New Plus Sized riders needs pointers

[Pax]

You are all amazing. I am so glad that I found this site! Someone mentioned that I will ride a century sooner than later. Ya know what? She was right. Right as I read that.. I made that a goal. I'm going to do it!!

Thank you again for all of your help, and I will find that thread to get to know all of you!

Additionally..if anyone is every in Tahoe.. please let me know! We'll go ride!

This is so funny, I used to make fun of my SO for getting up at the crack of dawn and subjecting herself to a "100 mile bicycle seat enema"...now I'm thinking hmmm I think I want to do a Century.

[TahoeChick]

Oh and bikerz... I did send you a PM... let me know if you get it or not

[bikerz]

I'm actually (*gasp*) thinking of training for the California AIDS Lifecyle next year - 600+ miles in 7 days! Usually at least 2 centuries - and I used to think people that did this ride were nuts! Cycling is like a drug - you get hooked, and it's never enough!

[bikerchick68]

Hi Tahoe! I'm late getting here but wanted to say welcome too... which area are you in? My brother used to have a cabin on the south shore by the grade (just down from Heavenly)... lovely area! If I lived there I'd ride with ya!!

Part of the butt pain MAY be due to wearing regular clothes... bike shorts are made with padding which you mentioned but equally important is the lack of SEAMS that rub, rub, rub!!! If you can get a pair of shorts do it! It really will help some!

My brother is a cycling success story... 3 yrs ago he weighed 458 lbs and was going to have gastric bypass... went thru the whole process, chickened out and got a bike... Feb of this year found him at 320lbs and completing his first century!!! SINCE then he has completed a century a month and on June 18 he was down 200lbs and completed his first DOUBLE century in 11 hours 59 minutes! We ride centuries together regularly.

I'm sure there are "bike snobs" out there that laughed when he rode by, but there are far more that went by with words of encouragement!!! Any snobs he can now keep up with easily and some he drops!

Do whatever climbing you can and increase it slowly every week! You WILL do a century in no time! Looking forward to hearing about your progress...

[bikerchick68]

This is so funny, I used to make fun of my SO for getting up at the crack of dawn and subjecting herself to a "100 mile bicycle seat enema"...now I'm thinking hmmm I think I want to do a Century.

Queen LOL... welcome to the nuthouse!

I had a goal of someday completing ONE century... did that in Feb and have ridden 3 more since, with another Aug 20, Sept 24 and Nov 19 planned!

[cyclingnewbie]

Padded bike shorts will help a lot with the sore butt problem. I have the Aerotech shorts and a pair of Terry shorts, and I prefer the Aerotech (sorry Terry!). The fabric is a little heavier with a little stronger lycra. I am trying to get my seriously plus-size hubby to ride with me, and his whole attitude changed when I got him a pair of shorts from Aerotech. I haven't completely solved the bike-butt problem, but I do know that I feel better the more I ride, in spite of the sore butt. And I refuse to be intimidated by the mini-cyclists out there. I detest wind and hills, but the more effort you give it, the stronger you will get. A hill is one time when the down side is the best part!

[Hill Slug]

Welcome TahoeChick......This is the best board to get info and support. As a plus-size rider, I initially did not feel worthy enough to be out there. But later I thought why not??? I'm out having a good time, and not stuck behind a desk. It's great to be outside and getting exercise. Since starting to ride last year, I have completed several centuries, and this year I did the Seattle to Portland ride which is 200 miles in 2 days. Last year I could not have even thought about doing it. And now, I'm seriously thinking of doing the AIDS Lifecycle ride next June...(Trek, I'll be calling you!!!) So.....start slow and easy, gradually work up the mileage, and invest in good equipment/clothing. You WILL do great!!!!!

My partner's cousin lives in Carnelian Bay, and we go up a few times a year. What part of Tahoe do you live in???

[Trek420]

Hill Slug sez..."And now, I'm seriously thinking of doing the AIDS Lifecycle ride next June...(Trek, I'll be calling you!!!)"

Hill Slug, Bikerz stop "seriously thinking" and register ;-)

I usually decide if I'll do ALC around Sept/October, leaning towards skipping a year then back in the saddle again on ALC6. Pray for a cure, can I do this again?

Call, e-mail, pick my brains, that goes for Bikerz, Shadon any of you "thinkin' about it" TE'ers. We'll do a:

"So ya wanna do the AIDS Ride?" thread.

Before Day 1 ALC 3 my longest rides were 30 miles and a few metric centuries, never did a century. Day 2 was my first. ALC has 2 of them and the other 5 days avg. 80 sumthin. 26,000 feet of climbing.

I'm not recomending the TREK420 training regimine, Bike Goddess's is best (lotsa miles, cross train) but it was the best I could do as a "single parent of a dog" and this year especially....it worked.

"So.....start slow and easy, gradually work up the mileage, and invest in good equipment/clothing. You WILL do great!!!!!"

What she sed, base miles base miles base miles....I told Bikerz one of the challenges of ALC is it's early season so while other people are in their peak and charging up Diablo you need to concentrate on building a base so I felt it put me opposite other riders. But if you start slow and build a base you'll be a rabbit in June.

The other was finding a red frock I'd wear on a bike.

Tahoechick, how'd you find us? Always interested in that. I think I've "referred" a few lost biker gals from my other boards recently. No idea where they are IRL, coulda been you.

The help, humor, on this board spoils me for any other site.

I don't remember how I found this board, glad I did. Everything I need to know I learned on TE

[Pax]

Queen LOL... welcome to the nuthouse!

I had a goal of someday completing ONE century... did that in Feb and have ridden 3 more since, with another Aug 20, Sept 24 and Nov 19 planned!

YIKES!! I can't wrap my head around riding that far! Maybe some day we'll share an beer and joke about "how Queen used to think a Century wasn't do-able".

[Trek420]

Queen, very do-able. and bikerchick...what's wrong with October? You're missing a month.

[CorsairMac]

sit back my children and you shall hear ofthe midnight ride of CorsairMac.

Ok..that didn't rhyme but I am a bike commuter that used to think Centurys were things people like BikeGoddess did.....not lil ol lady bike commuters like me! I mean bikegoddess and lance armstrong go hand and hand to me while I'm just happy I made it home up the friggin mountain again tonight before it was time to go to work again the next morning.
Until I came here and Bikejournal.com....and met people that were just like me and were doing centurys just coz they could.
and ya know what........ya can, and I did.....and I did again....and I did again.

now I'm thinking a century a month maybe - just coz I can! how long have I been riding this time around?....since mid-Aug 2004 and I had Never done more than 25 mile rides in my previous biker life. It isn't the miles anymore it's "how much time do I have today?"

Corsair "yup...feeling fiesty tonight can't ya tell?" Mac

[TahoeChick]

[QUOTE=
My partner's cousin lives in Carnelian Bay, and we go up a few times a year. What part of Tahoe do you live in???[/QUOTE]

I live on the north shore, in Incline which is less than 10 minutes from Carnelian Bay! If you ever come up.. let me know!

Man... the century seems amazing. After my maybe 3 mile ride the other day I thought I was going to pass out..yet you all are doing it. Any books or magazines you can suggest? I admit I'm lost with the talk of spinning and cadence and the like. I'd like to start right.. so I might as well find out from the beginning.

[SadieKate]

What she sed, base miles base miles base miles....I told Bikerz one of the challenges of ALC is it's early season so while other people are in their peak and charging up Diablo you need to concentrate on building a base so I felt it put me opposite other riders. But if you start slow and build a base you'll be a rabbit in June.

You know, Trek, every person's body is different in terms of what training it likes but this is the first year I've done so much hill climbing and my legs are not only stronger but my knees haven't whined at all this year. Seems weird with all the hills, but the knee caps have been totally quiet. I have to think that building some power early in the spring made a big difference. We rode our normal long flat base miles in the friggin' cold foggy winter, but I found that my ability to ride multiple days of long rides or high intensity rides is much better for having thrown in some high intensity climbs. The variety has made a huge difference for me and has actually made my afterwork loops much more fun because I have a different goal with them (like I can go any speed I want without falling over ).

[Grog]

Someone asked about a book or something...

I have two of Ed Pavelka's books (one of them is Long Distance Cycling) and I think they are very good introductions to ALL aspects of training for centuries and more. I read a lot of it in the early Spring, and reread parts over breakfast once in a while because there are things I didn't notice then that I now know to be important.

And Bicycling's last issues had a "my first century" story. But just reading this board will be A LOT of help. (But I have a hard time fitting my laptop on the kitchen table and not getting peanut butter on the keyboard so I have to find a way to get cycling information printed on paper while eating... !)

[bikerchick68]

Queen, very do-able. and bikerchick...what's wrong with October? You're missing a month.

LOL... I just haven't found an organized one I wanna do that month... may go ride a solo with my bro... except now he drops me like a rock... sigh...

Queen... yup, you KNOW we're gonna have a beer and laugh about it someday...SOON woman! The mental century is way more difficult than the actual ride... once you decide you CAN do it... well, ya just can!