baron von trail 

This is an interesting article.

The secret of eternal youth: skin-tight Lycra and a bicycle - Cycling - Sport - The Independent

sam_cyclist

Will read later, but thanks for the article.

sbiker63

It is an encouraging article, but there are so many ads on the web page about so many thing, that I doubt the "fact" of the article. Is the "study real"?

Gerryattrick

As an elderly cyclist I quite like hearing the results of this type of survey but I take them all with a very large pinch of salt.

What they are telling us is that a bunch of relatively fit and healthy old folks are in a better state than other less fit and healthy old folk. Who would have thunk it!

Could it just be that people who have a natural drive to keep fit and healthy often take up cycling, so it is their very nature that keeps them younger than their peers. And whether they ride bikes, swim, walk, run, ski, lift weights or row is irrelevant - these people will almost always age better.

I love cycling but it is not the only, or even necessarily the best, form of exercise.

nobodyhere

+1 ^^^^^^^

There is a rather sharp natural selection process in that someone 75+yo who can do a metric in 6.5 hours is likely to have a different (better?) gene set, plain good luck and other environmental factors than someone who has not or cannot.

I've got too many friends who work on "fitness" and are in their 70's and simply can't do something like this no matter the will or the training. Rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, osteoarthritis, the big C, beginning dementia etc. will eliminate them from the potential pool, leaving a highly selective and biased survey group.

Nice, but with limited application.

And, yes, at age 75+, I could do a metric if I desired, but I prefer an all-round fitness program of bicycling (mountain, street and road), swimming, walking/hiking, resistance training, etc.

rydabent

IMO cycling is indeed a fountain of youth. Im almost 77 and in the half dozen of my closest friends I am in far better shape. I ride approx 30 miles every other day. My friends that golfed, riding golf carts, have pretty much had to give it up because of old age health problems.

OldsCOOL

You have to ride a bit more than around the block. If that is all you can do, time yourself. Before you know it, you are a cyclist.

baron von trail 

Yep. My dad is 73, rides 75 miles 4 or 5 days a week, all year, and he's one of the only people in his circle of lifelong friends without health problems. He's been a serious cyclist for about 20 years. I'm following his lead on that.

Retro Grouch 

"You don't quit bicycling because you get old. You get old because you quit bicycling."

Cyclosaurus

It appears so: Exercise allows you to age optimally | Physiological Society

It was kind of ridiculous that the Independent article was titled "The secret of eternal youth: skin-tight Lycra and a bicycle", as 1) Lycra has nothing to do with it, b) it wasn't about cycling vs. other forms of exercise, it was about finding a population of people who had a high level of fitness, and they used cycling as that measure.

Typical lazy, poorly-informed journalism.

SammyJ 

Love that line, hope you don't mind, but that is going on my Facebook!

locolobo13 

To be included in the study you had to be able to ride 100km in 6.5hrs. Smokers, heavy drinkers and people with some other health problems were excluded. Still a good study but how valuable it is to each individual is different.

I'm taking it as get and stay as fit as I can. But I can't do 100km in 6.5hrs.

Garfield Cat

Does that allow for pee breaks on that metric century? Most metric rides do.

chasm54

Really? That's only 10 mph. I suspect that if you persevere, and gradually build up the miles, in a few months you'll find this straightforward.

John E

Not mentioned in this thread are the serious cyclists who have osteoporosis along with their great cardiovascular systems. I complement my cycling with weight lifting and either jogging or fast walking. I do concur that exercise, a healthful diet, and a positive outlook are our best controllable weapons against the aging process. (I do not take credit for choosing ancestors with good longevity.)

Retro Grouch 

Not original with me but I don't remember who said it or where I heard it.

zonatandem

At age 82 I still pedal 100+ miles per week.
Last week at the first rainy stage at Tour of Utah was asked if I could pedal a stationary bike for cancer.
Won a 'prize' for being the oldest participant!
Pedal on!
Rudy/zonatandem

osco53

At' right there Is true words of wisdom peoples

RISKDR1

Seems the selection process is somewhat biasing the results. I would not be selected because I have (controlled) high blood pressure. Still, most people I meet cannot believe that I am 70. Hell, I can't believe it either. All I did was blink and here I am.

Biker395 

I know what you mean, but that all depends on how one defines "best."

IMHO, the best exercise is the one you like enough to engage in on a regular and frequent basis. For those of us here, that's cycling.

It seems like such an obvious point, but I really think that is where most exercise regimes fail ... and why you can pick up just about any type of used exercise machine on the cheap.

Like you, I take all these studies with a very large grain of salt. As far as I'm concerned, whether I live longer or not isn't the point. I'm living better. Or, as a friend of mine so eloquently put it:

"You'll outlive us all ... if you don't kill yourself first!"

ModeratedUser150120149

Ridiculous!

Exercise of some nature, that you enjoy, will add quality and enjoyment to your life. Beyond that luck plays a huge role in surviving all the daily hazards of life. Cycling is but one of the activities that May add to life enjoyment.

OldsCOOL

I like it when hearing the Dr after a checkup say something like, "you arent in that study group, just keep doing your self treatment". My last 5 seasons of seriously intense riding has kept these old pipes cleared and functioning way beyond others in my 55-65 age group.