soma5

This marks the end of my third month of my "comeback" to cycling. I've ridden about 750 miles. I started with 10-15 minute rides, progressed to 30-minutes, and so on. So far, I've avoided injuries and strain. I've found new friends and benefited greatly from having my (grown) kids as cycling buddies.

I came on this forum at the beginning of August. I was looking for some advice on things to do to keep from getting injured and to find some others who were in the same situation as I. I found both, and as you might know I've been an active participant in this forum. It's been a really good thing for me and you folks have been a constant source of both inspiration and advice.

I can see tremendous improvement in my fitness. At the end of July, I managed to finish a flat 30 miles. It was a struggle at the end and I knew I'd overdone it. Lately, I have finished a couple of 50-mile rides with energy left at the end. I don't climb with the same ease and power as I did 12 years ago before I quit riding, so I don't try yet. I figure that it will take about 1500 miles to get me to the point where actual training might be possible without hurting myself. However, I'm already seeing positive changes. My legs are bigger. My waist is smaller. My abs are even beginning to show. I used to collapse for the day after a bike ride. Now I've got energy left to do whatever the rest of the day requires, even with my longer and harder rides. I have not "ridden my age" as many of you have done, but I've come within 6 miles a couple of times so it's just a matter of time before I do. Interestingly, my alcohol tolerance has gone down while my food appetite has gone up. This is also good. I am sleeping better.

Through all of this, my son and daughter have been great riding buddies for me. They are both quite strong riders and also very energetic, but they are willing to hold back to let me improve at my own rate. I can hang with them now, as long as they aren't really going all-out. I will be buying them both new road bikes soon, as an expression of gratitude on my part for the help they've given me. Of course, they don't know that yet but I've discussed this extensively with my wife and she agrees. I've also joined a local club and I've made some good friends there. I've done several rides with them and every time I go out I'm stronger than I was before and they've noticed this. At first, I was struggling but now I am solidly mid-pack. A small group of these folks gets together on Wednesday evenings to ride/train/gab, and I am now going out with them. There are some amazingly strong riders in this training group, but again I'm in the middle of the group. I am not really pushing it on these rides because I'm not really ready to train hard. My son went out with us this past Wednesday and he's right among the strongest riders in the group. I know I've mentioned this before, but it is so good to ride with my kids.

I got lucky in that I lost a lot of weight over that past two years so I didn't have to carry it around while trying to get in shape. I am also fortunate in that the bike I still have from 12 years ago is a custom frame/Dura Ace bike I used to race on. It's not the most modern thing around but it is simply a beautiful machine and I don't feel the tiniest urge to upgrade to anything new. I've bought a new saddle with a cutout in deference to my advancing age, though. Over the years, my son has "borrowed" a lot of my cycling clothing so I did buy some new shorts and jerseys. The stuff I had was really quite good back then, and the new stuff is both better and pricier. I also bought a headlight (I posted about this earlier) which is something I never used, at least after junior high school. This helps me get back home after the Wednesday evening rides.

Thanks for putting up with me, thanks for inspiring and encouraging me, and thanks for sharing your experiences with me, from which I take many lessons. I think I won't be posting any more about my "comeback" because it seems that now I've actually come back. I do plan to continue to participate in the discussions here, though.

-soma5

Kurt Erlenbach

You da man. Anyone who does what you have done is Da Man.

Beverly

Posts like this are an inspiration to all of us. Congratulations on the "comeback".

stapfam

A member thanking us for getting him fit enough to ride with his youngsters and no mention of Pie. A bit od retraining required her.

Well done on your achievements but you did have an advantage in your training partners so well done for thanking them in the correct manner aswell.

soma5

I could not have done it without my kids, pure and simple. They are going to love their bikes!

As for pie, I never mentioned this before because it didn't seem relevant but I'm pre-diabetic (which is why I felt I had to lose weight and yes, I know, alcohol is bad for me) and I am trying to improve my insulin sensitivity through exercise. There is a whole set of potential dietary differences for diabetic and pre-diabetic riders and a lot of contradictory information that I'm trying to sort through. What most "knowledgeable" people seem to agree on is the effects of body weight and exercise. From there it goes downhill quickly.

I wish I could have pie. Do thoughts of pie count?

-soma5

stapfam

Almost as good but the kids deserve pie so you can take pictures of their pie and post that. Or is pie a thing you mature into?

Red Rider

What a great post! Congrats on your progress and finding the fun in cycling again.

Your kids are soooooo lucky -- you're a great dad!

Thanks for sharing this -- it's a pleasure to read.

Cleave

Hi soma5,

Nice! Keep up the great work.

doctor j

Great report. Well done on the come back. Keep riding and keep posting.

AuntieM

What an inspiration, thank you!

Yen

Congratulations to you for your terrific progress. What a great report. You are an inspiration to US!