Masters Racing (All Disciplines) - Fatty Check-In: Track your weight!

There is nothing better than weight loss for improving cycling performance. Lower body weight improves hill climbing and reduces frontal area that lowers aerodynamic drag. Plus heat rejection is better improving performance on hot days. So what is not to like?

6 feet 173 / 78.6 This is a good track weight for me although it is too heavy for hill climbing.

I'll bite;

I'm 6'0" and 207lbs. I should get down to 185 by this time next year.

I was 245lbs and sedentary 6 years ago. I don't race or ride with competitive groups, but less is more when it comes to weight & cycling.

6'6" - Vacation eating + fewer training hours has me up a few pounds: 191.5/86.8 I'll get back to my desired 85kg during base phase easily enough, but I'd like to do it sooner rather than later. I hate feeling even a bit over what I consider my ideal weight.

Hovering around 158. Need to see 150 for Nats. Hopefully the addition of more miles will start to knock some of this off.

6'3" and a ridiculous 202lbs/92k. No wonder I can't climb. Need to make sure that my enforced lay-off doesn't make things worse.

6'0", 160lb.

I love all the weight loss stories when people discover cycling. The triple-digit losses always make me tear up. Mine was much more modest, but caught me by surprise because even at my highest weight I thought of myself as thin. In retrospect, I was a soft doughboy! Cycling is dangerous to be sure... but for me, not cycling is more dangerous.

Hi Hermes,

You should have also put the phrase 'Public Embarrassment' in the title of this thread. :p

5 ft 6-3/4 inches, 153 lbs. Need to get to 145 lbs or less by nationals on Sep 2nd.

5 ft 6-3/4 inches, 153 lbs. Need to get to 145 lbs or less by nationals on Sep 2nd.

Oh, well, if we're counting fractions of an inch, I'll report my full height of 6'3 and 1/2". After all, I need all the help I can get, BMI-wise... :p

6' and 146 lbs. I'd like to get to 141 by the end of September, for the Everest Challenge. I've been there or lower in the past. 5 lbs would be worth about 17 minutes overall, which should be worth a few places.

6' and 146 lbs. I'd like to get to 141 by the end of September, for the Everest Challenge. I've been there or lower in the past. 5 lbs would be worth about 17 minutes overall, which should be worth a few places.

ericm979, I hate you.



:D

6' and 146 lbs. I'd like to get to 141 by the end of September, for the Everest Challenge. I've been there or lower in the past. 5 lbs would be worth about 17 minutes overall, which should be worth a few places.

Ouch. Which just goes to show why I should take up time-trialling. If I got down to the lowest weight I have been since I stopped growing - a seriously lean 180 - you'd still outclimb me without breaking sweat.

ericm979, I hate you.


What's funny is that cat 1 guys who can out-climb me while doing one legged drills are jealous of my light weight. What they really want is their power with my weight but that's not how it works. If you're built like an Ethiopian marathon runner like I am, you don't get much power. But I'm tall so I have a lot of frontal area and therefore drag.

The same way that some riders fear hills, I fear long flat stretches with headwinds.

6'3" and a ridiculous 202lbs/92k. No wonder I can't climb. Need to make sure that my enforced lay-off doesn't make things worse.

A couple of years ago, I sagged a cycling camp. I was parked at the top of a 6 mile climb and the first one to the top was a 17 old male. He said, "Boy, I was ridiculous on the climb". There was a woman with me who was also doing the camp but not that climb. She said, "If I told my friends that I was ridiculous, they would have a totally different interpretation".

The kid put about 4 minutes into some really good climbers. He would make Froome look overfed.

What's funny is that cat 1 guys who can out-climb me while doing one legged drills are jealous of my light weight.

I'm that guy. But understand I weighed 127 lbs when I joined the Army.

I think this is the right philosophy:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqBjjBkHnh0&feature=related

I'm the usual 186-188 lbs and 5' 11". That was my college weight while competing in the decathlon. I recently found out that with a short breath I can sit on the ocean bottom. It is what it is, and I'll just stay away from mountain races.

What's funny is that cat 1 guys who can out-climb me while doing one legged drills are jealous of my light weight. What they really want is their power with my weight but that's not how it works. If you're built like an Ethiopian marathon runner like I am, you don't get much power. But I'm tall so I have a lot of frontal area and therefore drag.

The same way that some riders fear hills, I fear long flat stretches with headwinds.

ericm979, I can actually empathize with you. At one point in my storied bike racing career, I was 1/4 inch taller and 20+ lbs lighter. At 128 lbs, I could dance on the pedals on climbs and easily get dropped in criteriums -- especially when the wind was blowing. I think my "best" racing weight was 132-135 lbs but I'll never see that again. I managed to get down to 148 lbs for nationals last year but my crash 1 month before really took the edge off my fitness. I'd like to be lighter and injury-free this year. We'll see how it goes.

But I'm tall so I have a lot of frontal area and therefore drag.

Hey, we tall guys have to bear some burdens, seeing as how we get all the hot chicks. :thumb:

5' 91/2, 160ish. But not fit. My heart is fat.

5'11", 174lbs.....trying to get to 170lbs, those last few are hard especially when there's donuts...........hmmm donuts.

Hey, we tall guys have to bear some burdens, seeing as how we get all the hot chicks. :thumb:

LOL. This is true. It's not having to make any effort to chase women that made me fat.

5'10", currently 146 lbs. My normal race weight is 141 lbs. I have faith in The Force. I am not concerned.

6'3" and 200 ~ but I'll throw my 54 years of age out there too. Harder to keep it down as I got older. But, I have been biking more the last 2 years after my hip replacement. Couldn't ride much at all nine years prior. So all in all doing and feeling good on the bike but would like to hang around that 195 mark. I do think biking has been great for staying in shape and building up my muscle again.

6'2" and 172 but aiming for 165.......

This thread might enable any weight issues I may have; I respectfully decline from posting my weight.

All you need to know is that I'm a minute faster than last year in my 10 mile TT.

I could weight 150; would you care? Would it matter?

Disclaimer: I do not weight 150. I'm 5'6" and xxx lbs. I'm improving. Why does weight matter if I'm improving? What if I'm fat (relatively) and fast?

No need to post anything here unless you want to.

In the end it's results that count.

191.5 again this morning. I'll be putting in some long miles this weekend, and am expecting that to get me at least back under 190.

205 LBS - 5' 10"
Was 231 when I started back in mid-March
I'll be under 200 soon which will be the first time since high school.

205 LBS - 5' 10"
Was 231 when I started back in mid-March
I'll be under 200 soon which will be the first time since high school.

Nice job!

No way am I posting in this thread -- I already have issues; this just exacerbates them.

I'm fat. That is all.

No way am I posting in this thread -- I already have issues

Which explains why you posted in a thread that you said you weren't going to post in.

:)

No way am I posting in this thread -- I already have issues; this just exacerbates them.

I'm fat. That is all.

I will if you will. ;)

You are NOT, by the way!

I`m turning 55 this year ,,,,5'11'' off season thru winters i get to 160 ish then train my ass off from nov. to april and get back to 152 ish , work with weights ..wind trainer and the trusted ''bowflex '' to keep me in the right target range for my race weight

171 this AM which is what I was targeting for the Diablo HC tomorrow.

Okay <sigh>, 136 this morning before my ride.

Okay <sigh>, 136 this morning before my ride.

137 after the ride this morning. I tend to yo-yo on my weight (like crazy)....

Still 137 this morning...

I was at 172, quit smoking and now at 203 lbs :(, and I am only 5'6". Hopefully riding again will start shaking the weight down in a few weeks.

New season low of 184.8 lbs this AM.

Down one pound this week, to 201lbs. Until my next glass of water, that is...

Still. It makes me feel better than if it was up one pound, to 203.

Biking has 'saved my soul' weight wise. I'm 5-8 and weighed 265 on Feb 1st. I've been biking regularly since and I'm now down to 205 and dropping. Looking to be below 200 for the first time in twenty years! (I'm 48).

204 (from 231) after my 72 mile ride today...
And that's after drinking about 6 bottles of water.

204 (from 231) after my 72 mile ride today...
And that's after drinking about 6 bottles of water.

So ... you're about my weight, also losing and also riding long distances. Have you ever experienced the following?

For the last couple of months, I've been going on a long ride (60+ miles) once a week, and I've noticed a pattern in terms of weight. When I get back from the ride I have, of course, lost three or four lbs. After I recover (and drink water, etc...) the next morning I'll be back where I was pre-ride. But then, over the course of the next day or two I'll shoot up sometimes 6-8 lbs. and stay there for a two or three days, feeling bloated with somewhat swollen hands and feet. Then, it all comes crashing down.

Obviously, this is just some kind of water retention cycle or something, but it is disconcerting. I'm a little worried I might be doing more harm than good. It seems to happen worse on the 90+ weeks.

So ... you're about my weight, also losing and also riding long distances. Have you ever experienced the following?

For the last couple of months, I've been going on a long ride (60+ miles) once a week, and I've noticed a pattern in terms of weight. When I get back from the ride I have, of course, lost three or four lbs. After I recover (and drink water, etc...) the next morning I'll be back where I was pre-ride. But then, over the course of the next day or two I'll shoot up sometimes 6-8 lbs. and stay there for a two or three days, feeling bloated with somewhat swollen hands and feet. Then, it all comes crashing down.

Obviously, this is just some kind of water retention cycle or something, but it is disconcerting. I'm a little worried I might be doing more harm than good. It seems to happen worse on the 90+ weeks.

When I first started in March I was losing a pound per day and dropped from 231 to 210 really fast. The heavier you are the easier it is to lose weight. Then I plateaued at 210 for what seemed like FOREVER. I still kept at it though and even though my weight stayed about the same my clothes continued to fit looser and looser.

What kind of bike do you have? I recently switched from a big bulky mountain bike to a trek 1.1 road bike and the pounds are starting to come off again. Maybe because I can get a higher RPM when I pedal for a longer period of time... I really don't know.

For the last couple of months, I've been going on a long ride (60+ miles) once a week, and I've noticed a pattern in terms of weight. When I get back from the ride I have, of course, lost three or four lbs. After I recover (and drink water, etc...) the next morning I'll be back where I was pre-ride. But then, over the course of the next day or two I'll shoot up sometimes 6-8 lbs. and stay there for a two or three days, feeling bloated with somewhat swollen hands and feet. Then, it all comes crashing down.


It's quite likely related to carbohydrate intake. Simple sugars tend to cause one to retain water. It affects some people more than others, I believe. So if you're fuelling your rides and/or your recovery with gels, energy drinks, other simple carbs, that might be it. You could try changing your on-bike nutrition and see what happens.

When I first started in March I was losing a pound per day and dropped from 231 to 210 really fast. The heavier you are the easier it is to lose weight. Then I plateaued at 210 for what seemed like FOREVER. I still kept at it though and even though my weight stayed about the same my clothes continued to fit looser and looser.

What kind of bike do you have? I recently switched from a big bulky mountain bike to a trek 1.1 road bike and the pounds are starting to come off again. Maybe because I can get a higher RPM when I pedal for a longer period of time... I really don't know.

I have a Fuji Absolute (performance-hybrid oslt). But I'm waiting on a new Surly LHT I ordered last week. Very excited to get it in.

It's quite likely related to carbohydrate intake. Simple sugars tend to cause one to retain water. It affects some people more than others, I believe. So if you're fuelling your rides and/or your recovery with gels, energy drinks, other simple carbs, that might be it. You could try changing your on-bike nutrition and see what happens.

Interesting. I'll keep closer eye on that sort of thing. I don't really do any kind of 'fueling' per se - at least not any energy drinks/bars or the like. Just water and light meal after. Maybe I should try that.

It's quite likely related to carbohydrate intake. Simple sugars tend to cause one to retain water. It affects some people more than others, I believe. So if you're fuelling your rides and/or your recovery with gels, energy drinks, other simple carbs, that might be it. You could try changing your on-bike nutrition and see what happens.

Good point... I should probably lighten up in the Red Bull...
I don't even think it helps me energy wise but I really like the taste of it.

good grief now I have to weight myself ... ugh I got down to 206 lbs in 2006, back in 2010 in peak body transformation (not for cycling only) I was 218 lbs. I think aside from being hard to look at in the mirror I also gained weigth this past 18 mos and am probably 225 lbs. at 5' 11 3/4" my trainer once told me my goal should be 196 lbs. I don't think I'll ever see that number!

STILL 137. No yo-yo, yet. Something HAS to be amiss!