Originally Posted by
pepperbelly
I just retired at 62- really crappy timing covid.
I have a late ‘80s Raleigh road bike.
I am also about 260 pounds and quit smoking 2 years ago. I have started really watching what I eat.
For the past week I have been riding a loop tjrough my town that is about 1.5 miles in length to get my legs used to exercise again.
Today I doubled the length and tomorrow I will go further. I felt really good today. I plan on going 5 miles per day for a week depending on weather then trying for 10 miles per day or more.
How long until my butt and bike saddle become friends?
Kudos to you for starting to get fitter. Between 2011 and 2013, I lost 165 lbs, started riding daily, and eventually started racing. Without going into far more detail than anyone wants to read, I did just what you're doing. I did SOMETHING every day, and gradually built endurance and power. The key was doing SOMETHING every single day, even if it was just walking a treadmill for 10 minutes while watching the news.
One important tip - getting a good bike fit will do wonders for making your butt like your bike, and your back and neck will thank you, too.
keep up the great work. It seems like it'll take forever, but in a year or two you'll look back and be amazed at how far you've come.