1. How old are you?
- 54
2. Fitness level on a scale of 1-10
- 8
3. Cycling skill, 1-10
- 8
4. Typical riding conditions?
Almost exclusively road. I do have a fat bike, but mostly for snowy days.
5. What sort of riding your bike is best suited to? What's the geometry designed for?
Smooth roads, not too steep,
6. What would you change about your bike?
I need a granny gear. I would like to change my largest gear from 28 to 36.
7. Do you bike for fitness rides? Commuting? Joy rides? Do you drive or rely on your bike for everything?
All three. I use my car for shopping and for going with the family.
8. Do you focus on any sort of specific excersises in accessory to cycling? How does it improve your performance?
I try to focus on core strength, as well as regular stretching.
9. How often do you partake in long distance rides?
I try to do at least one imperial century per year and 2 or 3 metric centuries.
10. Do you perform your own maintenance?
As much as I can. Hydraulic brakes scare me, so I go to the LBS for that.
11. How does cycling impact your nutrition?
I am trying to lose weight and maintain power, so it is always hard finding the right balance. Intermittent fasting with about an hour of fasting riding seems to work the best.
12. Is cycling more cardiovascular or muscular hypertrophy based, in your opinion?
Hypertrophy - my legs get tired sometimes when my heartrate is pretty moderate. In fact, sometimes I have a hard time keeping my heart rate up.
13. Do you have more than one bike?
A commuter with saddle bags, my road bike, my fat bike, and an old hybrid that stays on the trainer.
14. How does cycling help you cope with stress, depression, etc?
I am always 1 bike ride away from a good mood!
15. Do you ride in the rain, cold weather?
Yes. The only thing that will keep me home is winds over 25 mph.
16. How cycling friendly is the area where you live? Accessibility to paved trails? Gravel? Singletrack?
No trails, not much bike infrastructure, but I have had very few bad interactions with cars.