Rides for overweight unfit people?

No, what you need is short high intensity intervals. Much more effective per unit time if losing weight is the objective. Lots of anecdote and even some evidence points to this http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=HIIT+weight+loss

Long steady rides are nice for enjoying cycling and the countryside, but for getting fit and losing lard HIIT is the way to go.

I don't train overly seriously but over the last 3 years have progressed from wobbling down the road and being knackered after a couple of miles to comfortably completing 100 milers. On the odd occassion I do any form of interval work I use one of my local hills and do laps using a longer return route for recovery. One example a lot of us will know is Greenwich Park which has a decent slope through the middle. Ride up that, out the top park gates, turn left, left at the traffic lights, down Maze Hill, left again at the bottom and eventually back into the bottom park gates.
A few laps of this and then a coffee break / take in the views at the top.
Whilst not the most exciting of rides it would give stronger riders a chance to do extra laps whilst not losing the less able riders. Add to this a ride out and back to a central meeting point and you've pretty much got a ride to suit all levels.

Worthy of note is the differences in individual perceptions of (un)fitness. I'm sure to some here, 10 miles would be a long ride.

Don't underestimate yourself. I reckon that, saving definable disability, any adult who can get on a bike and set off under their own steam could be got through a ride of 50 miles.

When I led a few rides for Southwark Cyclists, I had someone turn up for a ride thinking it would be a ten miler. By the time we'd ridden from London Bridge out to Peckham and through Clapham and on to Richmond Park he asked how far we had gone. I think we'd covered about 20 miles by then and although he was convinced he wouldn't make it all the way back Barry Mason and I convinced him to give it a go. As we approached bail out points I let him know but he decided to carry on and got all the way back at around 40-45 miles. He was so happy at having ridden the furthest he had ever been he was completely unfazed by the three miles he had left to ride home.

No doubt you'd get a few aches afterwards, but that's just your body telling you it's getting lighter and fitter. If lower weight and higher fitness aren't goals for you, just remember that the further that you can ride, the more pubs you can get to.

I think you are wrong. One of the biggest difficulties that unfit people have is that fit people have little experience (or it has been a long time since) they had any serious level of unfitness and have forgotten what unfitness is like, and will always push people too far, often discouraging them from ever participating in exercise again, as they feel they are on such an uphill climb.

One of the things about unfitness is that you have forgotten how your body works, so every twinge, even a pain in your big toe, can be disconcerting.

Slow progressions are best for anyone who is unfit, whatever the exercise or activity. Your body and mind needs to acclimatise to the work you are asking it to do over a number of weeks. You need to feel success by setting small goals and working forward. Setting unmanageable goals and failing is no encouragement.

Are there any? I suppose critical mass is about the closest as the pace would obviously be slow (although it's a demo and not really a ride as such I guess) but it would be nice to be able to go out on a ride where one doesn't need to worry about keeping up or conking out halfway there.

Have you considered cycle training?

Nothing heroic just long and steady. .

Cliveo, are you confusing your lovemaking with your cycling again?

Slow progressions are best for anyone who is unfit, whatever the exercise or activity. Your body and mind needs to acclimatise to the work you are asking it to do over a number of weeks. You need to feel success by setting small goals and working forward. Setting unmanageable goals and failing is no encouragement.

I'm sure that this applies to many people, Shoosh, but I doubt very much that it applies to 'anyone who is unfit'. To me, the Dunwich Dynamo has always been instructive. Year after year, I've seen extremely unfit people start it on unsuitable bikes and somehow get to Dunwich, all of 116 miles, plus extra miles incurred through getting lost, carried along by the friendly atmosphere and because they are pretty much guaranteed to find nice people to ride with. Yes, it's probably going to be a shock to the system, and they might take a while to recover, but the sense of elation felt at the finish is enormous. I know of one case in which you could say that it had been life-changing.

Obviously, it's not for everyone, but you shouldn't underestimate how easy it is to cover a long distance on a bike--if you're not seriously ill, it is highly likely that you can do a long ride, and that you will surprise yourself. Remember also that you can dose your effort on the bike very easily by going more slowly. At a slow pace, with enough rest stops, and with like-minded and congenial company, this sort of activity is open to a very wide range of people indeed.

Elaborate Mr Schick?

And +100 to what Shoosh is saying re perceptions of fitness and actual fitness. Particularly where the often clueless but well-meaning already fit are concerned.

No, what you need is short high intensity intervals. Much more effective per unit time if losing weight is the objective. Lots of anecdote and even some evidence points to this http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=HIIT+weight+loss

Long steady rides are nice for enjoying cycling and the countryside, but for getting fit and losing lard HIIT is the way to go.

mdcc, got any good links to sessions that you like / recommend? I quite like a bit of interval training, but there are plenty of differing opinions about interval and rest leength and length of session etc. For example, unless on a turbo or exercise bike, tabata intervals of 20 sec isn't that managable. However, rowing ergs, elipticals, lend themselves to controlled interval training really well.

Like London-Monaco?!

For starters yes.

A few years ago I was seriously overweight and unfit. I am now simply overweight and not as fit as I would like to be.

One thing that really helped me in those early days was to have a target. My very first was the London Cyclothon for Leukemia. A "mere" 26 miles around London. I thought it would kill me. I bought a cheap hybrid and went out, alone, to practice. I just rode around London, never too far from home but I used a cycling computer - just a cheap one. I could see how far I was going. I rode fairly slowly but covered more miles than I would have thought possible. I found, one day, that I had riden 40 miles. The 26 flat miles were easy when i came to do them. I then set my target as the London to Brighton. Gradually upping my training distances before the ride until I was doing more than the 52 miles necessary and also taking in some hills. I did London to Brighton. My first year was difficult, the next far easier. I then was challenged to ride to Paris. This is when I bought a proper bike and the rest led to London to Monte Carlo.

Long steady miles. You will go further than you think you can. Riding alone is not a bad thing as it allows you to go at your own pace and to cover your own distance. Look for distance first before hills. Use a computer. Wear lycra. Carry water. Enjoy.

Whilst I agree to a certain extent with the comments on attempting longer rides I honestly don't believe they will work for everybody.
I was backstop on a club ride recently with a mixed ability bunch of mostly social riders. We covered some 40 miles and for the last 10 I ended up nurse maiding a rider at a pace not much above walking. I doubt that rider would get anywhere near completing a ride such as Dunwich although I too have been amazed at some of the riders and their bikes that turn up and complete similar events.
The big danger of attempting too much too early is failing and losing interest when with a little and often approach, huge improvenments could be made.

For starters yes.

A few years ago I was seriously overweight and unfit. I am now simply overweight and not as fit as I would like to be.

One thing that really helped me in those early days was to have a target. My very first was the London Cyclothon for Leukemia. A "mere" 26 miles around London. I thought it would kill me. I bought a cheap hybrid and went out, alone, to practice. I just rode around London, never too far from home but I used a cycling computer - just a cheap one. I could see how far I was going. I rode fairly slowly but covered more miles than I would have thought possible. I found, one day, that I had riden 40 miles. The 26 flat miles were easy when i came to do them. I then set my target as the London to Brighton. Gradually upping my training distances before the ride until I was doing more than the 52 miles necessary and also taking in some hills. I did London to Brighton. My first year was difficult, the next far easier. I then was challenged to ride to Paris. This is when I bought a proper bike and the rest led to London to Monte Carlo.

Long steady miles. You will go further than you think you can. Riding alone is not a bad thing as it allows you to go at your own pace and to cover your own distance. Look for distance first before hills. Use a computer. Wear lycra. Carry water. Enjoy.

When I started riding the one enduring memory is of 14.7 mph. At first I was riding maybe 3 or 4 miles which I increased slowley but surely to greater distances but ALWAYS at an average speed of 14.7 mph. It wasn't until some time later where I was happy with the distances I was acheiving that the average speed started to increase.

I agree with your comments regarding riding alone. There's nothing more disheartening than turning your lungs inside out and still being dropped from a group - hence my earlier suggestions for riding a loop.

In the late 70's US cycling had few international riders because they didn't think they were good enough for Europe.

Then in 78 we got a new coach who changed the mindset and training.

He said of LSD (Long Slow Distances), 'How can you learn to ride fast by going slow?'

He made the US team do intervals instead.

*CB: How do you explain the improvement in American placings in international competition? *

*Greg LeMond: I think the biggest reason for improvement was the Olympic Training Center and Eddy B. He defected from the Olympics and put some structure [on the program]. He really put all of his efforts on the team time trial and teaching riders about intervals, how to train and about quality over quantity. He was a believer in very hard intervals in February, which, at the time, you just did long, slow miles.*

*CB: It was the long, slow distance era...*

*Greg LeMond: Yes. And his training is relevant today.*

Don't underestimate yourself. I reckon that, saving definable disability, any adult who can get on a bike and set off under their own steam could be got through a ride of 50 miles.

1+

when it come to long distance riding, the first 20 miles tend to be a 'warm up', after you passed this, you'll find yourself flying.

Whilst I agree to a certain extent with the comments on attempting longer rides I honestly don't believe they will work for everybody.

Of course. My point was that they do seem to work for a surprising number of people about whom you'd never have thought it.

I was backstop on a club ride recently with a mixed ability bunch of mostly social riders. We covered some 40 miles and for the last 10 I ended up nurse maiding a rider at a pace not much above walking. I doubt that rider would get anywhere near completing a ride such as Dunwich although I too have been amazed at some of the riders and their bikes that turn up and complete similar events.

Yes, one of the keys is that there's no time limit--I've seen people take up to 16 hours. What makes bike riding hard is competing against others. :)

The big danger of attempting too much too early is failing and losing interest when with a little and often approach, huge improvements could be made.
True, of course. It depends on what works for each person.

I agree with your comments regarding riding alone. There's nothing more disheartening than turning your lungs inside out and still being dropped from a group - hence my earlier suggestions for riding a loop.

Absolutely. There is also the other side of the coin. If you find that you are better than you expected, riding with slower riders while you find your pace can be equally discouraging. Learn what your own pace is. Use the cycle computer to watch average speeds and see them rise os fitness increases. Loops are great as they allow you the freedom to ride further.

I think tester and dmczone need to realise that interval training is an advanced fitness technique, not something for the unfit and seriously overweight. Disadvantages of HIT for such people include

• Much higher likelihood of injury (completely frustrating the fitness/weight-loss goals).
  
• Is much tougher and likely to discourage the unfit.
  
• Intense activity stimulates hunger cravings, which requires discipline to manage. The unfit and fat are much more likely to binge after this than after moderate activity.
  
  
  
  

Really, get a sense of proportion.

I think tester and dmczone need to realise that interval training is an advanced fitness technique, not something for the unfit and seriously overweight. Disadvantages of HIT for such people includeMuch higher likelihood of injury (completely frustrating the fitness/weight-loss goals).

[]Is much tougher and likely to discourage the unfit.
[]Intense activity stimulates hunger cravings, which requires discipline to manage. The unfit and fat are much more likely to binge after this than after moderate activity.

Really, get a sense of proportion.

About 10 years ago I decided to take up cycling to do some type of exercise not having done any for the past 30 ish years and having smoked and drank heavily instead.
"I know what I will cycle to work its only 3.5 miles away how hard can it be"?.
I did a test run one evening to make sure I could make it all the way there, it was a struggle that first time but over the years doing those 7 mile round trips has made a substantial difference to my fitness and overall cycling ability.

I go along with the small steps and often paradigm, a ten mile ride the first time would have probably put me off forever.

Maybe a list of interested riders and distances they feel comfortabe with?

1. Shoosh 600 metres
   

Create a social group. Surprised how little this is done on the forum. It'd work much better than a list buried in one thread.

All you have to do is come up with a name that paints the right picture without shaming the members ;)

It is shameful to be an "overweight unfit old cyclist"? The last work in that label demonstrates that one is attempting to do something about the first two which, with the third, are generally all too apparent to the naked eye.

1. Shoosh 600 metres
   
   

Have you considered track sprinting?

It is shameful to be an "overweight unfit old cyclist"? The last work in that label demonstrates that one is attempting to do something about the first two which, with the third, are generally all too apparent to the naked eye.

Oy, less of the old. And i'm not doing a Lady Godiva for anyone.

^^ Some people would join a "Lardy Cyclists" or "Fat Bastards Ride Club" group with pride. Other people might prefer something a little subtler.

It is shameful to be an "overweight unfit old cyclist"? The last work in that label demonstrates that one is attempting to do something about the first two which, with the third, are generally all too apparent to the naked eye.

Of course not - you carry on smuggling those budgies Clive..

^^ Some people would join a "Lardy Cyclists" or "Fat Bastards Ride Club" group with pride. Other people might prefer something a little subtler.

This subtle
http://www.meetup.com/Association-of-Tubby-Bas-ards-on-Bikes-ATBB/

Association of Tubby Bas*ards on Bikes (ATBB)