Originally Posted by
Eric F
It's finally time to get my fat ass back on the road - 15 years and 60+ lbs since I hung up my race wheels and put the bike aside. For the past month, I've been doing regular suffer-sessions in my garage, and got in a couple of short solo rides. 2 weeks ago, I got out for my first group ride since 2004. Although it's known as an easy Sunday ride of mostly older guys, for me, the 33 mile loop was a big stretch of my aerobic capacity and endurance. A big bonus was seeing a lot of very familiar faces from the old days, and a warm welcome to the group. Last weekend (2nd time on the ride), I felt stronger, and the distance slightly more comfortable. For now, this will continue as my weekly fitness test.
My early-2000 Time XV-Special Pro equipped with DA 9-speed still feels great and fits my body like a comfortable shoe. She will probably get upgraded with a new(er) drivetrain and some pricey wheels, but I'm not at all motivated to replace the frame. I'm not riding to get every watt of power to the ground, or shave every gram off my ride. Losing lbs. off my body will do a lot more for performance than anything I can do to my bike. Besides, I think my old gal is still sexy has hell...
We shall see where this takes me. I don't have any intent to return to racing, nor do I have the desire to suffer as much as it requires to be in that kind of shape. Right now, I'm trying to just enjoy the ride, the people, and a return to feeling strong.
Cheers!
Welcome back. My situation is somewhat similar. After riding for years, I bought a motorcycle in '98 and the bike remained hanging in the garage until July 2019. The motorcycle is long gone. The mirror lied to me, telling me I was still in OK shape, but the photos were telling a different story. Fast forward 7 months and a couple of new bikes later, I'm back in the saddle, riding an Echelon during the winter for 45 minutes every day and I'm down 21 pounds with 8 more to go. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed riding a bicycle. I put 1570 miles on before hanging it up at the end of November and have set a goal of 3,000 miles for 2020. Enjoy your return to riding!