Training & Nutrition - Weight Loss Club

Unstopable! Incredible! Physicaly fit! I'm looking forward to that too! I'm down to 275 pounds today, and I'm shooting for 180 also, but I'll have to re-evaluate once I get there. I may actually want to get a little lighter. Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:
this is what happened with me. I set a weight loss goal to be 160 pounds (I'm 5'8). Well, I'm currently around 138. I think you get so used to eating healthy and I know I got addicted to riding, you just keep burning and burning. Good luck Ritz and everyone else!

Congrats on everyone's weight loss! Plateaus are unfortunately, unavoidable. The good news, like others have said, they usually preceed more loss! Keep up the great work everyone! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

I had mine around 220 about two weeks ago. I just had a big loss spurt and am down to 213 today. That makes close to 40 lbs down since June 1.

Congrats too everybody and keep it up.

I did 30 miles for the first time today. 31.1, as a matter of fact, average speed 15 mph on the dot (I really think it would have been faster, but there were periods of slowness--I was exploring new territory today even though I've lived here for 27 years. I spent five miles or so crawling along a road paved, curiously enough, in both dirt and large, sharp stones. Won't be going that particular way again. Then I got a flat in town less than two miles from home and decided to walk the bike to the nearby gas station before I fixed it, which I'm sure didn't make the average any higher. :) But I did 30 miles, I fixed a flat out on the road for the first time, and I really think I'm ready to do 40 next week in the Capital City Century. This time next year I'll do the full century! I really think if I absolutely had to do the 100, I could do it in the maximum time allotted simply by gutting it out. I'm just not really ready and I want to enjoy myself.

In even bigger news, my wife did four miles with the kids and I today. That's the first time she's been on a bike in thirteen years. I am all kinds of proud of her! She's a great woman and a great wife. She's hurting right at the moment, but so was I a couple of months ago. Now that's nothing.

She's going to take my bike to the bike shop tomorrow after school and have some things checked out--the bottom bracket developed a weird creak, the brakes and spokes are loosening up the way the mechanic said they would, and I'm down to one spare tube now, of course. So I won't have my bike, but that's OK. I'll have it back in time to do the commute Thursday and a little longer route Friday, and it should be perfect when I get it back. Brand new, broken in, and tuned. Yeah, baby!
Besides, I was blowing my nose like crazy today and that's no fun. I have a feeling I'm going to pay for this ride tomorrow with this cold and I don't want to have it when I do the big ride Sunday. A couple of days off should help me clear it up.

I have a feeling I'm going to pay for this ride tomorrow with this cold and I don't want to have it when I do the big ride Sunday. A couple of days off should help me clear it up.
Gratz Don. Good mileage. That's a good average speed too....I wish I could get an average that high....so far my record average is around 12 or 12.5mph.

I did 30 for the first time a few weekends ago. I didn't get to ride any during last weekend because I had a weekend's worth of yard work to do. I planned to try to get a good ride in this week and try to top that 30 miles with 35 or 40, but I got this cold first. I don't have enough air in my lungs at the moment to feel comfortable getting on the bike.

Congrats Don. You have given me hope ... especially when I read your siggy. I started just shy of where you started in poundage and am aiming to get where you're at. Any secrets? I am down 25 lbs since February b y weight training 3x a week, riding as much as possible (longest ride to date: 26.5 miles averaging 12 mph or so), and adjusting my diet in a sensible way (more water, less soda, more fruits and veggies, fewer processed snacks, etc.) Are you using supplements at all? Do you recommend them?

Thanks all for your stories, and your humor :D . Take care!

I don't have any secrets. The three things you mentioned are the only things that have worked for me. I don't recommend supplements; most of them seem to be little better than scams, and they're all temporary.
If you're just eating fewer calories and eating reasonable food, I believe you're better off than anyone who relies on supplements even if they work. When you get to 200 or 180 or whatever, having lost all that weight by "eating whatever you want and popping our pill three times a day" how do you stay in shape? You still have to learn the sensible eating habits if you want it to last, so you've saved yourself exactly no work. By the time I get to 200 lbs, I plan to have been eating maintenance calories for 200 for nearly two years. It should be harder NOT to eat right by then.

In short, I think you're doing it right and getting your results, so why change anything? I'd do what you're doing and concentrate on making it easier to do it over the long haul.

Is 15.0 really any good? I thought that was a bit slow. That would put me at the top of C class or bare bottom edge of B in the local club.

I made it! I weighed in yestday and this morning at 174.6 pounds, down from 205 on May 2, 2005 and a lifetime high of 218 a few years back. I can't remember the last time I weighed under 180 pounds. Middle school maybe?

At 5'11", my BMI is finally in the healthy range. Friends of mine have taken to calling me "Skinny" and jokingly worrying that I'll soon disappear. This is the first time I have set and achieved a weight loss goal. I've lost in the past under the general pretense of "losing weight" with no specific number in mind. This time, I set a goal and I hit it.

My ride on Sunday afternoon is what pushed me over the top. Interestingly, that ride also crossed another goal off my list - ride a metric century (100K, 62 Miles). I did 63.1 Miles at an average of 14.77MPH, surpassing my previous long ride of 52 miles. Every once in a while you have to ride completely outside of your comfort zone just to challenge yourself.

Looking in the mirror, I still have some fat to rid myself of around my gut (can pinch a little more than an inch there) so I'm setting a new goal of 165 pounds by November 15th. Maybe I'll start to see some abdominal muscles!

Looking in the mirror, I still have some fat to rid myself of around my gut (can pinch a little more than an inch there) so I'm setting a new goal of 165 pounds by November 15th. Maybe I'll start to see some abdominal muscles!

Cool DerekU2! You're doin' great! When I do the "Pinch" test I get something like four or five inches! LOL!
Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

Thanks Don ... that's helpful. I am not taking supplements now, except a good multi-vitamin (I figure it can't hurt). I appreciate your encouragement.

WTG Derek! Keep up the good work! Right now my pinch test is an exercise for two hands LOL. I have a ways to go.

This gentleman has posted on this thread and gives a step by step approach that worked for him.

www.howilost100pounds.com

I was impressed with how well written/organized his website is. I may print it out and keep it in a notebook for my patients to browse.

This gentleman has posted on this thread and gives a step by step approach that worked for him.

www.howilost100pounds.com

I was impressed with how well written/organized his website is. I may print it out and keep it in a notebook for my patients to browse.
yeah that guy did an incredible job but I just don't buy into the whole "any type of sugar is bad, even fruit" but "cheese and red meat is ok!" Sorry, that's just me. I lost over 100 pounds too and I always have and continue to eat any fruit I want, any grain I want, and even the occasional refined flour and sugar (oh come on, a guy's gotta be allowed some indulgence :lol: ). I did it, so can everyone else. Definitely try and cut out all the refined sugar and flour you can but don't make it the enemy. Also, try and limit the cheeses and red meats, not embrace them.

You don't often find people who got fat eating fruits and vegetables, do you?? :rolleyes: I have never bought into the "cut all fruit out" diet fads. I am eating better but not great. For me, right now, that's good enough. I am averaging 1.5 lbs a week weight loss, which is healthy. The credit goes not to my diet, but to my biking. Plus, I'm happy, and able to do things with my kidlets. Life is good!

Is 15.0 really any good? I thought that was a bit slow. That would put me at the top of C class or bare bottom edge of B in the local club.
It's all perspective. It's probably slow as hell to the hard core road cycling peeps, but its quite a bit faster than my fat arse on my comfort bike. :lol:

Lots of healthy losses happening here. It's great to read.

When I put my information into fitday.com and have discovered that if I don't take a multivitamin, it is difficult to get those trace minerals (like zinc, magnesium, selenium). A multivitamin is a nice insurance policy. And it seems to be even more important when limiting calories. Also, fitday.com has convinced me that I have to have broccoli or spinach every single day or I don't get my vitamin K. And Go Lean cereal is a great source of phosphorous.

Emergen-C (1000mg of C powder) is great to keep our immune system strong. My normal after exercise smoothie includes a banana, 10 ounces of soy milk, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds, 1 tbsp. wheat germ, and an ounce of protein powder.

I don't like the idea of supplements, but these things are the things I have come to rely on to "supplement" my healthy diet.

Also, the only thing I have discovered with fruit is if I have indulged with something that contains sugar or white flour, I cut fruit the next day and the cravings for sugar (that usually follow eating sugar) disappear. Otherwise, I have about 5 days of cravings for stuff I shouldn't be eating.

Sandy

Ah the dangers of reading diet books...

I started reading "Eat To Live" two nights ago and I am 50 pages in. It's decentley written thus far, but the problem is I'm only half way through the parts where he tells you why the typical American Diet is bad. He hasn't told me what I SHOULD be eating yet. So now I go to eat and I second guess my choices! I gotta get through this book. Essentially all 've got for advice right now is Fiber, Fruit and Vegetables.

The other downside is that the book seems targeted at people who are obease and don't exercise. I'm obviously going to be left with some changes to make for my active lifestyle (9-11 hours of riding on average per week, sometimes much more).

You don't often find people who got fat eating fruits and vegetables, do you?? :rolleyes: I have never bought into the "cut all fruit out" diet fads. I am eating better but not great. For me, right now, that's good enough. I am averaging 1.5 lbs a week weight loss, which is healthy. The credit goes not to my diet, but to my biking. Plus, I'm happy, and able to do things with my kidlets. Life is good!


You'd have to be an imbecile to think you're going to get fat eating raw fruits and vegetables (as has been stated in this thread). Do you think you got that fat gut from eating bananas? honestly, how stupid.

Ah the dangers of reading diet books...

I started reading "Eat To Live" two nights ago and I am 50 pages in. It's decentley written thus far, but the problem is I'm only half way through the parts where he tells you why the typical American Diet is bad. He hasn't told me what I SHOULD be eating yet. So now I go to eat and I second guess my choices! I gotta get through this book. Essentially all 've got for advice right now is Fiber, Fruit and Vegetables.

The other downside is that the book seems targeted at people who are obease and don't exercise. I'm obviously going to be left with some changes to make for my active lifestyle (9-11 hours of riding on average per week, sometimes much more).


What is it that you don't understand? Don't eat greasy meat and processed food.
Eat fish and chicken in moderation, lots of fruits and vegetables.
What is it that has you stumped?

Fruits, Veggies, and a few lean meats. Whole grains only, and then sparingly. Nuts as a snack without going overboard. No, or V-E-R-Y little, refined sugars and flour. It seems to be working well for me, I'm losing 2 - 5 pounds per week! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

You'd have to be an imbecile to think you're going to get fat eating raw fruits and vegetables (as has been stated in this thread). Do you think you got that fat gut from eating bananas? honestly, how stupid.

Right. The comment was meant as sarcasm (hence, the rolling eyes smiley). But, thanks for the flame. My blood pressure is now elevated, which I figure is a calorie burn for me. :D

Ah the dangers of reading diet books...

I started reading "Eat To Live" two nights ago and I am 50 pages in. It's decentley written thus far, but the problem is I'm only half way through the parts where he tells you why the typical American Diet is bad. He hasn't told me what I SHOULD be eating yet. So now I go to eat and I second guess my choices! I gotta get through this book. Essentially all 've got for advice right now is Fiber, Fruit and Vegetables.

The other downside is that the book seems targeted at people who are obease and don't exercise. I'm obviously going to be left with some changes to make for my active lifestyle (9-11 hours of riding on average per week, sometimes much more).
I'm reading that book right now too...probably about 100 pages into it.

I don't know what you mean though....he talks about obesity but more about how eating right proactively keeps you safer from cancer and heart disease (I think he talks more about that than he does obesity) and the bad American diet but states in almost every other sentence to eat fruits and vegetables and foods with no/little fat and in their "natural" state (e.g. ix-nay on the preservatives).

It's a great book....I've been slow to reading it as I've been super busy lately, but I've been starting to eat much more veggies and fruits and cutting out the dairy and fats and preservatives, etc... and have lost 25 pounds in about 6-8 weeks. :)

I think it's important to put weight loss in terms of gaining healthy habits, not in terms of intelligence. Very important. Otherwise, we would not have health care providers, surgeons, nutritionists, coaches, insurance agents, wellness directors, and former athletes in this country who are obese or morbidly obese (which we have an amazingly high number of these). They "know" what they need to be doing to live healthy lives, but they don't always follow through with it.

Calling ourselves stupid for making errors in judgment along the way is very damaging. That's why a lot of people don't try . . . they feel like they will be judged . . . if they get out there and exercise . . . if they struggle . . . if they ask questions.

And what works for one, might not work for another. Those who have lost weight and maintained share very similar lifestyles, but how they got there is as individual as the person. The trick is to keep reading and trying things and being consistent until our bodies respond in healthy ways. And to not be afraid to share information . . . or struggles . . . or successes.

Be well,
Sandy

And to not be afraid to share information . . . or struggles . . . or successes.

Be well,
Sandy

Share information? Okay! WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

Wow! What great stories. Derek, I'm also 5'11" and have set my goal at 180lbs. I've been stuck at around 220lbs for almost a year. Its my own fault.

I've been in a bit of a "funk" for the last month or so. Trying to pull out of this tailspin.

I went from the guy on the left (age 40) to the guy on the right (age 47) mostly from running, but some cycling:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/contrast3.jpg

I started at 200 pounds and wound up at 145.

Well two weeks ago I rode 77 miles and walked 21 miles
Last week I rode 100 miles and walked nine holes of golf and probably that would be about three miles.

Then this week I got too busy to ride and it is Thursday already.
I walked nine holes of golf and I have ridden 12 miles.

I have lost seven pounds in three weeks. I attribute it to a new healthy diet following the new Food Pryamid.

However, I am also quite tired.

Why I don't know.....

Noracer, great job! I don't know if I'm going to have the discipline to take it that far . . . your "before" photo is at about my goal weight.

Don, don't let Noracer fool you... that's really me! Somehow he was able to get into my psyche and extract a photo of my expected end result. Technology is a dangerous thing! LOL! :D Great work Noracer! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

Thanks all.

289.2 this morning--hey, I'm under 290! (for the moment.) I also did full pushups for the first time in YEARS yesterday. It hadn't even occurred to me to try them; I've had to do girl pushups for quite awhile now.

I haven't had my bike all week, but I'm picking it up this morning and riding 40 miles of the Capital City Century tomorrow. If someone had told me LAST September what I'd be doing this September, I just couldn't have believed it. No way.

Life is good.

congrats Don! Have a great ride tomorrow!

Woo Hoo! Go Don! I know how you feel, I wouldn't have believed it either. 274.5 and falling. Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

Yeah, i now can do near infinate real pushups now, i think that has do with my muscles more then weight loss, after 6 months of serious lifting i can bench quite a bit. Good Luck!

Way to go, Don!!! Excellent! Have a great ride tomorrow, and report back (including pictures). :)

Don you are inspiring. I cant wait to see your sig change.
I have been recording my food and exercise...and trying to do the right thing because of it. I've managed to say No to many desserts that have called my name. I am biking, walking, kayaking, dancing, or doing heavy house cleaning every day.
I was 185 on Aug 28. Today, Sept 11 I am 181. I'm just relieved to be moving in the right direction for the first time in many years.

I will be starting a new job Friday, so I hope the stress doesnt throw me off.

This thread is a great source of motivation.

(as an aside, i tried to log onto fitnessjournal.org twice today and got a server not responding message. Anyone else have that problem?...not sure what can be done. My hubby was adjusting my antivirus stuff yesterday but he says that is not the problem)

What a day! I got there late, I took forever to get my bike together and packed, but off I went--about 10:15. The 40/62 riders were supposed to leave from 9:00 to 10:00, so I left among people riding the 12/25 loop. This went from the Beach House on Lake Springfield down through the winding, shady lakeside roads, South through the country to a famous covered bridge over Sugar Creek. The 40 went on South through the country to a small town called Auburn and then wound back North through Auburn, up to a suburb called Chatham and along their beautiful paved trail North to Springfield, then back across to those pretty roads, through the campus of U of I Springfield and across the bridge. . . thus back to the Beach House and the glory of a cold shower.

So I'm passing the folks taking the short course left and right, and the stronger riders are all gone already and probably getting farther away by the moment (they can't see me, they don't know I'm back there, but they're dropping me anyway.) :D
This means I'm spending a lot of time alone, but even so, even when I just wave and smile as I go by, somebody invariably wishes me a good morning or tosses off a comment about the hill. It's fantastic. I've never ridden with so many other people, and everybody is so happy to be there. It's a great day, getting hotter by the moment but the wind is not too bad most of the time and the course is well-marked and mostly pretty smooth. For this area, it's impressively smooth. They obviously put a lot of thought into it and marked it very carefully. Could've followed it without a map, no problem.

When I get to Auburn and the food stop, everybody's so damn cheerful and I feel really strong. I ask the lady serving sandwiches and she says the registration fee is indeed the same for the 40 and the 62. So why not?

Well, because it's twice as far as you've ever gone in your life, and you only did that once. A week ago, as a matter of fact, after which you took your bike to the shop and didn't ride it until this morning, you great stupid ape.

Anyway, I took off on the "East Loop" and things were different, sort of. This was open Illinois farm country; no shade, just sun and wind. It was HOT. But the faster I went, the cooler it was. :D I surprised myself at this point by cruising along in the lowest part of the drops at 21-22 mph on several of the long flats. (The course was advertised as "fairly flat," but it felt hilly enough to me! I saw at least one "Assault on Mt. Mitchell" jersey, so some may have been measuring by a different yardstick.) ;)
I again tried to fall in with a nice couple who were cruising along a little slower and "save some" at this point, but it didn't seem to be that much easier, really, and honestly, I just decided it was more *fun* to go fast than to go slow. I found out later the lady had a knee injury she was working on, which explained the slow pace. They actually ended up passing me later, but that's later.

Anyway, I got back to Auburn and took off toward Springfield. By this time, when I got a few miles in, my quads were burning. My feet were starting to bother me too; I understand why people talk about needing biking shoes now. My sneakers are just too soft, and my toes were going numb all the time. But it still felt great to be doing it, and I knew I could keep going and going, so I did. I remember saying aloud to myself more than once "I almost can't believe I'm really doing it!" It sounds stupid, but it's true.

When I was a few miles from the end of the course (but didn't know it) I was just about out of water, so I stopped in at a Road Ranger for a big cup of ice and a couple of bottles. At the time I didn't really understand how far I had to go and I'd been going through water like it was . . . . water. I hopped back out on the road and had the novel experience of crossing a couple of busy Springfield intersections on the bike, which is nothing I'll miss. But soon I was on the campus of U of I, crusing along, watching soccer games, enjoying the smooth pavement and passing people. Of course, most of the people I was passing were on their 96th mile or so by that time. :)

Then my rear tire started hissing. I pulled over, pulled it off, and I have to say, only one person passed without asking if I needed help. I waved them all off. I had a spare tube, a bunch of patches, and two CO2 cartridges for my inflater, and I could see the hole in the tire. What kind of boob could sit down with all that in broad daylight and not get himself back on the road? I'm not an idiot, after all. I refused help from, no lie, hand to God, 20-30 people. Seriously.
Then I patched the tire, installed the tire and tube, hooked up the inflater and blasted myself with CO2. That was actually pretty refreshing; it was ice cold. Then I put the second cartridge in; same thing.
Now I'm sitting on the side of the road with an expertly patched tire and no way to inflate it. I briefly considered blowing it up like a beach ball, then decided to see if more riders came along. None did. I took out the phone to call the SAG emergency number, so of course four riders came around the bend, closely followed by a SAG truck. I bummed a pump and took off. I know people came in after me, some of them fifteen minutes to half an hour later, but I would imagine they were all doing the 100.

Anyway, that's the story of my first metric century. I averaged 15.1 mph, which I found respectable given that I was happy with the same speed over half the distance at the beginning of the week. I have some pictures, but they don't amount to much. I'll see if I can get them posted. No pics of me.

BTW, I weighed 289.2 yesterday and 290 even today. I'm changing the signature, by gum. . . . .

Nice ride, Don. Sounds like lots of fun, except for the flatting part.

Congrats on the ride Don, but you're going to have to find a cheaper way to cool off, those little cartridges aren't free. LOL!

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :D

GREAT story Don!! Very inspiring. :)

Let me know if you need a host for the pics...I can put them up at my website if they are too big to attach. :)

BTW Don...what kind of bike do you ride? Just curious.

Outstanding ride, Don, and delightful narrative. How long have you been working up to this?

Congrats Don! Very nice story telling as well. Thanks for sharing it with us!

EDIT: Hey Don. Hope you don't mind if I use your GREAT IDEA for your signature. In addition to my weight, I've added in my Fitday.com Public journal link. I find that if I know other folks are looking in on my food intake I think my choices through better than I would otherwise. :)

I ride a Giant OCR2, but mine has cheap pedals with toe clips and straps. The LBS also switched out the expensive but delicate boy-racer wheels for some fairly generic but strong 32-spoke wheels built in the shop. I ended up slamming into deep ruts and potholes on the last bridge yesterday and still haven't bent the things, so I'm very happy with them. I don't think I'll ever be a gram-saver no matter how light I personally get; I'm hard on equipment at the best of times and expect it to be rugged.
I have LOVED this bike since I bought it, and I still feel like I'm learning to ride it. I was really surprised how good I felt down in the drops yesterday, and as the day went on, I rode in the drops more and more. I'm still really too fat for that sort of thing, but I can do it now and I really do notice the aero difference. I don't become aerodynamic by a long shot, but I do plow less air.

Mahoolihan, I should have worked up to this, but I really didn't. I thought the CCC was in July while I was out for my surgery, and I didn't really plan to ride an organized event this fall. My plan was to ride hard solo, try to find time to ride with the bike club a few nights, and work on learning to ride the bike. Then, next spring, I would do the Tour de Stooges in Lebanon for a metric and then build up to the true century at the Capital City event in the summer.

When I found out they were holding it in September, how could I not ride? I keep complaining about having to ride solo and not knowing the cyclists around here. So I jumped in, but there wasn't much training. I just keep trying to do my commute faster and faster, more or less. I was worried that the commuting wasn't enough miles to get ready to go 40 at a clip, so I went out to do 25 on Labor Day to see where I was. I ended up doing 31 that day and feeling pretty good about it, although I was of course brutally sore in the quads, and was even light-headed when I was standing around afterwards. So I figured I could surely do 40, even if I had to slow down a bit. When it came to it, I turned out to have more in the tank, so I went with it and ended up doing 62 more or less without a plan. I don't know if it was the immediate shower or what, but I felt MUCH better after doing 62 than I did after 30. I had no light-headedness or dizziness yesterday, and my legs never managed to start hurting like they did Monday. Monday was serious, throbbing, teeth-gritting pain for several hours after the ride. I'm a little sore today, but no big deal, really. Like a really, really good squatting day more than anything else.
I did notice that my appetite just wasn't there, even though I'd been starving the last 15 miles or so and promising myself all kinds of food. I went in to the party with the intention of cleaning 'em out and eating as many cookies as I wanted. I figured I'd earned it. Once I'd showered and relaxed a bit, though, the appetite just wasn't there. I made myself eat, but I didn't even really enjoy it much. Later I was constantly hungry, and I don't mean cravings but stomach-growling hunger. I stir-fried chicken and vegetables and ate huge amounts, which fixed that problem. Even had a brownie, and that I DID enjoy.

I didn't get to hang out for the party very long because I had to be back in my home town to be on call to drive the ambulance from 6:00-midnight. That was probably just as well. My appetite would have returned sooner or later, and I imagine I could easily make myself sick gorging on cookies and cake nowadays. I'm not the man I used to be.

Oh, yeah, the plan now? Well, I don't know if I'll do another organized one this fall or not. I am going to make sure I get in at least one "long" ride per weekend from now on; it's a hell of a way to spend a morning if nothing else. I want to scale those up until I'm taking 40-60 mile rides routinely. When I can do that and it's no big event, I'll start scaling up again until I feel ready for a century. I am going to try to be smarter about it this time and avoid the uncertainty of wondering if I can make it. I think I'm going to join in the BC and C rides on the weekend with the bike club in Springfield. It'll be worth the drive to do it, and I think they have a ride on Saturday mornings anyway. I want to learn to ride a paceline and see if I can hang with a group. (I know I won't hang with real roadies who are trying to drop each other, but can I ride with a group that's on the fast side and not be a liability if they don't try to drop me? We'll see.)
If there's a 100-mile century close enough in late October or early November, I might go for it and try to finish one. Honestly, I think I could gut one out right now, but it would be dull, rusty hurting to do it.

I'm still doing the Tour de Stooges in the spring no matter what. It's a metric in southern Illinois, followed by an all-afternoon buffet served in front of a large movie screen constantly playing Three Stooges movies.
Who could resist that?

Great posts, Don! And great accomplishment, too. Exceptional, really, considering how long you've had a road bike. What is it, a month that you've had the bike? And you've been riding for a total of how long?

:beer:

I'd been hoping to begin pushing my mileage up to get ready for some sort of longer ride in the fall but work is beginning to consume me again. And that sucks because, with the days getting shorter, it's harder to get rides in — any ride at all. I usually cheer the end of summer as I'm sick of hot weather but this year, since I've rediscovered riding, I'm cursing it. I wish I'd wised up on biking much earlier in the year. As it is, I wasted half of the season.

Take it easy on yourself Bransom! Just think of how you're going to attack next season, as soon as weather permits. You'll likely double, or tripple your mileage from this year! Plan ahead, and look for the earliest possible organized ride, then make it your goal. It seems to help keep your focus when stuck with long times off the bike. Hang the ride flyer on the wall at your office, on the refrigerator, (This helps with proper nutrition) and in the garage near your bike. (Or wherever you keep that sweet ride!) Keep that one ride on the forefront of your mind, and go ahead and pre-register, and this coming season will turn out to be your best yet! Peace, Ritz.

WWW.TOURDEPANTS.COM :eek:

Ritz, Thanks for the encouragement. You're absolutely right: I'll be much more prepared for next season. The main thing will be to keep active in some way, shape or form during the off season. And I have to keep reminding myself that winter isn't all snow, ice and misery — not here, not in the last few years, anyway. We do get breaks when it's sunny and 50 which is plenty warm enough to ride. I can also go back to something I used to do about 10 years ago: mountain bike in the snow. Snow makes for an interesting ride. :)

I've also been preparing for next year by spending money (which I think is the favorite side-hobby of all bikers). I picked up a used 2004 Cannondale R500 a couple weeks ago, and have been enjoying that. The bike is basically a stock frame and fork that the previous owner built up custom with 105 and Ultegra components. I've been having a great time with it but, of course, had to spend money to add accessories ... pump (I don't trust myself with those little C02 cartridges), bag, pedals, etc. And I just ordered a new saddle last night which will hopefully help with the problem of the boys getting numb.

Now, if I only had more time to ride. Darned work! I shoulda been born wealthy!

Ritz, Thanks for the encouragement. You're absolutely right: I'll be much more prepared for next season. The main thing will be to keep active in some way, shape or form during the off season. And I have to keep reminding myself that winter isn't all snow, ice and misery — not here, not in the last few years, anyway. We do get breaks when it's sunny and 50 which is plenty warm enough to ride. I can also go back to something I used to do about 10 years ago: mountain bike in the snow. Snow makes for an interesting ride. :)

I've also been preparing for next year by spending money (which I think is the favorite side-hobby of all bikers). I picked up a used 2004 Cannondale R500 a couple weeks ago, and have been enjoying that. The bike is basically a stock frame and fork that the previous owner built up custom with 105 and Ultegra components. I've been having a great time with it but, of course, had to spend money to add accessories ... pump (I don't trust myself with those little C02 cartridges), bag, pedals, etc. And I just ordered a new saddle last night which will hopefully help with the problem of the boys getting numb.

Now, if I only had more time to ride. Darned work! I shoulda been born wealthy!
oh wow I just realized you're in St. Louis. Where about? I'm at Wash U going to school. I'd love to know a good route to take. Lately I've just been taking Olive for about 10 miles, then coming back and going around Forest Park once. It isn't bad but sometimes I really hate St. Louis drivers.

St. Louis drivers are the worst for cyclists. I go to school at Webster U. and some days it's fine but other days it just seems like they're out to get ya.

Wes

St. Louis drivers are the worst for cyclists. I go to school at Webster U. and some days it's fine but other days it just seems like they're out to get ya.

Wes
well today wasn't bad at all. Didn't get honked at once and really didn't get a close call. Today was good as far as the drivers go. The wind however........ :fight: