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  #91   ^
Old Sat, Sep-18-04, 08:08
CarbsBeGon's Avatar
CarbsBeGon CarbsBeGon is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 583
 
Plan: South Beach-ish
Stats: 272/261/190 Male 5' 10"
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: Colorado
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Hi WantsMore. Cycling will definitely build the muscles in your legs if you do it regularly. It's such good exercise, however, that it will also cause you to lose more fat. So, what you're left with are slimmer calves and thighs that are nicely toned - the fat is replaced by muscle.

That said, there may be times where the fat loss slows while muscle tone continues to increase, resulting in your legs looking slightly bigger - but it passes. When I started riding regularly, I had big calves, but mostly fat. They did get slightly bigger after several weeks of riding but - after several more weeks of riding - they slimmed down, became much more muscular and are becoming nicely toned. Same goes for my thighs and butt. (Please note that I've been riding for almost a year now.)

For an excellent aerobic workout with little stress to your body, cycling is difficult to beat. One last thing I'm really happy with. Before I began riding, my resting heart rate was up near 80. It's now 51...

Last edited by CarbsBeGon : Sat, Sep-18-04 at 08:15.
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  #92   ^
Old Sat, Sep-18-04, 13:09
nowonder's Avatar
nowonder nowonder is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,158
 
Plan: Atkins+coffee
Stats: 290/185/180 Male 71 inches
BF:Yes, it is.
Progress: 95%
Location: West Chester, PA
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Interesting question WantsMore...

I agree with Carbs, muscle tone is a good thing, and cycling is a good way to get there.

I was wondering if how you ride the bike would effect muscle/leg development? i.e. if you spin more (push a lighter gear, but spin the pedals more) would you burn more fat but build less muscle than if you pedal slow and push a heavy gear?

Generally I spin more just because my knees hurt if I pedal too hard for long... And it's generally considered better form, but it's still an interesting question.

--nw
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  #93   ^
Old Sat, Sep-18-04, 18:51
WantsMore's Avatar
WantsMore WantsMore is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 365
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 193/180/134 Female 5'4
BF:Size 12
Progress: 22%
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Hm Nowonder that's a good question. I'd love to know that answer. I want slim, toned but NOT muscular legs.
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  #94   ^
Old Sun, Sep-19-04, 11:16
nowonder's Avatar
nowonder nowonder is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,158
 
Plan: Atkins+coffee
Stats: 290/185/180 Male 71 inches
BF:Yes, it is.
Progress: 95%
Location: West Chester, PA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CarbsBeGon
nowonder - congrats on the 42-miler - that's awesome! Looks like you got yourself a jersey too (almost looks like an upside-down Atkins logo from far away ).


It does kinda look like an Atkins logo... It's actually from the Victory Brewing Company. They have a successful cycling team this year ( http://www.victorycycling.com/ ). I also just got an "Arrogant Bastard Ale" jersey. Is it odd that all my bike jerseys are for products I can't enjoy while on this diet?

--nw
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  #95   ^
Old Sun, Sep-19-04, 11:40
CarbsBeGon's Avatar
CarbsBeGon CarbsBeGon is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 583
 
Plan: South Beach-ish
Stats: 272/261/190 Male 5' 10"
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nowonder
Is it odd that all my bike jerseys are for products I can't enjoy while on this diet?

Not at all! I was actually considering getting the Twinkies one.



I also like the Jelly Belly jersey. I need to lose some more weight before I feel comfortable wearing any in public though. Well, unless I go with the Jelly Belly one perhaps. Hmmmm...
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  #96   ^
Old Mon, Sep-20-04, 10:29
Karenemt's Avatar
Karenemt Karenemt is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 427
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 195/148/150 Female 67 inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Eastern PA
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LOL My favorite jersey is my Ben & Jerry's! (at least they make low-carb ice cream now)
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  #97   ^
Old Mon, Sep-20-04, 10:34
loCarbJ's Avatar
loCarbJ loCarbJ is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 408
 
Plan: General Low Carb
Stats: 232/162/162 Male 69 inches
BF:30%/13%/11%
Progress: 100%
Location: San Jose, CA
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Hey all you cycling enthusiasts:

I have had a great time cycling in the organized rides and have just finished my 16 organized ride for this year. I have three more scheduled for this year. I had 20 planned, but I got seriously hurt and had to skip one. This is my first year riding and I choose the short option (20-35 miles) for my first 9 rides. With my next 7 rides, I switched to the 100k (62mi).

My next ride is a fairly flat cruise through the area around Davis, CA; and the 100 mile route only gains 2,800 feet. I think it's time to switch to doing 100 milers. I would like to do the Seattle-to-Portland ride next year (200 miles and 6,000 ft, over 2 days), so I think getting several 100 milers under my belt would be in order.

Anyone have any advice for making the switch from 100k's to 100mi's?

J.

Last edited by loCarbJ : Tue, Sep-21-04 at 09:30.
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  #98   ^
Old Mon, Sep-20-04, 18:55
Dodger's Avatar
Dodger Dodger is offline
Posts: 8,758
 
Plan: Paleoish/Keto
Stats: 225/167/175 Male 71.5 inches
BF:18%
Progress: 116%
Location: Longmont, Colorado
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Quote:
Originally Posted by loCarbJ
My next ride is a fairly flat cruise through the area around Davis, CA; and the 100 mile route only gains 2,500 feet. I think it's time to switch to doing 100 milers. I would like to do the Seattle-to-Portland ride next year (200 miles and 6,000 ft, over 2 days), so I think getting several 100 milers under my belt would be in order.

Anyone have any advice for making the switch from 100k's to 100mi's?

J.

You've already done 2/3 of the 100mi. Set a slower than average pace on the first third (30 miles or so) and then ride the remainder at your normal pace. I find that I can average significantly higher speeds on organized rides than solo rides due to drafting faster riders.

Enjoy the ride!
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  #99   ^
Old Tue, Sep-21-04, 06:12
dug dug is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 62
 
Plan: atkins
Stats: 207/188/165
BF:
Progress: 45%
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the last 20 miles are the hardest. Make sure you eat and drink right from the get go. You need to keep your body fueled and hydrated. I just finished the MS ride breakway to the beach 91 miles Saturday (just around 5 hours) 76 miles Sunday (3.5 hours). Longest traing rides I have done this year were 50-55 miles. Although, I trained for and completed a 1/2 ironman on 9/12/04 so I was used to training for 5-6 hours consecutivly. I would recommend you get a few training rides in at around the 75 mile range. A century is a great milestone. Good luck with it.

dug
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  #100   ^
Old Tue, Sep-21-04, 11:20
Karenemt's Avatar
Karenemt Karenemt is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 427
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 195/148/150 Female 67 inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Eastern PA
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Good Luck with that century! I hope to try some much longer rides next year.

My brother the elite track cyclist says - as long as your conditioning level is good and you've been riding regularly, you can go longer than you think. Just pace yourself and remember to stay hydrated and eat before you are thirsty/hungry.

Can't wait to hear about your 1st century - you are inspiring to a cycling newbie like me.
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  #101   ^
Old Tue, Sep-21-04, 12:09
csoar2004's Avatar
csoar2004 csoar2004 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,267
 
Plan: Fat Flush Plan
Stats: 233/146/150 Female 5ft 8inches
BF:22%
Progress: 105%
Location: west coast
Default Oh goody! cyclists!!

woohooo!
I'm a 'bent rider. DH and I used to ride uprights and do 5000-6000 bike miles per season. Back before we got sedentary and fat.
We've taken up cycling again now that we're skinny but we really prefer recumbent bikes (why? you ask....), because.........

There's no butt/crotch pain, no wrist pain, no neck pain. There's just a lovely quad burn.
It's true we may be a bit slower on the upgrades but boy howdy! we're rockets on the flats and downhills!

DH and I regularly cycle during the week and try to get some centuries in now and then. Our latest find was the Trail of the Couer d'Alene. That's where this pic was taken. Lotsa lovely wildlife including moose and birds of prey. What's not to like??
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  #102   ^
Old Tue, Sep-21-04, 12:20
CheesyPoof's Avatar
CheesyPoof CheesyPoof is offline
The Spandex Killer
Posts: 1,552
 
Plan: General Low Carb
Stats: 206.2/206.2/145 Female 5'9.5
BF:
Progress: 0%
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Those recumbents sure sound comfortable!
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  #103   ^
Old Sun, Sep-26-04, 20:25
CarbsBeGon's Avatar
CarbsBeGon CarbsBeGon is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 583
 
Plan: South Beach-ish
Stats: 272/261/190 Male 5' 10"
BF:
Progress: 13%
Location: Colorado
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Went on a great ride this morning - the weather was perfect - I love Autumn! A small group of us went from Littleton to Denver on bike paths, about 35 miles. I actually would've liked to keep going, but sometimes schedules won't allow. I wish I could get paid to ride...

Anyway, here's a picture from today:
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  #104   ^
Old Mon, Sep-27-04, 04:32
nowonder's Avatar
nowonder nowonder is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,158
 
Plan: Atkins+coffee
Stats: 290/185/180 Male 71 inches
BF:Yes, it is.
Progress: 95%
Location: West Chester, PA
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I'm with you Carbs... Great weekend for a ride.

Here is a pick from my 35 mile jaunt around the philadelphia suburbs.
(In My Arrogant Bastard Ale jersey)



--nw
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  #105   ^
Old Mon, Sep-27-04, 19:55
nowonder's Avatar
nowonder nowonder is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,158
 
Plan: Atkins+coffee
Stats: 290/185/180 Male 71 inches
BF:Yes, it is.
Progress: 95%
Location: West Chester, PA
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What? No one else do a 35 mile ride this weekend?

How about some more pictures?

How about preparing for winter riding? Anyone have experience/tips for riding in near freezing temps?

--nw
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