chicagogal
08-23-2008, 08:28 PM
Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum, and thought that I would take this opportunity to say hi and to introduce myself. I recently moved to chicago and at the same time got back into cycling. I am reasonably fit (ie, no extra weight, and some decent muscle tone) thanks to my genetics, but unfortunately I have been relatively sedentary these past few years. I thought that cycling would be a good way for me to get back into shape (I used to run, bike, play tennis, swim, etc. but that was a long time ago). Lucky for me, Chicago is, like, completely flat, so getting back to cycling ended up not being that difficult. I have only been riding for a few months, but am able to pretty easily ride ~125 miles/week. If any of you are from Chicago, you know the lakefront bike path. I try to ride it most mornings before work and before it gets too crowded. On weekdays I ride ~25 miles (13-14mi/hr) and on weekends, I try to add miles. This has been working really well for me the past couple of months, and I am feeling fitter, healthier, and more energized that I was before taking up cycling. However, despite the fact that I try to really push myself on my rides, I feel like I have reached a fitness plateau. Now I wish that we had some hills around here for me to incorporate into my workouts. However, since we don't does anybody have advice on how I can continue to get stronger/faster?
I am new to this forum, and thought that I would take this opportunity to say hi and to introduce myself. I recently moved to chicago and at the same time got back into cycling. I am reasonably fit (ie, no extra weight, and some decent muscle tone) thanks to my genetics, but unfortunately I have been relatively sedentary these past few years. I thought that cycling would be a good way for me to get back into shape (I used to run, bike, play tennis, swim, etc. but that was a long time ago). Lucky for me, Chicago is, like, completely flat, so getting back to cycling ended up not being that difficult. I have only been riding for a few months, but am able to pretty easily ride ~125 miles/week. If any of you are from Chicago, you know the lakefront bike path. I try to ride it most mornings before work and before it gets too crowded. On weekdays I ride ~25 miles (13-14mi/hr) and on weekends, I try to add miles. This has been working really well for me the past couple of months, and I am feeling fitter, healthier, and more energized that I was before taking up cycling. However, despite the fact that I try to really push myself on my rides, I feel like I have reached a fitness plateau. Now I wish that we had some hills around here for me to incorporate into my workouts. However, since we don't does anybody have advice on how I can continue to get stronger/faster?