Fifty Plus (50+) - Type of riding you do?

Ought to be done as a poll but there are too many choices that are for style and type of riding to make it a pointless way of getting answers.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.

How often do you ride?

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-


For me- I ride a mountain bike Offroad over some pretty rough terrain. The fact that I do it on a Tandem makes it a bit more stupid, but it is the type of riding I like. I don't class myself as Very fit but I am more of an Enduro type rider. If there is a choice between a quick blast round the trails or a 30 miler- it will always be a longer ride. Ride mainly at weekends- Sunday morning for about 4 or 5 hours and in the week it is either a couple of 2 hour road rides or gym sessions. Although Night riding offroad on the Tandem is the highlight of the week if it can be arranged. I am normally in continual training for a 100 mile offroad ride that I do each year, but due to holiday and the event clashing this year- I am taking the road bike to France this year and will take in a mountain or two. My goal this year is to Ride Mt. Ventoux in a morning and get some other decents rides in aswell. I have no special reason for riding except 16 years ago I realised I was losing my fitness and used Biking as way of retaining what fitness I still had left.

Your right stapfam, despite the simple topic it can be a difficult thing to quantify exactly.
1. I am a road rider, love the feel of cruising along on a nice piece of paved country highway or backroad.
2. Mon thru Fri I ride for exercise (15 mile course) usually 3, 4 mornings a week. The exception is during the winter if the temp is below 30.
3. I consider myself to be fit, but nothing more. Exercise was initially my motivation for riding. I hate running and had always owned a bike. My doc had put me on Lipitor as my Chol ratings had finally climbed into the danger zone. By riding and steady exercise I was able to drop the meds and maintain a chol rating in the normal range. That alone is almost worth the whole effort to me. Also I wanted to avoid slowly sinking into couchdom.
4. Since beginning to ride for exercise I have found that I enjoy going for nice solitary weekend rides, somewhere between 20-40 miles depending upon the demands of the day
5. Since getting into better shape I had a desire to try some distance riding and have participated in a couple of organized rides culminating last summer in 2 century rides, one of which was an organized ride. With the support that offered, having multiple rest stops, food, drink, etc. I was able to do the century with an average of 17.3 mph. I thought this was pretty good.

I am mostly a road rider, but at least once a week I get out on the doubletrack near to the house.

I've got lots of hills, so I am reasonably fit, although I could always improve.

I usually do at least 12 miles daily. More on the weekends when I can fit it in, and if there's not ice on the road (no longer an excuse here). I've just always done somethingfor exercise. Walk, ride, aerobics--all my life. My father was a strong influence in that. He would make us hike all around Santa Clara County/Santa Cruz County when I was younger.

I've done a couple of personal centuries, not organised ones.

I'm working on being a commuter when our facility finally gets shut down. It will be located closer to home, and should not be quite as hard to commute, even at night.

East Hill

I just bought a road bike at the beginning of winter. Haven't ridden it much yet, or for any distance over 20 miles so far (only out 3 times now!). Hope to build up to more distance, and increase my endurance. Most of my riding is done offroad-mtn.bike riding. I'm not very good at going over logs-I've gone over logs before the bike and had it follow and land on top of me! But I go over small logs and I'm OK with most rock gardens. Not as many trails and they are farther away than when I lived east, and used to ride around York, Pa. Lots of great trails there and my fitness and skill level were much higher then. Guess I'm average to a little above avg. fitness level. I had thought about giving up riding after the move, but haven't done it, at least not yet.

I'm mostly a road rider, but I like MTB too--except serious knock-your-teeth-out single track. I've always been sort of a plough horse. I can ride for hours. Just don't ask me to go particularly fast. Maybe that comes from my years as a self-contained bicycle tourist. A metric century isn't too big a deal for me. I might do 10-15 or so a year, but a full 100 miles is. The last one I rode was two years ago. Mostly, I'm very happy to ride 20 to 35 miles, which gives me energy and time to take care of the honeydew list and keep the divorce lawyers away.

I try to ride three or four times a week in good weather. Once a week or so in winter with some indoor spinning mixed in. I do try to take a one or two week-long bike vacations every year. (Where most of those metric centuries come in).

When I ride with a group, I'm usually spit out the back like a watermelon seed. Fortunately, there's usually a few bad seeds off the back to hang with. If not, I'm content to ride alone.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

I do a lot of "MUP" riding. We are fortunate in having excellent, little used MUPS that go for miles with no street crossings. We have some half-decent hills nearby, and I purposely ride those hills, generally on the roads (not much used and pretty wide.) I decided sometime back that, due to my personal situation, I needed to figure out the very safest type of riding for myself, and after examining statistics and the situation around here, I chose the MUPS. My wife (69 yo) and I frequently ride together, and we also have an excellent MUP trail system in the mountains of Colorado, where we also ride.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.

I classify myself as always fighting the battle of fitness. I think in general, I am pretty fit for my age of 67, but I know of many who are more fit, including on this group. When I have my singing group over (they are about the same age as I am), they all talk about their diabetes and other troubles, none of which I currently have. However, sadly, one's body DOES wear out, and I am feeling that to some degree. I consider fitness to be 1) the proper body weight/composition (I always fight that); 2) Strength (am probably stronger than most 25 yo's); 3) aerobic capacity (about typical 35 yo, I would guess) and 4) Flexibility (I fail this one!).

How often do you ride?

During "riding season" almost daily.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

Not any more. I just ride for fitness and pleasure. My "typical" ride would be 20-30 miles.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-

I like to ride to stores and such instead of taking the car. I also walk an awful lot. I also like leading rides for other seniors, which I do from April - October.

My wife and I take "road trips" in our Caravan bringing our mtn bikes along. We love exploring a new town by bike, or stopping in some country location and riding for a bit.

I ride on the road Tues-Fri 21 miles a day. On Sunday I do a long ride of 60+ miles. I would class myself as fit but would need to loose about 30lbs to be ultra fit which is beyond my willpower.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.

How often do you ride?

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-



1. 95% road riding-other riding is some Time Trials and cruising easy trails on a mountain bikes
2. Fit-I can chart my HR, BP, cholestrol and other medical stuff for the last 6-7 years and it clearly shows some of the physical rewards from getting regular exercise
3. I like to ride at least 3-4 days a week but difficult to do in the winter months. That would include 30-40 miles rides on Tuesday & Thursday and 60-100 mile rides on Saturday and/or Sunday.
4. I do lots of timed and untimed metrics, centuries and Time Trials. I use the timed events as personal motivation to gauge my level of fitness and also to gauge where I am in learning "how to ride" smarter. I'm able to look at my past times for the various events over the same routes so it is a pretty good gauge overall. I've improved my performance every year for the past 6 years.........Gotta wonder where the curve starts going the other way!!
5. Like others, I just love getting out of doors and seeing the countryside. I especially enjoy traveling to new areas to ride in various events. I'm going to try and do more of that this year-travel to other states within driving distance to ride in organized rides. I've met tons of truly great people out on the road. My new office is about 10 miles away so hopefully I can begin commuting for a few days a week soon.

I never started riding for any reason other than I really enjoy riding. Over 6-7 years it has helped me develop much healthier habits that I can commit to but it has also put a big dent in my savings......A much bigger dent than my other hobbies ever did!!! I wouldn't have it any other way.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.
Road, road and road. :)


How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.Getting fit. As my ID and title suggest, I started riding again to lose weight and have done well, losing better than 50 lbs. I'd like to lose another 50, but until the weather warms up enough to start spending real quality time on the bike, I'm doing well to hold the line.


How often do you ride?Whenever time, weather, and energy level permit. 100 mi. weeks are common for me, and I get in the occasional 200 mi. week.


Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised rideHave done several metric centuries. Plan on my first imperial centuries this year. Hope to get under 5.5 hrs by season's end.


Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter- As stated above, I started to lose weight, but this year, I plan to add a good bit of commuting/utility cycling to the mix. So far, I have more miles on the old beater than the road bike.

Have done several metric centuries. Plan on my first imperial centuries this year. Hope to get under 5.5 hrs by season's end.


That's crazy fast.

You need another fittness catagory: maintain fittness & weight

Other than the enjoyment of riding and my entire obsession with cycling and all things associated, that is the only reason I ride.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.
Commuting and other utility riding.

How fit do you class yourself? Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.
Able to pass my FAA flight physical

How often do you ride?
Twice every workday, year round. I spend many summer weekends on an island where there are no car rentals -- when I'm there, I ride on weekends as well, going to the beach and restaurants.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

No. It's hard for me to think of bikes except as transportation. Maybe that's because, when I was growing up in the 1950s, cycling was simply not a sport, although I sometimes saw grainy magazine pictures of hunchbacked foreign people with upside-down handlebars.

On the other hand, I do derive pleasure from completing a trip in deep snow or tricky rough ice, or carrying a lot of groceries or my daughter somewhere. This week, I was the only person in my company to make it to work each day. I could not have done that by car.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-

DC is a beastly place to drive -- parking is hard to find and there is severe congestion during rush hour. If there is snow or ice, the result is total gridlock. I'm too lazy to drive my cars except on weekends.

Cycling is also the only way I can imagine getting any exercise. I'll jump on my bike and ride off, perfectly happy, into an ice storm to get to work, but I could never regularly ride just for exercise, let alone hamster away on a trainer. If I didn't commute to work, my blood pressure would doubtless be totally out of control, and I might even have had a bunch of heart attacks.

You see things on a bike that you would never see in a car, like a moonrise reflecting off snowfields at night. You notice how the sky is starting to get a bit lighter or darker on the trip home, and feel the march of the seasons. You stop for a few minutes to watch a huge Red Tailed Hawk perched in a tree just a few steps from you.

There are some real money savings as well -- about $20,000 net (mostly in parking costs) over eight years. It also keeps my car from being driven in corrosive salt or on short trips that promote engine wear-- that's worth thousands right there. Possibly as a result, I've been driving the same car for over 20 years.


Paul

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.
Yes, all of the above. Mostly road, but lately MTB riding is getting close to equal time. I live in a rural area and I have many options of rides from my driveway on low traffic, scenic roads from gently rolling to fairly challenging hills. I like to ride 30 to 50 miles when I can. Not especially fast, not especially slow. I also enjoy cruising around town with a small group of riders from my bike club. MUPs are nice, but I think I would find them boring if I rode them often.
On the MTB I like twisty, hilly singletrack more than mild trails. Not into jumps or crazy downhills

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.
Fit, but always fighting off the slide to couchdom.

How often do you ride? Four or five days a week in season. One or two days when weather and short days take over. Trainer maybe once oor twice a week when I absolutely can't get in a real ride.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride
I do several metrics and a couple of centuries every year. I challenge myself more with distance and hills than with time or speed measurements. Seven hour centuries are about my norm.
I do a week long organised ride with about 2000 people every summer. About 60 miles a day for 7 days.
I will be entering six XC MTB races this year. I've never done this before.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have to ride as a commuter-
I ride because I enjoy it. It helps me keep the weight off. It keeps me off cholesterol medication. It keeps me feeling healthy. The more strenuous riding is an escape for me. Helps clear my mind of all the nonsense of work and daily life. I think it fills the role that might have been filled by partying and chemical aids in another life.

Paved surface rider. My sig says it pretty much. I ride btween 80 and 150 miles/week, conditions and schedule permitting. Occasional centuries, although I'm failing with the Century-a-month-Challenge. Metrics? No sweat. Heavy, probably 20lbs over, but fit. Perfect Clydesdale description: Lots of muscle, pretty much tireless, can plow all day at a moderate pace without discomfort or fatigue provided there's lots of high-octane feed.

So what type of riding do you do?
I'm a mountain biker who also rides road and MUPS. My favorite is technical, single track.
How do you classify yourself, fit, ultra-fit, getting fit.....
How about "was fit". At the end of last season I was in the best shape of my limited cycling career. My road times were up to 18mph average. My individual MTB times were the best I've ever posted and, best of all, I could feel the difference as I began to drop other MTBers.
Then came winter combined with loss of daylight.
How often do you ride?
Now, only once or twice a week, usually on weekends. But that will change on March 11 when I can get back to three to five times a week.
Do you get in any achievement rides?
I have to be honest with myself, I'm not a fast mountain biker, accurate on technical trails, yes, but not fast. In fact I'm quite slow so competition on the MTB is out. I'm a much better road rider than I am MTBer. Right now I'm planning to enter my first "comptetive" road ride this July. We'll see how I do.
Any other points to note? Do you ride to lose weight, etc.?
I ride for fun and to take my mind of off the problems at work. But the side benefits of losing 15lbs and lowering my cholesteral over 30 points are welcome. I'm sure I'm getting a good cardio work out each time I ride and that can't hurt. Before I returned to cycling about 2 or 3 years ago, I was a certified Couch Potato who thought the greatest invention was the remote control.
As an aside, I found I greatly enjoy buying old bikes and repairing them. This interest continues to fuel the desire to cycle, which in turn, keeps me interested in repairing bikes and so on.
BTW, great thread Stapfam.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.
A mix of on/off road and MUP - commuting + riverside trails + occasional fitness (extended) rides

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.
Now, pretty fit (certainly not 'ultra,' but according to my quack my 55 yr. old self is at a level [body mass, weight, resting/max h.r. etc. more typical of a North American 30-something; my arthritic joints don't believe him but he swears it's true!) -- annual accumulated distance at a goodish pace + watching the diet has had its results

How often do you ride?
During the season, March through December up here, every weekday min. 20 kms + longer rides on weekends (would like to do more of these/longer rides)

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Not yet; been at this since summer 2002 after not riding for about 25 years. Beginning to think about buying a road bike to start upping the kms./ride with a view to doing some kind of multi-day supported tour (poss. the Quebec Route Verde [Montreal up through the St Lawrence/into the Gaspe]) in a year or two

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
Began again as direct result of stern lecture from quack (Spring 02) >> chol. and b.p. beginning to signal future problems; got an mtb, roadified it, and started riding to/from work; v. quickly became (re)addicted to cycling/progressed from there. Simply put, I love it and can't conceive of stopping for any reason other than physical incapacity: going to the shops, dicing in traffic, riding along the river banks, stopping to watch a family of geese for a few minutes -- it's all good. Like some others here, I'm one of those who simply cannot 'exercise' unless there's a 'fun/sport/"going somewhere/doing something"' element involved; put another way, I have to be able to pretend/think that I'm NOT doing this for my health!

I'm a confirmed road rider and have accumulated 142,000 miles since '82. I rode the pavement 8,350 miles last year, 7,300 solo and the remainder on a tandem.

I've never owned a mountain bike though I did race cyclocross a few years in the '80s.

I ride almost daily if weather and roads permit, but it's been tough this month. I try to never go more than two days without exercise. If I can't ride the road, I hit the trainer or rollers with rollers being my preferred method of indoor drudgery.

I am 50# overweight. My body fat is around 19%. However, I don't remember the last time I was dropped, and I can still ride a 5.1 hour century solo (total time with stops) so it doesn't concern me that much. :)

Lastly, I ride because I love it; no other reason. I don't ride to stay fit or be healthy or because it's good for the planet or because of my politics. I ride because I enjoy the feeling and I feel lucky that I've found a lifelong pursuit that gives me so much pleasure.

Dennis

[QUOTE=stapfam]
So What type of riding do you do?
Road, both solo and tandem.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fitter than "fit" but not quite "ultra fit." I have an extra 5 lbs. that found me over the Christmas holidays that I'm trying to lose.

How often do you ride?
Right now, 3-4 days a week, weather & work permitting. In summer, 5-6 days a week. The shortest ride I do is 30 miles -- it takes me that long to warm up. ;)

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Last year was my first full year of serious cycling. I finished 5 imperial centuries and 1 metric century. My goal this year is one a month between last week & October. There's something about riding long, long rides where I find a zen that is irresistible to me. The more I do it, the more I want to do it.


Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
Three and a half years ago I retired from teaching fitness classes & personal training, and lost my zeal for pursuing the adrenaline & endorphins. The pounds crept up, I settled deeper into my couch, until just after my 50th birthday I decided I was too young to feel so crappy. That very day I went back to the gym.

Fast-forward to summer '05; a girlfriend asked if I could help her train for a 1/2 century. I agreed & seven months later we completed our first century. I thrive on challenges, so I want to get faster on the centuries, as well as do more tandem centuries. As most of the others have waxed poetic on being outdoors, enjoying the scenery, I'll just say "ditto," and add that every ride I take keeps my stress level well below tolerable. I can't imagine life without a bike, a road, and a sense of adventure.

That's crazy fast.
I know. That's why I said I hoped to make it. :)

Upright. Mostly, anyways. ;)

Oh, you want a serious answer?

Road. Mostly club rides of 20-30 miles @ 14 - 20 mph, 1-3 times a week.
Solo rides on local roads or MUPs on either my roadie or fixed gear.
Not interested in mountain biking.
Going to try my first century this coming season; probably the Hancock (Ohio) "Horizontal Hundred" (http://www.hancockhandlebars.org/).

I am a road bike rider but own a MTB. I commute in order to get time to ride - it adds up beween 25 and 75 miles a week. I like to train for one or two century rides a year.
I did the C&O canal in 2 days as a fund raiser on the MTB and would like to get much more MTB time in. Perhaps one of the ski resorts during spring/summer. A friend also offered to take me on difficult run nearby.
I'm getting fit (last 5 years) and need to drop between 25 - 30 pounds.

Most of my riding is to get the exercize thing going..so I ride around town on the not so traveled streets. Since I live in small town america traffic is never too bad, but that does not mean I don't have to be carefull. I go out for a 10-15 mile ride 4-6 times a week if I can, and a longer one too when I can. Most of my work is on Sunday morning so I can go out when everyone else is working, when I can work it into the schedule. Thanks for a nice topic thread

[Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

No. It's hard for me to think of bikes except as transportation. Maybe that's because, when I was growing up in the 1950s, cycling was simply not a sport, although I sometimes saw grainy magazine pictures of hunchbacked foreign people with upside-down handlebars.

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

I am unfit. Unfit to even be on this forum!

I have lost 10 pounds since September, with my renewed interesting in cycling being a key factor. I hope to lose at least another 10 pounds this year.

Most of my riding is on rural rail trails (and mostly limestoned/graveled trails), as one passes very close to my house. I also do some riding over lunch hour on city bike paths. I do a little bit of riding on roads, mostly within my subdivision. Haven't riden off-road in over 30 years.

As for achievement ride goals, I hope to do at least a 25 miler this year, and would love to do 30 and a 35. We'll see how it goes from there.

I am unfit. Unfit to even be on this forum!


That, thank God, is why you have the big blue star.

So What type of riding do you do?

95% Road; 5% Gentle trail type stuff, nothing technical


How fit do you class yourself?

Dead average, i.e., I still cruise at 15-20mph / 25-30kph, passing the tourists and casual cyclists and getting passed by the local racers, triathletes, and club riders.


How often do you ride?

2 or 3 days per week, sometimes more.


Do you get any achievement rides in?

None lately. I prefer solo rides, either for transportation or exercise/enjoyment.


Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?

I ride because bicycling is an efficient, economical, environmentally sustainable form of transportation, adn because it is the only sport I have ever passionately loved (anything requiring even a modicum of hand-eye coordination is generally beyond me).

What type of riding do you do?
Almost entirely on streets and county roads or quiet state highways. Occasionally on vacation we'll rent bikes & ride MUP & paths. Have an MTB but no longer with slicks. Have considered going back to our MTB trail north of town which is ranked in top 5 in the state.

Since November, 06 am a dedicated commuter 8 miles RT. Then ride longer on weekends (15 miles at a time +/-). Riding time is factor, not the ability to ride further at this point. Too many responsibilities right now to spend 3 -4 hours riding.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit - can ride 14 miles in an hour. If I'd quit smoking, I would obviously be more fit...

How often do you ride?
daily - minimum 8 miles, max 15-20 miles

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Last year rode my age + 3 on my birthday (56 miles), we'll do more group rides starting next fall since there are many within a couple hours' drive from us. I plan to do a metric century this year.


Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
I ride because I love being on the bike, saving money by leaving my car in the garage.

[QUOTE=stapfam]

So What type of riding do you do?
100% road riding (true only if you call all those trainer "miles" as road riding).

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit

How often do you ride?
4-6 times per week.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
I have one 16 mile TT, one 6.5 mile hill climb and one 40 mile route that I do for time. Last year I had my best times ever in the TT and hill climb. Last year rode 100 miles for each of my 54 years of age.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To keep fit, to stay sane and to enjoy the sights out on the prairie.

QUOTE]

So What type of riding do you do?

I do about 97% country road biking. It's so much easier then riding the hybrid on a gravel trail. Although to spice things up I do seek out trails a few times a year and pretty much have to use the hybrid to ride them. My top two achievement rides have been on trails - 40 and 50 miles. I will be working to better that this year with a 62 mile ride on my birthday in May. My fitness level is not so good. Believe my extra 60 pounds is holding me back. I'd like to try a century, but at my current average speed that will be a 12 hour commitment.

I started riding 2 years ago for exercise and weight loss. I usually only managed 3 days a week. Haven't lost any weight yet, but hope to pick up the pace this year and drop some pounds. Since I started riding I found I also enjoy the solitude and scenery during the ride, so riding has become so much more then a weight loss plan.

So What type of riding do you do?

Recently mostly only road and a MUP once in a while. Used to road race and MTB race, not lately though.

How fit do you class yourself?

That depends who you compare me to. I consider myself fit, but not compared to serious racers.

The last century I rode was done in 6:40. I was getting back in to shape after a long layoff. I am probably a little faster now and would like to shave at least an hour off of that time this year.

I have done one in 4:30 back when I was 40 (I am 55 now), but it was flat and I was able to draft a lot. I don't expect to get to that level again, because I am not quite that motivated any more.

How often do you ride?

Around 4 times a week right now, some of it on rollers.

Do you get any achievement rides in?

I plan to ride 5-10 organized centuries this year. I also hope to go on a long tour (Seattle to S.F. maybe), but my summer schedule is still up in the air. I hope to do trans-america some day, but it is unlikely to happen this year.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?

I ride for fitness, recreation, and transportation (in that order, but transportation is a distant third right now).

I live out in the sticks in SWMO. I pretty much split my riding between some of the paved trails in Springfield, and on the roads when I take off from the house. Anymore, the bike trails seem too short for a satisfying ride, I have a couple of favorite routes from the house that give me somewhere between 20 and 30 miles. It's hilly here, and I'm slow, but not as slow as I used to be. I started riding because I had to do SOMETHING to keep from going downhill fast. Bad back and bad knees, to the point that even walking for exercise was just too painful. I've grown to love riding the bike and will be getting a better one again this spring. The results I've seen from riding have been very gratifying, a lot of improvement in my knees and back both, much better musculature in the legs and of course overall fitness, though by many member's standards, I'm sure I'm still a slug. Just not as big of a slug as I was this time last year. I normally ride three to five times a week, weather permitting. Have never done any kind of organized ride at all, though I might some day. I'm very grateful that I found bicycling. It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say it saved my life, but certainly no exaggeration to say it's saved the quality of my life.

It might be a bit of an exaggeration to say it saved my life, but certainly no exaggeration to say it's saved the quality of my life.

I don't think it is an exaggeration. It is probably a truer fact than you think. I know in my case- Cycling has given me that exrtra fitness that I did not have. When I had a heart problem a few years ago- 8 now with no further problems- One of the Surgeons asked me whether I was a swimmer or a Cyclist. The fitness I had had got me though a Severe Angina attack, and the strength of my heart had saved me. Not saying you would have had a heart attack- but the fitness you have gained from cycling has stopped you from sitting around and vegetating and that has probably- or possibly will in the future, saved your life

So What type of riding do you do?

Mostly road riding, and all my bikes are recumbents. This time of year, though, a lot of my riding is done on a lake dam road, which is closed to motor vehicles, so would have to be classified as a MUP. The suburban roads near my home are my most frequent riding roads the rest of the year.

How fit do you class yourself?

Fit, but I'm just in my third year of cycling, and I started as a very casual rider who hadn't been on a bike in 40 years, so I'm not at the level of some here. Even as a muscular, athletic young man, endurance was never my forte, so I don't think I'll be racing any time soon. I enjoy my club riding, and keep up with many club riders, but I don't try to stay with the "A" group pacelines.

How often do you ride?

I ride 3 or 4 times a week. Weekday rides are 25 miles most of the year, but often shorter during the winter. I try to do a longer weekend ride. I've ridden over 5000 miles each of the last two years, my first two full years of riding, so I average over 90 miles a week.

Do you get any achievement rides in?

Not really, unless you count a 66 mile club ride over rolling hills on a 106 degree August day an achievement. I do plan on adding a few pay rides this year.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?

Like many here, I view cycling as a salvation for my health. Once I passed the age of 50, I could feel my health slipping quickly. Bad discs in my back were already chronic, as was bronchitis from my cigar smoking. Arthritic joints had become a real problem, and my blood pressure and cholesterol levels were creeping up. Once I gave up the nicotine, my weight started ballooning.

Now, I'm fitter than 90 percent of the population, and everything about my health is much better, and I can't imagine myself not riding a bike, as long as I am able to. Like many, I seem to be having a tough time getting rid of this last 15 pounds of extra weight, but at this point, that seems like a minor issue.

What type of riding do you do?
Road, MUP's, easy single track, rural, urban, suburban, solo, group. Sometimes ride it all on the same outing.
Only have one bike right now, a hybird, but it's sturdy and manages it all.

How fit do you class yourself?
Pretty fit.

How often do you ride?
Usually once or twice, a week. Mostly on weekends, since work prevents from riding me most weekdays (working till 9 or 10 at night does that)
But when I do ride, I like to go at least 40 miles.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Still working up to my first century. Probably mid-year.
Just in 2006 - rode a metric a week for six weeks in spring, climbed Hog Back mountain for the first time without getting off and walking partway up (then a month later I climbed it twice on the same ride, just for fun), rode on my sixth Tour du Port but the achievement was to ride the entire tour route twice around for the second year in a row (would like to do the same for Bike New York, but I would need to be a lot faster than I am now.)

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To stay fit. To relax. To think. To not think.

I started riding road to get in better shape for off-road motorcycling over 20 years ago and then gave up motorcycles. I've ridden over a hundred centuries including a six week cross country trip. Now, it's about 5000 road miles per year and the odd mtb epic.
I'm a little over at 210#, and I'm in the back or off the back when the big climbs start, and I do a lot of club rides where there is always climbing, but I always finish.
I ride every weekend and a little on most Wednesdays.

What kind of riding do I do?
Road / Road and gentle trail, commuting to work

How fit do I class myself?
Much better than I was before I started to bicycle.
Winter/snow and Ice layoff. So bicycling shape only a 20 out of 100

How often do I ride?
5 days a week when the season starts. (roads free of ice)

I don’t plan on doing achievement rides this year.
I plan on pushing the miles I ride month by month.
My Max is 70 miles. I enjoy the 20 -30 mile range.

I ride roads mainly. I ride off road in parks and wooded areas to study and photograph
nature.

I ride for the enjoyment, but understand when I push myself through pain that at a later
date I will enjoy riding more. The better fit I am the more I will enjoy it. I have a lot of
different routes that I have records on. I ride those to see how I improve. At other times I
enjoy cruising. At those times I don’t care about mph. I enjoy early morning rides on the
weekends.

I commute to work and enjoy the boost of energy and attitude this gives. It is 2 1/2 miles
one way, but I add a few extra to boost distance.

I started to ride to do something with my daughter. Then I realized how fun it was.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

Mostly paved rails-to-trails and MUP in the DC area. Some roads. Always on my narrow ti(y)red hybrid.

How fit do you class yourself?
Better than I used to be, not as good as I would like (I work hard to keep my average above 15 mph and don't always succeed)

How often do you ride?
5-6 days a week. Enjoy 25-35 miles with longer once a week or so. Goal for the year is 10,000 kilometers (sounds so much better than 6,200 miles)

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Always ride my age during my birthday month (did 65 miles in January) and the occasional solo century.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
Knee replacement ended racquetball involvement. Dr said swim or ride and I choose ride. I miss it when I can't get out (drat weather). Like so many others have said, it is the experience more than anything else. Just doing it. Me and the Cannondale and a long stretch of pavement.

P.S. Thanks for the thread, stapfam. I have really enjoyed reading other members posts.

I don't claim to be fit. I only ride about 1200 miles per year. About 75% of that riding is on a complex of trails that I live near. Some of that trail is improved dirt MUP and a good part of it is unimproved gravel and dirt fire road. The road bike comes out for trips to Cape Cod and out on the islands where there are fewer cars.
A great deal of my riding is done after work on weekdays and serves to releave stress. Some of what would be riding time is devoted to building bikes for friends and others.
My doctor loves the biking as by blood pressure is down and my general health is much better. They seem to like the fact that I'm healthier now at 60 than I was at 50. I rarely go on group rides other than with my wife as the whole point seems to be to get away from the rest of the world for my own sanity.

So What type of riding do you do?

In the 90's it was mostly mountain biking, a knee operation several years ago put an end to my riding. About 18 months ago I picked up road riding and now 95% of my riding is road. I'd say 30% of my rides are solo, 30% with my wife & 40% with a group of friends, usually 5 or less.

How fit do you class yourself?

I'm relatively happy with my shape, I'd say for a 53 year old guy whose only been regularly riding for the past 18 months, I'm doing fine. However I'm looking to getting stronger.

How often do you ride?

During riding season (March through Nov/Dec here in Maryland), I usually have a 45-60 mile ride every weekend with a ride or two during the week of around 20 miles each.

I finally got out my trainer today, I'll try to do that 3x a week. I use Spinervals on the trainer. I also just started doing some core strengtening excersise.

Do you get any achievement rides in?

I'd like to do 3 or so organized centuries this year. My big goal (and the reason I'm starting to work on the trainer again) is this coming June we have a trip to Italy for a wedding. I plan to make a trip to the Lake Como area and climb the Madonna del Ghisallo :eek:.


Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?

Me loves to bike!

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

Primarily Road, but some rails to trails, that sort of thing.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.

Fit, but always looking to improve.

How often do you ride?

In the summer, nearly every day. I commute, and try to do something longer on the weekends.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

One tour every year, usually around 600 miles or so. I also ride one Century (The Apple Cider Century) in September, largest in MI, and right in my backyard.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-

I just love to ride

I commute on rocky roads to my office, with sprinkling of tours. Think of me as a fit (or very fit) MTBer, lots of hills, lots of obstacles (like chickens, cows, etc.). I can easily do a metric century without prep. I cruise at about 25 kilometers on river rock roads. I like hills. On pavement, more like 30 to 35 kilometers per hour.

Granted, I live out in the boonies, but there are a lot of cyclist out here - I don't know of anyone who can keep up with me. I am feeling pretty proud today because our farm manager was telling me about a MTB race and apologizing for not telling me ahead of time. The entrance fee was 12 dollars with lots of prizes. He was sure I would have won something.

I am sort of glad he didn't, he would have been so disappointed if I didn't win. Nice to be a legend among our workers though! :D

Yeah, I am feeling pretty good today. No snide comments, let me bask in the glory for a day or so! (I also just arrived at my correct weight zone)

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

Road. Tried offroad years ago and did not seem to enjoy it that much.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.

I am 53 years old and am in pretty good shape. I am on the Fire and Rescue team at work and can outwork and outlast 90 percent of the other team members that for the most part are much younger. When many of them are out of breathing air, I find I have only used about 1/4 of mine. My blood chemistry was recently done and results say my chemistry is pretty darn good. About 4 years ago I found myself fat and out of shape. This was quite the revelation as I had always been very physically active and the slow slide to this level was insidious. Joined weight watchers online and lost 30 lbs. This October, I finally joined my wife in her passion for cycling and bought a tandem.

How often do you ride?

It depends on my schedule. I currently travel a lot in my work, often overseas, more often to Oklahoma from California. From October 21st to now we have put in over 1000 miles on our tandem, 500 since the second week of January. I will try to get in two to three rides a week starting now.
Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride
Upon purchasing our tandem we immediately began training for the Tour de Palm Srpings Century. She and her riding partners are great motivators and really strong road riders. He is a former Cat 2 racer from his younger days. Every ride has been used to work on some aspect of the road and improvement such as long climbs, sprints, long paceline sprints at 20 plus, more long climbs etc. Needless to say I am now leaner and stronger than 4 months ago and finished the Tour de Palm Springs Century with an overall moving average of 17.5 mph.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-

I have ridden bikes since I was a kid but never as a sport. My passion has been flying hang gliders for the last 32 years. About 6 years ago, my wife and I bought hybrid bikes, tried offroad, she hated it and I was not fond so we just did the road. She was not in a place to continue riding so they hung on the wall. She took up serious riding with a couple to help her friend train for a half century. They loved it, she bought a nice road bike and she was off and running. I have always looked for things we could do together and after she road her first century (Solvang 06) in hail, sleet, snow, and rain and finished it I asked her if she would ride it with me on a tandem. She said yes. Fast forward to October 06. We bought our tandem for our birthdays and began riding. I did not plan on the level of involvement I am currently at. One week after we bought our tandem, I went flying with my best friend and flying buddy, a very experienced and excellent pilot. Tragedy struck that day and he died in my arms. I have not flown since and am still working on those issues. Something inside me says I should spend more time with my wife and companion of 28 years. Cycling has been a great outlet. I have been having the best fun riding with my wife and friends and every ride is a challenge (not in the least competitive). Next month Solvang, then Chico Wildflower, etc. We hope to do a century a month. Hope to see more of you guys on the road.

Remember "If you don't use it, you lose it."

100% roadie at this point. I've owned a few MTBs but it didn't stick.

I'd say I'm very fit, I ride almost 7 days a week average.

Commute 100 miles a week with about 900 ft. of climbing each day.
120 - 160 miles each weekend. Club rides and/or solo.
I live at the edge of the Santa Monica mountains in SoCal so every ride
has lots of climbing and most payoff with a sweeping view of the
Malibu coastline (well somebody's got to ride here).

I'll probably average 1 "unorganized" century a month this year with
at least 1 double and 3, maybe 4 "organized" centuries throughout the year.

I continue to ride because after 34 years of riding, I can't imagine not riding.
The other day, a new member of our club remarked how addictive he was beginning to find cycling to be.
He was surprised, all the oldtimers just smiled.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.
I ride a hybrid. When I bought it, I projected i'd be doing 80% road/20% off-road
That ratio is probably holding pretty true. I spend most of my time on the tarmac
but when I am hit by a whim (Hey, where does that go?) I can and do follow it.
I don't do mountain biking, per se, but really just more of an off-road type of thing.

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.
After 20 years of pretty much just sitting on my butt and picking a variety of guitars, I'm a
whole lot more fit now than I was a year ago. I'm sure I have a long way to go so I'll say
getting fit (but part way there now)

How often do you ride?
3-4 days a week, pretty much. 10-12 miles after work and 15-20 on Saturdays.
I throw in some trainer time as well as dictated by the weather.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride
My achievements are all personal goals. No centuries or anything like that.
When I couldn't do something before but now I can, that's an achievement in my book.
Just starting out again, I had a lot of those last year. I'm having more incremental achievements now.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have to ride as a commuter-
To lose weight, to get back in shape, to lower my BP and cholesterol...
Mainly, I don't want to die young. My wife and I promised each other to see 90 together.
I figure this can't hurt my chances.
Mainly, there's a feeling I get when I ride that I don't get with anything else.
Even after a day like last Saturday when everything was hard and I really had to push myself to
do anything (just one of those days, I guess), when I got home I wanted more and felt great for
having pushed through and, well, just doing it.

I commute on rocky roads to my office, with sprinkling of tours. Think of me as a fit (or very fit) MTBer, lots of hills, lots of obstacles (like chickens, cows, etc.). I can easily do a metric century without prep. I cruise at about 25 kilometers on river rock roads. I like hills. On pavement, more like 30 to 35 kilometers per hour.

Granted, I live out in the boonies, but there are a lot of cyclist out here - I don't know of anyone who can keep up with me. I am feeling pretty proud today because our farm manager was telling me about a MTB race and apologizing for not telling me ahead of time. The entrance fee was 12 dollars with lots of prizes. He was sure I would have won something.

I am sort of glad he didn't, he would have been so disappointed if I didn't win. Nice to be a legend among our workers though! :D

Yeah, I am feeling pretty good today. No snide comments, let me bask in the glory for a day or so! (I also just arrived at my correct weight zone)(Snide comment to follow). I just heard that La Ruta is 4 days this year, I guess that means it's doing well, after almost ending 2 years back. I think anyone can enter. There was a story in Bike Magazine this month about last years event. Sounds like a tough event.

You do know that one is the hardest MTB race in the world, right? I said I was fit, or very fit, not superman! :eek:

I actually might do it some year just to see if I could finish even one leg.

You do know that one is the hardest MTB race in the world, right? I said I was fit, or very fit, not superman! :eek:

I actually might do it some year just to see if I could finish even one leg.They said the first day was the killer, with 15,000 feet of climbing in 60 miles. This wipes out a good portion of the field, but days 2 and 3 are a lot easier. The 2 magazine guys DNF'ed, though 1 made it into day 3 before medical problems forced him out. He told of a French tourist who completed the whole thing in fine shape on a rented bike! I thought you might know some of the route, being a local. I've never tried anything like that, but have spent 8 hours on the mtb.

So What type of riding do you do?
Road- Mountain biking- Street cruising- Gentle trail type stuff- etc.

Street cruising and MUPs

How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.

Getting fit slowly.

How often do you ride?

Almost everyday for 10 months of the year.

Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride

I haven't done any organized rides.

Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-

The reason is to have a better quality of life overall. Last year I rode 2,300 miles. The year before 1,900 miles. It is all for fun. Not having a car I can get around by bus or walking. Although I much prefer biking. The utility aspect of it is fun. The "Fredness" is my riding style.

So What type of riding do you do?


Road!




How fit do you class yourself?
Fit- Ultra fit- getting fit- or just getting on top of the downward spiral to couchdom.


Fit, but not as fit as I was at the end of last summer :(


How often do you ride?


Every chance I get. Virtually every day the weather is "doable".



Do you get any achievement rides in?
Maybe you regularly do Century rides- perhaps you do a few mountain climbs a year or perhaps you are in training for your first 25 mile organised ride


Well, we'll do "ride-your-age" birthday rides. Club rides two to three times a week in season.



Any other points to note in that you ride for a reason?
To lose weight- To get over an illness- You have ro ride as a commuter-

Keep feet. Stay insane.

Take care,

Steve