Got Dropped by a 60 yr. old.
05-27-06, 02:22 PM
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Got Dropped by a 60 yr. old.
Yeah. That's right. A retiree rode right past me today and dusted me and I felt good. I am not exactly a slouch, when it comes to the bike but I really don't train or do anything to try and get faster. I just ride somewhere every day year round, usually on my mountain bikes but in the Summer I ride my road bike some.
I'm 6'2" and 150 lbs and have around 20,000 miles since i started riding a couple years ago. I say all this to prove that I'm not some slow noob, that got beat by an old man. I normally ride alone and seldom ride with anyone, so I really never know where I am at in terms of ability.
Anyway, today I caught a pair of riders in my rear view mirror about 20 miles into my ride. They were gaining on me and I thought that was strange because usually I can hold my own and most people behind me in my mirror stay there. NOt today. By the time we reached the town we were riding to, I was caught. We stopped on main street and everyone got off their bike. I needed to clean my glasses and the other guys needed to apparently stretch and pull chemistry sets our of their seat packs. They proceeded to drink all sorts of concoctions and do a bunch of stretching exercises. They were soaking in sweat and could barely breath.
I on the other hand was breathing normally and trying to make small talk. They were more interested in staring at their computers and their Serrotas. The older guy was a retired doctor and the younger guy was his son. Knowing this you would think that it was neat that a father and son could share rides together, but I really don't feel that way in this case. The son passed me and then grandpa rode past and said, "good bye." I thought, WTF? This old man is gonna leave me in the dust?
Well, that was the last I saw of them up close. I finished about 1/2 mile behind them. I was riding my normal speed just taking in the scenery and maintaining a brisk pace. I kept thinking how cool it was that a guy 60 yrs old was in that good of shape and that he was riding with his son, but I couldn't help but think that maybe they are missing something.
Earlier in our conversation I had mentioned a historic "castle" that was on the route home and I watched as we passed it. They never even glanced up. They couldn't because their tongues were hanging out and they were in a super aero position. I guess one could conclude that I am envious that they beat me. I suppose that is partly correct. I mean, the guy was 60 plus years old.
But still, I am getting old enough to know that most of us in this country miss so many great opportunities to truly enjoy something, because we are going to fast or we have our priorities all out of whack. I am not begrudging them the right to be competitive, I think that is great for many people. I just know that for me personally, that would ruin cycling for me. I ride to relax and get away from it all. It's just hard to grasp why some ride to see how much pain they can be in.
(BTW, my average speed for the ride was 18.9 with a 20-30 mph South wind.That tells you how fast these guys were)
I'm 6'2" and 150 lbs and have around 20,000 miles since i started riding a couple years ago. I say all this to prove that I'm not some slow noob, that got beat by an old man. I normally ride alone and seldom ride with anyone, so I really never know where I am at in terms of ability.
Anyway, today I caught a pair of riders in my rear view mirror about 20 miles into my ride. They were gaining on me and I thought that was strange because usually I can hold my own and most people behind me in my mirror stay there. NOt today. By the time we reached the town we were riding to, I was caught. We stopped on main street and everyone got off their bike. I needed to clean my glasses and the other guys needed to apparently stretch and pull chemistry sets our of their seat packs. They proceeded to drink all sorts of concoctions and do a bunch of stretching exercises. They were soaking in sweat and could barely breath.
I on the other hand was breathing normally and trying to make small talk. They were more interested in staring at their computers and their Serrotas. The older guy was a retired doctor and the younger guy was his son. Knowing this you would think that it was neat that a father and son could share rides together, but I really don't feel that way in this case. The son passed me and then grandpa rode past and said, "good bye." I thought, WTF? This old man is gonna leave me in the dust?
Well, that was the last I saw of them up close. I finished about 1/2 mile behind them. I was riding my normal speed just taking in the scenery and maintaining a brisk pace. I kept thinking how cool it was that a guy 60 yrs old was in that good of shape and that he was riding with his son, but I couldn't help but think that maybe they are missing something.
Earlier in our conversation I had mentioned a historic "castle" that was on the route home and I watched as we passed it. They never even glanced up. They couldn't because their tongues were hanging out and they were in a super aero position. I guess one could conclude that I am envious that they beat me. I suppose that is partly correct. I mean, the guy was 60 plus years old.
But still, I am getting old enough to know that most of us in this country miss so many great opportunities to truly enjoy something, because we are going to fast or we have our priorities all out of whack. I am not begrudging them the right to be competitive, I think that is great for many people. I just know that for me personally, that would ruin cycling for me. I ride to relax and get away from it all. It's just hard to grasp why some ride to see how much pain they can be in.
(BTW, my average speed for the ride was 18.9 with a 20-30 mph South wind.That tells you how fast these guys were)
Last edited by Portis; 05-27-06 at 02:32 PM.
05-27-06, 02:39 PM
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I got dropped by older man on mountain bike today. I was on 20th mile in park, when someone passed me going much faster, i decided to stay on him and after 5 miles or so of pretty fast ride, we passed old guy on mountain bike without jersey, he stayed with us. We were doing at least 20-23mph for 7 miles or so and guy was still with us. Then he suddenly accelerated and dusted me , at that point it was my 30th mile or so and I was in no condition to do anything (i tried , nearly passed out there lol ).
05-27-06, 05:24 PM
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I'm a pretty regular rider; maybe 5000 to 8000 miles per year. I know a 75 year old guy that can beat me on any ride of up to 30 miles. I also know a couple of 65 year old guys that can beat me at any ride of any distance.
Fortunately for them (and me some day), cycling fitness at the recreational level does not degrade quickly as we get older. As soon as these guys hit retirement age, their free time for training went way up. I wouldn't be suprised if they rode close to 10,000 miles per year, each. 50 miles/day, 4 times/week, adds up very quickly.
Fortunately for them (and me some day), cycling fitness at the recreational level does not degrade quickly as we get older. As soon as these guys hit retirement age, their free time for training went way up. I wouldn't be suprised if they rode close to 10,000 miles per year, each. 50 miles/day, 4 times/week, adds up very quickly.
