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Cycling for Noobs

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Hertford Tiger Aug 2023 1:22pm, 5 Aug 2023 977 posts	Quote Pin Hertford Tiger Anything less than 25 miles is course specific I believe. if you want a fast 10 mile course without hills impacting the times then the v718 near Hull is a good one to look at. I believe that is exactly 10 miles unlike some.
MudMeanderer Aug 2023 2:05pm, 5 Aug 2023 2,450 posts	Quote Pin MudMeanderer HT: CTT has regulations on the maximum deviation from stated for 10, 25, 50 and 100 mile courses, and also how far apart the start and finish are. So is quite similar to road running in that regard. V718 is no longer allowed as a course.
Hertford Tiger Aug 2023 4:46pm, 5 Aug 2023 979 posts	Quote Pin Hertford Tiger I know v718 isn’t used because of the traffic dangers. but the records are still available and it is a course which doesn’t have hills so may be suitable for what fetch needs. I know there are limits but wanted to highlight that the course distances can vary one near us that my club uses is only 9.2 miles but is called F7/10 and you need to explore further to see it’s in the category “other”.
um Aug 2023 5:11pm, 5 Aug 2023 7,616 posts	Quote Pin um Not sure if this will help Fetch? usacycling.org
Yorkshire Pie Aug 2023 5:34pm, 5 Aug 2023 15,301 posts	Quote Pin Yorkshire Pie Vtta would be a decent starting point, but it's worth pointing out that the standards aren't records - they're targets for a decent rider to try and beat, and the best riders will be a fair amount faster than their standard time - you get awards for beating your standards.
Northern Exile Aug 2023 10:22am, 7 Aug 2023 9,735 posts	Quote Pin Northern Exile Just catching up here, I was most interested to hear the thoughts on various short options in response to @superflyguy and his request for advice. I personally have not got on with DHB shorts, I bought a couple of pairs on the basis of positive reviews and have found them pretty uncomfortable, the pads in them just aren't up to the standard of (say) Castelli or Gore. If you're serious about being comfortable on the bike I'd recommend to buy the best you can afford as it will make your cycling experience so much better and I'd also echo Meglet's advice to use a decent chamois cream, padded shorts don't really work without it. Looking back, I have tried Gore, Bontrager, Assos and Castelli shorts and of course DHB, but find that the higher end Castelli ones work best for me, I guess it's highly subjective. And yes, don't forget that they are meant to be worn commando! One of my [female] friends didn't twig this and was complaining about a sore bum, I asked if she was using chamois cream and it turned out No, so in a fit of generosity I bought her a tube. I asked her a few weeks later how she was getting on with the stuff and she said that she still found things very uncomfortable ..... a bit of interrogation followed and it transpired that she was still wearing her pants underneath the shorts and lubing up the pants rather than the chamois pad. Needless to say, a fairly frank conversation followed p.s. don't be tempted by the cheaper Castelli shorts, they aren't as good as the ones further up the product line
Meglet Aug 2023 10:52am, 7 Aug 2023 23,736 posts	Quote Pin Meglet I love my Castelli shorts and they’re pretty much all I buy. The dimpled pad is much better than the segmented type ones. I didn’t get on with Rapha, and Assos have recently changed how they sew the pad in. Also beware the Italian/European brands are generally sized very small. For any females reading get women specific chamois cream, it’s usually pH balanced and less likely to have menthol or anything ‘cooling’ in it. Also for women the pressure should be on your sit bones and not the soft tissues further forward. A bike fit can be really helpful for this, as well as trying different saddle options. It took me ages to get the whole setup right!
Northern Exile Aug 2023 11:09am, 7 Aug 2023 9,736 posts	Quote Pin Northern Exile Agreed. I went to Prologue and was "measured" using the Selle Italia system, it really works and I bought a couple of the recommended [for me] saddles. Meg - I once went on a cycling training week around the Costa Blanca and was climbing La Carresqueta (google it) while discussing the relative comfort of shorts and various chamois creams. She endorsed your comment about not using any creams with menthol in them
MsG Aug 2023 2:02pm, 7 Aug 2023 2,543 posts	Quote Pin MsG No menthol!!
fetcheveryone Aug 2023 3:45pm, 7 Aug 2023 29,501 posts	Quote Pin fetcheveryone I went with Fetch records from the last 365 days (with some caveats too): fetcheveryone.com/blog/3/2023/8/470884