Originally Posted by
Raptor1956
I also raised my saddle about 14mm as it was a little low with too much knee bend at full extension but I left it that way for the first few months to reduce the strain on my neck and now that I've raised the saddle the neck issue has come back though not as bad as it was when I first got back on the bike a couple months ago. Going back a couple months my hands stayed on the top most of the time and only moving to the hoods when I was braking or needed to maneuver, but I'm now riding mostly on the hoods. I have yet to get into the drops -- that is still a ways off I'm afraid.
First of all, congratulations on getting back on the bike. I'm in the same boat (your age range, in the 12th week of my "comeback" after several years off the bike). It's a great feeling—I take the soreness as a positive sign of "weakness leaving the body", and every little increase in speed or endurance is good motivation to keep going.
Secondly, I can relate to your neck issues. I've had neck discomfort on and off for many years. It takes me a long time to develop my neck muscles enough to endure a long ride. To avoid the pain, I do these exercises whenever my neck feels even a little stiff (which is most of the time—including right now):
How to Stretch Your Neck
In addition, if you can stand it, I recommend you start trying the drops for short periods of less than a minute, then building up to longer bouts. That's what I've been doing, and now I'm able to ride in the drops for quite a while without discomfort.