Great idea, DnvrFox. Always good to trade ideas and experience with others of similar interest.
Some questions:
Please tell us your age.
Turned 60 in November
1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
Just bought a Litespeed Classic w/Ultegra triple.
My "beater" is now my first road bike, bought new via eBay 3.5 years ago -- a 2001 Univega Modo Vincere with Campy Veloce triple, Columbus Thron (steel), upgraded with carbon fork, Speedplay Zero pedals and, as I got semi-serious about TTs last year, a Profile Airstryke aerobar.
2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
Yes, too numerous to quickly mention here.
3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
Hard to say, as a semi-newbie, but I'd like to think I can still get quicker.
4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
Coming up on my fourth season on a road bike. I'd ridden bikes as a kid, of course, but resumed only semi-seriously in the 80s. I've had knee problems (old sports injuries) but rincreasingly through the '90s I rode a mountain bike on a local trail system for fitness, as I'm unable to run.
5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
All the above, except commuting. On weekends I ride a local metropark -- 9-mile loop I usually do 2, 3 times on Sat and Sun. A couple nights a week I ride a club ride, 36 on Mondays, 24 on Wednesdays, and sometimes a local shopride of about 24 miles on Thursdays -- but that group is squirrely, different every week, with no discipline and I had crazy woman ride me off the road on the outside of a high-speed turn, so I've tapered back with that group.
My club also does a monthly Personal Achievement Time Trial on a 10-mile closed course. I cracked 30 minutes last spring, finished year close to 28s, and had some age-class success with local and state TTs.
I finished last year with 5,300 miles, including a couple centuries, my second MS150 and the Marion leg of the Assault on Mt. Mitchell.
6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
per above, 4-5 times a week, 5,300 miles last year
7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
I used to play a lot of golf, but cycling's my new passion. I've hit spinning classes in the gym pretty heavily the last two winters, and plan to add resistance training on a year-round basis as I search for continued improvement.
Cycling's allowed me to resume skiing pain-free, something I've not been able to enjoy for 20 years. I'm a double knee replacement waiting to happen (no cartilage in either -- just bone on bone). But cycling has helped me to drop weight and get my legs in much better shape than they've been in years. I'm 6'1 (was closer to 6'2 before a pair of tibial osteotomies around 1990) and now weight 200. This time four years ago I was over 230. Since then I've been as low as 186 but still tend to add weight in the winter. To my recent surprise, I was able to enjoy a couple of days skiing with none of the pain -- during and after -- that had plagued me through the 80s and 90s.
Perhaps you might indicate your age on your reply??