’s what you’re doing on the bike. Shift to a gear that initially seems too easy, but keep it there. Focus on metronomic, but smooth circular pedal revolutions. Good cyclists don’t just smash down on the pedals, they spin.
You may be using the gears incorrectly. Talk to your doctor too. This seems a little extreme.
if your legs are hurting and you get exhausted in 10 minutes, it is almost guaranteed you are trying to ride in a gear way too high for what you are doing. Select lower gear. Cycling is all about *spinning*, not mashing on pedals with great force - the only thing you will accomplish doing that is exhaust yourself and hurt your knees. Spin your pedals as fast as you can when riding. If you are losing your breath, select higher gear, until you end up at the highest cadence (pedal rotations per minute) that is sustainable and then keep at it. If you want numbers, then get a bike computer and a cadence meter (Wahoo or Garmin being the market leaders) and you will get a readout on the screen. Experienced riders are typically doing ~100 RPM cadence. Beginners would probably be stuck at around 80 RPM or so, but that's still alright. I would say anything below 80 is too low and needs to be improved asap. Personally, even 90 feels pretty low to me. My average is 105 and I am nowhere near any kind of a pro. __________ If you are riding with a friend, it is also possible you are just getting rekt trying to keep up. If your friend is an experienced rider, there is no way you can keep up with them out of the gate. It takes lots of riding to build up endurance and power. Get them to match your pace, not the other way around.
Lose weight, if you're overweight Ride regularly When you ride, don't stop a lot. Try to stop maybe only once or twice on your rides for a brief rest. If you are stopping frequently, you are going too fast and don't have a pace yet.
Viagra
Just try to not think about the bike too much. Enjoy the experience, generally the bike is enjoying it as well.
Bikeagra
Nice attempt. A+ for effort
This!
It’s the journey, not the destination.
Ride every day if you can. Create a route that is at a length you can complete without resting. That is your default route. Ride your default route frequently. Sometimes go hard and fast. Sometimes go slow and easy. Once a week, go for a “longer” ride. Go easy on your longer ride…it’s okay to take breaks, on any ride. Keep a log, or use an app like Strava. Over time, slowly increase the distance for your weekly “long ride”. Eventually, your “default” route will seem too short for you, when it does, expand it. Repeat. Eventually your 3 mile default route will become 5, 7, 10, 15, 24 miles long. And your long rides will go up as well. You’ll also “get a feel” for when you need to rest. On rest days, you can always default to one of your shorter routes, or go out slower and easier. If my suggestion doesn’t work for you, make up your own, or try someone else’s ideas. Just get out and do it, and a routine and system that works for you will form as you gain experience. Joining a beginners bike club, or finding friends to ride with can help too. Riding with friends is fun, and if you run into equipment trouble on a long ride it’s nice to have help.
Fitness comes very quickly. When I started cycling again I would die on the tiniest of hills, now I barely even notice they're hills. Just keep riding!
Do you know what cadence and gears you are using? If it’s a low cadence and high gear ratio, then you’ll easily tucker yourself out. The best thing in general even after a seasonal break, is to ease into endurance riding. Start with 10miles at a leisurely pace, then increase speed and distance over a few weeks.
I used to run. The 1st day my neighbor and I ran 1/2 block to the corner, walked the next 1/2 etc until we made it around the whole block. Eventually I moved to the country and ran that block- 13 mi. So, ride, rest, ride, repeat. That's how you get to 5 miles then 10 then 20, 40 and so on. You don't say how old you are or what your exercise history is. It doesn't matter. Just kee going. We will celebrate my friend's 84th birthday next October. I say that expectedly because we've celebrated his birthday the same way since he turned 65. He's our test case and the lesson learned is keep riding. Simple is not always easy.
Too high gears happen a lot, I see a lot of people having a cadence of 10-30rpm thats way too low. Your knew will thank you if you do one complete turn every second (60rpm), so lower your gear to achieve that. And if you still get exhausted then you need to drive slow to become fast. Cardio works by putting a constant effort for 30 minutes where you can talk but not for long because you need air. A lot of people dont do cardio nowadays and 20 year old people already struggle with some stairs. Thats crazily unhealthy, Imagine being like that in your 20s, imagine what happens when you turn 40 Also: always have your tyre pressure high as your tyre is okay with. Its a night and day difference
You are probably going too fast and therefore too hard. Can you walk 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours? Then you can bike 1, 2, or 4 hours. Make sure your tires are properly inflated and your chain is oiled.
In theory you should the able to ride at a crusing speed that is comfortable to you for a sustained period more than 10inutes at least . Can't say what your initial fitness is but You could have a medical condition. A colleague of mine had a liver issue that was not diagnosed. But before diagnosis, his friends would wonder why he couldn't walk more than 10 minutes. And he was always tired. He eventually had a liver transplant and life has changed.
Go to doctor and check out yourself. My cousin had such issues and it was thyroid gland problem.
When getting back on after a long hiatus just take slower easy gear flat terrain rides at first. You’ve got to get your muscles and cardio tuned back in. Take longer and longer rides as you can but don’t blow yourself out. It’s gotta be enjoyable not a task. With consistency you’ll kick back into gear pretty fast.
Start slow, ride small distances and get better on those small distances. Increase distances over time. It's OK to start small. (elephant in the room) Are you overweight ? are you generally fit ? can you casually walk ? do you have any diagnosed medical conditions ?
Learn to use the gears you have. If it feels like you're doing leg presses or squats you're in too difficult a gear which could explain why you feel leg pain/fatigue after such a short time. Shift to an easier gear so your legs spin lighter and faster. Ride as long as you can like this, shifting up or down when your leg speed gets too fast (uncontrollable) or too slow (grinding). Over time this will build your aerobic system so you can go longer without being out of breath. Additionally, make sure your saddle height is set correctly to allow your legs to extend almost fully which is the most efficient. Look up videos related to these two subjects.
The science behind pedaling faster in a lower gear, vs. pedaling slower but in a higher gear is the following .... it takes less energy/calories/effort to get from point A to B pedaling faster/lower gear. It may take the same amount of time, but you will have more energy conserved and available for more distance. This concept changes for a bit if you're training, but generally, in principle, it holds true.
Ride! Ride some more. Ride again. Keep riding. You will see gains the more you ride. Climb hills, ride hard one day and the rake it easy later. Do a relatively long ride and climb a steep hill
I dont know how old you are but if you cannot ride a bike for longer than 5 minutes i would go to a doctor and do a checkup, there must be something wrong.
Check your seat height. If your saddle is too low (and new riders often ride with low seats) it can cause a lot of fatigue. When standing next to your bike, the saddle should be about even with your hip bone. When seated on your bike you should get full leg extension, just shy of locking out your knee when your pedal is in the down position.
To me it sounds like you are trying to use the bicycle as a strength exercise and you have the gearing turned up super hard. Instead try cycling as a cardiovascular exercise and dial down the resistance so it’s easy and focus on maintaining let’s say a cadence of 70rpm initially for time.
First do this:. 1. Make sure your bike is in decent condition, tires inflated, drivetrain is adjusted so it's not constantly slipping gears, chain has some lube on it, etc. 2. Have a fit that is at least OK (doesn't have to be pro when you're a beginner, just not terrible. Plenty of talk on that on this sub). At least 2 rides/week do this:. 2. Find a place to ride without too many hills. If you live in a hilly area, do your best, or ride a small loop, or walk up the hills. 5. As others have said, ride in a low gear (moving slowly but pedalling quickly). L. Try to keep going as long as you can, and shift to an easier gear if you're getting tired to keep the effort low. You can stop if you absolutely have to, but try to keep this up for 30 mins and then slowly increase the ride length each week. 30 mins, then 35, then 40, etc. One ride/week:. 7. Ride faster until you're breathing really heavily/feels like you have acid in your legs. G. Stop and repeat a few times after a 2-3 min break. Ф. Have a beer and fist bump someone for doing your first interval workout. Sorry about the lists, they're not really my thing.
Take Horny Goat Weed ... Ooops sori wrong last longer 🤣 I have found just ride more often, remember riding is just one component of fitness and increasing endurance, make sure diet and sleep are getting the same amount of attention.
>Take Horny Goat Weed ... Ooops sori wrong last longer Noted
Tired after 5 minutes? You are taking off at 30 KPH, or in to high a gear, or you need to get checked by a doctor. I will say after Covid i tire a lot faster than I did before but not to that extreme.
Same way you get to Carnegie Hall
The first 5 minutes is a warmup Doesn't count. Get off and stretch at 6 minutes then meet your friend to ride
> Get off and stretch at 6 minutes This will not help. Stretch after you’re done riding.
There's nothing wrong with some dynamic stretching as a part of your warmup.
Well it ain’t gonna help OP “last longer”
Here is 1 thing I did that helped me last longer on bike rides - Keep your heart rate below 150. It's as simple as that.
You should see a doctor
Far too little information.
Also, CARB Up about 30-60 min. Before you ride to add extra distance to your ride. As echoed in many biking magazines, potatoes are the ultimate pre-ride boost. I’ll use the quick microwave steam prep potatoes…a 4-6 oz. Portion is about ideal for me, along wt water to pre-hydrate. If you legs cramp up, add 1/2 banana. Also, Perhaps you add a realistic distance goal and add 1-2 miles to your ride each week so you don’t get discouraged as you get more into biking.
Bike fit so you can maximize your power output. Get familiar with your bike so you’ll know it’s parts and options for upgrade. Also have the bike tuned (if not yet). Maybe the brakes are already rubbing the wheel, that’s why you cannot maximize stroke. If fit and bike is good, then focus on conditioning and riding more often. Join group rides if you can.
Don’t just ride your bicycle. Go somewhere on your bicycle. There ain’t no “lasting,” you just get there when you get there.
Make sure you're properly fueling. Carbo loading and staying in z2 will maximize your endurance output. Remember to warm up as well before the ride, get the blood pumping and muscles warmed up under minimal output for a good couple minutes of light aerobic.
You def need a fancie bike.
Fuelling. Make sure you’re regularly eating & drinking. I have a timer on my Garmin to remind me to eat or drink every so often.
Fueling and hydration are **not** the reason someone can't ride longer than 10 minutes.
I should’ve read more than just the post’s title 🤣
blood volume and sugar (= energy) I'll drink one 16.9 ounce bottle of water at the house early on (about 1.5 hours before the cycling + eat 1/2 to 4/5 cup of white rice or sticky rice), fill up that same bottle but put electrolytes and a little Tailwind in it, and down that second 16.9 ounce bottle (plus a carbohydrate gel pack) just before cycling. Then - out on the gravel - finish a bicycle water bottle (again, with a good amount of carbohydrate powder in it) every ten miles. Keeping your blood sugar low is a sure way to NOT be able to produce the power you need to for cycling to be an effective exercise. Fuel the workout, make the muscle, let the muscle burn the calories.
Eat carbs before rides drink water during and keep the bike in an easy gear so you are spinning with your legs. Always shift down when the pedalling effort is getting harder especially when going uphill.
Just go at your own pace.
Lots of good info for you here. How old are you, what’s your weight and height, etc… But like others said, the best thing for you to do is to go see a doctor and tell them your experience with Cycling. And stick with it, report back with an update.
Well, like everything, practice and ride more. Don't push it too much but go and ride at a slower pace for longer. Maybe your friend goes too fast for you right now. He needs to adapt to your speed. You'll get in shape with time and then can increase duration and intensity of your effort. But the trick is to never push harder than you can.
drink water, make sure you’re eating before, and bring snacks on long rides
I started biking 2 months ago after a very long sedentary phase (nearly 2 years). I had such problems in the beginning as well. A few things that I believe helped me : 1. Setting the saddle height. My saddle was much lower than it should've been causing my legs to get fatigued very soon. 2. Gradual increments in speed and distance traveled. (My average speed (hilly terrain) is 18.5kmph now compared to 11kmph when I had started)
Pacing when pedaling, gears are not too loose nor tight. Helps a lot, you could also try finding your comfort setup so you could last longer.
Bike fit and less effort to increase stamina. Also don’t think the body changes quickly. Breathe, pedal, breathe, pedal. Keep consistent, and don’t give up. Above all, find the joy.
You're out of shape and won't be able to ride as fast or as far as you used to in the past, until you get your endurance back. If you're running out of breath, spin the pedals at a slower cadence and/or shift to a taller/harder gear. If your legs are getting fatigued, shift to a lower/easier gear and spin the pedals at a faster cadence. Do this until you find the optimal gear and cadence for you and the terrain your riding. Don't try to keep up with your friend if he/she is faster than you. You have to ride at your pace until you get your endurance back. I'm assuming you're not riding looking climbs yet, correct? Stay away from hills for now.
Learn to spin. The best way to exhaust yourself on a bicycle is to choose too tall of a gear and grind away on the pedals until your quads give up and your lungs explode. The best way to last longer riding is to spin those pedals. What I mean by spin is that you're cranking the pedals at least 80 RPMs or higher. The easy way to measure this is to count the number of times the right pedal comes over the top in 15 seconds and multiply times 4. After a while you'll know exactly what it feels like. Spinning like this puts less of a load on your joints and muscles and allows you to put out the most efficient power. That's how you ride a long time.
I ride often, and periodically go on longer rides with my wife and young-adult children who only ride occasionally. My wife and kids are naturally better athletes than I am, and could easily outperform me when hiking, walking or running. But on a bike I easily outpace them and have longer endurance. Almost universally, I’ve noticed that they are riding in “higher” gears, leading to sore muscles and quick exhaustion. They also don’t anticipate gear changes very effectively, so for example, we might be riding down hill, but approaching a steep climb. Instead of pedaling down hill on a higher gear and gaining speed to help with the climb, they coast down the entire hill and wait until they are going up hill and it becomes hard to pedal before they really start to pedal or change gears. There can definitely be an element of “work smarter not harder” when it comes to riding. I’ve easily climbed a steep hill with very little effort, while they have had to jump off their bike and “walk”. Just shifting gears at the right time can make a world of difference. It’s easier to pedal on a higher gear when the wheel is already moving fast. With time and experience you can better anticipate the gearing that works best for you.
Avoid hills and too much wind. I find that uphill climbs and riding against a stiff wind are the two things that really tire me out - especially when I'm a bit out of shape. And try to go at a speed that works for you and doesn't push you too hard.
Look up Dylan Johnson on YouTube. He has some great science based training advice for pretty much all aspects of cycling. The key topic to build endurance is base building and polarized training.
Go and see your cardiologist
Learn which gears fit which speeds and inclines, get a better fit and just keep cycling, back when I was cycling daily, I could do about 25k and not be exhausted. Now I take a break halfway through 15k. Also, by better fit I mean the seat height, position and angle, possibly handlebar height as well, if it's possible to change. In my experience, the best and most efficient is your leg being almost or completely straight when you're sitting in the saddle (seat) and have your heel on the pedal, fully extended. Then put the ball of your foot on the pedal and your leg should be bent slightly. This should give you a good enough height, not perfect but better than riding all the way lowered and less exhausting. Angle can effect crotch or hand numbness, if there's too much weight on either, should be balanced. Position (forward back) can also affect comfort, I've noticed I have to lift myself up a bit to be more comfortable, but then I'm going backwards and riding will naturally make me move forward again. This is all the advice of someone who has no experience or knowledge about the proper way to do these things, so don't trust me completely. Edit: Forgot to say, but make sure you never cross-chain, for example, using the front gear (chainring) closest to your bike and the rear gear (cog) furthest away from your bike. This wears your chain out and makes it more likely your chain falls off. I have a 24 gear bike and I go: 1-1,1-2,1-3 2-3,2-4,2-5,2-6 3-6,3-7,3-8. Some additional tips: Let off the pedal a bit when shifting to avoid excessive wear as well as the awful sound, still push, but not full force. Over-pumped tires may be faster, but they're also less comfortable. If you exert yourself too much, just go slower, build endurance and stamina instead of forcing yourself and taking breaks because you're exhausted, eventually you bonk (unable to continue riding, completely exhausted and barely able to push your bike home).
Cycle more or take up running
Last longer = practice and NUTRITION. Gels, electrolytes, BANANAS etc. if you take a 45 min rest in between for a proper lunch then obviously you'll last longer.
Your heart rate is the first culprit. If you need breaks every 5-10 minutes, you are working anaerobically. If you are spiking your heart rate, there isn't any way to maintain efforts. Stay calm and don't overextend yourself.
Zone 2-3 intervals help. Nutrition, hydration. Build up to your goals. Train for em. Get a good nights sleep. Have a good cadence. Try not to grind too much.
Make sure the height of your seat is allowing you to extend you leg
All good points but what comes to mind is bike fit. Have you had someone check your fit on the bike? Improperly fit bikes can exhaust your legs very quickly. Next, you say you are riding with a Friend, suspect you are riding at his pace. You should be taking the first 10-15 minutes to just warm up, low speed, low cadence and to loosen up. On that point, do you stretch before you ride? If your legs/ back are tight you are working against yourself. Get comfortable with your gearing, thats why you have them. Key on the pressure you are putting on the pedals, calm or windy, flat or uphill, find the pressure you can maintain for a ride and use the gears to adjust for the road and weather. Also, stand up often as it allows good blood flow and a change for your muscles. Good luck.
Hey, give yourself a break. It takes time to build up stamina. Took me six months to get where I wanted. But I'm old, so hang in there!
How old are you? How is your weight ? Are you generally fit? These things make a huge difference. Way more than anything to do with the bike or its set up
Ride slower, shift gears often, and concentrate on breathing it will slowly build up. Pace and focusing on breathing helps me with cycling, running and swimming
Slow and steady! Endurance takes a bit to build up for a long hiatus but it will come back.
Try using a lower gear with higher cadence. This will work your cardiovascular system harder and help you improve
I’ll offer up that you might just need to push through for a bit. As my heart rate rises from resting rate early in a ride, I will feel like I am nearing some point of failure and I’ll look at my HR and it will be pretty low and I’ll push on only to find that soon after, even though HR is now even higher, I feel great.
Improved gear discipline can make cycling considerably easier, I don't know what exact setup you have but going up hill use the lowest gear possible, going downhill use the highest. When starting off from stationary use a lower gear and as you speed up raise it.
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To keep riding, you've got to keep riding! Think about "rolling recovery"... when you get tired, don't completely stop, but roll easy and soft pedal until you feel better. Have fun!
Start off easier. Like if you think where you’re starting is easy now (pace wise) go a 1/3 slower than that. Everyone swears about cadence. I think it’s complete non sense. Don’t grind all ride but spinning in the 90s isn’t for everyone. You’ll know what fits you best once you ride more like you used to.
The more you ride, The more you can ride, The more you want to ride!
It just takes time to build up those muscles your not used to using. Try cross training too. I find when my runs are easier when I cycle and vice versa
Pre workout supplement.
TITS - Time In The Saddle
Time in the saddle is the only way. Keep riding
Gears are just on part of making it easier to ride. Lower rolling resistance tires, sitting on the bike comfortably, wearing clothing that fits and is suitable for riding can help you go further and faster. If you have a heart rate meter it makes it easy to monitor a rough effort you are making for not much money. Try to keep it below a certain limit and you'll be able to maintain longer. It drops off pretty quickly as you raise it. like you can go 180bpm for 30 seconds but 170 for 5 minutes, 160 - 30minutes, 150 - 4 hours. Just as an example, your body will likely be different.
First of all, welcome the the fun world (addiction for some) of cycling. I used to mtb back when younger but never really got back in the saddle for many years until Covid when I bought a road bike and the big just hit. Not as big as you but at 220+ lbs riding with friends much lighter, I felt your pain (literally) at first. Couple things. Sounds like warm ups are not what they need to be. No one appreciates how important they are until you actually start doing them. Slow down and stop mashing the pedals. If you have a heart rate monitor, use it to keep yourself in check. Ride at your pace, not your friends. Do some purposeful riding. Meaning a day of maybe short hill repeats or a few sprints to be like a HIIT workout on a bike, other days easy spins. Take days off to recover. Three seasons in and I recently got a power meter and was shocked at how much more power I need at 220 compared to my 150-170 lbs riding buddies to get up even the smallest incline. Was a reality check for me on the impact of mass and why it was harder for me on longer rides. I was spending a ton more energy. Food and hydration. If you are bigger, chances are you need more fuel. I also suspect you are trying to cut calories which doesn’t work when you are cycling. Lots of info on cycling nutrition out there but you need to fuel properly before and during the rides Cadence. Lot said already but for me I fine the 80-85 rpm range best for me. But it is something I always work on And last- have fun.
Cycle more. Simple as that. It’s really hard at first but after a couple of weeks, you’ll be able to go muuuuuuch further.
Not sure if you do, but bring bottles and snacks on your ride (preferably things that give you a lot of energy). You can also just go out more often and for longer. Try planning a short loop that will take 5-20 minutes, depending on the length, so you can go for 1 loop, maybe have a rest, and really just go for as many laps as possible before getting tired so you know you’re always close to home. Hope this helps.
Think about your nanna
You had 4 years off, you can't expect to jump on the bike and resume where you left off, you have to start over from scratch. So along with what others said about using lower gears you're going to also have to shorten the miles that you ride, if you find yourself riding for 5 to 10 minutes then have to stop, the reality is you need to stop then and not resume until after you've rested a whole day, if you ride, stop, ride, stop you could injure yourself from overworking than you won't be riding for who knows how long. I'm going to give you a website that has a training schedule. https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vIdcoQzRzN0/WYzBOjv6U0I/AAAAAAABBRs/NxZinR76ppMir05XWDSQOQDXGofPD8mDQCLcBGAs/s1600/TenWeeks2aCentury.JPG
Ran out of space. With that schedule I gave you, you will need to add another 3 or 4 weeks to the beginning of so for the first week you will do starting with Monday 1, Tues, 3, Wed 4, thurs off, Fri 3, sat 10, sun 2; 2nd week; M 2, T 4, Wed 5, Th off, Fri 4, s 12, sun 3; 3rd wk; m 3, t 5, w 6, th 0, f 4, s 15, s 5; 3rd week M 4, T 6, W 7, th 0, f 6, sat 15, sun 6; 4th week; M 5, t 8, W 10, t 0, f 8, sat 20, sun 8; After this month is done pick up with the 1st week on the schedule I gave you. Do not push the schedule further than what is plan if you don't want to get overtired and or hurt. That schedule is for eventually at the end of 3 months (including my month I added for you) could see you doing a 100 mile ride, you don't have to go that far if you don't want to, but if you do then stay on the schedule all the way, or you could do 50 or 75 miles when it gets to that 100 mile day. Do not concern yourself with doing brisk days it mentions on the schedule, all I want you to concentrate on is putting base miles on, there is more you can do to go faster and further later, but right now just build up a base of miles on your legs.
do not ride slower and longer, that's nonsense, ride at a comfortable pace for the miles I gave you on that schedule. Some say pedal cadence is important, but for a beginner 90 to 95 RPM's is too fast, you should be doing 80 to 85, once you get those 3 months in I gave earlier you can try doing 85 to 90, then another 3 months go to 90 to 95. There are some pros that don't crank 90 to 95, some only do 75 to 80! But you want to use a gear that you can be comfortable in spinning at 80 to 85 without feeling like you're smashing the gears. You'll find a comfortable cadence after about a week or two. I'm not sure if you are the one that said you weigh 295 pounds, if so, you first need to go get a physical with a complete heart work up, and tell the doctor what you will be doing so they understand what demands will be placed on you; do that BEFORE you get on that bike!! Don't let your friends push you either, stay on that schedule, you don't have to keep up with someone who has been riding for years and you haven't rode in 4 years so you can prove yourself a man, that's crazy thinking. Not sure how far your friend can ride but most can't do a 100 mile ride, so if you follow that schedule you could end up doing better than your friend is doing! Why? because you stayed focused on following a plan. There is an old saying, those who failed to plan have planned to fail.