YEA! My first 20 mile ride longest yet.
 

Sorry to hear me gloat about what I'm doing, tis sad I can't find anyone in real life that really gets it :)

I set out on a popular road that 'slender' roadies race on alot. It is marked off at the end the turn around after 10 miles out. There are some 'daunting' climbs for a three hundred something pound man. Some are in the 8% grade category. I only got off the bike to drink at the turn around point and to towel off with a cold towel, and at one beast of a hill on the way back. My legs no longer responded to my mind, so I had to stop for a minute. I rested till I could hear birds instead of my heart (about 3 minutes) drank, and hopped back on and finished the climb. The last mile coming home was the worst. I gave out pedaling into our driveway lol . . .

It took me 1 hr 45 minutes total to do the 20.4 miles - I'm no roadie - but I made it. . . I think Friday shall be a recovery day. . .

I've set a goal. I want to do a tour by next summer. I'm thinking to the coast. I live about 200 miles from the ocean. . .


Second for some serious advice.

I've put 300 miles on my new bike in 3 weeks (298 exactly). I had started weightloss since before the bike at the start of the summer. It was going really slow though.

In 2 weeks I've dropped 12 lbs. Is that bad? I feel like celebrating - but if I need to back off, let me know what you guys think.

AWesome job!!

Good ride and weight loss.
Keep it going.

Congrats on your ride and your weightloss! Keep us posted on your progress. :)

great ride. keep it up bro. the weight loss is awsome too. when i started riding I dropped about 8 pounds in the first 2 weeks. so i would assume it is normal.

Nothing wrong with the weight loss. Most of it though is probably water. Drink lots! If you get dehydrated rides will get tougher and the weight will stop coming off.

Congrats on the mileage, especially with those hills. Keep up the good work!

If you're losing weight too quickly your body will tell you by being wayyy too tired. As long as you have enough energy to wake up in the morning and ride in the evening then whatever you're doing is working.

Great job!!! And congrats on dropping the pounds!

I think that's a great time! I consider myself kicking ass when I do 20 miles in less than 2 hours. Congratulations!

Your goal sounds great. That's actually what got my husband and I back into biking - we set a goal to cycle across Sweden next summer.

Not enough information posted to determine if this is bad. At 321 many people would say that the old 2/lb a week is outmoded and is more like 1-2% of your bodyweight a week assuming you are otherwise healthy and getting proper nourishment. If you feel good I would say keep it up, if you have a serious question I would run it by your GP.

Just keep pedaling and watching what you eat, the pounds will come off. Just make sure to have a plan for the winter that is more than just starving yourself.

Great job. I went 15 on Sat, and 8 tonight just working out the kinks. You are doing great. I have some saddle issues to resolve, and I will be there with you. I am still eating too much, but exercising and sleeping like a log. It's all good.

Winter is easy in the south - it is kinda like the summer - only less sweat (I actually prefer the winter and am usually more active in the winter)

Good job! I just made my first 20 two weeks ago. It feels great to accomplish a goal that seems near impossible on day 1 right? I now laugh at my 10 mile loop! HA! BTW I have dropped from 280 to 260 in about 2 1/2 months riding a 15 yr old steel mtn bike. Cant wait for that new road bike at the end of the month!!

congrats!!!

The first time I rode 20 miles I told EVERYONE, whether they cared or not!

Good job!

Good job!

That dream tour to the shore: You don't need to do all 50 mile days! Start with shorter days and work your way up and you'll be touring before you know it.

Grats on your longest ride. I've been making myself have one day a week, or, every other week to push myself for a new 'longest' ride. It's worked out pretty well for me. I do admit, after doing some of the longer rides lately (longest so far is 37miles), I laugh at what I used to consider long.

Keep it up!

Congrats!

Congrats on the accomplishment!

300 miles in 3 weeks is pretty BA! I've had my new bike for 2 months now and am only at 275.

I got more commited to cycling to increase my fitness with the goal of being able to eventually ride a century back in April, I managed to put a couple hundred miles on my Mountain Bike before deciding to upgrade to a more road oriented bike (20 miles on a Mountain bike is TOUGH!). I haven't worried about the pounds lost. My clothes fit a little better now, I have some muscle definition in my legs and my coworkers and family have noticed a change in my physique.

When I first started my office job after grad school I started doing weight training to try and keep from getting too soft but the scale was discouraging because instead of losing weight I actually GAINED! I eventually gave up the weight room after roughly a year because I wasn't seeing much results, my joints hurt like a mofo and Hurricane Katrina kinda depressed me (enough excuses though). So 4 1/2 years of turning into a soft office boy had gotten to me and hopefully I'll be able to achieve my goal of riding a Century sooner than later and if I loose wieght in the process then that's just an added bonus!

Howdy... I'm also a newb Clyde. (First post on this forum.) When I first read your post I thought "When did I write that?" Until I realized I wasn't a member on this forum yet. :lol:

I started one month ago with my old '92 GT Timberline. My wife and I went to Keystone ski resort and did the bike trails. I already knew I was a Clyde and was grossly out of shape.... but that trip just yelled at me. I work from home and I have tried hiking and the Gym and P90X... but they are all pretty boring. But compared to those things the bike just seemed so easy to go out and rack up 2 hours EASY... everyday... without even thinking.

That first week I bought a new seat, then some Ergon grips. Then some SPD pedals and shoes. I was having fun. Then on sunday after my first week my wife and I drove by the bike store and she mentioned that they had a "sale" sign. I accidently drove away with a 2009 Scott Aspect 45 for $500.00. Main changes were the front suspension and hydraulic disc brakes. I of course switched the seat/grips/pedals and put on a cateye odometer.

AND JUST LIKE YOU I basically put about 300 miles on in the first 3 weeks. (Plus or minus about 20 miles...)

A few of the days I did push 20-21 miles. The first time I went that far I was concerned about getting back. Until I had done it 2 or 3 times.

Then last wednesday I went 29 miles. At about mile 28 I hit "the wall" that I've read about.... that's where your muscles basically say to you: "BTW: you are going to be done in a mile or so. If you aren't home at that time... too bad." I was sore for a few days but have easily recovered. I look forward to doing that again a few times so that I don't hit "the wall" until mile 40. If I could have only gone an extra mile I would have passed the 30 mile mark... <cry>

AND I have had about the same weight change experience as you. I am 5'9" and was 269 and am now 257. I didn't really see a lot of change for the first 3 weeks... then BOOM... it's been in the last week or so that I saw the 12 lbs loss. I hypothesize I gained muscle mass and lost some fat during those first 3 weeks and it was a "wash" overall. Although I did notice my clothes were not as tight. Now I look forward to keeping it up.

EDIT: I agree with AndrewP who made the first post below. I highly recommend a Camelbak for drinking water. (I also have a cage on the frame with a bottle I put HEED electrolyte drink into.) But with the camelbak you learn to slowly sip water every few minutes without thinking about it.

Well done. Keep drinking as you ride. If you cant reach the bottle on the frame, get some cages that fit on the handlebars. Ease off on your pace before the hills. so you are not out of wind before you start the climb.

I think Bike forums should make a commercial and you can be the model! Seriously, 12 pounds in a month is good. Make sure you are drinking enough water to stay healthy. You are off to a great start.

Thanks for all the comments. I'm experiencing 'sadness' right now as my bike is in the shop. . . replacing a broke spoke. . . It broke Saturday evening, so I've been off of it Sat, Sun, Mon, - won't get it till after work tomorrow. I've been walking 1 1/2 hours a day on these three days - but walking is such a PAIN as compared.


BTW, don't tell anyone - but I've been in the 'fixed wheel' forum, and am seriously considering a 2nd bike that is a fixed wheel :P

Yea, I'm having fun too. I weigh every morning, and this morning, I was 315. So. . . cool.

Sure. We won't put it on the internet or anything. :)

I used to be part of a weight loss group (yeah, it was Weight Watchers) and it was common knowledge there that people tend to lose surprising amounts of weight in the first few weeks, then level off. It was especially true of men (I don't know whether you're a guy person or a girl person), but it happened to lots of people. I wouldn't worry, unless you're still losing six pounds a week at this time next month.

Of course, I'm not a doctor, so don't take any medical advice from me. Maybe you have some horrible wasting disease.