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Pirate Mentors / Mentorees 2011
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I've been lurking on this forum for a couple of weeks cos I'm doing my first duathlon in march and then hope to do a sprint tri.
I'm 35 yr old female with four little girls who frequently like to come out with me to 'train'. Would really like a mentor who can cope with me asking lots of probably really stupid questions (like do you wear a bra during tri's? and how does that work with the swimming bit?) cos I'm pretty clueless. Ummm, in light of my first question maybe I should ask for a female mentor???? But, hey, if any guys know that answer that's fine by me too!
Thanks
Chilibean
Jump right in and introduce yourself on a couple
If you look at www.pirateshipoffools.co.uk (when its back up and running) there are a good few newbie articles on there as well
Hi chilibean! Theres no going back now you know!
Welcome to tri. Which sprint do you have in mind?
Wot, how hard is 3 cans of Stella ?
Just re-read this thread (needs reading from the beggining twice!) Is a cracker of a thread - loads of experience /opinions
if the offers for mentors are still open i'd love to make use of the great experience on these forums
It would be a cold day in hell when that happens
Hi everyone
I've got a tri mentor on here who's given me lots of encouragement, written plans for me and answered numpty questions - so that's been really good, + I've improved in the area where I really needed to - swimming.
But ... my cycling's really not going anywhere now. I've lost lots of confidence due to a fall from the bike and I've no idea what I'm doing with gears etc anyway. I keep using the MTB when I've got a new road bike in the house. Do any cyclists on here fancy taking on a clueless nervous wreck?
Sounds like you need someone knowledgeable to ride with more than an online mentor. Loads of people on here could answer questions on gears but there's no substitute for someone riding with you pointing out that waiting until you're halfway up a 10% hill before changing to the small ring isn't too clever. Helps with confidence too, for example following someone downhill.
Parky - is there a bike club near you or does your council run road cycling sessions? Could you get to Castle Combe or Chippenham Station one Tuesday? Chippenham Wheelers do laps of Castle Combe on Tues. A nice safe enviroment to build your confidence Happy to meet you there if you can make it.
Edited to add - I'm not afraid to give you a boot up the arris
You're right Cheerful Dave but I can't find anyone locally. I had an offer from a friend but he's v busy with a work project, so he'll be free Dog knows when.
My tri club has sessions but I'm worried that I'll be a hazard to them and to me until I've learnt the basics.
Schmunks - the Council does run cycling sessions. From the look of it, it seems to be getting around town type of stuff. The Chippenham things sounds interesting ..
Do you both think I should e-mail a local cycling club and ask if someone will take me out early morning or something when the roads are quiet? I think there's one in the area I've moved to.
I've been trying to read your PM Schmunks, but the computers here are slow. Will keep trying.
Lurks...
Happily re-run "The Beginners Guide to the Surrey Hills" for you Parky. Maybe you and Schmunks could double up on the trip?
You never know the local clubs may have some groups you could go out with - nothing to lose by asking around. Some cycling clubs/tri are just racing clubs but some have more going on - ours has just started a women's ride (bit controversially for some) which has a lot of novices on it as well as some former female racing cyclists - I'm sure that kind of thing would be good for you.
It's normal to lose confidence after a crash - especially if you aren't used to road bikes - it takes anyone time. I know when I started back cycling I used to have lots of near misses - usually motorists' fault but with experience you just learn how to ride to take account of them - stuff like you hear a bus behind you you move out a bit which forces it wider when overtaking you - you move in a bit and you never have a bus overtaking you too close again - stuff like that.
A lot of it is just time on the bike - don't rush it - cycling can be a little bit dangerous and you don't want to go hurting yourself. If you want advice I don't mind telling you how I think you would be best going on just pm me - it'll might be a bit different to what most would tell you though - I'm more of a cyclist and part time runner not a triathlete so probably a different perspective.
Parklife - it sounds like you need experience more than anything. I wonder how often you are riding at the moment and for how long. You don't need to think about speed and distance at the moment, but you do need to practice, practice, practice - I would say ideally three times per week - 45 mins to an hour twice per week and a longer ride at the weekend.
One piece of advice I found very useful when starting out is that you should be in the lowest possible gear at all times - when your bum starts bouncing on the saddle you need to change up a gear.
Do you have any events planned, or is this just to get you riding with a bit more confidence?
Good luck.
Hello, I'm in desperate need of a mentor. I'm 'doing' IMR this year but with lots of injury issues (which are getting sorted out) the real target is IMNZ next March.
Got a background in cycling and can handle one fairly well (although I'm lugging way too much weight at the mo), done a few marathons and can swim in a fashion after having coaching (but still really slow).
Desperate for help, guidance and a kick up the jacksie. Anyone interested?
Popsider I will PM you later - thanks.
Waff - I'm not getting out on the road bike at all now since the not being able to twist out of the cleats and falling off. I'm even considering putting the flat pedals back on - would that be a good idea or a backwards move? I'm out on the MTB all the time - it's my get around town bike + if I have to do a long cycle, I use it for that at the moment, so about 6-10 short trips during the week (3-5 miles each) and a 2-hour cycle at weekends.
Thanks Dustboy - food for thought, although I am in Bristol and carless ... maybe I could get there my train.