At this point the weight loss has tapered off somewhat. I don't seem to have lost any weight over the past week at all. I do have 82 miles on the bike so far this month though. I am going to be attempting a long ride this Sunday as preparation for a planned 28 mile ride on the 13th of June.
I have lost some of my initial excitement about cycling. Mostly for my morning ride into work really. I enjoy all of my other rides, hmmmm......perhaps I am just dreading going to work and not the actual ride. I have developed a healthy interest in cycling in general it seems. I have been recording and watching the Giro d'Italia on Universal Sports all this past week. When I was a teenager I met a guy who tried to talk me into cycling the Hood to Coast with him. I was too chicken to go for that though. I think my real interest in cycling lies in touring these days. Long trips on a bicycle loaded with gear. Cycling along US 101 on the Oregon coast sounds like a great deal of fun to me.
I am also interested in working on bikes, mechanically. I have always liked taking things apart and putting them back together. In my pre-teen years I used to spend the night at my cousin Gary's house and we would usually end up putting a bicycle together for me to ride from the bike junk pile he always seemed to have. Ususally the bike would only last the weekend, but it was a lot of fun. Learning the ins and outs of bicycle mechanics is a very strong itch I am doing my best to scratch now. Thankfully my wife is embracing and encouraging this life style change I seem to be undergoing. I am going to be doing some wrenching on her bike to try and make it a better fit for her. It's a bit small (13 inch frame size) and some of the cables need to be replaced but I think I can at least make it a bit more comfortable for her by getting a taller stem and handlebars for it. Of course that means replacing all the cables as well. I think we will hang on to the everything I pull off the bike though, just in case we manage to sell it to someone that is a bit shorter than my wife.
I think you still have a healthy attitude about biking so don't give up. It's quite telling that you've already figured out that it may just be work that you're not excited about, as opposed to the biking.
ReplyDeleteOne thing you might consider for Taj's bike is going to the Goodwill Outlet store. They usually have a huge selection of bikes at a really reasonable price ($15-$30). You can swap parts and such to make her a great bike. Sometimes I see Trek bikes, and other well-known brands.
Keep up the good work!