There's plenty of 'larger' cyclists about, and we're able to do just fine. I've lost about stone in the six months I've been riding, but am still at 18, so a few more to go :-)
I did a video (below) of my most recent ride this weekend with two mates who are MUCH faster and fitter than me. But the fact I kept up at least some of the way on the 46 miles should give hope to all larger-than-life cyclists!
Nice one.
Good to hear of your progress.Keep it going.
As a 20 stoner myself, I sometimes despair at some of the sort of comments people are prepared to make on the assumption that everybody's bodies function and respond the same as their own. Like
@Gravity Aided, I can easily identify with how your own personal weight can take a back seat at times. In my own case, I spent 6 years working full time in a sedentary job, while being run ragged by elder-care responsibilities for 3 people at once. This left almost no time for exercise (or even leisure) which can't have helped. The point is that, like the OP, I have taken steps to address the issue.
Personally, within the last calendar year, I have ridden three 100km+ audaxes, a London to Brighton charity ride, and a 40 mile Cotswolds charity ride -all well within the time limits, and all faster than some much lighter people than myself. Add to that a 40 mile club ride and several other climbs of a local hill that none of my "fit" friends or colleagues would ever think of tackling, as well as riding up into and all around the Malverns and a 500 metre (non-stop) climb in the French Alps. All that, and a total of approx 1,800 miles of cycling as well as some visits to the gym and half a dozen sets of 40+ lengths of the local swimming pool. You can't accuse me of lack of effort, yet I haven't lost an ounce in weight. When I was at my fittest, I was the same height and weight as Jonah Lomu, but I'm at least 2 stones heavier now, at the age of 53, with my "middle-age spread". Many of my friends and colleagues eat and drink more than me and exercise
much less, yet are lucky enough to have the kind of metabolisms that allow them to weigh much less.
On my recent holiday, I was disappointed to discover that I could no longer totally relax by lying back and floating in the pool, because I now sink like a stone unless treading water. This suggests that it is not all fat. It seems that, for whatever reason, I am just destined to stay around the 20 stone mark, and my constant efforts now have to be to prevent my weight from getting any higher. What I have learned, is that bare numbers are not everything. My doctor is completely unable to tell me what weight I should be, as I am off his graph on
both axes, (also being 6'5" in height). I have regular health checks, and am a regular blood donor - which would not be possible if I had high blood pressure or cholesterol. Personally, I think we all
know when something isn't right, and as long as you make the effort to get yourself fitter, there should be no stigma.
To everyone else, I would say that, if you ever see a larger cyclist struggling up a hill, just remember that if he weighs twice as much as you, then he is putting in twice as much effort as you are. (Newton's Second Law of Motion, loosely quoted). Telling them to "lose the fat", while perhaps attempting to be cruel to be kind just seems a bit like that line "Get a job" from "The way it is" by Bruce Hornsby.
