cuattop

Reflecting back on my ten years of cycling I can see some evolutionary phases:

1) The thrill and freedom on just riding a bike
2) Training for my first century
3) Training for faster centuries
4) Jamming with my buddies
4) Getting bored with centuries and training for one or two centuries each year
5) Looking for and loving the challenge of climbing the hills

I am 52 years old and am still solid in the hill-climbing phase but I wonder what the next phase looks like. Touring maybe? Anybody been through a similar evolution?

chasm54

I'm a shade older than you and it is clear to me that touring is nirvana. I agree that I no longer get a buzz from knocking 10 minutes off my best time for 100 miles. Still do all the other stuff, especially the hills. You can tour in the mountains, though...

998

6) Put mirrors on my helmet
7) Began to wear nothing but old school wool jerseys

Hermes

I did not care for centuries but I like touring Spain and Italy. I am racing now - TTs, hill climbs, road races, stage races and track.

Guillotine007

3.5 Racing
8. Tandem
9. Bent
10 Hospice

friendly-fred42

Nirvana achieved in 4 months. what remains?

(4 months ago- got touring bike, my first non X-mart bike)
(1 week ago- finished short 300 mile bike tour)
Perhaps I should do a century or something.

BetweenRides

Just a touch older than you, now in my 21st season riding. I do love to tour, been into that for 10+ years and look forward to an annual week long trip, which is as much about friend, sightseeing, beer drinking, food and freedom as it about biking. I do still enjoy a fast group ride, but I don't focus on the speed during the ride, more of an observation afterwards. I am also gravitating towards more distance goals. I've done 160 in a day three times, this year we are extending it to our first double century. If that's successful, who knows? Maybe I'll start doing the occassional ultra distance event.

zatopek

Just turned 50 and I am loving group hammerfests, racing and training in the mountains more than ever. Last weekend, on a descent in the mountains I hit 50 mph for the first time ever.

Seattle Forrest

I hope we have different ideas in mind of exactly what "nothing" could mean in this context.

roccobike

I went from the couch, to riding an old MTB and MUPs, then onto new MTBs and single track. When I finally discovered road biking (second time) I road alone on an older, downtube shifter and didn't like it so I returned to mountain biking. Then I obtained a used brifter equipped Cannondale and did my first group ride. That led to joining a small group followed by large groups. Finally I dropped MTBs, spend all my riding time on a roadie with over 90% in group rides, moving up from hanging on to a D group, then a C group, leading a B group, and now I'm trying A rides. But I love the group rides. What I really like is as you move up with the groups and become a better, faster rider who others trust there is a level of respect. I've had some really nice comments made like, "OK, here comes a ride leader" and "ask him to ride with us, he's fast".

Casrider

at 40 and with at least 20 years of riding I'm sort of at the same spot
my evolutionary phases:
1) The thrill and freedom on just riding a bike
2) Building my own bike
3) Training for my first century
4) Training for all around stronger cycling
5) Looking forward to building custom touring bike

and somewhere in the future
6) Bike tour across the N American continent
7) Bike tour of various European nations
8) Visiting Casati workshop and riding around Italy

old school wool jersey exclusivity already accomplished