FirstV8

I managed a loss this month even though i did not achieve target kilometers and also ate to many cheats at night . Waffles and ice cream , banana and date loaf and a few pancakes as well . I have settled into a good training regieme and find that if i stick to that then i can control my weight quite easily even when not watching what and when i eat . Im down to 84kg and find climbing enjoysable now as well as being able to turn a big gear for long periods on the flat roads .

Yes . Last year i was paid out for my bike by the insurance . I settled on a Silverback Sido 2 at R26500 . My fitness and stamina levels are not what they are today . I am 10kg lighter and enjoy 100km plus rides a few times a month and my daily 40km on the road .The bike is good and rides well but the equipment is not going to give me the enjoyment that i would want from a much better group set . I have already replaced , chan , chain ring , saddle , handle bar stem and one rim ( buckled due to rock miss hap ) If i had been a bit more patient and looked for a second had Giant , or Trek with much better equipment and frame spec i would be better off .

My Ghost is also a 3X10 but dual sus. so its comfortable even locked front and back for road training . With a 42 big ring its easy to stay with roadies until you hit the downhills then its tickets. Im an old roadie and know how to sit tight in a bunch and suck a good wheel .

I have two bikes and the distance is shared about equally . The Ghost Carbon i ride on the road with slicks and the Silverback aluminium i ride off road . Both have had new chains and one has had a chan ring replaced . MTB Tyres will give me about another 2000 km , and the slicks will go many more km's . i have only had one puncture in the slicks . I service my own bikes so small things that need sorting are done as they happen .I broke a spoke on Sunday on my slick wheels and replaced it yesterday .

As i said earlier i missed my 1000 km training goal by 90 km last month so am determined to do it this month but the first day we already have rain in the afternoon . Not a good start to april . Ill make up the km's during the public holidays .

A good month training but coming short on my 1000km target by 90km . Too many rainy afternoons that i was not able to ride . . Having dropped to below 85 kg i am able to climb much better and ride away from the climbers on the flat and downhill sections . I do a fast road ride on a MTB with slicks on a Sunday morning and normally catch or get caught by some roadies on road bikes who i then hook in behind and they cant drop me on that circuit 35km that i ride ,. I often ride in my "Cranky Old Bastard " jersey and then get told afterwards to change it to "Tough Old Bastards " . Im going to start looking at buying a light road bike to do those training sessions on the road .

I've measured the Futurelife I eat at work as well and it's more than I thought. For now I'll replace the milk in that with water and have oats on some days instead. I had much the same issue with milk in my oats and milo . Stopped milk and replaced with water and the weight dropped off quicker . You still need to do the training and if you can uo that you are on a winning streak .I cut sugar and salt out of my diet ( white foods theory ) I find there is enough in most foods to compensate for not adding it in .

If only we had the hills and trails that you guys have down there . I would happily do those numbers . Our 80 or 100 km ride on a saturday at best gives us 500 to 600 m of climbing .

Not the best month for me with the rain hampering my afternoon training and my son home again from Afghanistan for his holiday . My wife bakes a lot of cake and we eat out a bit more to spoil him . I only managed 700 km but dit do a lot of hills in the process which helped with my weekend rides being a bit more comfortable /easier when climbing our flat little hills we have on the East Rand . I can feel the difference 5 Kg (85.2 kg ) make when training on the road without my 3 kg camel pack when off road . I can now average 30 plus kph on afternoon rides . Here is my Strava screen shot of my Zig Zag route giving me 600m of ascent in 40km within 6 km of my home .

To make it even more exciting you then turn right at the top and make your way onto Sam Green rd , cross the N12 bridge and climb Wessel rd into Sunnyridge . Them make your way down to Kraft rd turn up Barbara and the left up Richards drive and back the way you came . Do that twice and you have one hell of a work out after a good 40km around the O R Tambo .

During the week it's crazy with cars and trucks and on weekends, it's a ghost town. Yes very quiet and never had a problem .

The East Rand does not have much to offer . There is a hill in Meadowdale ( Edenvale /Germiston ) that starts at Fleming rd along Newton and finally up Essex . Its about 2km in length but not sure of elevation and gradient . . I've seen some guys walk it but a good 24 x 36/42 gets you up there at a about 12kph . We of course also have AG de Wit drive going up from Edenvale to Dawnview . I generally climb them each once a week depending on time of day i train .

I have weighed in early this month as i am so pleased that i topped my 1000km target training this month . I am aiming at 1200 km by April as it rains less and my training will not be cut short or on some days not even happen .Our off road rides should get longer as well as most of our Grumpy gang will have some good miles in their legs . The area we ride in will also have less water and muddy track to get through .

I'm an oats breakfast man for the past 40 odd years and have never had the need to eat lunch before 12 or 1 pm .If im doing a long ride 80km plus i eat my breakfast before i go out and eat dates and cranberries on my ride for keeping the energy levels up .

Im in again . My weight loss from on will rely on the kilometers i put in because my eating habit has stabilized and i know my limits . I swim a lot but damaged my upper right arm and am really batling to swim hard and long distance so that might slow my weight loss down . Here goes 2019 and my goal of 82.5kg

Some people are just not street wise .If you advertising on the forums , Fb and any other social media you are aware of these SCAMMERS . There are just so many tell signs in the way they present themselves .I sell car parts on line and that industry is rife with these guys and they are in our own country .My son is a paramedic and i have a saying when he goes on the road "Be careful out there and watch your back " he responds by " careful of the dodgy spare part buyers "HAHA I have not been caught yet .

@ Johan Kleynhans . At your age its still very possible to get weight off without it becoming a health issue . I followed my own diet program . Cut out white foods , eat mote vegetable and fruit , smaller meat portions , no fizzy drinks including alcohol and don't eat anything you can buy that comes in a crinkly cellophane packet . Simple but effective as long as you train , If you have a urge for anything that you shouldn't eat go ahead and have it in moderation . I still drink beer (alcohol free ) eat a large bar one and drink a 600ml Pepsi weekly after a long ride .sometimes more than once a week . I believe if you deny your taste buds that craving you will overcompensate when you eventually do drink or eat . It took me 18 months to lose 37kg .and i did not require a dietician to give me a "do and dont " eat list . Good luck .

So i get the bragging rights to last years "loser of the year " To celebrate i had a treat this evening but tomorrow im off on a 80 km early morning ride to Big Red Barn and back to Benoni . Im going to screen shot the last months results and frame it to put on my wall in my den .. Thanks guys .

Missed out on my ride this morning as it was raining and has not stopped yet . I put in an hour on my spinning bike and 30 min on the tread mill . This gave the work out i would have had if this rain had not persisted . After a good bath a breakfast the scale still stayed in my favour with a further loss down to 86.8 kg . I would like to do a strava ride on my usual sunday route to see if i can better all the segments .

D Day tomorrow guys . I have put in over a 1000 km this month . Two of our ladys in our regular group have entered Race to the Sun and asked our help in getting some 100 km plus training rides . We also did some serious mine dump rides taking in some good steep short climbs which really tested your climbing in the smallest gear and them coming down the same ascent with out losing control in that soft mine sand . This has helped me as well as at 89 kg one does not climb to well but the strength training on dumps has done wonders . When i started this journey in June 2017 i was 124 kg and had last ridden my bike 20 years ago , now 18 months later and nearly 38kg lighter i am really enjoying my riding no matter what is in front of me . There is one rider in our group who weighs 60 kg is retired and does at least 1200 km plus every month and i have set my sights on beating him up one particular climb on one of our routes . Its 3 to 4 % two km long very bumpy and technical climb . I stay with him for most of the climb but that last 200 to 300 m is just too much at this weight . So i have set my goal weight to be able to out climb him at 80 kg for the near future . I weighed myself today and was very happy considering that cakes , icecream , fizzy drinks and roasts have been the order of the day since Christmas day .Im doing a 50 km ride tomorrow morning at the OR Tambo circuit and will then put my final weight on the spread sheet for the year .

Good on you Cois for sticking with cycling and a good diet to "kick cancers ass " Best of luck going forward .

Thanks but we still have to get through december .Well done on your achievement . The last half kilogram is always a great milestone to achieve , keep at it . My total weight loss since starting cycling again is 36.4 kg . I think im being a bit too ambitious by trying to get to 85 kg before year end .

I had a good month training and had set my goal at clocking my first 1000km month . On Wednesday just before going training i see my neighbor drive into his garden and i decide to go have a chat with and i ride into his garden on my bike . As i get in and dismount his jack russell bites me in my calf . I feed that dog when they are away , i go into his garden many times a month to chat . The dog obviously does not like bicycles HAHA . Needless to say i did not get to train since wednesday so missed my goal by 135km . My weight loss was again on target and i was down to 88,6kg . My eating routine has not changed much but i have cut down on my sugar and milk intake and only use a level spoon sugar in my oats and tea/coffee and make my oats with water and not milk . My only vice at night while on the computer is a cup of coffee ( made with milk ) and a slice of brown bread with peanut butter. ( Our internet provider is down so cant provide pics of dog bite and scale , will attach later )

My Silverback doing a good deed . On my Saturday morning route through the Bredel /Bapsfontein fields i saw a young tortoise walking in the tracks used by cyclists and bikers . I managed to get him on his way in the sparse grass which is just starting to grow after some evening rains .

I love a fair challenge .