Just to add some perspective. People come to cycling for all kinds of reasons, I was a pretty serious gym rat before finding cycling, I hated cardio, but I was a weightlifter, and loved the challenge of upping that weight every two to four weeks. I got to a 360 1 rep max at one point, and at my strongest I was repping starting at 315 and going up to 335 then back down. I mention this because my body is a body type that puts on muscle quickly, and when it came to strength I was rapidly hitting the top end of my ability. Perhaps in a stroke of good fortune, I had a knee injury, and to rehab that I took up biking. I LOVE it. I've been on the bike since 2006, and I live in PA. I have racked up over 13000 miles since starting, I ride to work every day, I am as fit as I've ever been.
Where is all this going? Well, I weigh in at 263 right now. I have gotten as low as 229, and I am planning to get back down as I want to compete this year in several tri's (did my first Duathlon last year and loved it). Having a metabolism that puts on muscle easily also means I can put on fat easily as well. When I first got on a bike I was 290, and my resting heart rate was over 100, now even being back up to 263, my resting heart rate is in the 50's.
I bike because I love it. I bike because it makes me feel good. I bike because I'm an addict. And I'm a Clyde largely due to genetics, and I have a sweet tooth that conspires to undo me as well, but it doesn't make me less competitive, no less than when I was under 360lbs pressing it to the sky for no reason other than just beating that weight.
Joe