Husband Thinks "It's All Down Hill From Here"
Fellow cyclists 50 plus: I need your advisement.
My husband is 51. I am 40. We cycle together. We were mainly doing trail riding for the first 3 years (flats, no hills, but lots of miles). Then we decided to try road riding. We bought road bikes this past February and have about 400 miles on them so far. Here is my dilemma. My husband is about to "throw in the towel" because he cannot "keep up" with me. I keep trying to explain to him that weight is an issue (he is very fit--has a strong, large upper body and weights 200 lbs at 5'10"--lots of muscle to carry). I weight 148 lbs at 5'7". He has grown very frustrated and has even just up and quit a ride once because he was so frustrated.
He continues to tell me that "it's all down hill from here---as I get older, I will continue to get worse while your best days are ahead of you since you are only 40." I GET SO MAD AT HIM when he says this bullSH@#! I firmly believe that the MORE you PRACTICE and the MORE you RIDE you will ONLY CONTINUE TO IMPROVE! But he doesn't want to hear it. I am growing tired of his attitude but can't think of any way to help him realize he has GREAT potential but must continue riding in order to meet that potential. I feel like I am talking to a brick wall. Can some of you please offer me some advice as to how I can convince him that there is SO MUCH MORE to gain as he continues to gain more experience riding. PLEASE HELP ME! I don't want to lose my riding buddy. He is my best friend and I don't want us to stop riding together. I fear that will hurt our marriage as well, if we don't share the same interests.
Thank you for any advice. I know there are riders out there 50+ who absolutely KICK ASS in their riding and I want to hear from you! I need to prove to him that he CAN DO THIS and HE MUST NOT GIVE UP just because he's a little frustrated.
Thanks again for any words of wisdom you can share.
Lori