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To everyone on the prime time thread:
Happy trails to those of you in the warm parts of the country. I'm sitting here with freezing rain and two bored dogs.
Seriously, though, what's the story on the bone density study? I don't train hard enough and have plenty of body fat, but would still like to know.
Interestingly enough, there's an article on bone loss in the most current issue of Bicycling. It's the March issue. They say that they can't carry the theory of bone loss from professionals to those of us who just do it for fun...but I certainly don't see why not. It probably wouldn't be as pronounced, but why wouldn't it happen just the same? Anyway...it's an interesting article.
Steph
Thanks. I'll check it out.
I don't remember a lot of detail- I read about it in one of those Rodale Press bike rags we all think are so boring :p about ten years ago. This is not an estrogen/ womens thing- men get it too. I could feel it after a summer of hard training and I had plenty of fat! Although that was going pretty fast too. This isn't after you get emaciated and lose muscle; It's just a training adaptation. I was around 160 and a hardbody when this caught up with me.
If it's asked to move fast and long, your body will shed ballast to lighten the load. It's not just about burning fat for energy; the very fit get very slender because the body is trying to get as efficient as possible. As Covert Bailey says- "Have you ever seen a fat fox?"
For runners and such, the bones take a pounding so I don't think they lose bone mass; but in a cyclist who by her nature is bird st heart ;) losing bone density is really effecient training adaptation. Birds have hollow bones. And a rider with this, well it doesn't exactly protect you from breakage in a crash does it?
We're talking lots of riding hours here, and some people get this bad and some never get it at all. Weight training and/ or crosstraining, anything with resistance will reverse it. I'm not an expert- I just know it happens. Not all adaptations are all good.
It's very simple. It's a training adaptation, and you should be aware of it and hit the weights. You need the crosstraining for better performance anyway.
Lizzy
Here's a link to an article that seems to suggest the bone loss is brought on from lost calcium through sweating.
http://www.bikeparts.com/articles/book.html
Veronica
you know I just read an article in "Bicycling" that was about cycling and osteoperosis... don't forget to make sure you are consuming calcium in some form pretty much daily... I have yogurt at my office so I have one with lunch...
Trek- I got the Litespeed Tuscany... it is a dream to ride... now I'm selling my Lemond because I don't need 2 bikes... when I got the Lemond originally the frame was out of alignment (keep in mind this was my 1st bike ever)... so we shipped it to Lemond and they sent a new frame... just never felt comfortbale on it... had problems with discomfort when going to the bathroom after rides, neck and shoulders sore, reach to brakes etc miserable... so my husband said let's get you a new bike... (I had completed a 53 mile event ride on it and want to do my first century so I need a bike that is comfortable)... anyway, we got the Tuscany and put the Lemond on eBay... 51cm low miles etc... some guy sends an email to measure the bike... turns out Lemond sent me a 53cm!!! which explains why it was so miserable to ride... It was too big... so now Lemond has made good on it and sent a new frame, a 49cm WSD Maillot Jaune (I had the Buenos Aires)... and we measured it to be sure...
long story short now I have to sell that bike because I don't need two... good thing I ended up really loving this or this whole fiasco could've turned me off the whole bike thing!
"long story short now I have to sell that bike because I don't need two... good thing I ended up really loving this or this whole fiasco could've turned me off the whole bike thing!"
noooo, you can't have too many bikes only not enough room.
TREK ...too bad I take a 47cm
Oh PUHLEASE! Too many shoes, too many tiaras, too many shares of Microsoft, too many freinds, too many bikes?
Keep the Lemond. Play with it. Life is short; You can have all the toys you want! Only one bike is for six tear olds. Why do you have to give up a prize? Build it up and then get a wardrobe to match each. You don't even have the other seven bikes of the basic stable.
Incidently- grownups get to roller skate in the house too. And sit up late and drink cocktails. What endless possibilities there are!
Lizzy
hehehe... good news the bike sold today. I would have kept the Lemond if I thought I would ride it... but I just really love the Litespeed... however, if Trek changes the Project One even minimally it may fit (I tried already... I wanted the "Deep South" paintjob...) then I may end up with two... My next road bike will undoubtedly be full DuraAce...
my other reason for selling the Lemond is to justify the purchase of a mountain bike... the best riding area here is closed still (burned during the wildfires and they don't want to reopen it until the regrowth is more deeply rooted) so hopefully by summer... we'll see! Now if I was actually MADE of money then I'd have it all!:D
missliz... there can be noooo roller skating in my house! I even have wood floors which are very conducive to skating... but I also have a 80lb German Shepherd who thinks anything that moves quickly wants to play... ever been hit by a 80 lb dog that is only thinking "gotta play, gotta play, gotta play...":p now the cocktails on the other hand... the bar is stocked come on over!