Originally Posted by
jgadamski
Confession time here: I have not always made good choices in my life.Among them was a 30+ year addiction to smoking.Which is now done.
The impact on my cycling is noticeable. I plain do not have the wind to really push hard, and am lucky to average 15 mph on a flat road ride. Hills are a weak point too.
My question is whether there are ways to improve respiratory function through cycling. Although I have been a transportation cyclist for nearly 20 years, road and fitness riding are a new experience to me.
Has anybody had experience with this?
I smoked for 25 years. Gave it up in my mid-forties, got back on the bike at 49. I was very unfit. Within a couple of years I was riding centuries, eventually took up racing at 57. A bit late to think of winning much, but I could hang in there.
Obviously, people differ. But unless you are among the minority that doesn't respond to training, you can certainly improve your fitness as well as your health by increasing your time on the bike. Try maintaining a pace just slightly above your usual cruising speed - you should be able to talk in short sentences, but not paragraphs. You'll see progress. If after a couple of months of that you want to get more systematic, there are plenty of training manuals. Joe Friel's "Cycling past 50" might be something you'd find useful