This is true semantically but untrue, really ... and since reality affects me a lot more than semantics ...

Because in reality, the closer we approach our limits, the more impact the forces against us have and the less impact our forces will have proportionally.

A good push will take you from 18-20 mph .... try breaking the wind to go from 38-40 mph.

You might not collapse and die, but a 100-mile ride might leave you unable to walk, unable to sleep from cramps and muscle pains, might leave blisters, might drain you so deeply you cannot even ride for a few days .... but a 50-mile ride might be easy, and a 75-mile ride, just taking you to the edge of your comfort zone. (Please do everyone a favor and insert appropriate distances instead of derailing the discussion by bragging about your ability to ride triple-centuries. I know some folks can, and you know that is entirely Not the point here.)

You can say, "I didn't stop pedaling and collapse, so I didn't reach my limit ... " at which point we are back to semantics, debating the definition of "limit."

Obviously the "limit" is death. There is no other hard limit ... because if you are still alive, you still might surpass any other limit (with the exception of the question, "How young can you be?")

But only ... well, I will not say fools and idiots, those terms are too strong ... only certain people Really live at the limit of life and death ... and they usually take the most care to survive. (BASE jumpers come to mind.)

(Whoops, let me clarify this. I do Not mean the people who lead extreme lives are fools and idiots, not at all. The people who willfully misinterpret terms in conversation in order to appear tough and potent was the group I was trying to describe ... Sorry. See disclaimer below regarding insufficient coffee consumption.)

The less .... again it is hard to find a term which is not too negative ... certain other people really try to explain that since they didn't die, they have not found their limits.

For instance, for each of us here, there is a certain weight we cannot lift. Maybe you could do one ounce more on a different day but for each of us, at some point we will simply not be able to lift the weight. Is that not a "limit?" You can claim, "I have not reached a 'limit.' I might lift more tomorrow," but the fact is, you have reached your limit.

I can ride so far and so fast on any given day. If I ride as far and as fast as i can, I have reached my limit ... sorry but there it is.

Some days my limits are determined by how much free time I have, or by weather conditions. During some of the extreme weather we have been having lately, I went riding just to see ... and when I was facing wind gusts of 35-40 mph, and the rain was so hard I couldn't see the road, which was covered with storm-blown debris, I decided that was the limit of how long I could safely ride. I could have stayed out there as the storm got much worse ... so ... did i reach my "limit"?

I have seen video of some cycling race, I think in Spain, where riders faced 100-kph winds or some such. They were trying to climb a hill and were literally being blown off their bikes. The winds were strong enough that bikes were sailing like kites.

Was that a "limit"? The limit of how hard a headwind into which a rider could advance? Those folks sure thought so.

Sorry to be so long-winded ... I haven't finished the first cup of coffee ... let me wrap this up.

When discussing "limits," it is helpful if people define at the start if we are discussing "practical limits" or "conceptual limits." The one has very useful practical applications ... like helping people go a little harder while avoiding injury and death.

The other is purely for personal motivational purposes. Fact is, we face practical limits all the time, every day. The boundaries of what we can do give our life structure--because we have to achieve whatever we can, within the limits reality imposes. We can go as far as possible, and find new directions and all that ... this is not defeatism ... but it is reality.

I can flap my arms as hard as I want but I am not flying.

This thread started out with a rational discussion of how hard to push without having a stroke or heart attack. Telling a person "Go for it!" is great. I guess. And then, if someone were to take that advice, I suppose you could claim limited liability, because you were just ranting on the internet after all. Saved by the limits!