Greetings fellow Clydes and Athenas. I finally decided it was time to get up off of the couch and try to get back in shape. Commuted by bike during 2 separate periods of my life, the last time about 6-7 years ago(~4.5 miles each way). Can't do that now, not because of distance, but because I work 3rd shift and don't want to spend an hour a night risking my life with drunk drivers on a bike for 16 miles each way.
Anyway, I dug my old faithful Peugeot UE-8 out a couple of weeks ago and started getting it roadworthy and today I went out to the local greenway and put in the first 4.5 miles of the new year. Took about 30 minutes for a fairly easy route. Feel pretty good right now, now I've just got to keep it up. One down 333 to go for the year.
Goals for the year-
1. Get back on the bike- check
2. Lose some weight, get in shape
3. Ride a century later in the year, maybe a charity ride
See what happens. If I keep it up, maybe my bride will allow me a new addition to the stable later in the year. Hey, she asked about her bikes so maybe she'll ride with me some-though she's not really comfortable on the roads. I'll gladly add a few extra greenway rides to my road rides if she wants to ride some. I plan to head back to the streets once I get a little more comfortable with the exertion.
Don
Tom Stormcrowe
02-02-08, 08:29 AM
Welcome home to Cycling, Don!
Also, welcome to Clydesdale's/Athena's :D
jaxgtr
02-02-08, 08:59 AM
Excellent start. Keep it up.
v1k1ng1001
02-02-08, 09:42 AM
Good to have you!
:beer:
East Hill
02-02-08, 11:11 AM
Hi Don, those are good goals! Don't worry if you don't get through all of them, just figure on doing it next year :) .
Why are you a spitfire nut?
Welcome to BikeForums and the C/A forum :D .
East Hill
tabnlu
02-02-08, 12:51 PM
I did the same thing this week. I bought a Trek 700 for commuting short distances during the day and I dusted off my Trek 1000 (old yellow) and got on the road for 11 miles today. Not much, but it's a start like you said.
East Hill
02-02-08, 03:03 PM
Hi tabnlu! Welcome to BikeForums and the C/A forum :D !
That's a good start, 11 miles...
East Hill
Air
02-02-08, 03:20 PM
Awesome - keep it up!!
spitfirenut
02-02-08, 07:27 PM
Hi Don, those are good goals! Don't worry if you don't get through all of them, just figure on doing it next year :) .
Why are you a spitfire nut?
Welcome to BikeForums and the C/A forum :D .
East Hill
Good advice, I'm a spitfire nut because I bought a 75 Triumph Spitfire when I got out of the Coast Guard in 92 and never got rid of it.
tabnlu, good ride, 4.5 felt good, we'll see how I feel in the morning. Maybe tomorrow I'll add to it.
Spitfirenut
fuish
02-02-08, 07:55 PM
Welcome aboard! Hope your to be decides to ride w/ you, riding alone is alright, but sometimes it's fun to go in pairs!
Mazama
02-03-08, 05:01 AM
Welcome, Don. I'm sure you will log 333 miles and then some.
spitfirenut
02-03-08, 06:35 AM
Welcome aboard! Hope your to be decides to ride w/ you, riding alone is alright, but sometimes it's fun to go in pairs!
Nah, not "to be", still. We've been married 8 years already, but I still call her my bride. It's the least I can do for her still being willing to put up with me:D
wahoonc
02-03-08, 07:10 AM
Nah, not "to be", still. We've been married 8 years already, but I still call her my bride. It's the least I can do for her still being willing to put up with me:D
+1 same here:o:p
Aaron:)
East Hill
02-03-08, 09:17 AM
Good advice, I'm a spitfire nut because I bought a 75 Triumph Spitfire when I got out of the Coast Guard in 92 and never got rid of it.
tabnlu, good ride, 4.5 felt good, we'll see how I feel in the morning. Maybe tomorrow I'll add to it.
Spitfirenut
Aha! I was wondering if you were a pilot/WWII nut (my father flew Spitfires in WWII), but a 75 Triumph Spitfire is just as good :) .
Where were you stationed when you were in the CG?
East Hill
teacherbill
02-03-08, 09:40 AM
Nah, not "to be", still. We've been married 8 years already, but I still call her my bride. It's the least I can do for her still being willing to put up with me:D
My bride has been with me for 27 years...... I still get looks when I introduce her as "my bride" and not "wife".
Bill
Tom Stormcrowe
02-03-08, 09:47 AM
I know that feeling......technically speaking, me and Mrs Stormcrowe are still on our first date, after 30+ years together. ;)
My bride has been with me for 27 years...... I still get looks when I introduce her as "my bride" and not "wife".
Bill
wayne pattee
02-03-08, 11:53 AM
Keep with it Don. It'll be fun.
spitfirenut
02-04-08, 06:51 AM
Where were you stationed when you were in the CG?
East Hill
2 years at Station Oak Island(Southport, NC) and 2 years in Ketchikan, AK on a buoy tender. My first stint of bike commuting, though shortlived was when we were in Bellingham, WA in the shipyard. The second, more recently when gas prices first spiked up to $1.50 locally. Ah the good old days of "cheap" gas, HA!
Don
The Historian
02-04-08, 07:16 AM
I know that feeling......technically speaking, me and Mrs Stormcrowe are still on our first date, after 30+ years together. ;)
It reminds me of a fellow I knew who thought of his wife as his mistress. He claimed he got all the pleasures of 'cheating' and none of the drawbacks.
The Historian
02-04-08, 07:17 AM
Greetings fellow Clydes and Athenas. I finally decided it was time to get up off of the couch and try to get back in shape. Commuted by bike during 2 separate periods of my life, the last time about 6-7 years ago(~4.5 miles each way). Can't do that now, not because of distance, but because I work 3rd shift and don't want to spend an hour a night risking my life with drunk drivers on a bike for 16 miles each way.
Anyway, I dug my old faithful Peugeot UE-8 out a couple of weeks ago and started getting it roadworthy and today I went out to the local greenway and put in the first 4.5 miles of the new year. Took about 30 minutes for a fairly easy route. Feel pretty good right now, now I've just got to keep it up. One down 333 to go for the year.
Goals for the year-
1. Get back on the bike- check
2. Lose some weight, get in shape
3. Ride a century later in the year, maybe a charity ride
See what happens. If I keep it up, maybe my bride will allow me a new addition to the stable later in the year. Hey, she asked about her bikes so maybe she'll ride with me some-though she's not really comfortable on the roads. I'll gladly add a few extra greenway rides to my road rides if she wants to ride some. I plan to head back to the streets once I get a little more comfortable with the exertion.
Don
Welcome!
East Hill
02-04-08, 02:33 PM
2 years at Station Oak Island(Southport, NC) and 2 years in Ketchikan, AK on a buoy tender. My first stint of bike commuting, though shortlived was when we were in Bellingham, WA in the shipyard. The second, more recently when gas prices first spiked up to $1.50 locally. Ah the good old days of "cheap" gas, HA!
Don
Cheap! That was many years ago...
East Hill
Toddorado
02-05-08, 04:06 AM
For the OP - don't allow third shift to affect your commute. Find routes that are safe and/or with light traffic. Even if it's a little longer, the safety is worth it. Commuting makes my day!
On a related note:
I'm a recent reader of the Clyde/Athena forum, and am in a very similar situation as the OP. Third shift, but I will be braving it as soon as the damn snow stops falling. I got my new job back when winter began...
Was 240 back in 2004, after a decade of generally ignoring all things healthy and 'fit.' Smoked, drank too much, loafed with reckless abandon, ate too much bacon, didn't do squat with my body until 40 was on the horizon. Quit the vices, ate better (including no eggs for a YEAR - man that was hard), lowered my cholesterol, lowered my blood pressure, began sleeping better and all without aid of medication, unless you count bicycles as medication.
I'm at 200-205 now, hopefully on the way to 185-190 - don't want to become too fragile :-) Looking forward to hanging with you guys in here!
spitfirenut
02-16-08, 07:37 PM
Woo Hoo! the Mrs. went with me today. Slowed me down a little but we had fun and will likely try to go for a ride together on Saturdays in the future. I haven't been as regular as I would like but I'm getting there. One ride last week went from a 9 mile ride to a 3 mile ride and a 2 mile walk--flat tire, no pump, no patches--Doh!
Toddorado, how far do you ride on your commute? I'm not above doing it in the future, but it's 16 miles each way. Got to get where I can do it in the day time before I try to do it at night. Unfortunately, the choice of route is limited to which roads have bridges over the river. I do recall how good I felt when I got to work when I was riding, maybe again in the future.
ScrubJ
02-16-08, 08:00 PM
Welcome to the forum... You couldn't have fallen in with a better bunch of people when it comes to support. With your effort and this group behind you, your goals may very well be reached.
Take your time to build up some base mileage before you really start to push otherwise you might find yourself discouraged. Glad to hear your SO is willing to join you on some rides.
troutbreath
02-16-08, 08:03 PM
Welcome! My father-in-law was showing me a buoy-tender ship at the CG station near Emerald Isle Beach in NC a few weeks ago. It was freezing, so I didn't go out of my way to check it out -- just looked from the car.