Bariatric cycling club... your thoughts

Hi Guys,  

I am going to cross post this on a few boards. So, excuse the duplicates that you may come across.   I am 18 months out from surgery and doing great. Over the past year I developed a real love for cycling. During this time, I began cycling with some fellow WLS patients and members of my support group. We had a wonderful summer and fall of biking rail trails and a variety of trails in our area.

This winter we decided to start an actual cycling club for bariatric patients. We have begun our planning and hope to be up and cycling when winter dies away and spring is in full bloom.   I am here today to see if any of you participate in a cycling club or cycle with fellow WLS patients? We are looking for input and ideas for our group. We don’t want to invent the wheel again but would rather learn form others’ experiences. From our research, we have been unable to find any other club with a similar goal and approach.  

I’ll definitely share how we are doing as we get going with this effort. Right now the three of us are very excited to see this become a reality. Cycling is such great exercise and easier to do than I ever imagined.   

Give me your thoughts and ideas on this. Even if you haven’t cycled, what would entice you to cycle? What would you like a cycling club of bariatric patients to do? What would keep you from joining a group like this?    

Thanks,
Tom from Ohio

My weight loss center has set up a walking club every Monday on the river walk. I haven't been but I've heard they get quite the turn out sometimes. Good luck! 

Brooke, That is great! I wonder if we should offer an option for folks to walk the trail. We are going to use a super nice trail that's part of the national park system. It runs along a canal and was originally the towpath. It's very shady and maintained so nice with plenty of benches and restrooms.  It is also used s lot by walkers. I am going to take this idea to the other planners. - Tom

Wish I lived out your way!  Would love to participate!

Hey Tom. I have been cycling for 4 years now and no matter what my weight I feel like an athlete on that thing! I started a cycling group call the Cyco Chicks a couple of years ago. Me and7of my buddies from work ( all women in the mental health field- psycho and cycle ; )  What an amazing journey it was as most of them had not even been on a bike in 20-30 years. Most of us were overweight or obese. By the end of a summer of training and short rides we all did the 160 mile American Lung Association Autumn Bike trek from Plymouth to Provincetown in Mass in 3 days. WE started our training with walks and then moved up t0 riding on a utility road until I could get them all to learn to be on bikes again and learn to shift gears. WE still ride now and are planning the 5 boro tour in NYC this May. Hell of a bonding experience and connects you to your body and inner athlete again. Go for it bud. Let us know how it's going!!

Jill,

Sounds great! We are getting good support as we plan. Our goal is to start rides in April. We are hosting our bariatric center's annual picnic on a canal towpath trail close to us. It's a great park and close to a bike shop. So, in June we are going to really encourage people to join us before the picnic with a poker run on the trail. In March we are the program for the support group meeting.

This summer Brett and I are spending a week cycling in CT. MA and RI with Rich from this board. He came to our wedding in P'town and we had a great time. We are looking forward to cycling the trails in your area this summer. Maybe you can join us one day that week. We're going the first week of July  and staying at Rich's beach cottage most of the week and P'town for a few days.

Tom
 

What a great trip Tom.Keep me in the loop! It will be nice to see some of the smiling faces from OH in person!

Sounds like a wonderful idea! I love where I live but it would be great to have a group like that!!

I did buy a bike last year...now just need to figure out how to ride it...

deb366