Preparing to get back in the saddle (or recumbent seat as the case may be)

[ActiveMSers]

The other day I cranked out an hour on my stationary bike using just my legs (I can also use arm power on my Airdyne-type cycle). I purposely went at a slow cruising speed--averaging 7.5 miles an hour--to see how my legs would hold up, taking breaks every 15 minutes. Why?

I've done 10 miles in an hour without rest and I wasn't able to walk much of anywhere for the next couple of days. And I can't obliterate my legs every time I go cycling. Laura would not be amused.

I've been wanting to buy a trike to take advantage of one of the best urban bike trails in the US just minutes away from our house.
And the slower test with frequent breaks worked great. I started at 8.5 mph and felt fantastic. In the second half, I dropped down in the low 7s to try to conserve energy and to ensure I finished a full hour. I still had some "go" at the end, too.

I think I'm ready to get a trike--it's been on my radar for years. It's about damn time I get back out on the bike trail!

[Fit Paul]

Dave what trike are you looking at?

[AMFADVENTURES]

Does this mean we'll see you on a trike at Pedal los Pueblos this year?

ps: When exercising, you shouldn't obliterate your legs more than once or twice a week.

[sue w.]

Last year I bought myself a TerraTrike Rover and started riding nearly every day. I was able to work up to about 5-6 miles. I loved it. Unfortunately, I then began to experience a decline...my left leg started to collapse outward as I rode. I tried tying it to my right leg to keep it upright, but that wasn't very successful. It was extremely frustrating. Then the snow started and I haven't been on it since then. I tried to find a trike that would combine leg AND hand cycling, but could not find any. That would be ideal - to use the legs until they gave out, then switch to hands.
Not sure what I will find when the snow melts - can I still ride? Used a rowing machine all winter.
(Dx'd 2002 with R/R, secondary progressive by my 10th year)

[AMFADVENTURES]

Last year I bought myself a TerraTrike Rover and started riding nearly every day. I was able to work up to about 5-6 miles. I loved it. Unfortunately, I then began to experience a decline...my left leg started to collapse outward as I rode. I tried tying it to my right leg to keep it upright, but that wasn't very successful. It was extremely frustrating. Then the snow started and I haven't been on it since then. I tried to find a trike that would combine leg AND hand cycling, but could not find any. That would be ideal - to use the legs until they gave out, then switch to hands.
Not sure what I will find when the snow melts - can I still ride? Used a rowing machine all winter.
(Dx'd 2002 with R/R, secondary progressive by my 10th year)

Sue, I experience a similar phenomena, which I've never seen written up in the sports literature BTW, where my cycling gait becomes uncoordinated after a number of weeks or months of riding. I've found I can get over it by either significantly reducing the amount of time I spend on the bike for a couple of weeks or by taking a week or two totally off. This is in addition to normal training where I take every 3rd or 4th week pretty easy anyway. No guarantee it will help your situation but it might be worth a try. It's the "Stress it and rest it" philosophy but maybe, with MS, we need to "rest it" a little more sometimes.

Good luck