Hi all.
My names Andy. I'm a big guy and have took to cycling to lose some weight.
Did 8.2 miles today in just short of an hour.
Looking for motivation and answers for any questions that may come up
I do have one issue at the moment. My hands during a ride begin to cramp between my thumb and finger. The only way I can get rid of the pain is the hold the outside of the handlebar. Like palm the end and grip it that way. Any suggestions ?
Thanks
Hi Andy. My name is also Andy. I am also originally from Birmingham. I am also a big guy (6'5" and 20st). I may be your alter ego, as I've been cycling for about 5 1/2 years now, and have quite unintentionally ended up covering the distance from Land's End to John O'Groats 10 times over, and have recently conquered my first Alp. So as to providing motivation, please believe me when I tell you that there is absolutely no limit on where or how far you will quite soon be able to ride if you keep at it. As the song goes, "Keep right on 'til the end of the road".
It hasn't made me an ounce lighter, but a lot of the lard seems to have turned to muscle, and at the age of 53 I'm feeling the fittest I've ever been. (There's one for my obituary next week!). I have done it by treating every local hill as my own personal Alpe d'Huez to be beaten, and by tagging along with mates who are all
a bit stronger than me. Mass participation charity rides are also a great experience and a good way to keep challenging yourself. There seem to be quite a few rather big CycleChat regulars out there doing way more impressive stuff than me - see the replies to my earlier thread "Am I Britain's biggest audaxer?).
As to your cramps, my best advice would be to speak to the man in your local bike shop. If he's worth his salt, he'll put you right. You will find that there are some really knowledgeable and helpful regulars on this site who may also be able to help, but first you'll need to tell them a bit more about what kind of bike you are riding. Good luck to you Andy.