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How light did YOU go?

A few years ago, in a different life when I lived alone and all I did was work and ride, I developed an extreme weight-weeny fascination with my bike and my body. Getting my titanium bike down to 6.8kg was easy enough - but it cost money. 

I was intrigued to see how light I could get myself whilst remaining bike-fit and riding well. At the beginning of this period I had peaked at 85kg. I'm 175cm. I was porky. Over the period of a year I slipped down to 75kg, still riding well but still carrying a couple of unnecessary kilos. 

Throughout I ate super healthily, if through much reduced portions.

From 73 and under, I began to look 'undernourished', my fingers got boney, and it began to be difficult to sit on unpadded chairs for long.

Ultimately I got down to 68kg. I looked positively ill, but have never felt healthier nor ridden stronger. It just wasn't a good weight to live in the real world.

What's your lowest?

 

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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19 comments

Avatar
Htc | 6 years ago
1 like

177cm, in the last 10 years I’ve been up at 76kg and down at 68kg. In October I was 70kg, put some effort on increasing leg muscles over the winter and I’m now at 73kg, looking to drop a kg or so for the road season in the next six weeks. On the plus side, 1-5min power is up a decent amount.

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Pushing50 | 6 years ago
1 like

49 years of age, 176cm tall and never been over 74kg. Lowest I got was last year prior to doing a 300mile ride over three days. I did all the pre-ride training which reduced my weight and then suffered food poisoning one week prior to the ride. Started the ride at a weight of 64kg and felt lousy on the first day. I finished the ride on day three feeling really strong and after eating a lot of pizza, chicken and cake had regained the weight to about 67kg. I feel that 67kg is my best weight for the hills.

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simonmb replied to Pushing50 | 6 years ago
0 likes

Pushing50 wrote:

49 years of age, 176cm tall and never been over 74kg. Lowest I got was last year prior to doing a 300mile ride over three days. I did all the pre-ride training which reduced my weight and then suffered food poisoning one week prior to the ride. Started the ride at a weight of 64kg and felt lousy on the first day. I finished the ride on day three feeling really strong and after eating a lot of pizza, chicken and cake had regained the weight to about 67kg. I feel that 67kg is my best weight for the hills.

64kg. Impressive, notwithstanding the illness. Good on you for starting the ride. Kudos to the pros for keeping the weight off though eh?

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Richard1982 | 6 years ago
1 like

My lightest was about 72kg back in about 2014/15. Since 2016 I've been concentrating on the track sprinting so weight isn't really a major concern, today I'm about 80kg (6'2").

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Eli | 6 years ago
1 like

5"11 64.5kg. Lean and healthy. Find it hard to put on weight really something I inherited from Mum. If I hadn't found cycling, i'd probably weight 20kg more. One of my best friends was in the same boat. Found it hard to put on weight at 5'9 and 58kg. We both agreed on a strict gym regime. I found cycling whilst He continued on the Gym work. He now weighs 82kg pure muscle. That would have been me had cycling not existed.

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don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
2 likes

183cms and about 72kg, I climbed like a demon, ate well, felt good and still had flabby bits so I figure that I could have lost more and still been healthy.

Currently at 88kg after a high of 98kg at the beginning of the year, jnust looking to see where this 50yr old can go.

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simonmb replied to don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
2 likes

don simon wrote:

183cms and about 72kg, I climbed like a demon, ate well, felt good and still had flabby bits so I figure that I could have lost more and still been healthy.

Currently at 88kg after a high of 98kg at the beginning of the year, jnust looking to see where this 50yr old can go.

Impressive weight loss so far this year fella. Good work.

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Nick T | 6 years ago
5 likes

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

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ConcordeCX replied to Nick T | 6 years ago
1 like

Nick T wrote:

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

still the same dress size, he means

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madcarew replied to ConcordeCX | 6 years ago
0 likes

ConcordeCX wrote:

Nick T wrote:

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

still the same dress size, he means

Nope, literally....

And I thought my predeliction for dresses was going to be our little secret, Concorde, baby  3

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madcarew replied to Nick T | 6 years ago
1 like

Nick T wrote:

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

Literally. Some of my cycling jerseys are those I raced in 25 years ago, and still fit me. I have a couple of pairs of Levi jeans that I bought in the early '90's which haven't worn out yet. I used to have to get them a couple waist sizes large to fit over my quads (sprinter) and now the belt is out a couple of notches from where it was, (34 waist now, was 32), but yeah. Some of my clothes are the same as I wore 25 years ago. One is a woollen jersey which was the points jersey from our national tour in 1988. It may have stretched a little....

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Canyon48 replied to madcarew | 6 years ago
0 likes
madcarew wrote:

Nick T wrote:

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

Literally. Some of my cycling jerseys are those I raced in 25 years ago, and still fit me. I have a couple of pairs of Levi jeans that I bought in the early '90's which haven't worn out yet. I used to have to get them a couple waist sizes large to fit over my quads (sprinter) and now the belt is out a couple of notches from where it was, (34 waist now, was 32), but yeah. Some of my clothes are the same as I wore 25 years ago. One is a woollen jersey which was the points jersey from our national tour in 1988. It may have stretched a little....

You have clothes that are older than me!

Avatar
Canyon48 replied to madcarew | 6 years ago
2 likes
madcarew wrote:

Nick T wrote:

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

Literally. Some of my cycling jerseys are those I raced in 25 years ago, and still fit me. I have a couple of pairs of Levi jeans that I bought in the early '90's which haven't worn out yet. I used to have to get them a couple waist sizes large to fit over my quads (sprinter) and now the belt is out a couple of notches from where it was, (34 waist now, was 32), but yeah. Some of my clothes are the same as I wore 25 years ago. One is a woollen jersey which was the points jersey from our national tour in 1988. It may have stretched a little....

You have clothes that are older than me!

Avatar
henryb replied to madcarew | 6 years ago
1 like

madcarew wrote:

Nick T wrote:

You wear the same clothes you did 25 years ago?

Literally. Some of my cycling jerseys are those I raced in 25 years ago, and still fit me. I have a couple of pairs of Levi jeans that I bought in the early '90's which haven't worn out yet. I used to have to get them a couple waist sizes large to fit over my quads (sprinter) and now the belt is out a couple of notches from where it was, (34 waist now, was 32), but yeah. Some of my clothes are the same as I wore 25 years ago. One is a woollen jersey which was the points jersey from our national tour in 1988. It may have stretched a little....

 

Likewise - and I'm sure this isn't uncommon - I still have clothes I wore in the 1980's which I still wear

HB

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madcarew | 6 years ago
1 like

Opposite route. I raced at 67 - 68 kg 25 years ago. Currently 85 kg, but still fit the same clothes as I did at 68 kg. I really can't work that out. I've largely sat at 80 kg +/- 2 kg. I did ironman 6 yrs ago and got down to 76 kg, separated 18 months ago and got down to 74 kg. I can't imagine being 68 kg again, at 74 kg I was quite gaunt. As regards the OP, once you're below 7-8% BF it starts to become unhealthy, and generally it has health implications to sit below 10% for extended periods of time. Of course there are those who inhabit these areas without any effort, and it is unlikely it has long term health effects for them. No-one does elite sport for their health!

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Canyon48 | 6 years ago
1 like

I'm 178 cm and currently hit the scales at a shade under 66 kg, struggling to get my weight down much further now!

I've only really been cycling 5 years (since I had open heart surgery when I was 17) and I've lost 15kg in that time.

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Stef Marazzi | 6 years ago
3 likes

Starting cycling age 33 , 110 kilos. Now age 40, between 86 and 92 kilos, riding 120 road miles every week. I eat shitloads! Can't really get any lighter, cos I love eating too much!

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
1 like

5ft 11in, in the last 10 years lightest I've been is about 95kg, heaviest 107kg (oops!) but always a stocky kid and muscular legs/chest/shoulders stemming from my rugby/army days, put too much poundage on but back to 97kg, hoping to trim down closer to 90kg though and shift some of the puppy fat.hahaha

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Boatsie | 6 years ago
0 likes

I'm 6'3; 193 cm.
Twenty years ago I struggled to get beyond 86kg. 86kg every day; wouldn't budge. I couldn't do without exercise hence at 1 stage I was eating 13 meat sandwiches as lunch. Eating lots. All you can eat pizza was often 30+ slices. (3 and 3/4 family size pizzas). Was lots of exercise though finding 20 km jogs easy. I wanted to exceed 100kg but more I ate, more I exercised.
Nowadays I'm slow. Different friends and habits led to basically sitting around... Eventually achieved my goal of 100kg and attempting to reduce again. Seem to steady around 94 kg nowadays. Friggin knot hurts though. Loving cycling

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