How long can we ride?
 

Check out this guy. Maybe I can slip in a couple more years.
Fred Schmidt - Waco

I am 66 and I am sometimes asked how long do I think I can continue to ride a bike. I do not have a number to actually answer that question. I just tell the person "If I reach the age of 80, I would like to still be pedaling. Check out the following link. It is outrageously impressive! https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...obert-marchand

One of my cycling friends works full time, cycles 2-4 days a week. He completed the Mt Evans cycling climb in Colorado last summer. He's 73.

I'm planning on doing at least 2000 miles a year. I expect to keep that going until I'm 80, unless some disability surfaces.

I just turned 66... cycling, hiking and other activities will continue for many years if I have anything to say about it! Ok, at 80 I'll cut down just a little. :)

One of my local heroes, Gordy Shields, bicycled avidly well into his early 90s, and finally died in his mid-90s. (Good Scots genes didn't hurt any. :) )

I've never been an athletic. Ever. I wish I was. I've done double centuries very slowly and ridden multi week supported tours with many mountains, again, very slowly. I bike commute daily and if I count that (and why wouldn't I?) I hit 7000 miles last year.
At 65 I wonder how much longer I'll be able to do it. I'm on a downward trajectory.
I've noticed I've lost power and pop over the last six months. I fear the end is approaching.
So who knows?

I know someone who rode his age when he was 83. A couple of minor injuries have slowed him down some, but he still rides at 87

I'm no the younger side of this conversation (58), but I think about this also. How long can I ride? How long can I ride with appreciable power? Shouldn't I retire soon so that I can enjoy my cycling health before it dissipates?

I'm 47 and ride like a bat out of hell, and a rider in my group (Tom) is 72 and he's always the first one to the top of the hills. When he passes me (and the other 30 yr olds in the group) going up these hills (I'm doing maybe 250-300 watts), I'll often look over at him as he passes, and see that he's barely breathing. Tom's a true inspiration of mine, and he makes me look forward to getting old and being able to ride like a bat out of hell until my final days.

That is me too. Never really athletic ... just love being outside.

I intend to ride as long as I have the desire and ability. I have no idea how long that will be.

I was chatting with some colleagues yesterday about this. One used to commute with me 3x a week or so. He hasn't ridden his bike in almost a year ... back issues. He refused to see a doc and is just dealing with it with OTC pain meds. The other (much younger), went for a ride about a week ago and was in pain for a couple of days for it.

So I figure I'm doing OK. Inertia is a *****, so the the secret to not stopping is ... don't stop.

I expect that I will have ridden on my last day on this earth. (Read that as you will.)

I'm 74 and still riding ~2000 miles a year.

85? That's nothing! Check out this guy...https://www.thelocal.fr/20180111/fra...angs-up-helmet . Not only did he break the hour record for the over-100 age group at the age of 102, but he didn't actually take up cycling seriously until he was 67.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b43b3e9b12.jpg

Robert Marchand, 106

I'll be 76 in August :o, signed up for the 2019 mile challenge. Actually, hoping to do more.. maybe.:p, hoping to be on the right side of the asphalt at 85, period.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...af99e08e8b.jpg
I am 70 and hope to be on a bike for a few more years.
Frank.

The Solution:

(kidding, of course) :D

Generally speaking, using an indoor trainer is a game changer. I have a strong preference for being outside, but the weather isn't always going to cooperate no matter where you live. If you have mild winters, chances are you have several weeks of very hot summer weather. Even a short break of 6 weeks can require a long rebuilding period.

An indoor trainer will help a cyclist maintain precise control over a fitness routine. Want to ride a steady heart-rate or power output? These are easily accomplished on a trainer and almost impossible to accomplish outdoors with the same level of precision. Structured intervals are another great training routine that can be performed indoors on a trainer.

Modern smart trainers are not boring. Video augmentation, virtual group rides and other training tools make it fun. Once the weather outside improves, a cyclist can enjoy it without the usual training curve to climb after weeks of inactivity.

I just turned 65 and I ride a little over 2000-miles a year. I really enjoy bicycling, even when I have to tangle with seemingly mindless drivers. I am not fast and I have never done a century, but I figure that when the time comes that riding on two wheels becomes too hard, I will just start riding a trike.

I rode across the country self-contained with 12 others back in '99. One guy turned 77 during the trip. He had been in the R.C.A.F. and spent 2.5 years in a German POW camp during WWII, so he knew what tough was. The day after we finished in Bar Harbor, ME he started riding home to suburban Philly. I was 34 and needed to rest for a few days before starting my ride home to Philly. His wife finally said "Enough!" and picked him up in Connecticut. Passed away at age 90. R.I.P. Stu.

Did you ever get a chance to ask Stu whether or not Sgt Schultz knew about the escape tunnel?

R.I.P. Stu, in any event.

http://www.nndb.com/tv/719/000044587...trio-sized.jpg

We ride with a 90-year-old who has several national and international titles for his age.
As for us, late 70s, retired 22 years and still riding 75-100 miles per week tandem and solo. I looked back at some 10 years ago Garmin data and was surprised to see that my average speed over 25-30 miles has not changed much - 13 to16 mph, depending on group, terrain (mainly flat) and wind. Max sprint speed solo has decreased from about 26.5 mph to 24-ish.
I no longer do centuries, but I suspect I still could at a leisurely pace:-)

67 here, still working full-time. I've been averaging 6/7000kms a year since 2002 when I re-started cycling.

Until last season, which was a write-off due to sudden onset of serious medical issues last April, which were not fully resolved until last December. Hoping for a better year this year, and a return to my 'normal' cycling routine.

Medical specialists say there's no reason to stop, and every reason to continue. I construe that advice as a prescription for a new bike (medical necessity). So I ordered one.:)