# Leg muscles are becoming too cycling specialised!



## Globalti (2 May 2013)

Went for a hilly 3 mile stroll yesterday evening and realised that although I'm fitter than I've ever been in my life and probably got stronger cycling muscles than ever, my muscle development is becoming ever more specific to cycling; it's almost as if my leg muscles are becoming an extension of the cranks!

Cycling does not promote those ancillary stability and control muscles so walking felt wobbly and I lacked stability; when I tried an experimental trot for a few yards my legs felt terrible. I guess this is the consequence of a lifestyle that is almost entirely sedentary apart from cycling, as well as a recent two-week overseas trip with zero exercise and lots of beer and hotel food. I also guess that in the mid to late fifties it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain muscle tone.

Anybody else noticed this?


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## coffeejo (2 May 2013)

No - one of the many benefits of being a dog owner.  Ok, so three days of walking over the Malverns, Long Mynd and the Stiperstones last year was a bit of a shock to the system, but that was a lot more than 3 miles and _very_ hilly! (The dog, incidentally, barely noticed and at the end of each day was raring to go again. )


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## Hacienda71 (2 May 2013)

A little, but I play football once a week. I am no good at it, but I view sweating and staggering around a big bit of astro turf trying to kick a round object at a net thingy as good cross training.
I wouldn't want to just cycle and ignore any other forms of other physical activity.


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## Hicky (2 May 2013)

I have to pass certain fitness tests(being in the TA) I've found that if I have to walk/march up any hills I now find it much easier(I do grind up hills on my bike) however for the running tests I tend to layoff cycling as much for a couple of weeks and go running more often otherwise my stride length and turnover suffer.....probably due to the shortening in the muscles.
As coffeejo mentions having a dog helps....he's my running partner.


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## Rob3rt (2 May 2013)

No, I am a man machine and have legs of steel!

Seriously though, no, not a problem I have, when I need to be somewhere, I tend to walk there so I do get some light exercise off the bike, plus I used to run 30-40 miles a week so probably still benefit slightly from that past activity!


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## ayceejay (2 May 2013)

Weight is easier to transport on wheels than on foot, if you are carrying extra walking will be harder than riding. Although I think yours is a problem that will be fixed by stretching.


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## deptfordmarmoset (2 May 2013)

I used to do long countryside walks but these days I'll nearly always use the bike to go anywhere. I think my walking muscles have atrophied a little meanwhile and I've started to find that I very quickly get a feeling of tiredness and fatigue when walking which is much harder to work through than tired legs are on the bike.


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## smutchin (2 May 2013)

Globalti said:


> Anybody else noticed this?


 
Yes. I started running about a year ago, at the tender age of 39, and at first I found it quite hard work - like you, I was fitter than I've been since my teens, thanks to the cycling, so I was able to go reasonably quickly but it was really hard work and hurt for days afterwards. I've got more used to it now though so don't get so many post-run aches and pains.


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## Crankarm (2 May 2013)

If you only do one type of exercise then your muscles will adapt accordingly. It's not rocket science.

Do some running as cycling is good for osteoporosis. Also swimming if you like swimming.

Don't stretch muscles. Massage them instead.


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## ColinJ (2 May 2013)

Even before I got ill, my cycling had become very sporadic so my cycling muscles had become a bit weak but I don't drive so I walk all journeys up to a couple of miles and most up to 7 or 8. As a result, I had no problem strolling about over the local hills even though I was 4 stone overweight at the time.

When I got ill, I could no longer walk even 10 paces, let alone ride a bike but I am finding that my walking muscles are recovering much more quickly than the ones I use for cycling. That is because I do more walking than cycling.

The old expression 'use it, or lose it' applies. Cardio-vascular fitness transfers from one activity to another, but obviously different activities recruit different combinations of muscles.

For a while in my 20s I ran to and from work. A friend cycled. He found that he couldn't run far, and I wasn't great on his bike.

So ...

Yes to the specific nature of fitness.
No (so far) to finding it hard to maintain the tone of muscles - _when I use them_! I suffered devastating muscle loss in my legs last year due to spending nearly 2 months in bed. The legs ended up looking more like arms, which made me feel even sicker every time that I looked at them, but the muscles are coming back now. Obviously, age will take its toll, but the speed at which it happens can be greatly reduced. One of my Scottish family members was still riding his bike into his late 80s!
 
PS Ben - if you are free on Saturday, come over for my second forum walk and give your walking muscles a workout!


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## Globalti (2 May 2013)

Yebbut he was probably fuelled on haggis, porridge and whisky!


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## Typhon (2 May 2013)

I don't really walk any great lengths so got a real surprise earlier in the year when I walked up Bredon Hill (1000 feet, in deep snow). Whereas before I started cycling I wheezed just walking up slowly, I actually found myself jogging up most of it even though it's about a 10% gradient.

So no problems like that for me. I did say that I'd go and walk across the Malverns to really test my walking fitness but nah....cycling.


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## thefollen (2 May 2013)

It's a bugger- unless you keep doing something the muscles soon forget! Now I'm in the 30s (32) I'm really noticing this. Fair to say my exercise efforts are varied but even with regular cycling, running, bootcamp/boxing, weights and swimming, on the rare occasion I play a game of footie I'll be feeling the DOMs for a day or two afterwards! Even if stopping one discipline for two weeks you'll notice the fitness drop when resuming. Quickly returns though.


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (2 May 2013)

yes - but only when we first went out on tour. after a couple of weeks doing nothing but cycling we noticed the change and made sure to prevent it getting worse. now I can't walk far because of my leg injuries but can cycle, but I have noticed when I do pilates, one of the exercises using legs is difficult on one side, but only because there is a muscle in the way that is not there on the other side (caused by the injury)...


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## david k (6 May 2013)

Globalti said:


> Went for a hilly 3 mile stroll yesterday evening and realised that although I'm fitter than I've ever been in my life and probably got stronger cycling muscles than ever, my muscle development is becoming ever more specific to cycling; it's almost as if my leg muscles are becoming an extension of the cranks!
> 
> Cycling does not promote those ancillary stability and control muscles so walking felt wobbly and I lacked stability; when I tried an experimental trot for a few yards my legs felt terrible. I guess this is the consequence of a lifestyle that is almost entirely sedentary apart from cycling, as well as a recent two-week overseas trip with zero exercise and lots of beer and hotel food. I also guess that in the mid to late fifties it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain muscle tone.
> 
> Anybody else noticed this?


 
i used to do a lot of walking and still do some, i have noticed, despite increased training, that i find long walks more difficult than i used too? this seems to fit with what your saying


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (6 May 2013)

Muscle Memory


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## tyred (8 May 2013)

This is something I have been pondering as well recently.

I used to do a lot of walking prior to starting cycling. Walking was how I kicked-started my weight loss/fitness regime. I could easily walk for miles on end over any terrain. In more recent years, I have cycled a lot but my walking activities were a few miles here or there. I feel fitter than I ever have done.

Now, I have a new GF who loves hill walking and I find I really struggle with what was easy a few years ago. Not in an out of breath way but my legs hurt and feel tired very quickly.

I suppose my options are to either re-gain my walking fitness or get her on a bike....


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## Banjo (8 May 2013)

Globalti said:


> Went for a hilly 3 mile stroll yesterday evening and realised that although I'm fitter than I've ever been in my life and probably got stronger cycling muscles than ever, my muscle development is becoming ever more specific to cycling; it's almost as if my leg muscles are becoming an extension of the cranks!
> 
> Cycling does not promote those ancillary stability and control muscles so walking felt wobbly and I lacked stability; when I tried an experimental trot for a few yards my legs felt terrible. I guess this is the consequence of a lifestyle that is almost entirely sedentary apart from cycling, as well as a recent two-week overseas trip with zero exercise and lots of beer and hotel food. I also guess that in the mid to late fifties it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain muscle tone.
> 
> Anybody else noticed this?


 
Yes definitely noticed it. After years of virtually no exercise other than cycling I find even a very short slow jog around the block amazingly hard now.I have been trying to do more running but am finding my legs feel stiff and awkward all the time ,hoping if I persevere things will improve.


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## avalon (8 May 2013)

I suppose the answer would be Cyclocross. That way you're constantly on and off the bike, exercising all your leg muscles as well as some of your upper body ones.


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## Globalti (8 May 2013)

Good point. Even mountain biking was better for overall muscle tone than road riding when I used to do it.


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## Edwards80 (8 May 2013)

I've found the opposite, I suppose it depends on your fitness when you start. Before getting the bike I did a 10k after doing some running training, I found it very hard and frequently had to walk.

I did a 12 mile run/assault course this weekend after practically no running training. I got around it fine and I was running at a pace higher than I did in the 10k (Was still bloomin sore afterwards!  ). So cycling has definitely helped in the running department!

I play badminton once or twice a week too and doing some core training classes (abs/back etc.) helped with that and with cycling, so I think cross training is pretty important either way.


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## tincaman (8 May 2013)

I have found cycling and squash on the same day doesn't work, my legs don't seem to respond to direction changes on court quick enough. I used to cycle to squash but have stopped now, it took nearly a year to work that one out.


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## montage (8 May 2013)

Heavy legs is a potentially a sign you may not be stretching enough. Particularly the hamstrings. Try just stopping and stretching when they get sore on a walk - I find that this can make the pain go away almost instantly


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## fossyant (8 May 2013)

Look, man invented the wheel, so what's all this talk about running or walking. Progress. It's too slow anyway !


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## ColinJ (8 May 2013)

fossyant said:


> Look, man invented the wheel, so what's all this talk about running or walking. Progress. It's too slow anyway !


I love my bikes (road and MTB) but there are places that I want to go to where bikes are not much use.

I once misread a map in the Highlands and spent 5 hours pushing and carrying my MTB across a large bog criss-crossed by meandering streams (burns?); I could have done without my bike then! Mind you, the 20 mile trip back afterwards would have been a bit of a slog on foot ...


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## fossyant (8 May 2013)

ColinJ said:


> I love my bikes (road and MTB) but there are places that I want to go to where bikes are not much use.
> 
> I once misread a map in the Highlands and spent 5 hours pushing and carrying my MTB across a large bog criss-crossed by meandering streams (burns?); I could have done without my bike then! Mind you, the 20 mile trip back afterwards would have been a bit of a slog on foot ...


 
Nah, MTB's and a bit of carrying ! Many moons ago, we MTB'ed up Snowdon. Took the ranger path up, but then spent about an hour with the bikes slung over our shoulders climbing up the side of the mountain. - The path was suitable for bikes only part way. Ace coming down though !


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## david k (8 May 2013)

tyred said:


> This is something I have been pondering as well recently.
> 
> I used to do a lot of walking prior to starting cycling. Walking was how I kicked-started my weight loss/fitness regime. I could easily walk for miles on end over any terrain. In more recent years, I have cycled a lot but my walking activities were a few miles here or there. I feel fitter than I ever have done.
> 
> ...


ha, ha, get her a bike!

yeh i have the same experience (walking not GF)


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## Ningishzidda (9 May 2013)

fossyant said:


> Look, man invented the wheel, so what's all this talk about running or walking. Progress. It's too slow anyway !


 
That's bollocks.
A Sumarian god called Ningishzidda granted mankind the wheel.


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## Zofo (9 May 2013)

There's a piece in Tyler Hamilton's book where he talks about pro cyclists shuffling around in hotel corridors like old men. Basically if you only train for one activity then everything else-even walking-becomes relatively harder .


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## Rob3rt (9 May 2013)

Zofo said:


> There's a piece in Tyler Hamilton's book where he talks about pro cyclists shuffling around in hotel corridors like old men. Basically if you only train for one activity then everything else-even walking-becomes relatively harder .


 
Critical: Have you understood him correctly?


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## ColinJ (9 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Critical: Have you understood him correctly?


Helpful: Give us a hint!


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## Rob3rt (9 May 2013)

Hint: Training and racing causes fatigue!


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## PocketFrog (9 May 2013)

I find that because of my cycling it means when i'm running I can maintain my pace in a climb a lot better than my missus and she's a seasoned runner.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (9 May 2013)

PocketFrog said:


> I find that because of my cycling it means when i'm running I can maintain my pace in a climb a lot better than my missus and she's a seasoned runner.


Perhaps you are simply better at gradients than she is.


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## PocketFrog (9 May 2013)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Perhaps you are simply better at gradients than she is.


 
Of course... but this was never the case until I started cycling.

And also, i've noticed the same kind of thing if I do a Parkrun, I pass more people on the hills than I do on the flat.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (9 May 2013)

PocketFrog said:


> Of course... but this was never the case until I started cycling.
> 
> And also, i've noticed the same kind of thing if I do a Parkrun, I pass more people on the hills than I do on the flat.


Really isn't a relationship between climbing on a bike and on your feet. I'd guess there were other factors in that, perhaps not all yourself.


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## Zofo (9 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Hint: Training and racing causes fatigue!


 
No---the point Hamilton was making is that you can train to be super fit for cycling but once off the bike everything else suffers


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## Rob3rt (9 May 2013)

Zofo said:


> No---the point Hamilton was making is that you can train to be super fit for cycling but once off the bike everything else suffers


 
Are you sure? Is that really what he meant by the riders shuffling about?


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## User16625 (9 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> No, I am a man machine and have legs of steel but have a noodle nob.
> 
> Seriously though, no, not a problem I have, when I need to be somewhere, I tend to walk there so I do get some light exercise off the bike, plus I used to run 30-40 miles a week so probably still benefit slightly from that past activity!


 
Fitness goes down a lot after a while. How long ago did you used to walk 30-40 miles weekly?


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## Rob3rt (9 May 2013)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> Fitness goes down a lot after a while. How long ago did you used to walk 30-40 miles weekly?


 
I am well aware fitness declines over time. You may also want to re-read my post and think about it for a moment. Your reading comprehension in this case is somewhat lacking.

BTW, if I did have a query regarding the subject, or any subject really, you would be one of the last people I would seek advice from!


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## smutchin (9 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Are you sure? Is that really what he meant by the riders shuffling about?



Yes, it is exactly what he meant. There's certainly nothing wrong with Zofo's reading comprehension skills. Don't be so patronising.


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## smutchin (9 May 2013)

avalon said:


> I suppose the answer would be Cyclocross. That way you're constantly on and off the bike, exercising all your leg muscles as well as some of your upper body ones.



Hell yeah! Cyclocross is a full body workout. 

Even better, take up triathlon!


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## Rob3rt (9 May 2013)

smutchin said:


> Yes, it is exactly what he meant. There's certainly nothing wrong with Zofo's reading comprehension skills. Don't be so patronising.


 
Then it sounds like a bullshit anecdote in general then doesn't it and so daft as to be something I really wouldn't have expected Tyler Hamilton to have written.

BTW, I have noticed on previous occasions that Zofo has a knack for speaking utter pants so it is hardly a leap to want to question his interpretation before accepting it!


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## smutchin (9 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Then it sounds like a bulls*** anecdote in general then doesn't it.



Pfft. If you say so.

I don't have any opinion on the general quality of Zofo's contributions but having read the book myself, I can vouch for the accuracy in this instance in his reporting of Tyler's anecdote. I make no claims regarding its scientific soundness or otherwise.


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## Rob3rt (9 May 2013)

smutchin said:


> Pfft. If you say so.
> 
> I don't have any opinion on the general quality of Zofo's contributions but having read the book myself, I can vouch for the accuracy in this instance in his reporting of Tyler's anecdote. I make no claims regarding its scientific soundness or otherwise.


 
Indeed I do. Pro's shuffle about like old men because they are so specifically trained on the bike they are otherwise crippled during normal everyday tasks such as walking? They look to walk about just fine whenever I have either seen them on TV or in person! It sounds so ridiculous, how could you not raise an eyebrow at that. Maybe the reason they shuffle about in hotels is because they have been slaying themselves racing day after day. Yes, that sounds plausible, I'll stick with that!

Glad you could clarify the interpretation however!


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## Davidc (9 May 2013)

I generally agree with the OP, and find that in recent years the more cycle fit I am the longer it takes me to walk the mile and a half to town. The other side of the coin is that as I'm more cycle fit so my stamina improves which in turn helps with all physical activities.

I go to a form of circuit training once or twice most weeks, and walk a fair distance so I'm always using different muscle groups, but certainly do notice an effect when one of the exercise types dominates. This has become far more noticeable as I've got older.


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## smutchin (10 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> It sounds so ridiculous, how could you not raise an eyebrow at that.



In the context of some of the other stuff in Tyler's book, it's not a very eyebrow-raising anecdote. 

Hey, maybe he was so busy taking drugs he'd just forgotten to take his cleats off?


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## Zofo (10 May 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Then it sounds like a bulls*** anecdote in general then doesn't it and so daft as to be something I really wouldn't have expected Tyler Hamilton to have written.
> 
> BTW, I have noticed on previous occasions that Zofo has a knack for speaking utter pants so it is hardly a leap to want to question his interpretation before accepting it!


 
As I find your replies exceptionally offensive and ignorant I've looked up the exact reference in The Secret Race and here it is........

p109.........."I know this sounds crazy but one of the first rules I learned as I entered top-flight bike racing was this: If you're standing, sit down; if you're sitting, lie down;and avoid stairs like the plague. Bike racing is the only sport in the world where the better you get, the more you resemble a feeble old man. I'm not sure of the physiology behind it, but the truth was, walking and standing for extended periods wore you out, made your joints ache and thus set back your training. Five -time TDF champion Brenauld Hinault hated stairs so much thta during some Tours, he would have his soigneurs carry him into the hotels rather than walk........"

Still sound like "pants" dickhead ?


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (10 May 2013)

FWIW: It reads a hell of a lot like minimizing the time spent standing around on training/race fatigued legs than anything else.


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## Rob3rt (10 May 2013)

Well, 1st thanks for posting the quote, since I have been trying to find the quote since you 1st posted.

I would say though that your initial comment doesn't accurately reflect the text, therefore I will not apologise for questioning it. With regards to your later clarification well, you could be right but the text could be interpreted in several ways (since it sounds badly written/strung together anyway), he may be trying to say that, what you do off the bike will effect and potentially detriment what you do on the bike, so at the top level they try to do as little of it as possible (I have been to top level track meets where the endurance riders will ride from track centre to the toilet).

Generally the whole thing sounds to me like pro's avoid standing up and walking around loads during training camps and tours to avoid detriment to their performance in coming days. Further, they struggle to walk around after training/racing day after day. Both of which sound like stating the obvious! Doesn't take being a pro to recognise how hard walking up a set of stairs can be if you have been training hard or racing, even at amateur level.

Overall though yeah it does still sound like "pants" as written, except in this case, it sounds like pants written by Tyler, rather than yourself!


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## VamP (10 May 2013)

Zofo said:


> As I find your replies exceptionally offensive and ignorant I've looked up the exact reference in The Secret Race and here it is........
> 
> p109.........."I know this sounds crazy but one of the first rules I learned as I entered top-flight bike racing was this: If you're standing, sit down; if you're sitting, lie down;and avoid stairs like the plague. Bike racing is the only sport in the world where the better you get, the more you resemble a feeble old man. I'm not sure of the physiology behind it, but the truth was, walking and standing for extended periods wore you out, made your joints ache and thus set back your training. Five -time TDF champion Brenauld Hinault hated stairs so much thta during some Tours, he would have his soigneurs carry him into the hotels rather than walk........"
> 
> Still sound like "pants" dickhead ?


 
"exceptionally offensive" and " dickhead" ?????

Jeez get a grip.

As for the standing, sitting, etc - that's such a standard recovery approach thing, that it hardly bears relating. Means absolutely nothing of the sort that you inferred.


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## smutchin (10 May 2013)

Whatever Tyler actually meant, the wording is ambiguous, to say the least. I interpreted it the same way as Zofo when I first read it, but then didn't give the matter any more thought so didn't really question whether it made sense or not - there's plenty of far more controversial stuff in the book to worry about!

And everyone, please leave out the personal remarks. There's no need for it. If you think someone has said something dodgy, just give your reasons for your alternative view - being patronising or calling people dickheads doesn't further the discussion in any helpful way.


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## Edwards80 (10 May 2013)

In context with the rest of the book, perhaps "resembling old men" referred to constantly being attached to a drip . . .


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## Pat "5mph" (10 May 2013)

Opps, I came to this thread when the fighting has already started 
To the op, here is what I found out about leg muscles after getting about all winter on a bike fitted with knobbly ice studs, on one gear - the bike has 5 gears, but I'm too lazy to use them.
In October 2012 I was a size 8/10 waist, casual mid leg shorts size 10 fitted perfectly around the upper leg.
In April 2013, said shorts are way too tight around the upper leg, while them and the rest of my clothing are looser than ever on the waist.
I am not pleased!


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## ColinJ (10 May 2013)

Pat "5mph" said:


> In October 2012 I was a size 8/10 waist, casual mid leg shorts size 10 fitted perfectly around the upper leg.
> In April 2013, said shorts are way too tight around the upper leg, while them and the rest of my clothing are looser than ever on the waist.
> *I am not pleased!*


Why not - did you want cycling to make your waist _bigger_?


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## Pat "5mph" (10 May 2013)

ColinJ said:


> Why not - did you want cycling to make your waist _bigger_?


Chunky legs syndrome


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## ColinJ (10 May 2013)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Chunky legs syndrome


Chunky beats scrawny or flabby!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (11 May 2013)

Pat "5mph" said:


> Chunky legs syndrome


Pat, can you please send some of that muscle my way. i can't for the life of me put muscle on no matter how far I cycle each week, with\without panniers or heavy tyres... still got skinny legs after covering nearly 2,000 miles since 1st January this year...


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## Pat "5mph" (11 May 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> Pat, can you please send some of that muscle my way. i can't for the life of me put muscle on no matter how far I cycle each week, with\without panniers or heavy tyres... still got skinny legs after covering nearly 2,000 miles since 1st January this year...


@SatNavSaysStraightOn I am so envious, lucky you!


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## SatNavSaysStraightOn (11 May 2013)

Pat "5mph" said:


> @SatNavSaysStraightOn I am so envious, lucky you!


don't be... makes panniers & hills really hard work!


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## Pat "5mph" (11 May 2013)

SatNavSaysStraightOn said:


> don't be... makes panniers & hills really hard work!


Get your hubby to carry the luggage


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