Fifty Plus (50+) - Is there a term for this?

Ok, folks for the last 7 weeks or so I've been easing into riding. I've been doing daily 3-5 mile rides. The last couple of weeks I've been pushing into 7-8 mile range @ 11 - 13 mph. Around 6 miles I've been getting tired and when I get home I end up with a trip about 7.2 - 7.4.

Something changed today and I'm not sure what, but I think like it.

I did my normal things (stretch, limber up, think about where I want to go...) My breathing usually gets a bit labored going up hills and when pushing the flats to around 15 mph.

Somewhere around the 4 mile mark, my breathing and pedaling seemed synchronous, almost effortless. I found myself pushing the bike faster easily, first 12 - 14, then 14 - 16 and settling around 18.5mph. It seemed like the further I went the stronger my legs got and the faster I went. This is very different from what I've been experiencing.

To bad this ride was shortened by rain. I really felt I could ride quite a bit more.

Anyway if you've made it this far. Has anyone experience this? What is it?

Conditioning

But it felt like something flipped a switch during the ride. It works like that?

Tail wind? :lol:

But it felt like something flipped a switch during the ride. It works like that?


Looks like it did for you.

Generally I find that there is a point when everything sort of comes together.

Sure you didn't have a really strong tail wind?:D

Gear changes!

It was like I was getting stronger with distance and not tired as usual.

Runners high?

It may be that at 4 miles you were "warmed up". Usually, I need about 5 miles or so, more on some occasions, to get warmed up, and then everything seems to fall in place as you described.

Ride on!

It was like I was getting stronger with distance and not tired as usual.

Runners high?

High on endorphins. (Cyclist's high)

Actually it sounds like "all of the above!" with a big congrats on conditioning and the start of a base!! Keep pushing yourself!!

Cheers,
Geary

I agree with the "warm up" comments. I am pretty new to this as well, usually do 10-20 miles. I am tired at 10, but feel great at 15...

It sounds like a bit of conditioning, runners' high, and your natural cadence all contributing to make you go further faster.

The best thing is that it showed you that riding isn't just a sweaty workout where you fall down exhausted at the end. There is more to it than just "exercise."

Some refer to this as the "second wind".
When I feel like that I always look up at the trees and flags to see if I am being helped by a tail wind. A lot of the time I am. Its is fun!

I know during a portion of the route I was being helped by a tail wind. But at the point where I started really feeling good I had turned to the east and had a cross wind.

Could be it is a combination of things, warm up, conditioning, learning to ride well...All I know it was a very enjoyable feeling during the ride.

Whatever it was...enjoy it and enjoy the ride. Sounds like you are...

Zen.
To quote a good bad movie 'Point Break', "it's when you lose yourself, and find yourself, at the same time"
It's why we ride. Enjoy it when it happens.

:beer:

Conditioning is probably the right answer.
I suspect you have hit that threshold where you are doing enough riding where it is actually make a real improvement.

Personally, when I start my early morning ride I feel like a brick for the first mile, start to loosen up a little after 3 miles and by mile 5 I feel great.

I think of it as "riding through the wall"...

I'll notice that feeling quite often when doing intervals on the trainer. I'll usually warm up for 15 minutes and do 6 to 8 intervals at 3 to 5 minutes each and almost always the 4th and 5th interval seem easier. It seems like it's mostly just settling into a more relaxed state (or just getting completely warmed up). I definately have days where I feel like I have a strong tail wind helping me out and I still haven't figured out what I did different in my diet to get the feeling. I usually feel really strong after taking 2 or 3 rest days before a ride.

I think it is called a tailwind! just kidding- keep up the good work!

It seemed like the further I went the stronger my legs got and the faster I went.

That happens to me on nearly every ride. For the first five to ten miles, I can be slow, creaky and sometimes sore. Then things seem to sort themselves out and it's off to the races.

Occasionally, like yesterday, the creakiness lasts for the whole morning commute. But again, yesterday everything was just right on the way home. Just out of the parking lot I spun right up, shifted through most of the cassette and effortlessly flew home. I set a new personal best for that route.

Since discovering this, I never abort a ride due to how I feel until after ten miles.

Ok, folks for the last 7 weeks or so I've been easing into riding. I've been doing daily 3-5 mile rides. The last couple of weeks I've been pushing into 7-8 mile range @ 11 - 13 mph. Around 6 miles I've been getting tired and when I get home I end up with a trip about 7.2 - 7.4.

Something changed today and I'm not sure what, but I think like it.

I did my normal things (stretch, limber up, think about where I want to go...) My breathing usually gets a bit labored going up hills and when pushing the flats to around 15 mph.

Somewhere around the 4 mile mark, my breathing and pedaling seemed synchronous, almost effortless. I found myself pushing the bike faster easily, first 12 - 14, then 14 - 16 and settling around 18.5mph. It seemed like the further I went the stronger my legs got and the faster I went. This is very different from what I've been experiencing.

To bad this ride was shortened by rain. I really felt I could ride quite a bit more.

Anyway if you've made it this far. Has anyone experience this? What is it?

It's a little know fact that there is a charge in the air just prior to rainfalls that acts like a human supercharger. Yeh, that's it. You got supercharged by an electo-stratic multiplyer simply-onic charge of some kind and turned into ntime60 Superrider!!!

Or maybe it's that other boring conditioning stuff that everybody else is saying.

It's a little know fact that there is a charge in the air just prior to rainfalls that acts like a human supercharger. Yeh, that's it. You got supercharged by an electo-stratic multiplyer simply-onic charge of some kind and turned into ntime60 Superrider!!!

Or maybe it's that other boring conditioning stuff that everybody else is saying.

Actually, that's somewhat true.

So what we've determined here, is that most everyone experiences this phenomena and it has many names and potential meanings.

That is quite interesting.

It may be that at 4 miles you were "warmed up". Usually, I need about 5 miles or so, more on some occasions, to get warmed up, and then everything seems to fall in place as you described.

Ride on!


BIG +1 on that. At age 62 I find that it takes anywhere from 5 to 8 miles to me to come up to "military power". 12 or 15 years ago it was maybe half that.

I used to take around 17 miles to really warm up and feel good. Unfortunately, most of my rides now are about that length.
Be careful with the stretching prior to riding, your muscles are not warmed up yet.

I used to take around 17 miles to really warm up and feel good. Unfortunately, most of my rides now are about that length.
Be careful with the stretching prior to riding, your muscles are not warmed up yet.

Big +1

Stretching was promoted as necessary for too long and with no basis in reality. You're more likely to injure yourself from the stretching than you are from just hopping on the bike and pedalling easy for the first mile or so.

Warm rubberbands stretch.
Cold rubberbands snap.

" In the Zone"

"In the Zone"

I thought of that, but as a child of the 70s, it has a completely different meaning for me. It may for other children of the 60s and 70s too.

I thought of that, but as a child of the 70s, it has a completely different meaning for me. It may for other children of the 60s and 70s too.

:thumb: Still has a lot of the same connotations, though- easy, effortless Flow and so on.

Gawd, I miss the 70's! :love:

" In the Zone"

This. Enjoy those moments. For me they are few and far between.

That happens to me on nearly every ride. For the first five to ten miles, I can be slow, creaky and sometimes sore. Then things seem to sort themselves out and it's off to the races.

Occasionally, like yesterday, the creakiness lasts for the whole morning commute. But again, yesterday everything was just right on the way home. Just out of the parking lot I spun right up, shifted through most of the cassette and effortlessly flew home. I set a new personal best for that route.

Since discovering this, I never abort a ride due to how I feel until after ten miles.

An almost exact +1

Anyway if you've made it this far. Has anyone experience this? What is it?

Congratulations!:thumb:
You are finally riding long enough to get warmed up.:roflmao2:

On some rides, I don't reach my peak until a couple hours into the ride.

I usually get that feeling arround 20 miles into a ride. The trick is to make it last and I have not figgered that out yet. If you do let me know.

Gawd, I miss the 70's! :love:


Sorry - don't get it - which part?
Tricky Dick & Spiro Agnew, Jerry Ford, Vietnam, Gas lines & Even/odd days - Oil Embargo, Disco/Trivolta, Polyester Leisure Suits, Vegas & Pintos, 21% interest rates and Stagflation, Avacado Kitchens and Orange shag carpets. Need I say more...

Sorry - don't get it - which part?
Tricky Dick & Spiro Agnew, Jerry Ford, Vietnam, Gas lines & Even/odd days - Oil Embargo, Disco/Trivolta, Polyester Leisure Suits, Vegas & Pintos, 21% interest rates and Stagflation, Avacado Kitchens and Orange shag carpets. Need I say more...

I miss the part of the 70's where good looking chicks that I was cool. Man,... I really miss those days.:cry:

Sorry - don't get it - which part?
Tricky Dick & Spiro Agnew, Jerry Ford, Vietnam, Gas lines & Even/odd days - Oil Embargo, Disco/Trivolta, Polyester Leisure Suits, Vegas & Pintos, 21% interest rates and Stagflation, Avacado Kitchens and Orange shag carpets. Need I say more...

Not to highjack this thread, but it looks like we experienced the 70's from different sides of the fence. I'm pretty sure I liked mine better... ;)

Sorry - don't get it - which part?
Tricky Dick & Spiro Agnew, Jerry Ford, Vietnam, Gas lines & Even/odd days - Oil Embargo, Disco/Travolta, Polyester Leisure Suits, Vegas & Pintos, 21% interest rates and Stagflation, Avocado Kitchens and Orange shag carpets. Need I say more...

Gas cost $0.25 to $0.80 per gallon.
Lots of used '60's muscle cars just a few years old, for sale and in excellent condition.
Rap music had not yet been invented.
All of the known sexual diseases were still curable.

Hmm, I seem to recall my version of the '70s being pretty decent; work all week getting my car ready for Friday and Saturday night cruising the boulevard, stop light races, road rallys, messin with the gals who happened to take interest, drive-in moobies...