Velo Dog

This comes out of a conversation with my aunt on her 92nd birthday. I asked her if she FELT 92, and she thought about it a minute and then said, "No. I don't. Sometimes when I look in the mirror, I'm surprised." She said she feels in her 30s until she gets up in the mornings, then "My joints are about 60."
All of me is 62, and I have the gray hair and work hard not to have the paunch to prove it. That's getting up there by almost anybody's standards--but the only times I've FELT old have been when I let myself get out of shape. I'm 6'4", and my weight can swing 40 pounds pretty quickly. I'm at about 230 now, down from 270 last fall, and I don't think I feel any different than I did at 40. I can't climb like I used to, and I like a nap in the afternoons now and then, but I don't ever think, "I'm too old for that" or "I can't do that at my age." I'm planning a century next weekend (Party Pardee near Sacramento), and I expect to hate the last 20 miles, but I don't have any doubt that I can do it and it never occurred to me that I SHOULDN'T do it (though I did check with my cardiologist when I signed up).
What about other 50+ riders? Any fears, concerns, doubts related solely to your age (not to chronic health problems, which are another issue)?

maddmaxx 

Only that I now carry a cell phone to make up for the fact that I ride alone on trails where people may not find me for a couple of hours if I have a problem.

Floyd

My mom is 90, was on the election board yesterday, and gets on her 4-wheeler to go check things out in the pasture, that's on the farm.....and she just got a new car so plans on being able to wear another one out. I am still going for it and am on my second half of the century. I don't do a lot of 'risky' stuff.. like going over 25 miles an hour, but that is more cause I am a chicken and not because I am not a thrill seeker. .,. ... ... ... ... peace

BetweenRides

If anything, I'm too young to do what I want - retire...

As my wife likes to remind me, my mental age is still south of 18.

europa

My old gran was still running the country town she lived in at 90 ... and she'd been in a nursing home after a series of massive strokes for six years at that point.
My dad's in his mid seventies, works at the church every tuesday. He still climbs up into the bell tower to do maintenance but leaves the belfry to the 'young blokes' (that involves climbing a vertical ladder)
Of four grandparents, three died in their nineties, the other one died young (fifties) of injuries from WW1.

So now that I'm in my fifties, I'm busy making amends for the elderly excesses of my forebears and am working on wearing out my comfy chair

Richard

zonatandem

At age 74, 135 lbs I feel just fine.
Had an issue with cancer, but hell. got other things to do than worry!
Have over quarter million miles on bicycles (singles/tandems). Stil ride 100+ miles per week. Am a bit slower, don't do centuries any more, but can hold my own.
Have ridden 100+ centuries, some double metrics, and half dozen double centuries. Been there, done that!
Rode my usual 22 miles this morning.
So how are you doin'?

Dellphinus

No, I can do what I want, just not as often as I want.

Beverly

I'm probably in better physical condition at 64 than I was in my late 40's. I don't let age dictate my activities but I do take in consideration my current physical condition when deciding what to do.

I do know that at my age you can't do cartwheels - I tried this last summer with one of the granddaughters and thought I had ripped a leg off

Jet Travis

I haven't changed a bit. I'm still a legend in my own mind.

stapfam

Still feel that I can do what I want and mostly can. Only problem I have is trying to stay with the youngsters up the hills, but I put that down to the fact that they are training in private to be able to get on level terms.

Terrierman

To be perfectly honest, yes, there have been changes that affect what I do. I did some pretty wild stuff in my younger days that would likely kill me now. Duck hunting in the morning, quail hunting in the afternoon and then coon hunting at night while "consuming freely" and doing it for days on end is just no longer an option. Though I am the only guy left out of ten that work for me who is both willing and able to climb water towers now and then.

Ken Brown

I can't go as far or as fast, but I just scale back to suit my age (61). My passion is touring, I just don't go as far each day as I did when I was 35.

joe v

My motto : the older I get, the less I care about age!

(joining you guys in 2 days time ... that's right, it's my 50th on april 7th)

cccorlew

I can't believe I'm 53. It doesn't seem possible. When i hear someone in in their 50s I think they are old, yet I know I'm not. I ride, ski, play tennis and enjoy life.
Yet I am more carefull. I wear a road ID. I always wear a helmet. I think ahead, and plan ahead, more than I did as a 20 year old. I always take a jacket.

joeprim

I think it's the other way. I'm old enough to do what I want. The only time I feel old is in the presents of a a young lady that if I were younger I'd like to get to know in ways she would want an old guy to do.-

Joe

SSP

54 years old, and I feel fine!

I'm signed up this year for my third Death Ride - 125 miles, with 15,000 feet of climbing, in the Sierras south of Lake Tahoe.

I've ridden 5 week-long tours in Colorado, including 10 crossings of the Continental Divide. Ridden to the top of Mt. Evans (14,000+ feet), and ridden up Alpe d' Huez.

As I approach my 60's, I have no plans of backing off or slowing down. This year, I'm getting into running, in preparation for some duathlons and triathlons (though I have no illusions about finishing in first place!).

My Motto: Work Hard, Play Harder (double entendre intended ).

SSP

My definition of "old" = My Current Age + 10 years.

Using this definition, you'll never grow old!

Hermes

No fear, but I am much wiser than I was 25 years ago.

Digital Gee

I've always heard "old age" is your age + 15, and that's worked for me!

Hermes

Did you just sign up or did you have to win the lottery? I have not ridden it, but as a bit of trivia, one year a guy road his tandem with a real skeleton as the stoker.

SSP

It was via the lottery (the only way in, AFAIK).

I heard about the skeleton guy my first year, and I think there are some pics of him on the Death Ride website. As hard as that ride is, I can't imagine doing it on a tandem...much less a tandem with no stoker!

Hermes

Here it is...!

Monoborracho

After shoulder surgery last year I finally gave up on my ambition to be the closer for the Red Sox. Durn!

bkaapcke

I'm apparently not too old to put up with every damn test my doctors can conjure up. I have found that resistance freaks them out. I plan to do more of it in the future. They need to know that they are not the one in control. bk

DnvrFox

My neurologist said, "I think that you don't like to take medicines," as if most people LIKE to take medicine!

IMHO, there is NO medicine without a side effect.

Oh, and as to the question, I guess I just take it one day at a time, doing my very utmost to get through the day in the best way I can. I don't spend much time thinking about where I am on the continuum of what I can or can't do because of how old (or young) I am.

I read the obituaries from time to time, and as long as I don't find my name there, I am pretty happy. So far, so good. However, I see far too many folks that I knew on those pages, and it starts getting scary.