Just joined...

[VamP]

Hi everyone,

I guess it's only polite to introduce myself properly, before jumping straight in and racking up an awe inspiring post count.

I have been out of cycling for well over 15 years, and in the meantime had kids got fat, the usual...

Now I am getting back into it as a part of a general shape up drive (which also includes my old sports climbing and skiing). I have dusted of my trusted Spesh Rockhopper, equipped with road-bias tyres, and started to rack up a few miles. But the ultimate driver in regards to cycling specifically has been the introduction of R2W by my company, which is making it totally economical for me to look at getting a decent road bike. And combine getting to work with getting that little bit fitter.

I am loving the forum, the wealth of knowledge and general good vibe, so I plan to hang around, and hopefully contribute somewhat as well.

Happy riding to all.

Vam

 

[Aces7809]

Welcome your at the best place :-)

 

[coffeejo]

aboard!

 

[phil1965]

welcome........................from sunny cheshire

 

[LosingFocus]

Welcome from a Surrey exile now in Essex.

 

[Norm]

Greetings, VamP, from a few miles up river. I was most of the way to Weybridge last weekend, meeting a friend in Staines for a brew.

This reminds me that I really should take a trek down the Thames again, I haven't done it yet this year. That might be my "thing that I did instead of watching the wedding".

BTW, I know enough about rock climbing and **ahem** being fat that I don't believe you have got that fat over the years if that's what you are planning on doing tomorrow.

 

[postman]

Greeting from a very warm Leeds Yorkshire .Enjoy yourself on here .

 

[VamP]

Wow, lots of sincere welcomes. Much appreciated.

 

[VamP]

Greetings, VamP, from a few miles up river. I was most of the way to Weybridge last weekend, meeting a friend in Staines for a brew.

This reminds me that I really should take a trek down the Thames again, I haven't done it yet this year. That might be my "thing that I did instead of watching the wedding".

BTW, I know enough about rock climbing and **ahem** being fat that I don't believe you have got that fat over the years if that's what you are planning on doing tomorrow.

Good spot!

As a new resident of Surrey I have recently discovered and already fallen in love with the Thames ride. Love the regularly spaced riverside pubs especially!

As to climbing and fat - you are right of course. But I did get fat, though I am on the other side of the hump as it were. I was at 11 stone when I was at my climbing peak, then ballooned to 16 in the ten years since I stopped climbing, and now am slowly winding my way back down to the 11-12 mark. At 13.5 at the moment.

My work commute works out at a healthy 32 miles round trip, so that is definitely going to do wonders for my weight control, if I can stick with it.

 

[Norm]

Ballooned to 16, huh. I haven't been that light since I hit puberty.

 

[VamP]

Ballooned to 16, huh. I haven't been that light since I hit puberty.

Haha. One problem with forums is I now have no way of knowing if you are winding me up or not.

I'll just assume you are

 

[Norm]

I wish I was, but you see that avatar over there...
<<<



I'm somewhere round 120kg, depending on the number of days that I have commuted on the bike in that week. Down from about 138kg. And, in case you are wondering, when I said "I know enough about rock climbing", the full sentence could have been "I know enough about rock climbing to know I will never be able to do it".

 

[VamP]

I wish I was, but you see that avatar over there...
<<<



I'm somewhere round 120kg, depending on the number of days that I have commuted on the bike in that week. Down from about 138kg. And, in case you are wondering, when I said "I know enough about rock climbing", the full sentence could have been "I know enough about rock climbing to know I will never be able to do it".

Actually, there is a full spectrum of difficulty (ease) available for climbing. So pretty much anyone can do it at some level. Much like cycling, and most things in fact.

But in truth, it is frustrating if you're a solidly built chap like you or I to watch skinny whippets climb. I persevere through a misguided sense of nostalgia

 

[Norm]

I love fell walking but, once the ground moves past a certain angle, my sense of frailty overcomes my sense of adventure.

At that point, my brain overloads in trying to calculate how many things can go wrong, how many ways each of those things can go wrong, and how much each one would hurt me.

An ex-boss of mine didn't start climbing until he got to his mid-50s. It was the incentive for him to lose about 4 of his 15 stone.

 

[mistral]

Weybridge, were almost neighbours. Hello from Esher