stapfam

I am a member of this forum so up against the Youngsters that I ride with I am old.

Luckily, My riding group accept that I have something to offer them in exchange for them waiting at the top of each hill. I ride a mountain bike and If you have not tried it, cross country Mountain biking is tiring, You can almost double the milage of a road bike to a mountain bike ride as to the effort put in. A 65 mile road ride will be the equivalent of around 35 on a mountain bike. Depends on the terrain etc. but that is my experience and the ratio that most of us work on.
Thing is I am not as young as I used to be so I am slower than these mere 40 year olds, but we go out for a 30 mile ride taking in 3 or 4 good stiff climbs, the equivalent downhill sections and a fair amount of technical off road trails. Come the first hill and I take my pace and arrive at the top last. 2nd hill about the same. 3rd hill and a few of the youngsters drop back to keep me company and if we do the 4th hill, They have trouble with gear selection, or the pedals coming loose, or "I think I have a slow puncture". The rides I love are the ones that I insist we take in for my summer training, a couple of 65 milers, that do not take in too many hills but one of them is a basket, and that is on the way home after about 45 miles. 700 ft high climb in about 1200 yards and it just goes on and on and on and then it gets steeper at the end. For some reason there are not too many takers for this ride, but those of us that do it, it is good preparation for a 100 mile ride that I do in June each year.

I may be old, I may be slowing down, but when it come s to stamina and endurance, I still have it. The ride I do in June is for the British Heart Foundation. 100 miles of off road masochism. Fantastic. I do at least have one of my regular riders with me on this ride as this is done on the Tandem. Unless I upset Stuart, my co-rider, I don,t get left on my own for this ride so I do have someone to keep telling me just a bit more effort or only another 80 miles to go.

At long last, I have found a benefit to getting old. well someone has to be last up the hills so that the youngsters can feel good about how fit they are. Incidentally the picture attached was taken on our 2nd food stop 60 miles into the ride last year, we do ocasionally have good weather in the Uk

PALux

I ride many club rides in western Washington and Oregon. Grey hair is worn by the majority of riders I ride with. On a century with several rest stops it is surprising how many younger riders seem to pass me several times. I don’t get there very fast but I make it.

skydive69

I am happy to point out that I have not lost to the young studs yet on the climbs. For example, this past Sunday, I raced a few of them on numerous ocassions up some pretty good grades, and kicked their young butts every time. I can maintain 22-23 mph going up these grades - most of them can't do better than 18. In our club, we have many successful racers (and one ex Olympian) in the over 60 age group. Some of the best riders are in that group. Our old butts hammer along with the training group, and often win the sprints in the sprint zone. We do our share of pulling in the upper 20's, and don't find age to be an issue. BTW, I am about to turn 65.

DnvrFox

Congratulations to everyone, young and "old."

What you keep forgetting is that you all are accomplishing feats that 99.999% of the population our age could not even begin to think of accomplishing.

You are near the tippy-top of the pyramid, but you keep looking at the very top, and feeling bad, and you forget about the huge base of that pyramid below you, which would make you feel good.

Well done.

Hey, even I, sporting a good case of AFib, got out on the mtn bike in the chill today. I was pleased that my wife accompanied me. We both really enjoyed ourselves.

NONE OF THE NEIGHBORS IN THE 20 CLOSEST HOUSES WOULD EVEN WALK IN THIS CHILL!

rule

True dat!

Red Baron

I don't Know, its getting pretty hard to wip some of them 49 yr olds!

Course my 35 and 31 yr old sons don't even ride. Easy 'Pickens'.

PhattTyre

I'm 23 and my dad is 55. Every year on his birthday (Dec 24) he rides up the road of South Mtn in Phx, AZ with any riding buddy who is willing to tolerate a little bit of pain. Over the years this ride has gotten a little competitve between my dad and I. For the first 3 years I just smoked him. He started taking is training a little more seriously, started racing, and got wicked strong. I, on the other hand, got busy with school and what not, so I did not train. On the 4th year he beat me. I put up a good fight and even set a personal best, but I couldn't keep the Old Man's wheel. This past Chirstmas Eve we both went all out. He was right on time with last years time, and I set a personal best and beat him, but only by about 30 second (over a 33 minute climb). He just turned 55 and is in the best shape of his life. He can even keep up with me off road on our singlespeeds (for the most part). Bottom line, old guys can be fast, fit, and strong, they just have to work at it.

webist

My Son-in-Law likes that ride too.

Kestrelman

Very inspiring, PhattTyre. I'm 48, been riding for years & years & years, albeit off and on. My son, who is 24, when he does ride with me, can keep up fairly well on the flats, but I absolutely smoke him on hills. That is due solely because I ride MUCH more than he does. He has the same body type as me (lean/light) and there's absolutely no reason that he couldn't beat me if he trained. I'm trying to get him out more, but he's "busy". He's a guitar player in a damn good band, and you know how that can affect your schedule. I actually taught him how to play guitar and told him that one day he would be better than me, and now, so he is. . Wish he would outdo me on the bike now.

Father & son competition - it's the best, isn't it?

PhattTyre

It is the best. Unfortunately we won't be riding together for a little while. For one thing, we're in different states, but also because he had a pretty nasty fall last week. He was riding his mtn bike, fell, and messed up his elbow pretty bad; 4 breaks on 3 bones and some torn tendons and ligaments. They had to operate to rebuild it and now he has 2 new tendons and some new titanium. It's a bummer for sure. He was going to do 24 Hours at Old Pueblo this month and some road metrics here and there, but now he needs at least 6 months of recovery, including 3 months of occupational therapy. The day he came home form the hospital after the surgery he got his "your registration has been accepted for the Leadville 100" card in the mail and now he's using that as a recovery goal. His spirits seem high and he's a tough old man who loves to ride, so I have faith in his recovery. I'm sending off what's pictured below as a get well present today (my own design). Just don't take riding with your kids or parents for granted, enjoy every second of it.

stapfam

PhattTyre

Sorry to hear about your riding mates accident, Just tell him to get down the Gym to retain some of his fitness. You are Right, we oldun's can be fit but we have to work at it. That's where I've been tonight, and I feel shattered right now. Used a lot of energy, sweated a lot, and pulled one level higher than I was 2 weeks ago on the machines. Whilst there I talked to a 25 year old fellow biker, and he races in the summer. He actually asked me to set out a programme for his training, as he matched me on the machines, was the same level as me, but less time. Mind you, when we went to the weight room, he was pulling weights I could not even think of.
That training for us old uns gets harder, but I would hate to be a youngster that is less fit than me. At least I have age as a reason. All he has is too much beer, too many parties, and too much junk food.
What makes it worse is that he doesn't invite me to the parties, and he never buys a round in the pub.

bkaapcke

Who wants to ride with the youngsters? They're always in a hurry and worried about speed. They don't know how to stop and smell the coffee. bk

will dehne

DnvrFox:
It depends were you hang out.
It seems as if all 0.0001% of the population (you are talking about) hangs out in the Detroit area park I use for training. Here I go with an average speed of 20 MPH and get passed as if I am standing still. (Depressing!)
On the other hand, when I bike in my home area, it seems as if I am the only serious biker. It is rare, perhaps once in two years, that anyone even matches my speed.
I am talking Rails to Trails.

fmw

To heck with the youngsters. I like to ride with the women.

skydive69

Me! The old farts are more excited about making it to the coffee shop than having good, intense training rides. I'm always in a hurry, and I have time to smell the coffee when they put me in a home and wrap a blanket around my knees. It was a rush today to ride with the 24 mph group in our club, and then (easily) kick young butt on the last sprint!

DnvrFox

Moved because this is a more appropriate thread for this response.



Hi

You have promoted this theme of "act your age" in a couple of posts recently.

Some of we 50+rs revel in thinking we are 25 or whatever.

I think that should be encouraged, not discouraged.

It is what helps keeps some of us "Young in mind and spirit."
==================================================================

Also

FYI, some of us (that's me at almost 66yo) have absolutely no problem with low back problems, neck pain, prostate and wrist pain on our DF's (Diamond Frame Bikes), even though some of us ride 150 miles per week or more. Sorry about your situation and all your troubles with pain and prostate. Glad you found a solution to your severe health problems.


I am glad you love your recumbent and advocate so continuously for it!

Have a great day!

berts

first off - keep up the good work stap - i wish you good health and happiness till 120.
next - the subject of stamina as something which improves with age, as fine wine, seems to repeat itself, in fact we have discussed this very same topic in a previous thread = "Life after 50?" in my response written 25/04 quote:
"As stapfam wrote - "What you have to find is that particular part of riding where experience counts." I'll add endurance since that is one parameter apprently less affected by age."

This might be an interesting research topic - understanding the physiology of stamina as related to ageing.