Fifty Plus (50+) - small steps

As a new to bicycling 65 yo. I am making progress. I have had my Trek 7300 for two weeks now. I ride on a short trail through a park 1.3 mi and do 4 or 5 trips around it every day. It is a bit rolling but nothing bad.

Today, I finally did 10 miles. Now compared to most of the people on here, 10 miles is nothing but a warm up. For me just starting it seamed to be a 1st hurdle to overcome. The best thing about it for me was the fact that I did it without going to the #1 ring. I stayed on #2 or 3 the whole time.

A little step but Progress never the less.

I still plan on riding my age by my birthday in September.

Awesome! Just keep upping your mileage bit by bit and you'll get there. Every time you hit a mileage milestone, it lets you know the next one is within reach.

Awesome! Just keep upping your mileage bit by bit and you'll get there. Every time you hit a mileage milestone, it lets you know the next one is within reaach.

Today I joined a lad on a ride that does not cycle. He only did about 8 miles and it finished him. Next week I am loaning him a bike and taking him on a gentle 20 mile ride. May be nothing to a lot of us- but that is going to hurt him.

Considering as how he only came out of the navy 5 years ago and must have "Some" fitness left on him- and he is only 35- Your 10 miles today is pretty good. But as above- just keep upping the milage and pushing yourself just a bit fharder each time. Won't be long before you are up to what you think is a good milage.

And 10 miles is sensible at present.

Today, I finally did 10 miles. Now compared to most of the people on here, 10 miles is nothing but a warm up. For me just starting it seamed to be a 1st hurdle to overcome.

It sounds like you're making terrific progress. I remember when I completed a 12-mile route near my home, I felt like I had biked around the world.

Keep it up! You'll definitely hit your goal if you keep at it. You may even be able to complete a century this year.

Nice work. Now the miles will come on fast.
Get a couple of water bottles and carry some snacks for your 20 and 30 miles rides,

Great riding. Stay with it and your body will respond very quickly. Wonderful start.

Ten miles is a major accomplishment. Back in the day, it was about a 10-mile bike ride to my gf's house. I was convinced--and she agreed--that riding home without spending the night first would have been an act of madness.

Congrats!

I remember my first ten-miler. What a sense of accomplishment! I think I took a nap afterwards.

That's a good start. Now you need to find some additional places to ride.

The problem with riding short loops like that is, at the end of every loop, you have to make a decision whether or not to ride another. It makes it too easy to hang it up for the day. I suspect that after you find a few more good places to ride you'll find yourself choosing different routes every day and you'll build speed and distance more quickly.

I love posts like this. Posts like this are exactly why we started the 50+ forum back in September, 2004!!

When I finished my first 15 miler, I called the wife on the cell phone and bragged on it. It seemed like a huge ride, and it was for me at the time.

Congratulations, and just keep it up.

Also, as mentioned previously, find some interesting places to ride that you can't come back to easily, and you will ride farther - a longer loop of some sort without any short cuts.

It sure is hard getting started, but when you do, you'll setting different goals for yourself. I don't know if it gets easier, you just keep getting faster and riding greater distances. Congratulations on your first real accomplishment in cycling and good luck.:thumb:

Keep posting your progress. We love it. Congratulations.

I doubt anyone here hopped on a bike (regardless of what age) and did centuries immediately.
Make the ride more about the journey than the destination.

Congratulations on the milestone, my fellow Louisianian. I hope you celebrated with some crawfish! We'll be looking forward to future milestones and some photos.

Well done B Cypress. And good on the rest of you for being so encouraging.

I still have to reach that ten mile goal - but I have just got back from the first proper ride for years. Only three miles there, a little rest (and a glass of local ale) and three miles back round by the bay, glorious weather, fabulous views, with a bit of a head wind.
I returned to cycling just a few weeks ago - had to give up due to arthritis in hip (waiting a hip replacement). Gave my beloved Claud Butler bike away at the beginning of February as I couldn't ride it any more. N-1 was too much for me and I went out and bought a Trek Navigator, a proper "old ladies" bike a week later, which I can actually get on. Have only been round local back roads gaining confidence up to now. Now there'll be no stopping me, I hope. I can't tell you how good it feels to be back on a bike again!
And I'm glad there are people on this forum who are still working up to the century rides.

Congratulations on a good start toward some ambitious goals. Just keep working at it at your own pace and before you know it, you'll be achieving all your goals and setting new ones. But don't obsess over the goals so much that you forget to enjoy the rides. It's about the journey, not the destination.

It really doesn't matter how many mile you ride, just as long as you enjoy every inch.
Keep up the good work!.

Glad to hear that things are going so well. Keep up the good work.

As a new to bicycling 65 yo.

I ride on a short trail through a park 1.3 mi and do 4 or 5 trips around it every day. It is a bit rolling but nothing bad.

Today, I finally did 10 miles.

I still plan on riding my age by my birthday in September.

Don't feel badly at all about taking short rides. I started back riding in July of last year @ age 63. It was not easy. For the first couple of weeks, I was lucky if I could ride 2 - 3 miles without being completely worn out.

While I've not gotten to the point where I can "Ride my Age", I do have a personal best of 36 miles and it took a lot of riding to get to that point.

Keep it up and keep increasing just a little bit day to day and week to week, before long you will have riding your age behind you and you will be looking for that first century ride.

Sounds like the way to go to me!:thumb: I've just clicked over 200 miles since Jan. 1, meanwhile my wife, Jo has only gotten 35 miles in that same time frame. On Sunday we did our first bit of "Hill training", basicly riding the "meanest" MUP here in Colorado Springs, nothing but long uphills, with tiny downhills and 10 miles long. Although she had to walk up some of the steepest hills, we headed back and once we got on the flats she wanted to "ride furhter"!:D We did a flat MUP to a Subways for lunch and back and she got her 20 miles in one day and she felt she really accomplished something! Small steps bringing rewards, that's one of the things I really enjoy about riding a bicycle!