Hi
As some of you know for a long time I've been suffering difficulties with my health, most of the issues have centered around my hands but most recently I suffered a stroke that I'm still recovering from, during my time in hospital I was informed that evidence had been found of a previous stroke (I had no idea).
Anyway it seems I have a tiny hole in my heart but at the time being an overweight smoker on HRT didn't help, I gave up smoking and put on over 10 pounds in weight on top of already being overweight. My HRT was stopped but I've now been restarted on a different HRT treatment.
My GP said I should be okay to exercise gently and agreed riding a bike would be a good idea, I'm hoping a friend I have can help me with a bike, then I need to sort some riding gear but eventually I'm planning to join a local club in the hopes they can help me. However, I haven't been sociable for some time as most of my friends live a long way from me and I'm nervous of how I'll be treated, the idea of getting fit and easing my health issues is exciting but at the same time I'm terrified of whether I'll be accepted.
Now to the reason for this post, I'm asking those who are in the cycling community in the UK (I:E part of a club etc) for an idea of what the majority of cyclists in the UK are like, are they friendly, accepting?
Are there any issues I should be aware of? Sorry I'm probably worrying for nothing but meeting people with a view to finding friends and hopefully support is scary especially after not socialising for so long.
Thanks.
Lizzie :)
Comments
Cycling fraternity
Funnily enough, I am. I would suggest the following websites for advice:
http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php
http://www.cyclechat.net/
http://www.ctc.org.uk/
The CTC is still a reasonable group to join, and they have a number of local groups that organise rides. The two fora are friendly and welcoming places, as long as you stay away from the political discussions and don't mention h*lm*ts. There are several people on each who are more than happy to give advice, even the most basic, and in a friendly manner.
Rather than get technical/detailed here, send me a PM and I will give you more detailed advice. Where you are based would be helpful.
And to add
(as I have been most kindly reminded; thank you)
Most cycling clubs in the UK tend to be a bit energetic. The sort of forum I have linked to organises rides out, but those range from training for Paris-Brest-Paris or London-Edinburgh-London to a gentle ride round a Royal Park with somebody's mother. A broad church indeed. Tea and CAKE are usually stopped for!
Absolutely
To add my own experiences, I can tell you that getting on a bike for the first time will almost kill you, so you need to take it very gently.
I restarted cycling in my mid-30's after only ever doing it as a child. I bought a bike and decided to ride it the two miles home... not a bright idea. I had forgotten that there were hills between the shop and where I lived. It didn't help that the gear lever hadn't been tightened properly, and gradually slipped down the tube every time I changed gear...
Fast forward a year, and I'm significantly fitter. I'd been riding out Sats and Sundays, and I could do 40-50 miles, but I'd no kit and the bike I bought was heavy and not very good. So I decided to build my own, and I still have it. Once I did that I joined the local CTC branch, and gradually got myself properly fit.
There are 'steps' in your riding, I have found. The first one is about 10 miles, and most people can manage that, taken at a gradual pace. To go further than that takes significant extra effort but is well worth it. The next 'step' comes at about 35 miles. Once I got past that I could join the all-day Sunday runs which were from 65-85 miles and involved tea and cream cakes on the way out, a lunch usually at a real-ale pub, and... you guessed it, tea and cream cakes on the way back!
Speeds? Depended who was out. If there were older people, or those with some kind of problem, we moved at a slower rate. We had one 85-year-old for a while who could ride the pants off the lot of us but could barely walk otherwise. Sometimes we split into faster and slower groups, but not often. Everyone will be really helpful.
It can get expensive, but cyclists are notorious for being tightwads, so you can get by without breaking the bank. We used to take our own sandwiches to the pubs...
My own cycling, alas, came to an abrupt and undignified halt when I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. However, I still have all my bikes and am planning to restart this summer, in a very gentle way.
Good luck to you!
Penny
Cycling in the UK?
Also, ask Maddy Bell and Angharad as they are both cyclist in the U.K.
May Your Light Forever Shine
Cycle clubs
Most like to be energetic, but contact CTC for your local club, who might well run 'return to cycling' or 'cycling for the terrified'. Might be worth speaking with your local bike shop, if I can be of help with the technical side of things, give me a pm.
For my sins, I'm a secretary of a local branch of CTC and we try to cater for all sorts. See links for CTC on cyclist's comment.
If you have any old railway lines that have been converted to cycleways/footpaths - they tend to be quite flat. See your local council's website for cyclepaths (not psychopaths).
Good luck, cycling is great fun as well being a fitness aid, and cyclists are all crazy, so you should fit in well.
Angharad.
Angharad
Thanks for the reply's@
Thanks for the reply's
@ Cyclist :) I made a note of those site and will join the forums soon thanks.
I'd already looked at the CTC, there are 2 clubs I could join 1 by me and 1 by my parents as they live over 35-40 miles away. Both clubs are affiliated with CTC.
Friendly is good, for too long I've been a recluse/hermit, I really need to get back out there and make some new friends, the club local to me says they only go as fast as the slowest rider, it also says they have a separate group of slower riders too so maybe I can stsrt with then and once more able I can move up to the main group.
I used to ride about 14+ miles a day to get to and from work but that was about 12 years ago, worse case I guess I could start on my own until I'm better able to keep up. However, it wasn't long ago that a rider in this area suffered a seizure and fell in the canal, he sadly wasn't discovered for several days, given my recent stroke I think it best I have company till I'm fitter and at less risk.
Thanks for you comments everyone, I will take all your advice on board, the word Friendly eases my mind I was hoping most would be :)
@ Ang Crazy - you're right It'll be just like my family then as they're all crazy lol
Lizzie :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
UK cycle clubs
These days most cycle clubs are sport/racing oriented and really you have to be cycling fit to join. We recently realised to our horror that my wife has been the treasurer of our local club for over 20 years! I no longer race or ride with club but we still have many friends amongst the members. When I first joined in the late 70s there were regular club runs for the non-racing fraternity which never the less sometimes involved our riding over 90 miles on a Sunday (it could be a 15 mile ride to the start). Pushing youngsters could wear a bit thin :)
As others have said, the best cycling organisation for touring cyclists is the CTC. Local groups often have a range of rides to suit all abilities but I think you need to be capable of riding 40/50 miles without too much bother, depending on terrain. Of course there may be specific rides which are far less energetic. These days most of my riding is alone or with my wife on the tandem together with another couple. I'm anti-social and don't like riding in big groups - I like to make my own decisions :)
It's a good idea to join the CTC anyway for the insurance and the monthly magazine's not too bad either. You may be able to find a companion with similar abilities and get fit together.
Good luck. Just ride regularly and gradually build up the distance and don't worry about speed and you'll be surprised how soon you start to get fit. Of course no-one is ever fit - I've never heard even the most successful riders actually admit to being fit as butcher's cat LOL
Robi
I hope you are getting better.
I had just commented on your story Avatar about hoping for more when I notice this blog on your personal page. I understand now why you haven't continued writing it. I hope you are well on the road to recovery. I too have recently returned to cycling (in Canada). Too cold for me to be out there now & a little too much snow and ice. I used to love it when I was young and was surprised at how much it takes out of you at the beginning. Take care of yourself and get out and be with people too. I was very reclusive for a while and I think it made me feel physically ill. Human contact helped me start to feel better. Good Luck!
Sincerely, Mark.
Cycling community in the Uk
As far I know www.ctc.org.uk is now re branded their website as http://www.cyclinguk.org/ .Yeah this is true that Uk is the best reasonable place for cycling but cycling club and community is the vast fact for grouping,grooming and joining for the team members.Though I found several cycling community and club in the Uk but fail to find a very good Mountain Biking Club or Community.
MTB clubs or groups
do exist but are likely to be less formal than road clubs. Though not an off road club, we do have some riders who enjoy riding off road and we run an event every year for off road riders, which usually brings out one or two hundred riders to complete a 50Km off road ride.
Angharad