I quit smoking!

Great! Keep up the good work! Cycling was one of the main things that helped me to quit as well.

way to go, quit smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health.

enjoy the bike,
cu,
larryb

Good on ya mate! 🙂

Well done, good for you!

On Belgian TV they are now airing some commercials that show what smoking does to your lungs... I just couldn't believe my eyes. It makes me worry even more about passive smoking... Everybody should see these commercials, especially the ones that smoke cigarets... (not sure if these commercials are/have been shown all over the world)

a non-smoker

Congratulaion.
You will enjoy cycling even more now that you have stopped smoking.
I quit 5 months ago (after smoking for more than 20 years). I quit because of wanting to improve more on my cycling .
Keep on pedalling.

I am just curious, does anyone think that it is possible for an ex-smoker to ever be as good of a cyclist as someone who has never smoked. I want to start racing, and am about to build a bike. I am curious if you think if I could still be a serious competitor. I guess this is probably a hard question to answer, but I would really like to know. Hopefully this doesnt just make me sound stupid lol.

Quit smoking might be the best thing you've ever done. And it's far from stupid what you're asking!

How old are you? Have you ever done any sports before? How long did you smoke? Did you smoke a lot?

KikyoMerc said:

I am just curious, does anyone think that it is possible for an ex-smoker to ever be as good of a cyclist as someone who has never smoked. I want to start racing, and am about to build a bike. I am curious if you think if I could still be a serious competitor. I guess this is probably a hard question to answer, but I would really like to know. Hopefully this doesnt just make me sound stupid lol.

I am 17 (please dont flame about my age) and smoked for about 2 1/2 to 3 years. I probably smoked on average 5-10 cigarettes a day. It was very random (due to my inability to buy cigarettes, and lack of a job) so I dont have a good estimate. I would smoke a pack a day some days, and then sometimes not smoke for a couple days. I used to play paintball and soccer. I played soccer a while ago, but I did play. I dont really know what else to say.
Thanks for the reply,
Kikyo

Good show! Consider yourself fortunate. I puffed away for over ten years, and was a 2 pack a day smoker. Quit about three years ago, and took up cycling to combat the weight gain. Can't say that I've lost much weight, but I can crank the bike up to 25 mph and keep it there now.

The one month milestone is a tough one. The first week of quitting is actually pretty easy. Its three weeks to one month later that the craving really comes back. You're not out of the woods yet, so don't slack off.

Nicotine gum helped me through the toughest periods. I tried the patch, but it tasted terrible, and tended to wad up in a big ball when you chewed on it. It was hard enough keeping the gum lit...

One thing that surprised me about quitting - I was told that everything would smell better. Not true - everything smells STRONGER, and the bad smells outweigh the good ones. For example, my car stinks. Now, I could have told you that before quitting, but I can say it with conviction now. Standing near a smoker in an elevator is a real experience now. They really reek, a sort of dead, decaying smell. Did I smell that bad? Yuck!

Fantastic - Well done you (and everyone else who quit too)🙂 It is tough, and you may still get cravings but they will go away. Just think about how much better you're feeling, how much money you're saving to spend on toys for the bike 😉 and how you no longer stink like ashtray!!

Quoted post said:

Did I smell that bad? Yuck!

Yup - 'fraid so:p

Yes, congratulations on quitting. You will gain nearly all the strength and oxygen uptake ability you would have had if you never smoked in a short time. For me, it's taken much longer since I started smoking at age 13 and did not quit until my mid 30's.

My cycling strength is still increasing since I started seriously biking about 3 years ago. I don't want to race but I like to be able to go fast.

Some one worked out that in Australia tobacco cost $500 a ounze!

Congratulations.

One more healthy person on the planet.

BUT to relapse all you need is one puff!
Please never take another puff.
I speak from experience (4 years no cigs after 20 years of 40+ a day).
Now a road racer.

ward17 said:

Some one worked out that in Australia tobacco cost $500 a ounze!

Unfortunately, so does Campagnolo! 🙁

i stopped smoking after about 45yrs last year. i smoked up to 50 a day rollups mainly. took me 5 days in intensive care to do it though. had a serious operation which nearly killed me. i haven't smoked since april 2004 but can't say i feel that much fitter i've ALWAYS got sore throats now i never had before.

Congratulations! Don't EVER backslide. Redefine yourself as the healthy person who doesn't think it is attractive to inhale the smoke from burning weeds... 🙂
🙂
I stopped 15 years ago with the "patch" and haven't looked back. Noxious habit, eh?
🙂
good on ya.
Dave

KikyoMerc said:

Hello everyone,
I am excited to post this, but after probably 2-3 years of smoking I have quit. It has been about 1 month since my last cigarette (which isnt that long but hey, its still not smoking). I couldnt be feeling better and am so glad that I did finally quit.
Kikyo

edit: My reason for quitting smoking was so I could race my bike. I just started road cycling and couldnt love it more.

Wurm said:

Unfortunately, so does Campagnolo! 🙁

Yes, but it looks so much nicer, actually contributes to a stronger you, and definitely lasts longer than tobacco.

Good for you! its never to late to quit smoking, and I mean at least then your adding more years to life