Who ya gonna call? GutBusters!

If you know me you'll agree I'm not the smallest, thinnest, lightest, racing snake cyclist on two wheels. While I have dropped a fair amount of flab in the past 4 years (30kg) it's really tough to get rid of the tummy.

I have cyclists calfs but a sumo stomach.

I'll be 47 in a couple of weeks and my goal is to get down to around 90kg before I'm 48. I'm not in a great hurry... although I wish its would go faster.... I know that it comes back as faster that you loose it.... if it takes a couple of years, so be it.

I'm fit and healthy (My Doc says I have the heart of an 18 yo athlete - pity I don't have the matching body) and 150km per week on the bike at around 22-24km/h average. That's 6-7hours of strenuous cardio (70-80% maxHR) every week and I'm getting stronger, faster and going further all the time.

But THE BLOODY GUT WON'T BUST!!!! I've given up weighing myself and use my belt as my guide but it's still inconsistent. Heres a good article that may help those of you afflicted with Toomuchbellyitis.

Fred Matheny is a cycling coach and you can find his eBook (downloadable) on year round road cycling improvement here.

Here's an extract from his book, Complete Book of Road Bike Training, on loosing the extra KGs.

It's important to do "core" exercises like crunches to keep the abs toned and reduce lower back problems. You can do them at home on a carpet or exercise mat. No health club needed.
 
However, remember that strong abs won't reduce the size of your waistline. You can do crunches from now till doomsday and all you'll get is an extremely strong abdominal wall covered with the same layer of fat that presently exists.
 
Here's why: Fat is lost at the same rate from all over the body. Further, it's lost only by increasing the number of calories burned and reducing the number taken in. There's no such thing as "spot reducing" -- exercising a certain part of the body to take fat off that specific area.
 
Crunches alone won't burn enough calories to help you shed fat. To lose weight, continue to cycle. Two rides a day may be more effective than one ride of the same total length because your metabolism is boosted twice.
 
Ride longer weekends, too, to incinerate more calories. The longer you go on Saturday or Sunday, the better. Include hills or friends who push the pace for even greater benefit. Combine your cycling with a sound nutritional plan and you should see steady weight loss.