First ride outside in 21 months

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I had been inactive for 18 months until I jumped on my new Kickr bike back in mid-August. My weight had blossomed (nice way of putting it) to 232. My race weight is 190 and I was keeping my weight in the 200 range.

I decided to set a target of 210# by my birthday, which is today (66), with my reward being a ride out on the road. I weighed in yesterday at 209.6#. So I cleaned up the bike, did a safety check, lubed everything and then the hardest part, convincing my wife to let me go. I have had 4 accidents in the past decade, 2 very serious. She reluctantly let me go.

So I headed out just a few minutes after sunrise, the temp was a crisp 45 degrees F. In a word, awesome. A few climbs, a 16 mile trip around the reservoir, and I survived. But I learned a few things have changed after a prolonged time indoors.

  1. I was riding with a higher cadence, lower gearing.
  2. My standing was easier than before.
  3. My sustained speed on the flats was as fast as before, but felt easier.
  4. My climbs were slower. Hopefully improving my power to weight ratio will fix that.
  5. My arms hurt more than my legs. I clearly paid for not doing any upper body work. Lesson learned.

All in all, a fun time.

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Nice!! Great work all around. Glad you kept the bike upright this time too :pray:

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Sounds superb! Well done on both the weight loss and the ride and great you not only stayed upright but thoroughly enjoyed it. Fantastic!

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It never gets easier, it just gets faster Gā€¦ LeMond. You seen the effects of riding the plan. And yes, you improved. Now take advantage of this and go faster.

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@Critmark, Congratulations! Excellent job sticking to your plan and keeping consistent and disciplined! So glad to hear all your indoor training paid off and you got to enjoy riding your bicycle! We wish you all the best, keep up the amazing work, consistency is key, and yes getting in those much needed strength days is super helpful to support your riding and your general health! Spicing in a little yoga with Abi on the SYSTM app is always a plus for some increased range of motion, balance and flexibility. Keep up the great work!

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