Back in the saddle
I just purchased my first road bike since 1975 and really enjoying it.
About 18 months ago my doctor told me to loose weight and eat better or i'll have some serious medical issues in a few years. So I stopped drinking soda and put on a pair of sneakers and started to walk. Walking turned into running and I needed to cross train so my son told me to use his old mountain bike. I quickly lost 35lbs and got my blood number in the healthy range.
My running progressed but I was never able to increase my bike performance, the bike was holding me back. So I went to a local bike store and tried a road bike... i loved it. Then i got on a carbon bike and I was hooked. After a few weeks I narrowed it down to 3 bikes. My son works part time at a bike store where he goes to college and was able to get me a great deal on a Trek Madone 4.6.
I immediately doubled my distance from 10 miles on the mountain bike to 20 miles on the road bike. After a week I went on my first group ride for 42 miles. I was able to finish but some of the rolling hills at the end were killers.
With the weather getting colder I'll have to see how long i can continue on long rides. But I plan on riding, when the weather permits, and will still use the mountain bike when road condition are not optimal for the road bike.
I look forward to learning a lot here from people in my age group (55) about the aches and pains of getting "back in the saddle".