Fifty Plus (50+) - Sometimes you forget. 2 miles IS a big deal

Sometimes you forget. 2 miles IS a big deal

My very nice neighbor across the street has developed severe gout, so he has had to give up his treadmill and walking.

Instead, he is doing some bicycling.

He is about 4 years younger than I am. I talked with him this morning. He is proudly up to 2 miles bicycling at a time, for which it takes him a significant amount of "recovery time."

So, I told him to just keep adding a bit each day, and he is doing that.

He is amazed at my and my wife's 10-20-30-40 mile rides.

Last year I led a neighborhood "group ride." He participated, and we went 5.5 miles, at which time he nicely excused himself. He never said anything, but I would imagine that I almost killed him with that 5.5 mile ride. Espceially as he is now proud of getting all the way to 2 miles!

It is so easy to forget that we all started with zero miles and had to earn the mileage we now take for granted. I think it's pretty cool that you can support his efforts. Personally, I'll take every opportunity to help get another rider started in the ranks. I figure the more there are of us, the better. I've enjoyed this post.

Dnvr
If it is taking some time for your neighbour to do two miles and a significent recovery time- Then he deserves all the respect that I can give him. At least he is out there and doing something that will eventually benefit him. He may struggle, but it is like me doing a 150 offroad. I may be able to manage a hundred but to go that extra mile- Or in your neighbours case 2- does would hurt.

Pass on my appreciation- but when he starts moaning about saddle soreness- that is the time for you to take him out on a real ride.

Dnvr:

Your neighbor sounds like he's really putting his energy into his riding and that is what counts. Gout is a terrible condition to live with.

Like you, I've been trying to assemble neighborhood riders for group rides. I made a map of the county roads that my wife & I have been riding (actually the SW corner of our county) with mileages on EVERY segment of road. This I cobbled together from several maps traced multiple times to get one decent base map. We then drove every segment of every road in the car and noted distances. Now I have an 11 x 17 map easily copied that I give out to neighbors, friends, anyone that has a bike, has ridden a bike, thought about a bike, etc. You can ride 2 miles or 3.4 or 5.9 or 7.3 or whatever set of loops you want to create. I've scanned the map & turned it into a .pdf that I can e-mail to folks and I'm hoping it will eventually make it onto the website of the local cycling club.

Several of the folks from our little group rides have started to add up the various segments & ride their favorites, knowing that when they make each turn south or north, how long that segment is. For some of us, knowing, for example, that the last section of 'the ride' is 1.8 miles then a stop at the RR tracks gives a bit of incentive to push (or keep going). Are there such maps for your neighborhood? I know that Denver probably has nice on-line bike network maps but these may not give the smaller segment distances that new riders need to know to create their rides at distances they believe they can accomplish. As a new rider here in our area, I was completely intimidated by the 25 miles or 50 miles that the local hardcore riders favored so had to create my own 'micromap' accessible from my driveway. A year later, we're about to try some of those longer rides but without having the micromap for shorter distances, I don't think we would have ever gotten to this point.

TW

I can remember when 4 miles for me was a pretty good workout. Now it seems that unless I can go a minimum of 10, it isn't worth my trouble. Rode my age + last saturday (55 + 5) and felt great doing it. I really think I'm ready for the century. Tell your neighbor to keep at it and soon it will be fun instead of work.

Tom

Please tell your neighbor how proud we are of him!! Good for him!

The story reminds us how fragile health can be. Tell your friend that we're all proud of him and to just stay after it.

Things are so relative. Years ago I switched from running 4-6 miles daily to riding.....I thought 8 to 12 miles was a good cycling workout my first month. I smile now....8 to 10 is mostly warm the legs, lube the knees-- and then the riding begins.

My neighbor, who is disabled, rides a giant 3 wheeler once, sometimes twice around the block rain or shine. We sometimes meet outside and discuss bikie stuff. (Best chain lube, etc.) Sometimes I ride along with him. We are both cyclists, and so are George, Lance, and Floyd. Not to mention those young BMX'ers raising hell in the street. We all cherish our rides, be they 2 blocks or 60 miles. Cyclists all.

I assume you have told you neighbor about BF. He'd sure get plenty of encouragement from the 50+ers.

Dnvr:

Your neighbor sounds like he's really putting his energy into his riding and that is what counts. Gout is a terrible condition to live with.

Like you, I've been trying to assemble neighborhood riders for group rides. I made a map of the county roads that my wife & I have been riding (actually the SW corner of our county) with mileages on EVERY segment of road. This I cobbled together from several maps traced multiple times to get one decent base map. We then drove every segment of every road in the car and noted distances. Now I have an 11 x 17 map easily copied that I give out to neighbors, friends, anyone that has a bike, has ridden a bike, thought about a bike, etc. You can ride 2 miles or 3.4 or 5.9 or 7.3 or whatever set of loops you want to create. I've scanned the map & turned it into a .pdf that I can e-mail to folks and I'm hoping it will eventually make it onto the website of the local cycling club.

Several of the folks from our little group rides have started to add up the various segments & ride their favorites, knowing that when they make each turn south or north, how long that segment is. For some of us, knowing, for example, that the last section of 'the ride' is 1.8 miles then a stop at the RR tracks gives a bit of incentive to push (or keep going). Are there such maps for your neighborhood? I know that Denver probably has nice on-line bike network maps but these may not give the smaller segment distances that new riders need to know to create their rides at distances they believe they can accomplish. As a new rider here in our area, I was completely intimidated by the 25 miles or 50 miles that the local hardcore riders favored so had to create my own 'micromap' accessible from my driveway. A year later, we're about to try some of those longer rides but without having the micromap for shorter distances, I don't think we would have ever gotten to this point.

TW

I have done this, too, but not with an eye toward the shorter rides and putting in all the segment mileage. I like that, and will go back and do that. Our LBS has posted a couple of my maps (via our bike club) but I think a more detailed map is in order. Thanks for the incentive.

Sometimes it is good to flash back to our own "beginnings". A few years ago when I got back into cycling, I was pretty disappointed about barely making it around the block... But, I have come to realize that it was a good ride! It served its purpose and started a new life for me... one I had lost in my youth.

And, when it comes down to it, if that was still all I could do, and it took some effort, it would still be a good ride. Anyone who pushes themselves to their limits deserves credit for the effort!

There are probably a lot of people out there that couldn't even envision riding 2 miles, and your neighbor has grabbed the bull by the horns and actually ridden them.

Congratulations to him, and to those who have encouraged him so far!

It probably helps to remember that 2 miles alone can be as hard as 5.5 miles with encouraging company... at least until one learns to love the focus and solitude of a solo ride.

Go ride with neighbor: give him a 'high 5' and treat him to a coffee/coke on his next ride!
WQay to go!

I assume you have told you neighbor about BF. He'd sure get plenty of encouragement from the 50+ers.

Yes, I will do that, although his true avocation is building and flying RC model airplanes.

I don't want to have him overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the folks in this forum! :D

Hi. I'm pretty new here. I've started one thread pertaining to Bebop pedals under General Cycling. I'm 52 and have fairly recently gotten in to cycling.:)

I ride a Trek 7500 hybrid that I bought in May and have recently entered the clipless pedal world (Bebop pedals, of course:D ).

When I started cycling earlier this year, I used my son's Walmart MTB (this is after riding a stationary recumbent bike inside for 3-4 years). It took me over 20 minutes to make it around my 2.5 mi. neighborhood loop and my tongue was dragging on the ground. Now, I pedal my rear end off and can make 15 miles in one hour. My next goal is to join my 62 yr. roadie buddy on his 30 mi., 2 hr. ride. I'm psyched.

What a great thing cycling is, no matter how far you ride, and what a great forum this is.

donno

Welcome Donno.....keep pedaling, keep posting. You have a nice bike: 15, 30, and beyond to where you've never gone before.........these are the voyages of the bicycle BeBop. (Been watching TdF recaps all day and getting kinda fuzzy here.)

I used to see a guy on our 3 mile bike path. He has two nice looking giants, clipless set up with expensive shoes, helmet and bike shirts. He wear dungarees, rolled up on one side and stops at the halfway point of his 6 mile ride for two cigaretts. I haven't seen him in a few months.