Hi!!

[sterlingsop]

Hi there, I wanted to introduce myself and say how fantastic it is to find a forum like this on the internet!

My name is Pam and I am returning to cycling for fun after a long break whilst I had my 2 kids. I used to cycle a lot up until my first was born and then somehow lost my nerve and it's only recently that I've got back into it. The only trouble is in the 12-15 year gap since I rode properly I've gained rather a lot of weight but I'm not letting it put me off

We are planning on a family ride from coast to coast (UK, not USA!!) this summer and I'm concentrating on getting my weekly mileage up so I can sustain 50 miles per day for 3 consecutive days.

I do have a couple of health-related questions (carrying excess weight, yeast infections etc) but will have a proper read of the forum before I post anything specific

[Pedal Wench]

Welcome! Hopefully as you start adding miles, the questions about carrying extra weight will go away

[Reesha]

That's the spirit! My brother spent many of his teenage/college years drinking a six pack of mountain dew a day but then he hopped onto a bike with pluck and determination and pedaled the hundred pounds (or more) of dew damage away! Now he's a track racer

[Jiffer]

Welcome! I'm sure you'll get back into the swing of things quickly. Now that my kids are a little older, I'm enjoying the freedom to leave and have my cycling time for "me". I homeschool, so it's not like I've been able to go and do anything I want while they're in school. But they're getting more independent and can do a lot of their schoolwork without me now. So ... yee ha! Mom's going riding!!! See ya!!!

That's great that you are making this a family thing, by the way. Dh has gotten my 13 year old on the tandem a couple of times, but my 11 year old wants nothing to do with "cycling" that involves more than a mile or so around the neighborhood. They both show an interest in mountain biking, though, and I have an interest in it, so this may become a family thing some day. Dh just sees the dollar signs involved, since he's the only one with a decent mountain bike. But we'll see.

Congrats on coming back to cycling and welcome to the board.