Yrs. on bike & what keeps you there

[RoadRaven]

but this forum would be super helpful if you could jot down:
Number of consecutive years you have been regularily cycling.
Your age
What keeps you on the bike
If you have lost weight, what was it and kept it off?

Q1.
I cycled as a teenager, and then not again til I was 39.
I have been cycling for three years and three months.

Q2.
I am now 42 1/2 years

Q3.
I like feeling fitter (I have never been physically fit in my life - I was the kid who wrote herself notes and forged parents signatures to get out of physical education at school).
Its a family thing - we all do it to some degree
My partner is passionate about it and I am grateful I became interested - it is good to have another thing to share
I have found out I am competitive and I love racing - albeit at club level only
I am addicted

Q4.
In 2004 I was 113-115kgs
In 2005 I lost no weight but dropped two dress sizes over the year
In 2006 and 2007 I lost a few kgs steadily
By Jan1 2008 I weighed 99kgs.
I hope to keep losing weight slow and steady and be down to about 90 kgs by the end of the year.

Good luck with whoever reads this thread. Weight loss is a slow process, and remember as you get fitter you build muscle and although you are losing fat, the increased muscle weighs more than what you lose. So initially you may not notice a difference on scales - see what happened to me in 2005.

Be patient and kind to yourself and celebrate all successes.

[spokewench]

I started riding in either 1986 or 1987 (I'm getting so old I can't remember any more).

I am now 47 years old will turn 48 in mid year, so I have been riding over 20 years. I do not ride as much as I used to, but I still ride quite a bit. I used to race a lot, both mountain and rode racing, some 24 hour racing and cyclocross thrown in there for good measure.

Now I just ride for fun - not that racing wasn't fun, but it was also a lot of work too and kept me from doing other things in life - so now that I am older, I like to balance my life a little better; so I ride, play tennis, work, hike, camp, take trips with my hubby on the motorcycle, hang out more. So, what keeps me riding is a lot of things. The fact that it helps me stay healthy and fit, along with eating well. The fact that is really a fun activity, outdoors in the sun which is where I really like to be. It enables me to see and visit places in a different way - you really get to see the trail and cover some miles if you are mountain biking, you really get to see the scenery and enjoy the culture of where you are riding through. The cameraderie with others who ride and have similar life styles is also great too.

Have I lost weight - well no - I was not really overweight when I started riding over 20 years ago. I was 27 and weighed 110-115 pounds. So, unlike many here, I have gained weight. I now weigh around 120-125 pounds. I actually raced better at 115-120 pounds than I ever did at 110. There was just not as much muscle at 110. I wouldn't mind losing a few pounds, can't ever get below that 120 mark it seems any more, but I'm happy with my fitness, my eating habits and my body so I guess a couple of pounds really isn't all that important.

Spoke