Anyone else feel this way?

[maillotpois]

I am FAR more impressed and inspired when I see a heavier person out there riding, than I am when I see a racer type flying by...

don't get me wrong, racers are amazing at the level they ride at... but so are YOU. Don't forget that.

What she said!!!

I am so impressed with your progress and how far you've come!! The comfort level with riding alone will come in time. In the meantime, who cares how long it takes to get up a hill or whatever. What matters is how you feel - and eventually, that you are making progress (like you had to stop fewer times or you felt you weren't breathing as hard or you went a little faster.)

And none of the speedier folks who pass you know anything about you or what you've accomplished. So if they make judgments (which they probably won't bother to anyway) - they are doing so with incomplete information.

[Kano]

Denise --

I mostly ride with my husband too. Once in a while I go out by myself, but I do avoid heavy traffic when I do!

Here's what I like AND dislike about riding with him: he rides faster than I do. I LIKE it because it challenges me to work a bit harder. He's one of those guys that these ladies who know more than I call a hammerhead, I think, and he probably pays for it, but I get a better work out when I ride with him than when I ride alone. I get an even better work out when I ride in a group -- especially a group of roadies! (I ride a hybrid/comfort bike, and work LOTS harder -- or at least a lot longer! to get there than they do!)

Karen in Boise

[Denise223]

All of you ladies really, really ARE THE BEST!!!! Now, why can't we all live near one another???? !

Thank you ALL so much for taking the time to answer my post!!

All of you are like a big group of girlfriends, and we're just sitting wherever, (campfire, restaurant, ice cream stand....etc...) , and talking & exchanging thoughts & ideas. It's comforting to know that I can come here & be honest.

Posted by Nina R. Messina: The funny thing is, when people tell me about the things they feel most self-conscious about, I always think, "oh, that's no big deal", but it is a really big deal to that person.

That is SOOOOO TRUE!!! Recently, when I was driving, I saw this woman who was very obese, walking.....and, I said to my husband, "Good for her - God Bless her!" . I was honestly so happy to see her out there, where she has every right to be. And, some stupid young guys in the car behind me were making fun of her -- I just wanted to smack them!!!
Some people, I have to remember, are just plain ignorant!!!

God Bless all of you Ladies (and, everyone that you love)...

You've really helped me to think about a lot of things, and I really appreciate ALL OF YOU!!

Have a peaceful night & a beautiful weekend!!

Denise

[Pedal Wench]

"If you only knew how infrequently people were thinking about you, you wouldn't really care what people were thinking about you!" There's a saying that goes something like that.

It doesn't sound like you're worried about riding alone for the usual reasons - you're worried about it because you think if you're with your hubby people will think differently about you? Again, no offense, but I don't think people are thinking about you at all! Seriously! They're out suffering up the same hill. Remember - it doesn't get easier, you just get faster!

[MomOnBike]

One more thing. Those of us who are larger (I could stand to lose half my current weight) are working harder to get up the hills - 'cause we have to haul all that bio-load. OF COURSE the guys who have to stand twice to cast a shadow on their weightless bikes blow by us up the hills.

It ain't fair, but that's the way it is.

We're getting more of a workout, though.

[Denise223]

You ladies really are wonderful!!

Pedal Wench -- I think I had heard Dr. Phil say that comment before on his
show -- and, it really is true....

What CD does your cute rabbit have on his/her head??

Mom on Bike -- Thanks for making me laugh . I do work very hard to
get up that hill!! After 2.5 hours on my bike, I really do feel
as if I've gotten a great workout !


Makbike -- I'm definitely a firm believe in "what goes around comes
around"..... I surely will hold my head up higher when
climbing up a hill!

Barb -- You've given me a new mantra -- "better, faster, stronger".
Thanks!!

Have a wonderful day everyone !!

Denise

[betagirl]

As one of the "speedier" ones out there, I can say that I'm not thinking anything snyde or the like when I pass someone slower than me. When I see newer riders out there trying, I usually try to say something encouraging when I see them plugging up a hill or such. I was out on a club ride with the boys last week and there was a woman riding a hybrid, and she was going at a pretty good clip. I smiled as we passed her and told her to hop on (our paceline) That got me a good laugh, but I thought it was nicer than just blowing by her. She was really working hard.

My friend has started riding with me lately, and he's on the bigger side. We ride considerably slower than my usual pace, and that's fine with me. I'm just proud that he's out there giving it his best. In the end, that's all that matters. And the more you go out and ride, the faster and more comfortable you'll become. So keep it up

[Beth-Ro]

Here's the thing -- sometimes, when I'm riding up a hill, it does take me awhile, and I'm huffing & puffing my way up the hill (mind you, they're not BIG hills....they are long & rolling though)... There are lots of cyclists out where we ride, and of course, they constantly pass me.


Oh boy, have you ever named my tune!

So a month ago I finally got around to reading Heft on Wheels by Mike Magnuson. And on page 46 and 47, he also names my tune. I take encouragement from this. It makes me smile:

"When the attacks begin - meaning that someone blasts off the front of the pack - we are climbing into these hills...And at the back of this long string is where I'll be: 255 pounds of sweat and hard breathing and guts churning with Gatorade and PowerGel and the Taco Bell that I know I shouldn't have eaten for lunch. The farther into the long climbs, the farther I drop back, till I'm as much as 600 yards behind everybody and all alone, with only the roadside flowers and dogwood trees to see the effort I'm putting forth."

"But the diamond in every hill's lining is that if you go up, you'll eventually go down and....I am, like Frosty the Snowman, the greatest belly-whomper in the world. The little guys relax on the long descents, to recover and gather their strength for another climb, and this, of course, is the proper way to cycle - ride hard, recover, ride hard, recover - but the long descents are my only chance to catch up, so I click into the biggest gear I can crank and I let it rip..."

"So if I'm out there riding with you, and you think you're a bad@@@ cyclist, a hammer, a machine, and you're feeling all smug about yourself because you're a few hundred yards ahead of me on that long, long hill, let me tell you buddy, if I can see you on the road ahead of me, if I'm anywhere close to you, I'm really kicking your @@@".

It's not zen, but it works. If you want zen, try this the next time you are passed:

"You're harshin my mellow, man"

[GLC1968]

Denise - a lot of people here have already said some really nice things and shared some great stories...but I had one more thing to add.

I've only been riding a year. I started last summer as a way of getting a greater cardio challenge than I could get any other low-impact way. I am about 30 lbs overweight and it's all in my legs. Put me in bike shorts, and I look AWFUL! Standing in my bedroom, think I look like an idiot. On my bike, kicking ***...and I don't care. I know I look heavy, but when I can bike faster and longer than a lot of the skinny girls, I feel great about myself. Keep it up and no matter what your size, you'll feel it too!

That said...I want to tell you a little secret about most people on hills. I'm good at hills. It's my specialty for some odd reason (I'm very, very grateful for this!). When I'm passing other people on group rides, I RARELY even notice how they are huffing and puffing. I'm too concerned with getting my gearing just right, or monitoring my own HR, or where the hill ends, or how far ahead of my husband is... basically, I'm more worried about how I'm doing to notice the people I might be passing. In fact, on Saturday, I was extra careful to not huff and puff too much AS I PASSED someone, because I didn't want them to think that I was over-exerting myself to show off!

Really, just keep it up. Feel good that you are out there and that you are improving!!

[bcipam]

OK so I'm old, need to lose 60 - 70 pounds and can't climb well. BUT, I still ride and am proud of what I can do. For all the people that pass me up hills, they are still alot of people I can past, maybe not uphill but going down (weight does have its advantages) and on flats.

So never ever feel bad about how you look and how you ride. The point is you are riding. I ride with a fairly large club. Most of the folks I hang out with afterwards, are the strongest riders in the Club you know the folks that can do a century in 5 - 6 hours. But I'm still a member and they still treat me as a friend. In fact, they are in awe of the fact I do a century in 7 - 8 hours. No way any of those guys can be on a bike that long.

Anyway what I am inartfully trying to say is be proud of your accomplishments. For every one of you are 1000 people sitting on a couch doing nothing but getting old fast!

[MomOnBike]

Regarding that Heft on Wheels quote:

Man, that's me. On my faired recumbent, as heavy as I & my bike both are, you just don't catch us on downhills. (there was this pack of 3 teenage boys recently...) OK, I'm sure someone can, but I'd make 'em work for it.

I ride for the downhills. DH catches up on the next uphill.

[roshelleuop]

I also used to be afraid to ride by myself, so I always made my husband ride with me, but he rides 30 miles a day and averages 19 mph so I couldn't always force him to slow down and ride with me. What helped me alot was to listen to music and keep my cell phone in my bag. The music made me subliminaly think I wasn't alone and my cell phone gave me the comfort that I could call my husband at any time.

Well, I started that about a month ago and now.... I PREFER to ride alone!!! It's my time to think to myself and/or ride my butt off if I'm stressed out. Of course it's always fun to ride with a team occasionally, especially during long rides, but when doing smaller runs for training, it's just me, the road, and my tunes (and always my cell phone!).

Take care ladies!!!!

[beebs]

I too look like a huffy puffy tomatoe when going up hills and I could do with losing the odd 20 pounds or so!! If you have an indoor trainer then there is a helpful dvd by the Chris Charmichael training systems specifically for helping develop hill climbing skills simply entitled Trainright Climbing there is a dvd 1 and 2. They are also useful for those wet and soggy days when you get itchy feet.

[cherinyc]

[QUOTE=Pedal Wench]"If you only knew how infrequently people were thinking about you, you wouldn't really care what people were thinking about you!" There's a saying that goes something like that.

ladies - it's really crazy how warped our minds get - from our own doing. ya see - I am new (about 3 wks) to cycling - and I am one of the ill-mentioned skinny ones - I am 5'6" about 118 lbs - and I am STRUGGLING STRUGGLING STRUGGLING to get up hills. The longest ride I have gone on is 25 miles - and I couldn't wait for it to be over. I started a journal on bikejournal.com so I could track my miles - and between the other peoples stats on that - and this - I feel like a HUGE loser that I can't ride more miles at a time.
I also HATE seeing myself in the mirror in that goofy helmet - cellulite-enhancing bike shorts -and I can't find a nice fitting women's jersey to save my life. I am extremely insecure about what I think other people are thinking - and I hate that - but insecurity comes much more naturally than confidence, so.....I am working on that.
Truthfully - many of the cyclists that I see when I am out are bigger or older than me - and they are KICKING MY ***! I feel jealous more than anything else.

[mimitabby]

Cheri,
i'm one of those skinny gals too.
It took me a few years to build the strength in my legs to where i could ride more than 10 miles without feeling lifeless.
I would say to my husband, i'm all pooped out, i have no poop.. .
I didn't need food, water... I simply needed to build muscle. and it took a long time. I'm still not fast, but i can go forever now.
Hills will really kick you, but just get down in your granny gear and keep pedalling. I never get off the bike unless i am breathing too hard. (I'm 54, after all)