Weight Loss in Cycling

Hi my name is Andrew and I am new to the sport of Triathlon. I have been training for 3 months and am already obsessed with the sport and have not even competed in my first Sprint.

 A little background on myself=I played 2 years of college baseball then made the transition to weight lifting/bodybuilding after an ulnar nerve issue that stopped me from being able to throw without my entire body hurting. I completely cut out cardiovascular excersises until last year. At that time I was 5 foot 8, 217 pounds, I am a muscular guy and always used that as an excuse for my weight. The truth is I was 26 years old, with high cholesterol a stressful job and was spiroling down hill. My wife comes from the opposite type of family, everyone ran in highschool and college and have a low level of muscle mass but very enduranced athletes. I started cycling from time to time with my father and brother in law because in my mind it would be easier than running. I started to enjoy the sport and after a few months of riding once a week or so I participated in a 30/50/65 mile local ride. This ride brought hundreds of people to my hometown.

I did not know much about cycling at that time and was riding a 3 year old lemond. It had problems going from big ring to small ring and the chain fell of quite frequently. My father in law had been riding witha  group for quite some time and was in great shape. We started the ride together and I paid little attention to the fact that there was a 15-20 mile wind at my back, after 6 miles I was counting on my father in law to let me know to turn and head back, well needless to say another 10 miles went by before he let me know I had missed the turn around, It didn't seem like a big deal to me after all i had a 15 mph wind at my back. After I got to the 30 mile marker and turn around point I was very tired. That is when we set back directly into the wind. The next 30 miles was the hardest thing I can remember doing, I had no bike shorts and my tires were low and it seemed like an eternity before I made it in. The next day I realized I had tore my abdomin but i also realized it was a challenge that I loved.

Since I have started my Tri training I have lost 23 pounds and can see my abs again, its a great feeling. I am getting faster and faster and am amazed at how much easier hills are without that extra body fat! I am now riding a 2008 fuji team pro, that I love.

I have one suggestion, before you go spend over a thousand dollars on a light carbon wheelset I would suggest cutting that fat. It makes more of a difference than one could ever imagine.