Yup! And we bigger folks can be great descenders!
Amazing!!! So stoked that you are excited to race. And woooooaaah huge congrats on the results!
I hope that reading through these comments reassures you that you belong at races, just as much as everyone else. Cycling has an exclusivity problem. Ask anyone who isn’t a skinny white guy.
BUT this community here gives me hope that can change 
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I never considered CX as something I might enjoy, but this ^^^ sounds exactly like me. Maybe I should give it a try… 
Thats the minority in two of my clubs Y’all looking for diversity need to move to California or some other melting pot geography. I ride with cyclists from every major continent, men and women, and the vast majority with normal body shapes and sizes. Sure the pointy end of the club, on climbs, is skinny, but thats physics.
thats the point I was trying to make earlier in the thread. Its easy to feel self-conscious and think a compliment is an insult. Innocent until proven guilty is my philosophy,.
So true. You think you can tell and then find out later… nope, didn’t see that coming!
Really appreciate all the words of encouragement. I think a few have mentioned that the looks and remarks are probably not meant in the way I think, and I believe you’re probably right in a lot of cases.
Hearing from others in a similar position really helps too, so thank you.
I will indeed keep it up!
Love this, it’s hilarious - I just wish I was capable of keeping a straight face while executing, no one laughs more at my jokes than me 
In the context of some I race against, I would be larger than many if not against general pop (I did used to be though, cycling was part of changing that). However, racers of a similar build to the photo regularly kick my arse in races.
I race vets/ masters now, but have done open racing too - absolute power beats w/kg in the vast majority of races here in Ireland. Even hilly courses are usually power climbs rather than long w/kg tests, so I’d often get my head kicked in by the skinny guys and the absolute power beasts!
Kudos for pinning on a number. Many riders never do that despite years of training so you’re already ahead of the pack.
As for being heavy and racing - yes go for it.
I started my adult cycling renaissance in the summer of 2017 as a reaction to nearly hitting 270lbs a couple of months prior and shocking myself into activity.
I’m down to around 204lbs now so still not “light” by any measure but I decided early on to ignore any funny looks or comments and just enjoy being on my bike. Having encouraging friends was and remains a massive positive influence.
I took part in TTs and some Crits and found on the flat my extra weight made much less difference. Sounds like you have decent power already so look to make your strength a superpower 
I even did a few hill climbs weighing around 225lbs and just enjoyed the experience.
Good luck to you - life is too short to give the ‘looks’ and ‘comments’ of anyone else you don’t care about a second thought.
Anyone wondering if bigger riders can go fast should check this guy out. He won the 35+ 1/2/3 TT and Crit at Tour de Bloom this past weekend.
I find it very strange that American tri have separate ‘age groups’ for larger people
I think it makes a lot of sense. Although I think it would be more competitive if it could be by bodyfat% than weight. Obviously not with today’s unreliable measurement tech.
Same here. I’m about the same height and 20-40 kg heavier than most of my peers. I race ultras and do okay. Getting a decent placement is fairly straightforward when half the field quits. I think it’s a lot easier to shrug off the (“is this your first race?”) weirdness when you’ve bagged a couple races most cyclists couldn’t fathom doing themselves.
Cycling would be easier at lower weight, but it’s not something I stress too much about. When I was training for Unbound XL a few years ago I had fantasized about showing up at the starting line at lean 82 kg. Nowhere close! But you just gotta run what you brung. Got my midnight club patch at 93 kg.
I’ve been around the same weight (+/- 5 kg) for most of my athletic pursuits–the only thing that has changed is the sport. What was once an asset is now a detriment. There’s only so much you can do to fit a square peg into round hole. Raising muscle mass and power are the easiest knobs to turn, so I focus on those the most.
I’m a big fan of Athena/Clyde categories. I’ve said to many people I’d race shorter distances (~100 miles) if they had such a opt-in podium. There are quite a lot of sports where lighter athletes are allowed to be competitive by virtue of weight classes. I don’t see why the inverse can’t be an option in cycling.
Reminds me of a friend of my Dad’s. Guy is in his 60’s, has a rather portly midsection, a stocky frame, and looks like a bear on a bicycle. If you didn’t know, you’d think he couldn’t pedal one mile, much less one hundred miles.
The dude raced track and road 35+ years ago and must still have an insane FTP. On any fast group ride when we’re all sucking wind he’s up in the hoods just motoring along like it’s nothing. Damn genetics!
The sport hasn’t changed. I’ve always been bigger, even when I was skinny. My buddies would beat me up hills and I’d crush them in a sprint. You have to race your strengths. It’s always been this way.
What has changed is the awareness of weight in the sport. I raced in the US in the 1990s and nobody really talked about weight at the amateur level. We didn’t have power meters and nobody talked about watts/kg. Still, skinny guys did road races and the guys with power raced crits.
I used to play American football and rugby. So yes, the sport I am pursuing has changed.
I see what you are saying now. I thought you were saying that cycling had changed.
That’s a HUGE achievement. Well done!!
I COULD NOT AGREE MORE 
. My story is different but after a long period of forced time out of endurance sports, I returned in a completely different body. It was hard and uncomfortable. But my community helped me fall back in love with the sport. Now I feel grateful to my body for allowing me to do the sport I love.
best part of being in a club and doing group rides!
YEESSS to this 
Thanks for sharing 
. It’s easy to look around and feel like everyone else came out of the womb ready to go in the “correct gear”, looking “the part” and cycling fast!!! We are all on different stages of our journey in this sport 
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Love this approach. Shifting your focus to what your body can do as opposed to what it looks like is liberating, AND will make you a faster cyclist!!