Now 71. I spent most of 2022 providing 24/7 home hospice care for my wife (she passed from cancer) and did very little riding, or much of anything else, for that matter. It is exhausting, but a labor of love.
I've found that it's much more difficult to get back into shape now. At this age, it seems like a "use it or lose it" scenario. I'm determined to get back into some sort of conditioning. I know I'll never be as fast as I once was, nor capable of covering the distances I did. A lifetime of working in the auto repair field has taken a toll on my lower back, and arthritis is settling into my hands. A knee, severely injured in 1976, has finally just about worn out, but I'm putting off the replacement surgery for as long as I can. My neighbor, who is 10 years younger, rides with me on his e-bike. It's funny, he's always chasing me on the flats (sometimes I think he's just drafting to save his battery!) and I'm chasing him on the climbs.
On the plus side, when I filled out my forms at the pharmacy to get my flu shot and Covid booster this year, the pharmacy tech did a double take and told me I didn't look my age. Like an old car that has just been detailed, it looks good on the outside, but just don't lift the hood!
