Originally Posted by
Papa Tom
...I recently started a thread on the Fifty-Plus group about how people ignore me now when I pull into a town on my bike. In my thirties, other cyclists wanted to hear about my ride and young women wanted to talk to me - about anything - in restaurants. At 57, people seem to want to keep their distance, as if I pose some kind of threat.
Funny, I don't get that, nor have I ever heard of it among my 60-something peers. I thought the opposite, that my gray hair and beard (neatly trimmed) make me look less threatening and more approachable. And my obvious age gives me an excuse to be on long rides. When I was taking off complete seasons in my thirties and forties, I got some semi-suspicious "Well, what do you do for work?" questions. "Are you some sort of bum?" It was hard to explain the lifestyle, and impossible for most to understand. Now I can just say I'm retired and that's easier.
Of course there's less sexual attraction to younger people! That's part of getting older. I suppose that bothered me a bit in my 50s. Now I'm over it.