Hypothetical question...

[ronnie421]

Ok, I have been doing great on my weight loss. Have lost nearly 70 pounds cycling, running, cardio-vascular work, in preparation for my 2012 TA tour.  But im curious.  If a person wants to travel across the country, at a weight of about 350, with no experience... Is it possible to train while riding? Will he lose weight? Will he have to leave earlier to compensate for the very short rides during the first month? How long will it take before he can ride 60 miles per day? What are the chances of a person with no riding experience (and very heavy) of completing this long ride? This is something that crossed my mind. I started wondering... What if I had started this long ride at my old weight of 350 and never even touched a bike till I got on it the day I started the tour. Could I have made it? 

[pptouring]

Congrats Ronnie for the weight loss! Sorry, but I can't offer any answers to your questions; however, props to you and I hope you are able to reach your goal and you make your trip!! 

ron

[John Nelson]

Yes, it is possible to train while riding.

Maybe you'll lose weight, and maybe not. It depends on how much you eat. A tour isn't a great time to lose weight, however, since you'll need all the energy you can get. I would say not to try to or count on weight loss on tour. If it happens, it happens.

Yes, you'd have to leave earlier to compensate.

How long it takes before you can ride 60 miles a day depends on what kind of shape you're in before you start. And it's not just leg shape, but butt hardening, neck and back conditioning, etc. A young, fit person can probably start from scratch and be riding 60 miles a day within a couple of weeks. An older, out-of-shape person may not get to that level for months. My advice is to get into as good a shape as your schedule permits before you start, but go regardless. If you have a rigid end date, then just go home from wherever you are on that date, even if you didn't make it as far as you hoped.

Success rate has a strong correlation to attitude. If you have plenty of time and plenty of determination, and don't push yourself so hard that you get saddle sores or muscles injuries, then you'll make it. If you're not having fun or push yourself into trouble, you won't. Somebody told me that the chances of a solo tourer completing the TransAm is only 50%, but goes up to 95% if you can get through the first 10 days.

Not touching a bike until the day your tour started would probably be a recipe for failure unless you are very smart and very determined and very lucky.

[paddleboy17]

Kudo's for the successful weight loss.

You need to start some practice rides today.  You have a bike to get acquainted with, gear to sort out how you want to use it, and procedures to develop for how you want to do things.  At your weight, you may have wiggle issues with your bike.  There are all sorts of things you need to find out right away, so it really is in your best interest to start some practice rides.

[staehpj1]

Ok, I have been doing great on my weight loss. Have lost nearly 70 pounds cycling, running, cardio-vascular work, in preparation for my 2012 TA tour.  But im curious.  If a person wants to travel across the country, at a weight of about 350, with no experience... Is it possible to train while riding? Will he lose weight? Will he have to leave earlier to compensate for the very short rides during the first month? How long will it take before he can ride 60 miles per day? What are the chances of a person with no riding experience (and very heavy) of completing this long ride? This is something that crossed my mind. I started wondering... What if I had started this long ride at my old weight of 350 and never even touched a bike till I got on it the day I started the tour. Could I have made it? 

Yes training while riding is definitely possible.  How much time to allow and how soon he would be doing 60 mile days is hard to say since it will vary with the individual.

I generally lose weight on tour, but advise against trying to lose weight on tour.  Staying fueled and hydrated should be a top priority on tour.  Eat well but not stupidly and you will probably lose weight slowly.  Try to diet or eat lightly and you will suffer.

A highly motivated individual has an excellent chance of completing the ride even if very overweight.  The approach that is most likely to succeed is:

• Ride only what distance you can comfortably do in a day, especially in the beginning of the tour.
• Avoid riding until you are beat and need to take a day or days off.
• Take short mileage days when needed.  Consider them rest half days.
• Eat plenty of food and drink plenty of water.
• Pack light.
• Take it one day at a time.
• Have fun!

[John Nelson]

If you start with no training whatsoever, you may only be able to do 5 miles a day. At that rate, you can't even make it to the next place to spend the night. Start by riding one mile, TODAY! Then ride one mile every day for a week (or every other day for two weeks), and then give two miles a try. I would hope you could build up to 20-miles rides, not necessarily every day, before beginning a tour.

[sprocketman]

Ronnie,
You must train before a long ride. Lack of training will invite soreness and injury. You will want this to be the best trip of your life. It will be no fun if you lay down at the end of the day and are too tired to move around and enjoy yourself. I started training for my last 24 day tour at 260 pounds. After 6 months of training, I left for my trip at 221 pounds. At the end of my trip (1500 miles) I was at 214. That was 9 months ago and I am currently at 228 and steady. I am training for my next tour in July (14 days). Training is critical. You will know that you are in shape when you can ride all day, take a shower, have dinner, and don't feel like you rode all day.

[ronnie421]

Thanks for all the comments.  I, myself, am doing ok.  I ride a regular 20 miles a day (to and from work and fortunately, we have access to showers and lockers, so arriving at work sweaty is no problem) and usually push for 30 on weekends. I dont feel any pain or soreness. I CANT WAIT to hit that 60-80 mile a day ride! THAT is when I KNOW I'll be ok. What slows me down right now is time. Its hard for me to get in a long ride when the sun goes down so soon after I get out of work. I dont like riding at night. Now that Daylight Savings Time has kicked in here in the U.S., it should give me an extra hour in the evening for a longer ride.  I still have over a year till for my TA ride. I start in last week of May, 2012. I'm sure by then, I will have hit that mark.   

[Tandem4Rider]

Ronnie421,

Good to hear you commute - so do I.  I suggest riding a bit more in the mornings if the evening is a problem.  I work so early I have to ride in the dark or I don't ride at all - half of all my miles are in the dark.  Mornings do have advantages - less traffic, cooler, and a great way to start the day.    I don't know where you are, but here where I live I'm on the road by about 5 AM and most of the cars are moving in the opposite direction than me. (My only real gripe is that people don't lower their high beams!)  I'd suggest lights to use, but there are plenty of options and that topic has been covered on the gear page.

Glad to hear about your weight loss - great job!

[ducnut]

For sure, I think you can do it.

Here's some inspirational reading:
http://www.bicycling.com/training-nutrition/nutrition-weight-loss/i-lost-320-pounds-riding-bike

Flagged as spam, for some reason. It's not.

[John Nelson]

Daylight is currently increasing by 3 minutes a day. It won't be long before we have plenty.

[csykes]

Great job on the weight loss and for commuting to work!  I would put racks and panniers on your bike and add weight every week.  Sounds like you are making great progress in preparing for your tour next year.   

[staehpj1]

I would put racks and panniers on your bike and add weight every week.

Different strokes...

My theory is that :
1. When preparing for a tour, conditioning is mostly about time in the saddle.
2. You will spend more time in the saddle if it is fun.  As a result I think riding an unladen bike is better and if you have a sportier bike than your touring bike for much of your riding so much the better.  I do recommend riding on the bike you will tour on some of the time though.

[paddleboy17]

My theory is that :
1. When preparing for a tour, conditioning is mostly about time in the saddle.
2. You will spend more time in the saddle if it is fun.  As a result I think riding an unladen bike is better and if you have a sportier bike than your touring bike for much of your riding so much the better.  I do recommend riding on the bike you will tour on some of the time though.

I am pretty much with staehpj1 on this one.

I would advocate doing some over night test tours to get a handle on how your bike handles when laden, and to work out using your gear.  Plus overnight trips, when done right, are fun and rewarding.