It's interesting to me how many of us 50+ers have to deal with long lay offs and coming back. No matter how much we love to ride, life and health can get in the way. I'm sure that younger riders have their conditioning interrupted by things, but it's that much harder for older bodies to overcome the deconditioning/conditioning cycle.

I've had to do this a lot. I'm on my way back (I hope) for the 3rd time in about 4 years. Good luck to all who are doing it - it takes patience, but it's worth it.