Today, while riding the elevator up to the 9th floor in the building I work in, I got into a conversation with a lady who works on the same floor as I do. It went like this:

Her: Have you lost some weight?

Do I really need to say anything more than that? I think not but I’ll finish the story anyway.

Me: I’ve been trying.

Her: Well, I can tell. Especially in your face.

By now we’re at about the 5th floor but my spirits are already on 16.

Me: Thanks.

Her: What are you doing?

Me: I’m riding a bike 10 miles before I come to work each day and longer on Saturdays.

Her: (insert totally shocked face) What?! Are you serious?

Me: Oh yeah.

And we continue talking about my riding, how to start out slow and then build up endurance/time in the saddle, and so on. It was a great conversation and an even better way to start the day.

All of us have our ups and down associated with trying to lose weight, or get in better shape, but it’s comments like my co-workers that tell us that what we’re doing is making a difference.

A few simple words like hers can have the following effects:

• They can lift our spirits. On our weight loss journey all of us have good days and bad days. Sometimes more of the later. A simple comment from a co-worker, family member, or friend can do wonders for our attitude and spirit.
• They can re-energize us. Getting into the shape we want to get into can put a real strain on us physically. We’re killing our bodies to whip them into shape and it’s easy to sleep in, skip a workout, and get some more rest. A timely comment like hers can help us re-focus and re-energize.
• They can push us to do more. Knowing that what we’re doing is making a difference is huge. We look at our own bodies so much that it’s hard to notice change. Especially if it’s small. Others can see those changes and them letting us know can re-invigorate us to continue what we’re doing or do more.
• They can justify the sacrifice. Weight loss and better fitness doesn’t come without sacrifice. Cycling, running, swimming, or doing any sport, takes time and resources. There are times when we’ll feel like the effort we’re putting into our transformation isn’t working. Or it isn’t worth it. Someone telling us that what we’re doing is working can be all the justification we need.

What are some comments you’ve heard that have lifted your spirits, re-energized you, or motivated you to continue making the sacrifice to lose weight or get into better shape?

Photoc: Duchamp

Those of us who are cycling for weight loss have to deal with the weight scale. I hate it and have a real phobia with it. Why? Because it always tells me what I don’t want to see whether it’s an increase in weight or no change at all. Not seeing that weight scale moving in a downward trend has always been a problem for me. I would always become upset or down after getting on the scale after a particularly good week of riding and finding that I didn’t lose any weight. How could I ride that hard this week, put in that many miles, and not see a change in those stupid little numbers? I knew the answer.

It was lying. That’s right, the scale was lying and not telling the truth. I was lighter than that and it must not be showing my weight correctly because I drank a lot of water, I hadn’t gone to the bathroom before weighing myself, had eaten breakfast before stepping on, or any other of a number of lame excuses. You can think up some really good ones when your desperate to see a change on that torture device.

Or it was angry with me. It was tired of getting stepped on by a guy who weighed too much and kept feeding me false information so I would lose faith and quit crushing it to death. It wanted me to quit.

The reality? It was telling the truth.

Gradually, I’m beginning to learn that what the scale tells me isn’t always accurate. Even when it tells me I’m losing weight. That said, I still find myself discouraged when I see no change on the scale. Just because there’s no change though doesn’t mean we aren’t making progress towards our weight loss goals. If you find yourself faced with a weight scale that refuses to budge don’t do the following:

• Quit. Letting those numbers on the scale dictate our lives won’t help us in the long run. It’s easy to want to quit after seeing no change. It’s easy to become frustrated after putting in some hard bike rides and seeing no change. The key is to understand that there will be times when the scale won’t change. Rome wasn’t built in a day so what makes us think we’ll fit into those size 32 jeans in a week?
• Binge Eat. The last thing we need to do is get depressed about our weight and then go on a tear where we eat everything in site. Binge eating because we’re depressed or emotionally upset about the scale won’t help and can be a serious problem.
• Stop weighing. Like it or not, the weight scale will tell us if we’re reaching our bicycling weight loss goals. Avoiding the scale will only make us loath it even more.
• Keep your feelings to yourself. It’s very easy to keep our feelings of frustration pent up. Doing so can let them eat at us until we become a cesspool of emotions that can affect all areas of our lives. If I’m having trouble with the scale I talk to my wife about it. She’s great at putting things into perspective and offering words of encouragement.

Like I said earlier, getting on the weight scale is a necessary evil if we’re going to track our weight loss goals. It doesn’t have to control our lives or dictate our physical or emotional well being. It’s a tool just like everything else in our road cycling equipment bag. It’s just a little more blunt in its delivery. And it doesn’t lie.

Do any of you have other good things not to do if the weight scale doesn’t change. Or goes up?

PhotoC: GenBug

As I told you all several weeks ago, I was going to write an Ebook to help new cyclists, or those returning to road cycling after a long layoff, get started in this great sport. I’ve finally completed it and am ready to release it. For free.

As you can tell by the title, it isn’t for the advanced, or even intermediate, road cyclist. It’s basic from the first page and filled with knowledge and tips that I wish I had known when I returned to cycling two years ago.

Will it answer every question? No. But I think it’ll help anyone looking for help in deciding where to buy a bike, find out what to carry in a seat bag, or learn what online tools are available for road cycling.

To get How To Start Road Cycling [Again] just enter your email address below and you’ll receive it in your email.

You no doubt noticed the pop-up light box that was displayed when you visited the site today. It’s just another tool to help me promote How To Start Road Cycling [Again] and isn’t meant to be an annoyance. In fact, you’ll only see it once every 14 days (unless you clear your cookies regularly) if you’re a returning visitor to Biking To Live.

Thumbnail Photoc: Explore The Bruce

Do you find yourself struggling to get better on the bike? Ever wonder if you’re making any progress at all? I do and I bet others do as well.

That’s why I keep a log of my training. It isn’t detailed, or even linked to a GPS enabled cyclocomputer, but it tells me what I need to know about my riding and if I’m making any progress.

For instance, I went back and looked at my rides over the past three weeks to see how my average speed was doing. I felt like I was riding faster but I wanted to see if there was any truth to my ‘feelings’. I went back through three weeks of data and found the following:

• Average Speed Three Weeks Ago – 13.475 mph
• Average Speed Two Weeks Ago – 13.775 mph
• Average Speed 1 week ago – 13.975 mph

Those aren’t huge numbers, only a .5 mph increase, but considering my level of fitness and weight, they tell me that I’m improving. Do I feel like some of that improvement Is due to my ongoing Fit with Bicycle Lab? Yes, but I think part of it is due to my legs coming back as well.

Regardless, I wouldn’t have been able to look at this data if I wasn’t logging my rides.

Seeing empirical data showing progress is important because I don’t feel like I’m making much progress on the bike. Granted, I’ve only been riding again for a month but I feel like my gains are coming very, very slowly and I’m not making headway on my weight. At all.

Not A Great Week Last Week But Time To Get Serious

Last week wasn’t that great. I had a good ride on Monday, woke Tuesday morning with a terrible sinus headache and didn’t ride, flatted five miles into my ride on Thursday, and cut a tire/flatted on Friday. Then I didn’t ride either Saturday or Sunday due to being out of town with the family. Only 43 miles on the bike last week and none of it felt very good. And then when I weighed myself on Friday morning I found out I hadn’t lost any weight. No wonder I didn’t feel like I was performing very well. My training log is telling me a slightly different story though as my average speed is obviously getting better. I’m not where I want to be though.

Don’t get me wrong, Average Speed isn’t the only thing you should look at. It’s just all I have available due to my old cyclocomputer. Ideally, and I’ll get to this one day, we should also be looking at our heart rate and recovery times.

Since I started riding again in July, I’ve gotten 237 miles in. For the year I’ve ridden 419 miles. Certainly not huge numbers but I think I’ve gotten enough in to start riding harder. I’m not going to see significant, measurable results by riding 43 miles a week at 14 mph. I need to increase my daily mileage and start adding intervals into my rides. I’ve got to get that weight scale needle moving to the left.

Do you log your rides?

If so, do you review your data to see what progress you’re making? Leave a comment below to let me know what you’re doing.

Photoc: Jeff Werner

1. When he rides his bike, the earth spins faster. Or slower, depending on which direction he’s going.
2. When he crashes, it can be measured on the Richter scale. Then he gets up.
3. He doesn’t attack the Peloton, he rides it into submission.
4. After finishing the Tour de France, he rode it again. Backwards.
5. He doesn’t ride up a mountain, he takes the express elevator to heaven.
6. It’s rumored he wins races he doesn’t even participate in.
7. When he says ‘Shut Up’, his legs listen.

Jens Voigt. The Most Interesting Cyclist In The World.

Jens Voigt (Image Courtesy of Velonation.com:Jered Gruber)

Yesterday I received some information about an awesome ride called The Ride for Semper Fi. I don’t think I could sum up the purpose of the ride any better than their press release.

From Phoenix to San Diego: A challenging bike ride for a great cause
The Ride for Semper Fi sets goal to raise $177,500 for injured Marines and their families

PHOENIX—When 50 cycling enthusiasts pedal from Phoenix to San Diego this October,
they’ll not only test their endurance, they’ll be on a mission to make a difference. The third
annual Ride for Semper Fi, which begins Oct. 13, is a 430-mile, three-day cycling adventure to raise money for injured Marines. The goal is to raise $177,500 for the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund by the time the cyclists end the ride at Sea World on Oct. 16.

“We are not professional athletes or career fundraisers, but we are people who want to give back to those Marines who have sacrificed so much of themselves in order to fight for our country,” John Greenway, founder and chairman of The Ride for Semper Fi, said.

Between now and the Ride’s kick-off in October, the 50 riders who participate—including
some injured Marines who have benefited from the fund in the past—devote nearly five
months to a rigorous training regime. They complete training rides of up to 100 miles while
also continuing their individual fundraising efforts.

In 2009, the Ride raised more than $150,000 to help defray expenses, assist in recovery and support family members of Armed Forces service people injured in combat. This year, the fundraising goal is $177,500, which will help pay for medical expenses, physical therapy and other necessary equipment, such as wheelchairs and prostheses.

“The Marine Corps was founded in 1775,” Greenway said. “So, we knew that raising
$177,500 would really mean something to those Marines who are so important to us and our cause. It’s not only about raising the money. It’s about showing them that we respect their history, and recognize their significant contribution to our country’s history, too.”

Greenway first envisioned The Ride for Semper Fi when he attended his nephew’s
graduation from Marine Corps boot camp. Knowing his nephew would likely be deployed to
Iraq or Afghanistan, Greenway became determined to make a significant contribution for his nephew and all other Marines fighting overseas.

The Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund is a non-profit charity that has given more than $38
million in grants to more than 15,000 injured Marines and their families. The Fund provides
immediate financial assistance to defray hospital bills and recovery expenses.

For more information about The Ride for Semper Fi, its next rider-fundraiser, or to make a
donation, visit www.therideforsemperfi.com.

About The Ride for Semper Fi
The third annual Ride for Semper Fi is a philanthropic bicycle ride that begins in Scottsdale,
Ariz., and ends three days and 430 miles later at SeaWorld in San Diego. Fifty cycling
enthusiasts, including some former Marines, will complete the journey. The ride begins on
Oct. 13, but the fundraising journey begins now with a goal to raise more than $177,500 to benefit the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. To donate to the Ride for Semper Fi, or to learn more about us, visit: www.therideforsemperfi.com.

You can find their Facebook Fan Page here.

I’ve made a small donation and encourage you to do the same if you’re able.

I’ve needed a new pair of cycling shoes for a while. My old pair was several years old and had seen better days. They were truly a ‘beginners’ pair of cycling shoes as the outer sole was plastic, they weren’t stiff, and only had velcro as the closure system. So, as part of my ongoing bicycle fit I’m doing with @Victor at Bicycle Lab, I went ahead and bought a new pair of shoes.

Diadora Speedracer Carbon R Cycling Shoes

Diadora Speedracer Carbon R Specifications

The Speedracer features a synthetic upper and a three closure system. The two lower closures are velcro while the top one is a four position micro-metric buckle. The upper is bonded to a stretch resistant outer cage for added support. It features a dual sole that has a carbon spine inside a fiberglass outer sole for stiffness. The shoe has full SPD and Look-type (three bolt) compatibility and is well ventilated with over 15 vent holes per shoe.

First Impression

I picked these cycling shoes up at a local bicycle store and had the opportunity to try them on before buying. I read some online reviews that indicated they ran a little small in size and I found that to be the case as I went with a size 45. They come with their own removable insole but I pulled them out so I could use my own. I have wide feet but found the fit to be very good.

They are stiff. I knew I was losing a lot of power in my old shoes as they were almost as flimsy as a fish. There is no give in the Speedracer Carbon R and you’d expect that from the Number 2 shoe in the Diadora lineup (the pro-level ProRacer 2.0 shoe is their flagship road cycling shoe).

I’ve ridden in them several times now and really like’em. As I get more rides in I’ll keep notes and write a full review at a later date.

Just a short post to let you know that I appreciate everyone being patient with the site yesterday. You all know that I’m always tweaking the site, trying to make it better for what I want to do and for your experience here. One of the things I had used to tweak the look was using a plugin called Disqus. I liked it because it gave commentors multiple options to sign in. It was never perfect though so yesterday I thought I would give another, but similar, plugin called Intense Debate a try.

About an hour after turning the new plugin on, I got notice from my hosting provider that they had to suspend my site due to excess server load. Apparently, Intense Debate put a huge load on the server as it imported all my comments into their system. They shut me down in order to keep the server online. I made some changes my host recommended and tried again. It looked like everything was working OK. At about 6 PM last night I checked the site and it was down again and may have been down all afternoon (nobody told me it was down so I don’t know for sure). At that point I decided to just go back to the standard commenting system and drop both plugins. Since doing so I haven’t been shutdown again and the site looks to be loading faster (maybe my readers can confirm that). You won’t get the same amount of comment options as before but I think using the standard theme comment options looks cleaner. Again, sorry for the inconvenience.

The How To Start Cycling Ebook is 90% done. I have just a few things left to do and it’ll be ready for release. I had every intention of releasing it this week but am going to hold off one more week. That’ll give me time to make sure it’s polished and can make some changes to the site before releasing it. I’ll also be out of town this weekend which also influenced my decision to delay it. I didn’t want to launch it and not be able to do anything if there were problems over the weekend.

My riding is coming along nicely. I’m still just putting in base miles right now as I continue to get time in the saddle and get my fit dialed in. Victor over at Bicycle Lab has been doing wonders and this weekend we made some small changes. We moved my saddle forward 1cm, raised the saddle 1cm, and tilted the bars up about 5 degrees. It’s amazing what those small changes can do. My ride this morning was really good with my average speed up about 1.5 mph from what it was before we started making changes. Granted, 14.6 mph isn’t fast but I’m moving in the right direction.

Thumbnail Photoc: Leonard John Matthews

If you’re like me, when you think of ‘training’, as it relates to sports, or cycling, you immediately conjure images of athletes training for sporting events such as the Tour de France, Ironman Kona, or the Olympics. Isn’t that what training is all about? Getting the skills, experience, and conditioning in so that you can compete, or perform, at a higher level? Yes, but I think the word ‘training’ can apply to more than just professional cyclists and athletes.

Photo credit: Team Traveller

I’m not just talking about my fellow cyclists who are riding centuries every other week, climbing 8000 feet a weekend, or racing at the amateur level. I’m talking about people out there, like me, who have weight to lose. It takes a lot of effort and commitment in order to lose that weight. Or to get into better shape. Or to finish that century in under six hours. I’m not saying we’re going to compete in the 2011 Quiznos Pro Challenge but can we take a page from the pros and adopt their mentality and work ethic? I say yes.

Being In Training Means A 24/7 Commitment

Too many of us, myself included, think of our cycling as a 1-2 hour per day commitment and we can get what we need out of it. We spin our miles before work, at lunch, or in the evening. We catch a group ride on the weekend to get a few more miles in. But are we actually pushing ourselves to do our best by only devoting a fraction of the day to our training? Hardly.

There are some of you out there who don’t need that 24/7 training commitment. You’re at the weight you need to be, you’ve accomplished what you set out to do, and you’re continuing to ride because you love it. I get that. I’m talking to the people out there who have huge goals to meet and think they can get by with only putting in the miles. People like me.

In order to meet the goals we need to accomplish it’s going to take more than simply cycling for 8 hours a week. What about the other 160 hours? For that matter, those 8 hours on the bike, are we really utilizing them the way we should be in order to meet our goals? Think about that.

Photo Credit: Let Ideas Complete

Training On The Bike

For most of us, cycling is the easy part. We make time to get our rides in and that’s it. We work up a sweat, put in the miles, and call it done until the next ride. If we’re trying to meet a goal that won’t be enough. We need to ride with a purpose. Each ride needs to serve a purpose whether it’s hill repeats, intervals, or tempo riding. We need to have a training plan for our time on the bike.

Training Off The Bike

When we’re off the bike, we still need a training plan. Just because we aren’t riding doesn’t mean we aren’t still in training. Right? Remember those other 160 hours in the week? How are you utilizing them as training to reach your goals? How can those other 160 hours be used?

• 8 hours of sleep a night.
• Making sure you’re hydrating properly post-ride, during the day, and pre-ride.
• Eating right. So easily said but so hard to do.
• Tracking your progress.
• Getting some form of exercise besides cycling.
• Core exercises.
• Stretching.

So, what am I really talking about here?

We all come to a point where we need to decide that what we want is really what we want. And be willing to make the sacrifices in order to get what we want. Whether it’s moving up from Cat 5 to Cat 4, losing 20, 50, or even a 100 pounds. Whatever our goal is, we need to be committed to it and training for it. 24/7.

Thumbnail Photo Credit: Tomas Fano

Each morning after my ride I log my stats into Dailymile. Once I click on ‘share’ my ride stats and comments are transmitted to the Biking To Live Facebook Fan Page and on Twitter @bdewberry. This morning I said something about the moon looking great at 6:15. @marijolamarche responded to my shared workout on Twitter with:

“On your bike at 6:15 Bryan? That’s dedication!”

You know what? She’s right. Cycling does take dedication. Am I any more dedicated than someone else? Probably not but for any of us getting out there to ride it takes some measure of dedication and motivation to do it. We have to make sure our equipment is ready to ride. We have to hydrate properly before riding and after. We have to eat right (which I’m still working on) and, probably harder than anything, we have to make time to get our cycling in. For me, I like cycling in the morning.

So Why Do We Do It?

We all have our reasons why we’re dedicated to cycling. Some of you probably have the same reasons as I do but others will have different motivations. We all have them. Here’s what @eqtmgr said when I asked on Twitter why you were dedicated to cycling:

“This is going to sound weird, but for me its the punishment. Its the pain that I put myself through every time I ride.”

Why Am I Dedicated to Cycling?

As most of you know, I’m using cycling to lose weight and get healthy. There’s really no other major reason. And last week I was reminded of that. I won’t share why (nothing medical or health related) but I had to do something and was quite embarrassed after-wards. I couldn’t believe how bad I looked. I felt terrible and wanted to crawl into a hole.

My weight isn’t going to go away by hiding or feeling sorry for myself though. That’s why I have cycling. I love the sport. It helps me work up a sweat and lets me push my endurance limits without physically destroying my body like running would.

I know I must be a site to the drivers that see me each morning as they work on their Nascar training. A big fat dude wearing tight clothes and riding a skinny bicycle. Sweat pouring off his face and perhaps looking like he might keel over while waiting for the light to change to green. It’s OK what they think. I got over caring what other people think a long time ago. They don’t know why I do it and likely don’t know what they’re missing.

Another added benefit is that it gets me out of the house. Don’t get me wrong, I love my family but being the only male in a house of six females (wife, three daughters, and two cats) can make you feel a little outnumbered. It’s nice to escape the insanity of The House of Estrogen.

Following the wake-up call last week, I’ve had a relatively good week of cycling. Perhaps the episode motivated me in some way. I’ve also been making changes on the bike under the direction of Victor @bicyclelab. I’ve got a totally new riding position, a new seat post, and new shoes. Other changes are coming but I like what he’s done so far. The result? I’m riding better and faster. I can maintain cadence easier and speeds longer. My average speed is creeping up. Overall it’s a complete turnaround and I love it. Like I said, there are still more changes to be made so we’re not done yet. I can’t thank Victor enough.

The Ebook Is Almost Done

I announced two weeks ago that I was writing an Ebook geared to the new cyclist. Or those that have been away from the sport for a long time. I had hoped to have it done this week but my work schedule killed that plan. It is almost done though and should be released next week.

Just a reminder that BTL now has a Facebook Fan Page. If you haven’t done so, please head over there and give it a ‘Like’. Thanks.

PHOTOc: -Andrew-