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**Tim McNamara** · February 20th 09, 02:29 AM posted to rec.bicycles.misc,rec.bicycles.rides

In article
,
wrote:

My background: I have never ridden a road bike before. Only recently
started training for long distance (more than 10 miles) riding. I am
over 40 years of age.

My existing bike: Road Master mountain bike that I have been using
until a couple of weeks ago.

Current situation: I have signed up for a charity bike ride. The
final ride is a 180-mile ride in April spanning two days in a
weekend. So, I am training for it by riding in a club every Saturday.
Figured out that my mountain bike is slow and I needed a road bike.
Others riders were passing me even though my cadence was heigher than
theirs.

Road bike: Schwinn Prelude arrives and I get it fitted. I took it to
the training ride on last Saturday. Happy with the product. I stayed
in the middle of the pack and completed a 43-mile ride in 4 hours.
Longest ride ever. The route was hilly and there was constant breeze.

Problem: Various parts of my body hurt for a couple of days.
Specifically, neck, shoulders, lower back, and pelvic area hurt more
than any other part. Could that be because my bike is not really
fitted well to suit my body? Or, could it be cause it was my first
time on a road bike?

Thank you very much for your insights and help!

Well, first off, congratulations and many happy years of riding bikes!

Now, to answer your question biographically. I'm 49 and I've been a
bike nut since about age 10. I ride 5,000-7,000 miles a year and have
done rides up to 375 miles in a weekend. Every year in the spring, my
muscles are sore after the first bike ride or two. This recurs a few
times as the length of the rides ramps up, but after a month of regular
riding it is very rare to have sore muscles after a bike ride unless it
is unusually long or unusually fast.

I think your body just isn't used this this kind of thing, but it will
quickly adapt.