Fifty Plus (50+) - First Ride with a 50-Minus

It's been a long time since I've ridden with anyone other than my wife. As a result, it looks like I've been getting an inflated impression of my abilities.

Yesterday I did a 50 mile ride with a friend who is 10 years younger than I am, and wow, was that an eye-opener. On the flats I could just keep up, and on the hills he left me behind, even though I gave it everything I had.

It reminded me of my rides with a bike club 30 years ago -- I'd always get dropped on the hills. I had attributed it to bike weight, but I don't think that's it.

Guess I'll have to work harder.

P.S. I'm not saying that he's faster just because he's younger.

It's the motor, Al. That 50 minus thing was just a coincidence.

P.S. I'm not saying that he's faster just because he's younger.

I'm just as fast as I ever was, which is say, I'm just as slow as I ever was, which is pretty damn slow.:o

Our good friend Stapfam has offered advice for situations like this.

As far as I remember, the advice involves a friendly look over the quick person's bike from the point of view of a seasoned elder, and an adjustment of the brakes so they rub and a reduction of 50 lbs of tyre pressure. I gather that this equals things up a bit.

Not that I'd ever recommend it. Just something I picked up on this forum ;)

There is no way around it. Our peak potential does steadily decline as we age. Yet, many of us have never reached our peak potential for a given age. Hence, we can see improvement as we age. If we've been at or near our peak performance potential, the effects of age will show, perhaps with more immediacy, that we are slowing down. I can out ride the 30 year olds who are far below their peak potential (and there are more than a few of them around). But put me with a younger person who is closer to their peak potential than I am, and I'm usually toast at the end of the ride. To complicate all of this, we all have a genetic makeup that is a huge factor in what our peak potential was, is, or ever will be.

In my opinion, BSLeVan has it right! There are so many variables, that there are no easy answers.

I've ridden away from younger riders and been totally dropped by older riders (men and women), but if you mix aging / genetics / peak potential in the right combination, you'll know the end result.

The only other factor (and this can be big) is Motivation. This ties into peak potential, for sure, but some riders who are near their peak potential, and for whatever reasons, sometimes aren't motivated to perform, esp when the effort gets into the "red zone" where the suffering begins. I'm not saying this is good or bad, just that it's another factor.

Rick / OCRR

I rode a 60-mile organized ride Sunday, my first non-solo ride since re-entering biking this summer. My bad back has kept from running and biking for 5 years now, but I worked out regularly on an elliptical trainer intensely for the last 5 years. Now that my back permits me to ride again (but not run), I've ridden regularly this summer, including a few metric centuries and one full one (in 101 degree heat). What I learned Sunday was that while I'm still in good shape at 58, I REALLY suck at hills compared to the other, younger riders. But on further reflection, I've ALWAYS sucked at hills. The only change over the last 30 years is then I would have averaged about 19-20 mph instead of Sunday's 17.5 mph average. BSLeVan is correct, and we must satisfy ourselves now with smaller victories, including those over ourselves if no one else.

If you can't ride fast, ride far.

Keep in mind, if the other rider is 1% "better" and you try to keep up, you'll fail a lot more than 1%!

I did my little personal time trial up Baxter Grade (you know anything with the work "grade" in it is steepish). I couldn't keep up with how fast I thought others would go, if there had been anyone else there.

At my age of 60, when I consider peers who are chained to their recliners, taking a Whitman's sampler of meds, overweight, combating cancer, or just don't have the motivation.........well, then my slow snail's painful pace up our local killer hill seems like victory enough.

In the end, despite our envy of younger, faster, more genetically endowed, etc.......who here wants to quit and join the above alternative? We are all winners in the Tour de Aging. Speed is simply relative....although I'm human enough to have to rationalize that thought for a few moments because flying up those hills is, in fact, a sweet fantasy.....but, in the end alas, just a fantasy. :)

At my age of 60, when I consider peers who are chained to their recliners, taking a Whitman's sampler of meds, overweight, combating cancer, or just don't have the motivation.........well, then my slow snail's painful pace up our local killer hill seems like victory enough.

In the end, despite our envy of younger, faster, more genetically endowed, etc.......who here wants to quit and join the above alternative? We are all winners in the Tour de Aging. Speed is simply relative....although I'm human enough to have to rationalize that thought for a few moments because flying up those hills is, in fact, a sweet fantasy.....but, in the end alas, just a fantasy. :)

:thumb:

Good stuff. Now get out there and work on that hill climbing. The more you do it, the faster you'll get.

Good stuff. Now get out there and work on that hill climbing. The more you do it, the faster you'll get.

+ 1

I've really worked on my climbing this year even to the extent of doing intervals on hills once a week. Right now I'm a pretty good climber, even on group rides with riders of all ages (everyone's younger than me). So, now my new "limiter" is endurance. At the end of the fast group rides I'm struggling to keep up the pace and being in the ride ending race is out of the question. There's always something that reminds me that I need to get more fit or better.;)

+ 1

I've really worked on my climbing this year even to the extent of doing intervals on hills once a week.;)

I agree completely. I've worked on my climbing this year as well, with some improvement :). I rode the Mt. Shasta Double Metric with 16,500 ft. of climbing for my "Most Feet of Altitude Gain" in one day . . . ever.

Like you, I have found hill intervals (Hill Sprints) very effective. Still, I like to work on endurance with really long climbs like Angeles Crest or Glendora Moutain/Glendora Ridge roads.

On Sept. 20th I'll ride the Knoxville Double, out of Vacaville, CA, and hope to better my prev. time of 15-1/2 hours (12,500 feet of climbing on that one). That will be my 4th double of the year; so that's my next goal.

Lots of climbing and long miles! Who knew getting old would be this much fun :D.

Rick / OCRR

In the club that I ride with from time to time I regularly get dropped on the hills by the older guys. I'm 59. There is one 75-year-old that can out-power me easily.
They're animals, I tell you. Animals!

In the club that I ride with from time to time I regularly get dropped on the hills by the older guys. I'm 59. There is one 75-year-old that can out-power me easily.
They're animals, I tell you. Animals!

That's the guy I'm in training to be in 20 years.:D

At my age of 60, when I consider peers who are chained to their recliners, taking a Whitman's sampler of meds, overweight, combating cancer, or just don't have the motivation.........well, then my slow snail's painful pace up our local killer hill seems like victory enough.

In the end, despite our envy of younger, faster, more genetically endowed, etc.......who here wants to quit and join the above alternative? We are all winners in the Tour de Aging. Speed is simply relative....although I'm human enough to have to rationalize that thought for a few moments because flying up those hills is, in fact, a sweet fantasy.....but, in the end alas, just a fantasy. :)

Great post, Velo Fellow. This says it all. :)

At my age of 60, when I consider peers who are chained to their recliners, taking a Whitman's sampler of meds, overweight, combating cancer, or just don't have the motivation.........well, then my slow snail's painful pace up our local killer hill seems like victory enough.

In the end, despite our envy of younger, faster, more genetically endowed, etc.......who here wants to quit and join the above alternative? We are all winners in the Tour de Aging. Speed is simply relative....although I'm human enough to have to rationalize that thought for a few moments because flying up those hills is, in fact, a sweet fantasy.....but, in the end alas, just a fantasy. :)

Well said, sir!

At 62 I am still going faster this year than last, but that's just a result of riding a lot and pushing myself at times, not a goal. The goal is continued riding.

If all us here were to climb that local killer hill some riders would do it much faster than others. Some might crest in the big ring. Others might have to walk a stretch. Most of us, by definition, would be about average. For me, it is quite enough that we all just make it to the top, find some satisfaction in that, and ride on.