rode over Dartmoor a couple of days ago. Died on the way up. Just died. Coughing up bits of lung that I haven’t used for ages. Didn’t have a heartrate monitor but it would have exploded. Walkers passed me, I passed them, then stopped and they passed me again. Would have sold my bike at the top for a quid. Pushed up a lot.

Really enjoyed the ridge riding, but was still slow on the gentle ups as the first steep climb had taken it out of me. Cut the ride short as would not haver made it all the way round.

Basic fitness is okay but not great. Am guessing I just need to ride more. Or buy a scramble bike, or move to the Alps and do uplifts only…..

Am guessing I just need to ride more.

guessing I just need to ride more.

I just need to ride more.

just need to ride more.

need to ride more.

to ride more.

ride more.

more.

Suggest you ride some more!

I feel your pain

It’s no mountain but dartmoor has got some brutal climbs.

50miles on the road over the moors tomorrow.,.

Went out on by mtb yesterday had a nice steady ride felt no pain, went for a short hilly road ride today and my legs felt like concrete spent most of my time in the granny ring on the ups with very little energy to get out of the saddle on the steeper bits, total suffer fest 🙁

Buy a road bike then ride it a lot.

First time I did follow the dog it took me an hour and a half and I pushed my bike up the fire road and threw up an hour in. But I carried on, finished it and enjoyed it.

I was ashamed at how unfit I was though lol. I did more cycling, mornings before work for half an hour three times a week and a few more attempts at follow the dog.

Last week I went, managed the fireroad and did it in just under an hour.

Just keep riding, you will get fitter and faster and be amazed how quickly it happens

More riding definitely helps, spinning classes are brutal if you make them so, really good for high intensity short stuff, which in turn makes the rest of the ride easier.

Buy a road bike and go out for some consistent rides, you don’t train on a mountain bike because you stop and mess around too much.

Road bike.

You can ride strainght from your house, get out 3 times a week even if its only for 1 hr, try and do 2 to 3 hrs at the weekend, keep the intensity pretty low i.e. dont be scared to use low gears most of the time.

After 1 month you will see a big difference.

I’ve taken up BMX racing to improve my fitness… nearly died on the track yesterday!

I’m not sure why people keep saying that you can’t train on a mountain bike. It’s just a mindset thing. I only have one bike, so if I want to build my fitness, I go ride it. What I don’t do is stop to rest, phaff with it (at all) and if I have to do a push/ carry, treat it like a section in a cx race so as not to have a sneaky stop as a fence etc.
I understand that a road bike gives you the option to simply ride at a pace that is correct for the training you want, but it’s not an option for me (cost and storage) so I’ll keep to the one.

as everyone has said, more riding!!

However, I have started running recently and this has improved my fitness massively, I started off small and am now building up my distances. Give this a try?

I had a similar experience last May when I went to a trail centre with my brother who has been riding for years, I didn’t spew but came very close and really didn’t enjoy it. I went back again a month later with a mate who hardly rode and he blitzed me too which was pretty embarrassing and gave me the kick up the arse to get fit.

Since then I’ve rode 1,500km on my mountain bike, which is my only bike, mostly on the road a few evenings a week including all through the winter and getting out on the trails a couple of times a month which unfortunately is all I have time for. I’m still improving but I can now do big rides without struggling too much so am able to enjoy the whole thing which has been my motivation getting out through the week when the weather is grim.

Get out and ride as much as you can as hard as you can and find a big hill and ride up and down that until your legs and lungs are about to explode.

road bike is not really an option for me – roads round here are either full of heavy lorries rushing past, or windy lanes with not too much room for a bike and a car – and I don’t fancy getting knocked off. Love them as pieces of engineering beauty, but it’s not for me. (Also did it as a kid and found I was either bored, or knackered – it just doesn’t float my boat).

Cannock was ok the first time I did it, and since then has been okay too, so it’s probably just the initial steep stuff when not so warmed up that kill me – should try and find some mellower starts to my rides, I suspect. Running is a good idea, but a knackered lower back means it’s not ideal for me. Got a trainer-type thing that I’ll stick my old rigid Trek on and try it a few times a week in front of the t.v. and see if that helps too.

…or knackered

That’s the whole point of road bikes isn’t it? 😛

you don’t train on a mountain bike because you stop and mess around too much.

You speak for yourself. 🙄

Kettle Bells – buy some and reap the rewards.

Well I’ll be out again later for more suffering on my road bike to hopefully keep building on my fitness!

Buy a road bike then ride it a lot.

Makes sense, legs feel nailed at the moment on rides as I’ve not touched the road bike in a few weeks

Feel the same as the OP haven’t been on the bike for 3 months.No spewing just dead legs..
Go to do something as my 7 year old nailed me today on follow the dog!!
Still we went round pretty quick.

Heh, got on the bike first the first time in about 7-8 months on Friday, god I am slow right now.

Fitter generally, and lighter, so I’m not having to get off and push on hills that I would have done before, but I haven’t got any speed in my legs, if you see what I mean.

I’ll just have to get out on my bike more, and it’ll come.
Now I just have to get all my unfamiliar trails excuses in early next time I go out 😉

Start running!