The Incredible Hulk

Last night as I went to bed with my tent pitched on the lawn of the Oswego High School in Central New York, I felt like the Incredible Hulk.   My legs were so massive that they were like small trees.  It reminded me of the thighs that you see on Olympic speed skaters with veins and muscles on muscles.   Bicycling across the country changes a person dramatically.   And my waist was so slim that I need to go find a belt to keep my jeans from falling at least to my thick thighs.   Pulling on the handle bars, especially through the Teton, Cascade and Big Horn mountains have made my arms like Popeye so that I even cut off the sleeves of my jersey to make them more comfortable.  And, although the Hulk was green, I am red from the sun coming down on me daily. 

Then I woke up at 5 a.m. and realized it was a dream and I was the same ol' me! Many people have sent texts or messages wondering what I look like.  Because I don't have a computer and library computers don't have the capacity to download photos I'll have to wait a bit to post what I look like.  But basically I'm the same -- only about 10 pounds lighter as I weighed myself at the YMCA today (without clothes and before dinner!).   But in general cycling has been great for the legs and general health on the whole.  Folks on our trip look a little slimmer after 8 weeks of riding but we both eat like horses and ride like horses so there isn't a lot of weight loss or whatever most people expect.  Most will lose about 5-7 pounds.  There are a few exceptions though. One lady told me she lost 20 pounds about 10 years ago when she did this ride but then gained 30 pounds back!   

Anyhow -- I feel great and love being outside and riding seven hours or so a day but on the whole I needed to find a way to reduce some of the expectations you may have when you see me next!!  For me this has not been a weight-loss program per-se but  it is having great healthy side benefits.   I'm totally trying to think of a next goal to keep up the conditioning that biking 86 miles a day gives you.  But all of the riders know we need to reduce our eating before we stop the ride as we consume so much food every day to give us the calories to bike along mile after mile.   I am feeling lighter than I have in more than a dozen years though combined with the weight loss of another 10 pounds from simply training for this ride.   So I hope not to disappoint you all entirely!