Miami Biker

Started at age 63 on hybrid for three years. Then at 66 got road bike. Last two years rode over 6,000 miles per year. In 2015 averaged 17.5 thanks to a group where averaged 18.8 MPH! Now age 70.

Did two 65 mile group rides in 2015 at 19.8 and 20.0 MPH. Most of our group is about age 50 and usually ride 21-24+ MPH for long stretches.

Oh yeh lost 40 pounds since riding and have replaced right knee and not so good left one.

So don't see age 50 as a limiter. Everyone is different. I'm just thankful started when I did. Good luck and happy riding whatever and however you do it.

jskash

I started riding three years ago at 55. I would have never thought that I would be able to ride over 6.000 miles in a year. I ride almost every day. I have missed 18 days this year, mostly due to illness.

zonatandem

I've reached age 83 and still cycling +/- 100 miles a week.

chasm54

You are THE MAN. If I was the sort of guy who harboured ambitions, mine would be to still be riding 5000 miles a year in my eighties.

fryardds

Exactly! Bravo to you, 5K miles/yr at 83 is truly remarkable as is 60 yrs. of marriage.

Tucson is one of my favorite places to ride/train, especially in the Spring after a long MW winter. Excellent choice on your part.

GlennR

I made it past 53 years and 282 days which is how long my father lived after passing away from prostate cancer.

Now as I approach 60, and have seen both my kids graduate college, get their masters, move out of the house, start their careers and my son get married, I look back at all he never experienced.

My mom always told me that many men don't make it past their 50's so taking care of my health was a priority and cycling has been a big part of it.

Your 50s are a turning point, you can continue your bad habits and become a overweight premature old man, or invest in your body and health and become a young man again. Obviously if you're posting in Bike forums, you've made the correct decision.

Old men rule.

tg16

I looked at your picture and it took me back to the '80s when I worked in law enforcement. There was a kid doing time in federal prison who had roobed a bank. He parked his bike in front of the bank, robbed it and took off on his bike. A bank employee followed him home and called the police. He was arrested and began serving time. He would be out now and I was wondering if that was you ?

jskash

A worthy goal to continue cycling into my 80s. Something to look forward to.

Rowan

Being told the day before yesterday that I looked like a 50yo instead of a 60yo.

Getting married again at the age of 53 and living happily ever after.

Doing a round-the-world trip that was beyond my wildest dreams in my 20s and 30s. Part of that was purchasing two Thorn touring bike frames and building them into reliable, comfortable machines that did 3,500km on that trip.

Following that, starting to ride tandems and putting thousands of kilometres on them.

Building up a workshop of quality tools (and not-so-quality ones) so I can build bicycles and maintain my motorised transport.

Speaking of the latter, recently replacing the cylinder head and having the diesel engine start first time at the end of that particular 2-1/2 day project.

Organising a successful 200km randonnee.

Completing numerous centuries and other LD events.

Buying a used canoe and paddled various lakes and rivers.

Completing the 7 Peaks Alpine Challenge here in Australia.

After all that, I still think there's a whole lot more living left to do...

vjj1

I started cycling 'properly' in 2010 at the age of 54. Along with weekly club rides and numerous sportives, I've managed L'Etape du Tour in 2013, the 140 mile Dragon Ride (in Wales) in 2014 and L'Eroica (the original in Tuscany) last year. I also did my first triathlon last year and loved it.

On the way back from Italy I stopped near Bédoin in Provence and completed the challenge of joining the Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux which requires cycling up the mountain three times in the day, once by each of the three roads. It turned out to be about 140 km with 4500 metres of climbing (c.80 miles and 14760 feet). The oldest person to have completed the challenge was aged 86 - chapeau sir!

Cycling keeps me fit and healthy and I've made some really good friends through it - cycling in adversity is a great bonding experience.

This year I'm looking at the possibility of trying the Ventoux Bicinglette (six ascents, two by each of the roads) and everesting. I expect they are beyond me but the attempt is likely to be fun (of a sort).

Road Fan

Wow! Having lived in Colorado and DRIVEN up Pikes Peak and Mt. Evans, I know that simply to be at those altitudes is a challenge! Cycling them is a major accomplishment -- congratulations!

tsl

I'm certain genetics plays a significant role. I'd been in Denver for only 36 hours, not enough to fully acclimate to only that altitude, let alone Evans. Yet I didn't experience any altitude effects until well above 12,000 feet. Even then, all I had to do was reduce the effort. I must take after my mother in that regard since my dad gets severe high altitude problems just riding in the Buick above 8,000 feet.

Gerryattrick

As a seasider from the UK I never really appreciated the effects of altitude until I visited Leadville in Colorado some years back. The first day there I ran up three flights of stairs in one building and couldn't believe what hard work it was. Cycling around that area is hard at any time, even more so when you are not acclimatised.

CrippledKonaBoy

I found a handful of outlets that offer "senior discounts".

Atheism.

Being fill-in dad for a hyper 3-y-o with a deadbeat donor. (My sister's grandson)

rootboy 

I had that one licked in my early twenties.
Got it out of the way soonest. :>

eatontkd

God bless. People on this forum are so inspirational...

ltxi

Well then...that's even more impressive. I've been out and about with flatlanders that even have trouble walking any up hill distance at 9000 feet.

rekmeyata

I've accomplished 12 more birthdays after 50.

billd76

58 years here. Runner since 17! Parris Island taught to run and never stop! have completed three marathons, countless half marathons and 5ks, 10ks, triathlons, hoping to run my first ultra this May. Got into cycling about 2 years ago and loving it. Hope to really rack up the miles this year both running and biking! But I'm really liking the cycling, running may have to take the back burner for awhile!!

Phloom

Got new job just before I turned 50. Started to commute when I was 55. A bit shaky at first but after a couple weeks, I could feel the difference. My blood pressure dropped from 155/100 to 105/60. Feel like I am 25 despite being a 58 year old insulin dependent diabetic. Last year, I had a big win at work. Built a software tool that shows the status of 10 emergency departments. Now the IT department has to work for me. First time in my working life, I have minions working for me. A few weeks ago, I was officially recognized for the work I have done. I owe all this success, both work and health, to bicycling. My only regret is I didn't I start cycling sooner.

Kotts

I got back into riding in 2004, age 45. I've been riding more miles every year, always looking for what seems fun. Last summer's fun was a 433-mile ride across South Dakota with one of my best friends. First day was 102 miles from Belle Fouche to Faith. Amazing trip, amazing scenery, amazing people. More fun than I should be allowed to have.

BTW: People tell you that South Dakota is flat. It is, but it isn't level. ;-)

johnlp37

Great thread. I started riding 2.5 years ago after a chronic achilles problem made hiking/trail running too painful to do daily. In 2012 at 55 I hiked 2800+ miles with over 800,000 ft of elevation gain. Cycling has been fun. I have been commuting daily for a couple years. Didn't drive to work at all in 2015. I also was able to ride 10,000 miles in 2015. There is a lot to look forward to after you reach 50 years old!

fietsbob

Bicycle toured from SW Ireland to NE Scotland for my 50th year .. came back and moved to OR Coast .

recently bought a small house Here .. view of the river.

now 68 .. still single ..

az_cyclist

I first started riding with a club at age 52. Since the regular routes were 40-50 miles long @ 15mph rolling ave speed, that gave me some confidence. In 2010 I was invited to ride with another club in north Phoenix, and that year I rode in my first California Triple Crown double century. I dont have nearly as many as RickOCCR or Biker395, but I do have 13 CA Triple Crown doubles now, and hope to ride some of the doubles that I have not ridden before. I will be 64 this year.

Zuzus pedals

I didn't start riding regularly (used a old bike to do errands occasionally) until age 50 (7.5 years ago). Had an ginormous competitive running background - plenty of 100-150 mile weeks, averaged about 3,800 miles per year for over 25 years, 2:32:36 marathon at age 18 (never raced another one but felt I was in sub-2:20 shape at one point if everything went perfectly), 14:22 5,000 in college. Then in my 30s I couldn't approach my high school times, let alone college times, but it was still fun to run and push the pace. Setting easier yearly goals with each passing year still provided some challenge but at some point it just got too slow for it to be fun anymore (like trying to break an hour for 10 miles at age 40 when my lifetime PR is 50:40). The chronic age-related injuries completely trumped the fun just before age 50 and I turned to cycling.

Some runners can jump right into cycling. I was one of the ones who couldn't. It was a slow transition for me but I kept slogging away at it since it was new and therefore fun to see improvement even if it was just going from beginner to average. After about a year, I was up to a long ride of 72 miles with most rides at 25-30 miles. But it wasn't anywhere near as fast as I thought it should be. Not having my cycling legs yet, hills were tough. 16 mph was pretty hard for those 25-30 mile rides. Most rides had +/- 50 feet per mile elevation changes with a couple of categorized climbs, so 16 mph wasn't as bad as I thought, but that old Dunning-Kruger effect had a hold of me and I thought since the TdF riders were averaging 24-25 mph including mountains and went around 30 mph on flat TTs, with nearly 100,000 miles of running as a background for me, how hard can 20 mph on a bike be? Uh-Oh. Turns out I was starting from scratch in a new sport and had my work cut out for me.

But I kept at it. I did my first century in my 2nd year of riding (probably could have done it when I did the 72 miler, but it was getting dark on that one, then winter came, so the century had to wait). That included a lap around Cayuga Lake (plus another 17 miles to get 100) and it was at 15.5 mph seat time (didn't time the stops for refills and bathroom). 100 milers aren't a big deal anymore, so that's another sign of improvement in this sport. It took about 3 years before I rode over 20 miles in an hour for the first time, and that was on an easier course with only +/- 35 feet per mile. But that was a satisfying barrier to break. Doing intervals at faster than 20 mph became more regular, as well as doing hill repeats way out of the comfort zone. Then I started eyeing Strava segments (even though I wasn't a member of Strava yet). Being a 99% solo rider and not having a power meter, that's my version of "competition." Trying to hammer those segments really helped me get faster. And it's great fun! Of course, I'd usually do them with a tailwind, so it's not the best gauge of where I stand, but doesn't everybody do them with a tailwind? Not too many riders are going to say to themselves, "Hey! I've got a headwind! I'm going to go for it on this segment." Still, I'd hammer segments with tailwinds to set the bar out there and then try to match or beat those times with less wind (or go much faster with equal wind). That's huge fun for me and keeps me going hard.

Well, it's 7.5 years into the sport for me and I've finally gotten to the speeds I thought at the outset would come a lot more easily! Shows what I knew! I've gone 50 miles at 20.2 mph on the same loop course I did my first 20-mile hour on and have done 10 miles at 24.2 mph on my roadie (Merckx style). Not great by any means, but reasonable enough to show up at a local TT and do okay, which to me means I'm "a decent cyclist" now. I've cherry picked a whole lot of low-hanging KOMs (over half of them since beaten - I think I have 17 at the moment) but stay humbled by the fact that hardly any of the area racers care too much about Strava segments (maybe 2 or 3 do and they kill me on the segments they go hard on). I could name about 30 guys within a 10 mile radius of me that would crush me in a time trial if they wanted to. But I'm just in it for personal improvement. Getting faster is the fun part of it for me, and I'm a lot faster than I was just a few years ago, so it has been fun and I can't complain too much about that.