I'm so digusted...

[cycling@42]

I have been road riding for just under two years. I just got a new road bike and just love it. My husband is overweight, smokes a pack of cigs a day. I recently put him on a healthier eating plan and limit his portions. He has lost 15 pounds. He has been a couch tater for like 5 years. I just had his bike updated. He has been riding for about 3 weeks on the trainer. Tonight we went for a ride, after dinner. I said it would be an easy ride as we both had full bellies. We rode 14 miles and he kicked my butt! What the heck is that all about? He has ridden with me a few times before but this was unreal. He said it was the perfect terrain for him to "lay down some tracks". I ride as much as possible and am just blown away that this happened. I'm thrilled for him that he was able to ride as well as he did. Now I think I must be doing something wrong. I don't ride fast (15.5 mph) but I can ride up to 30 miles with no problem. I'm bummed because I feel as though we are not compatible riders. waw, waw, waw I would like to be able to ride with him but don't know how to train to increase my speed. And to boot...my bike is better than his!!! Any suggestions? I'm small and not really powerful...just have endurance. Slow but steady, as they say!

[waterlilli]

Oh that bugs me so much! Same thing with my hubby, I tought that I would blow him away on hills and he flys by me. What? When I bring him on a trail run he keeps up fine. He never runs, but can go on a 10 mile run with me no problem. The difference is the next day he hurts and I go for another run:) Still it makes me feel competative when I can not keep up on the bike.

[peepsmack]

Oh I HATE that!!! My hubby got up to 350 before he started doing something about it a few months ago. First, it's disgusting enough that he's dropped 50 pounds in no time flat, doing nothing but the Atkins diet. (blech...) I've been working my butt off and have only managed 20 pounds. He got a bike too, and he USED to ride a lot when he was younger, but I expected him to suffer and pant and sweat a lot. Well, he's no super cyclist, but I guess when you've carried all that weight around you build up some muscle, so he's freakin' STRONG when he rides. Frankly, I refuse to ride with him right now because he's sort of an @$$ and likes to throw it in my face that he can ride as well as he does. (again...not really all that well, but way better than I expected, and faster than me of course!)

Anyway...I hear ya! MEN! Can't live with 'em, can't shoot 'em.

Jessie

[IronHorse213]

I can sympathize friends, but must say from my own experience, pre-weight workouts, hard to ride my new bike. Four months of weight training (and muscle building) and I was SHOCKED to see the difference on the same terrain. However, still lag behind friends who have been riding for years and are generally more athletic.

It may be in the physology - different muscles strenghts between the sexes. Don't let it get you down though - measure progress against yourself only and it will help keep you encouraged.

and keep riding!!

[chrisanna]

Hey Cycling@42 I hear ya! I am laughing and nodding my head with the replies here. Got to agree with the all the other ladies ,too.

I thought I'd whip my winter-time couch potato hubby this Spring on the flats but nothing doing...out distanced him on the hills, but he still made it up smiling and not at all worse for wear.Grrrrr.

Musclewise / speedwise I'll never match him. Still, my rear end has toughened up with the miles I've put in so, I figure I am made for endurance.

Ride on girl!

[DoubleLori]

testosterone...

[BikeLady]

A wise person at my LBS once told me that men have more strength, but women have more endurance. It's a physiological difference that we can't do much about.

That said, keep riding ladies! Eventually you will build enough strength to give those men a run for their money. Or you'll be able to ride long enough to wear them out...;)

[MightyMitre]

I'll second that BikeLady - endurance wise women are a lot better. You only have to look at the women involved in Ironman and Ultra- Iroman triathlon events to see how well we do. The longer the distance the better women do.

When I was involved in rowing you could also see the differences. While men may have the brute strength the womens technique was far better and much more economical than the mens. Same with road racing, while womens races might not be quite as fast, tactically womens racing it top notch!:p

[waterlilli]

I keep telling my hubby that the next two Olympics that women are going to beat the men in the marathon. He laughs, but look at what women have done since they were offically allowed to run. Paula Radcliff ran in 2:15 and some change, Ann Trason has been the leading lady at the Western States 100 14 years, and blows away most men. Many of the endurance sports will be seeing the same results I would predict:D

[Dogmama]

It has to do with fast twitch/slow twitch muscles. Men can lift a lot of weight a few times. We can lift less weight a bunch of times.

I agree with the previous post who recommended weight training. During peak riding season, you probably don't want to train legs heavily, but you can certainly train abs & upper body.

On the off-season, I concentrate on cycling related lifts, e.g., squats, seated hamstring curls, lunges. Can't forget the triceps & delts - those hold us in the tuck position for miles & miles (I'm a roadie).

[aussievic]

I always get that with my husband. I've been trying to lose weight and get fitter, but the fitter I get the better he is.

So unfair!

Re: Paula Radcliffe - she is amazing - she's definitely the best marathon runner in Britain - male or female.

Cheers
Vic

[elevenpointfive]

And remember Beryl Burton, Seana Hogan, Muffy Ritz, and all the other crazy-strong-distance ladies who whoop men when needed. :)

Sometimes we beat men, sometimes we don't. If anyone gets on your case about it, they're a jerk and not a good training partner. I will repeat the wise words of IronHorse213 (hiya, IronHorse!): it's most important to compete against yourself and yourself alone. If I let myself get down when anyone outpaced me, I'd never get on a bike again. No thanks--I love riding too much.

[cycling@42]

I'm glad to read that I'm not the only woman frustrated with this issue. Dogmama...you hit it right on, I am slow muscle twitch and DH is most definately fast. He was a sprinter and jumper in track. And BikeLady...I agree that women can outdo men when it comes to endurance. As I said in my original post, I am not fast but can ride for hours. DH is pooped after an hour. So, I will keep the advise to just compare myself to me and better myself that way! I'm sure if I would lift weights I would gain much strength and thus become a faster rider. I am small framed and there just is not much muscle there right now! Shame on me...I do know better than that!