Originally Posted by tsl

I'm 58 and from nearby Rochester. I have two things to add to the discussion.

I returned to cycling a few years ago. What was a real wake-up was how much harder I had to work compared to when I was young. Things change in our bodies as we age. Some things are obvious. Others are not.

In order to improve, I had to ride a lot more, ride a lot harder, ride more frequently and consistently, and pay serious attention to rest, recovery, and diet. (In other words, I had to work at it like an athlete.) But also, I had to be more patient. It takes more time for our bodies to respond when we're older, so give time time.

My improvement curve didn't really take off until my second or third year of 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year. Those miles are spread across all 12 months, BTW, although through January and February I drop down to 50 miles a week or so. I find that a lot easier than starting from zero in spring.

Second, there are lots and lots of different groups to ride with around Rochester. You don't say where in Western NY you are, but it may just be worth a drive to join us for a few rides. I'm a member of the Rochester Bicycling Club, a recreational club of mainly older adults, with rides every weekday, and your choice of several different rides on weekends and holidays. What are outlying rides to us may just be neighborhood rides for you. See the schedule, with maps and cuesheets, and ride leader phone numbers. You don't need to be a member to join our rides.

Several of the ski clubs do cycling in their "off season". A name I can remember off the top of my head is Huggers.

So you really have a choice:

1. If you are happy with the amount of cycling you do currently, you have to accept you'll remain at your current level.
2. If you are not happy with your current level, then you have make a greater committment.

Sadly, at our age, there is not a third choice that lets us both improve and remain an occasional cyclist.

On a plus note, if you can't make a greater committment now, just do what you can until you retire. The guys in my club who will rip your legs off--and those of riders decades younger--are the retirees. Joining those guys is what I look forward to in retirement. I'm greatly heartened by their example that you can be old and fast and climb like the dickens and do it several times a week.