I suck.

Don't know where you live but here in the T. dot we have a local
cycling club that is mostly social. <http://www.tbn.ca> That would be
the kind of club you would need. I got back into riding last year, and
in two weeks I plan on doing a double centry, or in canadian terms a
triple metric. :-). From what I here it's mostly flat from Mississauga
to Niagra falls and back. (see above link and check out the Hairshirt
Classic)

but then again on reason I was able to start out alright is that my job
involved a lot of walking.

C.J.Patten wrote in message ...

Quoted message said:

I've been trying to find a local cycling group for, well, outta shape
cyclists like me. ;p
No takers yet.

Just me or are all organized cycle groups for die-hards?

I lead rides for our bike club for folks that are non-die-hards. I like that
kind of thing. Just on Saturday, I led a ride for 20 miles on the flat,
advertised 10-12 mph average. I know from leading these kinds of rides that
there is a real need for them. Beginners, families, seniors -- there's all
kinds of folks who want relatively slow/short rides.

What was really funny to me was, on the ride on Saturday, I showed someone
how to change a flat. He had never done it before. Me! Show someone how to
change a flat! Was it only a few years ago I changed my first flat all by
myself?

But that's exactly why we need these kinds of rides, with an experienced
ride leader to provide support and guidance. What would he have done if
there wasn't an expert flat changer :-) :-) :-) there to show him how it's
done?

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Personal page: http://www.geocities.com/cpetersky/
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referr­al/Cpetersky

C.J.Patten said:

"Mark Hickey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You know where you are, you know where you want to be. The only thing
that can stop you is yourself (well, that and a semi with no brakes,
but let's not dwell on that...). ;-) Cycling is an amazing sport
that allows you to start slow and build up more quickly than any other
sport I'm aware of. Just keep doing "a little more" and pretty soon
all those "little mores" will add up to "a lot more".

Thanks Mark! I'd previously seen your site while looking at the state of the
art in Titanium. Nice. Very nice.

Remembering back to when I used cycling as a tool to get fit last, I have to
admit, it went quickly back then. I probably dropped 10lbs a month but more
importantly just felt a lot healthier, had more energy. (I mention weight a
lot because it's a tangible)

Yeah, the pounds come off easier when you're younger. I recently
crashed and had to take a few weeks off the bike - put on 10 pounds,
and it took me months to work it off. Of course, I wasn't really
dieting or anything like that - just trying to bring the weight down
at a natural pace. you're in the same boat, except you're younger,
and have a few more pounds to go through. Kinda balances out. ;-)

Again - don't get in a big hurry. It really doesn't matter much in
the grand scheme of things whether you hit your target weight in 10 or
15 months. The important thing is to keep the riding "fresh and fun"
so you aren't tempted to stop. Try to make cycling a habit before it
becomes a chore, and you're there. From that point on, you'll find
yourself making excuses TO ride instead of excuses NOT to ride.

Quoted message said:

See you on the road!

Hope so!

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 23:20:28 -0400, <[email hidden]>,
"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote, in part:
\

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

don't save anything for the return trip."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The recipe for ultimate gonzo.

Gonzo? Help...?

Originally? South Boston Irish slang describing the last man standing
after a drinking marathon. Later used to describe a style of
journalism where the reporter is enmeshed in the reportage rather than
merely JAFO (just another effin' observer)

Quoted message said:

Not boring - post jpegs of the XRAYS!
(and the bike - or what's left of it)

Here's a pic of the bike, unofficially dubbed, "Count Chopula":
http://tallbikejouster68.e2uhosting.com/peaceandtallbikes/DonaldsNewChopper.jpg

The gory pics are down from the MC3 website. I'll have to ask if the
sawbones can email me copies of the x-rays in a file type usable
outside their special program.

\

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Until then I'll stick to riding indoors. The weather this spring has
been great for bicycling and I've missed it. That sucks, for me.

Kayaking? (that's my second love)

I could probably carry a kayak from my house to the North Arm of the
Fraser River easier than it would be to tow one with the bike.
--
zk

Tue, 14 Jun 2005 03:50:42 GMT,
<[email hidden]>, "Craig Holl"

Quoted message said:

That's one of the better side benefits of cycling, <ahem> watching the
wildlife. 🙂 It keeps me alert.

Chasing the wildlife keeps you young.
--
zk

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:14:39 -0700,
<[email hidden]>, Mark Hickey

Quoted message said:

The important thing is to keep the riding "fresh and fun"
so you aren't tempted to stop. Try to make cycling a habit before it
becomes a chore, and you're there. From that point on, you'll find
yourself making excuses TO ride instead of excuses NOT to ride.

Who but a bagel addict goes out for a ride on a cold raining night?

The bagels on Cornwall Ave. are better than the ones on 26 th Ave.
They're also further away.
--
zk

gds wrote:
:: Just remember a quote that a friend who is twenty years older than me
:: threw out at me.
::
:: "The only hting you can do at your age that I can''t do at my age
:: is--die young"
::
:: :-)

I like that. I'm going to use it.

Zoot Katz said:

Mon, 13 Jun 2005 21:14:39 -0700,
<[email hidden]>, Mark Hickey

Quoted message said:

The important thing is to keep the riding "fresh and fun"
so you aren't tempted to stop. Try to make cycling a habit before it
becomes a chore, and you're there. From that point on, you'll find
yourself making excuses TO ride instead of excuses NOT to ride.

Who but a bagel addict goes out for a ride on a cold raining night?

The bagels on Cornwall Ave. are better than the ones on 26 th Ave.
They're also further away.

God did that to keep you in shape. He must have wanted me in
outstanding shape though, having allowed me to be born in southern
Illinois (nearest good bagel at least a few hundred miles). ;-)

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

"C.J.Patten" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Good scene near the end of the film "Gattica" where the gifted brother
asks the less fortunate but more determined one how he does it - the reply
is "I don't save anything for the return trip."

I do that. I continue on my outbound segment of a loop until I'm exhausted
then turn around to return.

I remember when I was young we'd go swimming in a nearby lake and dive for
=something= that sinks - the object being to be the first to retrieve it. I
recall staying down until it felt like my lungs would burst and then
swimming to the surface - noting the colour of the water getting lighter
until breaking the surface.

--
'To walk within the lines would make my life so boring
I want to know that I have been to the extreme.'
- avril lavigne

Zoot Katz said:

The gory pics are down from the MC3 website. I'll have to ask if the
sawbones can email me copies of the x-rays in a file type usable
outside their special program.

If you want them, have her send 'em in whatever format she can. They
will most likely be in DICOM format and you can view/convert them
yourself. Just be aware that the original DICOM file will have your
name and personal information encoded in it.

ImageMagik is a very popular program which does DICOM, or look at the
list here:

http://www.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/staff/cr1/dicom.html

C.J.Patten wrote:
:: I feel like a wuss posting this after reading the "Others riding
:: successfully with significant physical/medical factors?" thread. :\
::
:: I am badly out of shape. Much worse than I thought.
:: I'm about 50lbs overweight (6'0", 240lbs) and haven't cycled
:: seriously in years.
:: Having bought a bike to get out and get in shape, I ride every day
:: except for a rest day maybe once a week. (doing this now for a
:: couple of weeks)

In addition to your biking, you should start lifting weights. At least 3x
per week.

::
:: I can't do more than about 10km before I'm toast. I'm not tired
:: overall - my leg muscles just hurt. (you know the jello
:: feeling...can't walk when stepping off the bike) I'm only averaging
:: about 15-20km/hr so these are only half-hour rides.

Wow? Are you climbing hills? Start doing either leg presses or squats.
It's easy to do bodyweight squats at home.

::
:: If I keep this up, how long does it take to see results? Am I going
:: to be able to do 20km at a time in a month? (note to self: don't
:: ever let yourself get unhealthy again...)
::
:: I used to do 100km without stopping... now I feel like I've got lead
:: weights tied to me.

Wow...100km is a metric century. If you've done it before, you can do it
again. You should be able to work back up to that distance in 3 months if
you work at it. It's not hard.

"Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Wow? Are you climbing hills? Start doing either leg presses or squats.
It's easy to do bodyweight squats at home.

Yeah. They're called "curbs." 😉

Weights are a great idea. (though right now, I'm thankful for the rain
falling outside 'cause my legs are still sore from the previous 6 days of
riding 😉

I used to do bicep curls in high-school. (among other upper body exercises).
It made a difference in muscle mass but I don't know if it helped my cycling
much.

Would squats actually help me build the type of muscle I need for cycling?
Always thought that type of workout was more suited to anaerobic exertion.
(maybe sprinting) I'm most certainly into this for distance, not speed.

Quoted message said:

Wow...100km is a metric century. If you've done it before, you can do it
again. You should be able to work back up to that distance in 3 months if
you work at it. It's not hard.

Excellent!

C.J.Patten wrote:
:: "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
:: news:[email hidden]...
::
::: Wow? Are you climbing hills? Start doing either leg presses or
::: squats. It's easy to do bodyweight squats at home.
::
:: Yeah. They're called "curbs." 😉
::
:: Weights are a great idea. (though right now, I'm thankful for the
:: rain falling outside 'cause my legs are still sore from the previous
:: 6 days of riding 😉
::
:: I used to do bicep curls in high-school. (among other upper body
:: exercises). It made a difference in muscle mass but I don't know if
:: it helped my cycling much.

Cycling is much more lower body....

::
:: Would squats actually help me build the type of muscle I need for
:: cycling? Always thought that type of workout was more suited to
:: anaerobic exertion. (maybe sprinting) I'm most certainly into this
:: for distance, not speed.

If you're getting sore at such small distances, I think so. Leg presses and
squats will work those quads (and hams, too) which tend to take a beating in
cycling. Also, cycling (at least for me) can be anaerobic, espeically when
climbing hills and sprinting, as you mention. Building up muscle endurance
will only help you. Strong legs in general help you in cycling, as long as
you don't become too heavy because of extra mass. But, unless you work at
it, you won't gain muscle mass, but you can gain strength in your legs.
Strength and endurance are what you're after. You won't gain significant
mass unless your diet is hypercaloric. I'm assuming it won't be.

And, there is nothing wrong about picking up a bit of speed...but it won' be
like doing squats is going to kick you up to 20+ mph on the flats.

Oh, lifting can help you lose fat while keeping muscle mass. Your
power-to-weight ratio will increase more. If you were a pro cyclist, you'd
probably stop lifting during cycling season and only lift during the off
season. But since you're a weekend warrior wanting to get fit, lifting,
while riding and trying to lose bodyfat, will help you achieve your goal
quicker and better.

::
::
::: Wow...100km is a metric century. If you've done it before, you can
::: do it again. You should be able to work back up to that distance
::: in 3 months if you work at it. It's not hard.
::
:: Excellent!

I started cycling in October 2003...I only did about 200 miles on my bike
before I quit riding for the winter. I started again in April 2004...by
summer I was regularly doing 65+ miles a day on the weekends...with rides up
to 75, 85, and 96 miles on different weekends. I completed my first
organized century in Charleston, SC in December, 2004. I'm 6'1 and I
weighed 235+ lbs then. (the + is because I'm a low carber and when I carbed
up for those rides, I weighed more than I typically did due to extra water
weight). Oh, I was 46, then.

Try reading "Heft on Wheels" by Mike Magnuson. Good book.