milktoast

Hello all... new to the forum... getting back into biking.

I'm 42 and am wanting to get back into biking. I raced BMX as a kid and tried to get into road racing but that never happened. I used to be a runner but bone on bone wear took that away from me.

So, It has been a few years since I have been on a bike.


I bought a used Specialized Allez Elite and I'm going to start riding it. I'd like to work up to a decent "race" next spring/summer.

Could I get some advice on training? Maybe some schedules some of the older riders have used? I don't want and can't have riding be my life so the training would need to be flexible.

Also, I'm in Kansas City, MO

Thoughts? Advice?

Thanks

caloso

Welcome back to the bike! Probably the best thing to do start is to just ride. Don't worry about speed or distance, just get out there and start logging some saddle time.

escarpment

agreed^, take a month to get back into the swing of things, just work on endurance and technique. Gradually work on increasing frequency, distance, and speed.

Silvercivic27

Oh yeah, you're not that old, either. You may not get to the Tour, but you've got a lot of good competitive years left for sure!

rangerdavid

welome back to the addiction!! what a great way to stop the over 40 spread, reduce the risk of heart disease, and reduce stress!! Plus, it's the only thing a guy my age can do and say Wee Wee Weeeeeeeeeeeee!!! on a regular basis!!

CenturionIM

great first bike my man.

rbart4506

Ride the bike whenever you can , it's really that simple

Drag

I'm 42 as well. Thats not old. I ride with a club with riders over 50 who can easily smoke me, and Ive ridden over 3000+ miles this year. Given I live in the snow belt, thats about 100miles a week riding 3-4 times a week. Best thing I ever did was join an active club. You'll be surprised at how fast you accumulate the miles.

StephenH

"am wanting to get back into biking... I'd like to work up to a decent 'race' next spring/summer"

Don't confuse "cycling" with "racing". You can be a serious dedicated die-hard cyclist your whole life and never race. Racing's fine, just don't feel like that's what you're obligated to do as a cyclist. Most of us don't.

On the "Road Cycling", there's a "Racing Subforum" with a bunch of stickied threads, and there's a lot of good information there.

I have a number of friends of similar age and similar ability to myself. If I ride around with them, I start feeling like I'm pretty fast. If I go ride with fast people, I find that's not the case. So it would be helpful to get involved with some different group rides of varying abilities to see how you fit in. If you show up at some random bike shop ride and you're the fastest one there, it doesn't mean much, you might have found the slow ride is all. But if you show up and you're the slow one, that's a good indicator not to jump into racing just yet.

As a non-racer, my knowledge of racing is pretty limited, but I have found it informative to go see some crits as a spectator, and I've been involved with some long-distance racing as a volunteer, and that's also been informative.

Down here, we can ride year round, and most people do. Farther north, you may find all your race training being done indoors this time of year- ask around locally, see who's doing what, where, and how. It depends on whether you're specifically training, or just out for a good time, or what.

cyclezen

find a club, perferrably a racing club with a broad spectrum of rider types - there are clubs in many areas which focus to 'masters' racing. Those guys will take you under their wing to approach performance cycling in the best manner possible.
start doing 'easy' tempo sport group rides - in many areas there are a number of rides for those who don;t race but want to test themselves.
pay attention to experienced riders and how they handle and ride their bikes - be observant.
read - Joe Friel - Cycling past 50
https://www.amazon.com/Cycling-Past-5...ords=joe+Friel
you're not 50 yet, but this is written exactly for you.
ride whenever you can
some days you'll just not want to - go ride anyway, you'll 'want to' shortly after you start the ride...
have fun

Dudelsack 

Always remember your childlike sense of wonder and enjoyment and you learn.

Velo Dog

This. I was a runner until my mid-40s, had never ridden a bike farther than 10 miles and thought that was a lot. When my knees gave out, I bought an old mountain bike (I live near a national forest) and started fooling around with that, then picked up a used road bike. Six months later I did my first century (nearly killed me). My speed and endurance improved until I was about 55, and probably would have continued for awhile longer, but I bought an old house and put a lot of my time into that. I'm nearly 68 now and can generally stick with the 50-somethings.

dave1442397

I bought my bike in April 2011 after not riding for 22 years. I'm 47 now and can hang with the local racers' training rides.

I started riding with the B group at the local bike shop, and by July I was with the A group. I just kept riding with faster guys to see if I could at least keep up, and my speed and endurance increased a lot.

I was bad last winter and didn't ride for months, but this year I lost 30 lbs and am cycling with the local A+ groups. I haven't gotten dropped this year I don't have any interest in racing. I just like to push myself and do my best.

Just get started, and you might surprise yourself with what you can do after a few months on the bike.

baj32161

OP, you have gotten the best tips already, and I really don't need to add anything. Get out there and get those miles in and remember to have fun.

gamby

41 in May here

Pile on the miles.
Ride a lot of hills
Drink enough
Eat something every hour or so
Don't fear spandex shorts (they work) or clipless pedals (after you get used to your bike)

GBIAction

Good one but the specific bike hardly matters at this point. Im 60 and counting - started riding again after a similar running career but not until 55. I cant ride too well with the 20s and 30s but keep up just fine with the 40s and 50s and even the old coots like me. riding aprox 7500m per year (with a little time off now for recovery from a recent crash)

I agree with the posts above - get started and you will find that piling on the miles is going to be easy if you hook up with people to ride with which will allow you to be social, be competitive and learn while doing. riding again saved my life.

have fun, be safe, and best of luck

mynameistaken

install Strava on you smart phone. you can track your progress and it will push you to try harder. create private segments and watch your times get faster. it will make your work outs more fun. and its always nice to have a little trophy icon reminding you of how awesome you are

milktoast

Great advice! Thanks!

When I say "race" I really mean "event". I don't want to win races I'd just like to have a big event to train up for and have a feeling of accomplishment... and then keep going.

I installed "map my ride" and created an account so I've started keeping track of my rides.

I think in a week or two I'll seek out a local riding club and get in on the rides.

Thanks again

dave1442397

I started with map my ride, but Strava is a lot more fun if you are at all competitive. You can use it with an iPhone or a Garmin GPS unit.

DGlenday

This

And this

I'm older than you (55), and started cycling a year and a half ago. First thing I did was take myself out on some tough (for me at the time) rides, just to get into things - learn my own capabilities, learn the bike, develop a bit of fitness, and so on.

I thought I was pretty hot sh*t - so I joined a club and learned that I had a long way to go. Rode with them as much as I could - and quickly grew stronger. In fact I joined 3 clubs - one focuses on very long rides (they start at 130-mile rando rides, and get longer from there) and one has several current and former racers.

Then I did the Strava thing, which challenged me still further - and if nothing else, it added another dimension of interest to my rides.

I've come a long way, but still have a way to go. So:

On the advice of some very accomplished BF members, I've just bought and started reading Joe Friel's training bible : https://www.amazon.com/The-Cyclists-T...ords=joe+friel ... and I've joined a computrainer class that's run by a very accomplished racer - and have already pumped my FTP up by about 15.

Next - I have lofty plans for 2013, and believe the steps taken so far will get me there...

kaisersling

= inspirational. My 76 year old father (who used to be on the U.S. Track team back in the dark ages...thus major joint issues) just took up mountain biking..... Not the paved bike path on a comfort bike variety, but the full suspension on single track variety....and keeps up with me and my brother, both 40 somethings. So in relative terms, you are young as well.