Fifty Plus (50+) - Spouse has started riding

This is probably a subject that is "all over the board" for cyclist. The spouse of some 50+ riders are great riding partners, some have a spouse that never touch a bike and most are probably somewhere between the two. My spouse has "played" with riding for a few years.

Recently my 61 year old wife decided to "get in shape". She started a good diet along with some strong exercise routines with machines and free weights. Her progress has been impressive.

Then a couple weeks ago she shipped her almost new hybrid off to her sister-in-law and came home with a full blown road bike. A Cannondale all carbon frame road machine. She now dresses in a complete riding costume and does not like to get ready to ride for less than twenty miles and a good climb.

One of the great parts of this change is that she says she now understands why I dress like I do. She understands why I do not like to just "tool around the park on a ride" and she understands why I enjoy getting home all tired, hot and sweaty from a ride.

How great it is to find a new riding partner.

BA - Isn't it great! My wife started riding with me when I got back into riding last November and it sure has been enjoyable to have a regular riding partner. The really good thing is that she is in a little better shape than I am so we can push each other to more and more.

She has had a minor medical issue for the past month so she has not been able to ride and I sure miss her not riding with me. Hopefully the doctor will let her start riding again in 2 weeks.

Enjoy.

A couple of lucky guys......

I've been trying to get my wife to ride for a couple of decades (almost) now. A couple of times she's acted like maybe she'll stick with it. But so far it hasn't happened. I'm trying again right now. She's acting a bit more sympathetic to the idea than in the past. But she's also not riding much.

Keep your fingers crossed for me, will you?

Ha! Soon, she will be giving you the Lance glare and dropping you like a sack of rocks.

There goes the quiet time away from the wife..............:D







Oooooo I'm going to so get hit for that.................

I met my wife riding with the local bike club, so no surprise that she likes to ride! We do a lot of club rides together, plus rides to the beach (15 mi. each way) from home.

On centuries and double centuries she likes to ride her own pace, so tells me to go ahead and wait for her at the finish. Works for me! On the Grand Tour Double this June she started half an hour before I did, and finished about 45 min. after I did, so it worked out well.

Here we are in our OCRR Club Jerseys at a local coffee house.

Rick / OCRR

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee179/bikephoto1/JackieandRickatJavaCityAug2008.jpg

My wife used to ride with me all the time. We did two tours of the Blue Ridge Parkway together and she could sit in my draft at 22mph on the flat. But then we had our daughter and her career keeps her very busy too. So she hasn't gotten out much on the bike in the past few years. Lately tough she has made some comments about wanting to get back to riding more. I'm itching to get her a new super-bike, something in the sub 15# range, but she's happy with her old one for now.

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Think TANDEM! Wife and I started riding again last August after a 20 year layoff. Although we were enjoying riding together, we're now riding a Davinci tandem TWOgether (with credit to Zonatandem!). Seriously, we're in our 60's and are never going to be fast despite our competitiveness, but on the tandem we can average 18 mph over 40 or so flat miles and 17 with some climbing. Let's us keep up with younger folks and you can definitely smoke some singles on the downhills. We did buy a new CF single for my wife (Specialized Ruby) and she's getting out a few times a week on her own for 20 mile rides. It's so "bad" that I'm going to be dropping my car off in a few weeks for some work and I'll ride home (45 miles) rather than bum a ride. Best type of sickness there is.

My wife has had issues with her neck and was hesitant to ride. Memories of a 25 year old ten speed were just too real.

Yet, after many discussions about the new geometry and technologies of modern bikes and about 5 trips to our LBS, her Trek fx 7.5 was delivered last week.

She has had good luck so far. A bit of pain in her kneecap area and I hope that will subside, but I can hardly keep up with her.

We are heading out to North Dakota and will ride in Teddy Roosevelt National Park next week.

20 years ago and my wife bought a sensible bike for her commute to work. I managed to Try it out and the GT Terrago that she had just bought was different to my Raleigh Trent Tourist that I used to have.

Her new bike got me thinking about taking up cycling but it was a full year before I took the plunge and started riding. We used to take the kids out on gentle rides and then I got involved with a keen cyclist and took it up more seriously.

I don't think her bike has been ridden more than a dozen times in the last 10 years and when I asked if she wanted to come out with me- No Way. I honestly thought she would give the Tandem a try but he had acted as back up on a few of the rides I had done and also seen us out on the Tandem. There was no way she was going to get on that thing- the way it jumps all over the trail and the speed it travels at.

So no riding wife for me- but I do have a "Willing" back up driver for the SAG whenever I need one.

+1 on this! My wife has started riding with me, and it's great to have a riding partner like that! We're not quite 50+ (46 & 47), but have found ourselves quite compatible in riding styles. She just completed her first "long" ride ... 22 miles, with a quick breakfast stop at 11 miles, and had a great time.

Me and my wife ride all the time together, I'm 53 and she 49. She can draft at speeds most men would envy (last night the pace was 25+ and she even pulled a bit) She has worked with a coach to improve her ability and we make quite a formitable duo!! I look forward to many miles with my live-in ride buddy. BTW I have logged 6000miles this year so far and I would say she has to be pushing 4000. Love the looks we get when we drop the young guns on climbs!!

Wife, at almost 72, loves to ride. Not as long as she used to, but still loves it.

We bought her a Cannondale aluminum R300 a few years back, but, after 600 miles, she hated it. It was simply too jumpy and skittish for her, and she did not feel in control.

So, we got her a Trek hybrid, and she loves it.

Very cool and congrats...as I said in another post my wife is also joining the ranks of bikers.

My wife began riding (as an older adult) before me. She was on clipless pedals before I had ever heard of them, and when she finished a 50-mile charity ride that inspired me to take up biking. She still prefers the upright position of her 17-year-old hybrid, though.
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My wife and I are more or less riding partners. So far this year, we have a little over 1,200 miles each. This weekend, we are leaving for a week long cycling trip in Michigan sponsored by the League of Michigan Bicyclists. She switched over to a recumbent high racer 5 years ago due to carpal tunnel problems in both of her wrists.

Very Cool!:thumb:...We have a tandem but the wife has seemed to developed enough to match speeds on her single. She's finished a 42 mile flat ride with an 18.4 average as her best. It's cool now that she can hang with the boys. No holding back or having to circle around any more. Best of all, no need to push her (hand on back) like when she was averaging 12 mph. Actually a few guys that won't ride with us anymore after the wife punished the on the bike!:D

She's only 46 right now but plans to be averaginge 19 shen she's 50!:roflmao2:

BTW, the guy behind her is over 50 so the picture is forum appropriate!:p

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2372/3571198170_84803bbef9_o.jpg

Hmmmmm. Do I see a tandem in your future?

Mrs. Grouch has been riding behind me on our various tandems since 1976. Here's to many more years of the same.

No plans for a tandem, but "Never Say Never".

No tandem for us either. A couple months ago we rode a cousin's tandem for a few miles. My wife said she wanted a better view than my back so that ended that. I thought about letting her take the front seat but I don't trust her driving enough. :) :)

My wife has been riding for over 10 years as compared to my four. Man, she just torches me on the hills. I have offered many times to buy her a better road bike but she is perfectly happy with her Specialized Dolce. Maybe it's for the best, if she had a better bike I wouldn't have a prayer of keeping up.

Wow, am I envious. Congrats to all of the well partnered riders. My wife's idea of aerobic exercise is 2 contiguous episodes of "Dancing with the Stars".:(
Cheers,
Geary

My wife has been riding for over 10 years as compared to my four. Man, she just torches me on the hills. I have offered many times to buy her a better road bike but she is perfectly happy with her Specialized Dolce. Maybe it's for the best, if she had a better bike I wouldn't have a prayer of keeping up.

Do you now?

From what I have seen of women riders- And I presume they are someones partner- they fall into two groups. Those that can leave me standing- and the ones that can talk all the way up the hills while riding alongside me while I can't get a word in edgeways. I probably could if I could find the lungs to talk to them.

Tandems are great equalizers!
We've tandemed for 34+ years with over 225,000 miles TWOgether, so far.
At ages 76/74, we can hardly wait 'til we get older!!!
While we are no longer hammerheads, we still get in 100 miles a week at a 'conversational' pace.
Pedal on!
Rudy and Kay/zonatandem

To my great delight, my spouse is starting to dabble in riding on her 18 year-old hybrid. She has worked up to about 15 miles so far. On a shared ride the other day we turned downwind and she discovered the fun of going fast ... and she really liked it. So that is a big attraction for her. Out of curiosity, she also jumped on my road bike (her own idea) and rode around the parking lot where we were starting our ride. The immediate reaction wasn't too favorable, but the idea of a road bike and its possible benefits is creeping into her head! This is promising. :thumb:

How great it is to find a new riding partner.

Congratulations. So that's one more for the Tour around Arkansas next year. ;)

One advantage of riding with my wife is that she doesn't believe that drafting makes that much of a difference. Therefore, I get to tuck in behind her whenever we hit a headwind.

You guys are blessed and don't even know it.

I'm 59 and my wife is 55. We've been married a bit more than 20 years. She's gained a good 40 pounds or more and I'm about the same. I ride about 5,000 miles a year, always early in the morning so it doesn't get in the way of work or on the weekends doing things together.

She resents that I am not overweight. It can be very difficult. Recently, we were walking the dog and I was pleased about a really good ride that morning. I told her I had come close to my usual weekday goal of 25 miles in 1 1/2 hours or less. She kind of flipped out and told me I was obsessed with competing with myself and she was just an "old fat slob". I had no comeback for that one!

I was majorly depressed for several days, but got over it. She does try to walk, but is so inconsistent it doesn't have much impact.

So, you folks who have spouses who enjoy what you do, count your blessings.