Anyone else feel this way?

[mimitabby]

I don't care about the lycra, but my husband does. He's embarrassed to wear tight biking shorts himself! And he's not the heavy one!

Yes, i've noticed a lot of my work mates (who are all men) have this dumb idea that bike shorts aren't manly.. but we gals know differently.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I just LOVE when my husband is wearing his lycra biking shorts!!!

[plantluvver]

Yes, i've noticed a lot of my work mates (who are all men) have this dumb idea that bike shorts aren't manly.. but we gals know differently.

Yeah just look at the Polish Racing Team (See Humor-Re Why Black shorts)



Sorry, I just couldn't help it. It was such a wide opening!

I'm fine in lycra shorts, I just wear a LONG t-shirt!

Mary

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Denise, what a great thread you have started here... very readable ladies, very interesting, encouraging and supportive with no schmultz!

Super!

Mimi... I loved your comment about how when someone passes you to remember that you might just have made their day - thats so true... I remember the first time I passed someone... I felt so proud of myself and felt no animosity or derision or anything nasty about the person I had passed... just incredibly pleased with myself that at last I had done this seemingly unachievable feat!

Beta... I also related to your comment about people saying something as they pass.
Sometimes when I am passed on flats, and almost always when I am passed on hills, the cyclist/s say something - usually a greeting, often some encouragement or acknowledgement (tough wind today, good climb, tests your legs, nearly there) - lol, as I write those examples I realise that the phrases are usually 2-3 syllables long... I guess thats all the time they have before the disappear in front.
Because it makes me feel better about being passed, I always say something to people I pass although they are few and far between.

Keep at it Denise, just remember with your power to weight ratio, you are expending much more power than those who pass you.
My partner often laments that he is such a big guy (6'3") and will always weigh 20-30kgs than some of the shorter skinny guys in his grade in the local clud. He doesn't win hilly races. But he consoles himself with the fact that if the others popped a 25kg back pack on and had to carry the same weight he would blow them out of the water...

Remember always, we are fit, fit women and fitness comes in all shapes and sizes!

[Dogmama]

Great topic.

You are out there making a major change in your life. Anybody who cannot support that doesn't deserve the sweat off your brow.

'Nuff said!

[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!!!!

[Denise223]

Hi Everyone !

roshelleuop -- I'm happy to hear that you're enjoying riding solo . You're husband's avg mph is quite fast....I'd never be able to keep up!!

When listening to music, are you using headphones?
I will happily do that when going out for a walk (facing traffic), but I wouldn't choose to use headphones while cycling.
I wouldn't be able to hear what's going on behind me.
In my opinion, the results of riding while listening to a CD or radio playing, (with earphones), could be tragic.

Dogmama -- Hi there! This thread has turned out really well . Everyone here is very supportive, and I enjoy reading everyone's posts.

I'm beginning to see that, overweight/underweight/normal weight, we are ALL the same -- and, lots of women "feel the same".

RoadRaven --

originally quoted by RoadRaven -- Remember always, we are fit, fit women and fitness comes in all shapes and sizes!

How are you?? I like your quote a lot!! Fitness REALLY DOES come in all shapes and sizes!

WE are ALL cyclists !!

I really am enjoying reading all of you ladies posts here..... Very uplifting, and, as RR stated -- very supportive, as well!! Above all, I enjoy everyone's honesty.

With regard to my asthma/breathing difficulties, I did see my internist the other day who has suggested that I see a pulmonary medicine specialist. In addition, I will have a chest x-ray and bloodwork.

Because she said that I was relying on my ALBUTEROL way too much, (4 - 8 puffs/day).........she increased my ADVAIR to 50/500 & started me on SPIRIVA handi-haler.

I do have a past history (VERY unfortunately), of smoking. I smoked from ages 17 - 23, stopped smoking from 23 - 33 and then, picked up this awful, FILTHY habit again, from 33 - 42. And, I was a heavy smoker -- 2 to 3PPD.

So, there might be a ? of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) -- I certainly hope not though!! I looked in the computer and saw that COPD can actually begin in your early 40's !!!

The air quality has NOT been wonderful around here -- I was thinking that that, coupled with my asthma was to blame.
But, we'll see.

****TO ALL OF YOU WHO TAKE ADVAIR*****

It is IMPERATIVE that you use one inhalor at a time.
I just read that you are supposed to use that one inhalor & then toss it away in 30 DAYS.
I was using 3 inhalors -- kept one in my pocketbook & two in my house.

DO NOT KEEP ANY INHALOR IN THE CAR!! (my pharmacist informed me).

I hope that everyone (& your families) are having a wonderful, peaceful day!

Denise

***CONGRATULATIONS FLOYD!!***

[roshelleuop]

Hi Denise 223,

I use headphones, but I don't wear them. I put them around my neck, but not around my actual head/ears. I hope that makes sense. I keep them around my neck, but I can still hear the music. It's not really loud, but I can still hear the song and identify those songs that really pump me up. This way I can still hear traffic.

It works for me and I love it!!!! Especially when I get out on those beautiful country roads, I'm able to turn the volume up. Then, when I get back into busier traffic, I turn it back down.

Keep living strong!!!

Roshelle

[Denise223]

Hi Roshelle!

That makes perfect sense !! hmmm...why didn't I think of that??

Thanks for the tip.

Have a great evening!

Denise

[plantluvver]

I had been hoping to go touring at some point. And there was a thread going where some said the pounds just dropped off. I was thinking if I do lose weight, then I'll just add extra to my bike, so I don't lose the conditioning of the "weight bellt" I carry now.

I could to quite a tour with a 100 pound load!

(Unfortunately, I haven't kept a consistent schedule, and with the heat, I don't want to ride later than about 10 AM.

Mary

[Denise223]

Hi RR!

Originally Posted by RoadRaven -- Keep at it Denise, just remember with your power to weight ratio, you are expending much more power than those who pass you.

Hmm...that's true ! Thanks! I surely will keep at it!!

Have a great night!

Denise

[Denise223]

Hi Everyone!

Well, I have an appointment with a pulmonologist on August 29th. So far, I've been breathing easier with the addition of my Spiriva Handihaler.

I got my results back regarding my chest x-ray today. My lungs are clear (which is great), but it showed that I have a compression fracture lower thoracic spine.

I have an appt. with my internist on 8/9 to discuss this, and in the meantime, they will schedule me for a bone density study.

Weird, but I have been having some nagging back pain which I was thinking was perhaps a muscle spasm........

I really don't think that I have osteoporsis - I'd be very surprised.
I drink skim milk, eat yogurt (both regular & frozen), and enjoy low-fat cheese. And, I eat calcium rich leafy greens.

I'll have to wait & see.

Have a peaceful evening!

Denise

[Bad JuJu]

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.

Me too, me too! Looking at myself in the full-length mirror in my bedroom, I could just scream--I look like a pink-and-black fire hydrant, fercryinoutloud. But once I'm on my bike, that image just disappears and it's all about the ride and the feeling--it doesn't even occur to me to think about how I look.

Hey, we're all out there cycling--that's what matters!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Sometimes I think that we have a moral obligation to wear stretchy lycra biking clothes, because if we didn't, our joy and excitment might burst out while we were riding and hit innocent passersby and motorists, possibly causing injury or accidents.
So stuff yourself into those shorts and go out with a clean conscience knowing you are merely protecting the safety of others.

[Luci]

Sometimes I think that we have a moral obligation to wear stretchy lycra biking clothes, because if we didn't, our joy and excitment might burst out while we were riding and hit innocent passersby and motorists, possibly causing injury or accidents.
So stuff yourself into those shorts and go out with a clean conscience knowing you are merely protecting the safety of others.

That's great!!!! I love the way you put that. Now that I'm getting back into biking, I have such a hard time seeing myself in my bike shorts . I was in such good shape a few years ago before I went back to school and those few years at my age make it exponentially harder to take it off.

On riding solo, I really enjoy it. I like riding with my DH too. Just variations on the theme.

I do hate riding in traffic and prefer a nice MTB ride, but had few concerns when I lived in Italy. I rode right in the middle with all of the cars there. As a cyclist, I was treated so much better there that I felt much more safe. Where I lived there weren't lanes painted on many of the roads so cars just drove in their own space bubble. As a result, people were very aware of their space and yours. They weren't just blindly following the guy in front of them. Then you compound that with Utah drivers and I really have to watch when I'm on the road.