rumrunn6

at 7:50
37mph in a 30 zone, oops. still got passed ...

genejockey 

Probably not the same hill. Mine's close to where Alameda T's into Crystal Springs, North of 92, whereas Ralston and Polhemus are a good 3 miles South.

You might be thinking of Hillsdale Blvd, which has a couple really steep sections between CSM and Alameda. It drops 280 feet in 1/2 mile from the highest point down to Alameda.

aliasfox

I probably should've clarified - my route yesterday took me along the length of Cañada from Woodside to Crystal Springs. I had planned to take Crystal Springs all the way down to Alameda and hang a right, but I saw a section of ~10% along that section and decided nope, I'm good not making it a climbing day. Instead went around along Polhemus and Ralston to connect to Alameda.

genejockey 

Ah. Probably Alameda from Hillsdale up to the top. 317 feet in 0.7 miles. 8.6% average, with some bits as high as 18%. I went down it once. ONCE. I've never tried to climb it.

macattack71

I regularly hit 42-44 mph on my commute, not a big deal. Rode a Gran Fondo a decade ago with lots of climbing. Hit 54.6 mph on the downhill basically coasting, it was a little scary, felt like a different kind of speed. Don't think I would try it again now that I am older.

rsbob 

Looks like time to start packing away the doughnuts so you can scare the goats first.

Koyote

I’m not trying to be funny or flippant, but a part of me just doesn’t understand this attitude – – “I won’t do such dangerous things now that I’m older.“ Being older means being closer to death, which also means being closer to the long slow decline that I’ve watched many of my elders endure. Not pleasant. I can think of far worse endings than a quick and fatal bike crash.

jadmt

at 65 its not the death that is the problem but the time it takes to heal…….if you don’t die 😀. Get banged up when you are young you might be out of commission for a while but you bounce back and can get your fitness back to where it was. When you reach a certain age the fitness you lose from a serious injury is gone for good

DangerousDanR

I have had the tandem (fully loaded with the panniers on a fork mounted rack) going an indicated 45 MPH on a correctly calibrated wheel speed sensor. This happened several times on extended tours in Scotland. The rule of riding there is that what goes down will come up, so Mrs. Dan and I just tuck down and go along for the ride.

LarrySellerz

there are plenty of hills in this general area where you get past 50 easily. I live near the top of Farm Hill, and if I wanted to could hit 50 daily and might be able to hit 60 if I went up a little and went back down. I don’t try to go fast because it’s not worth it for me.

i forgot the name of the hill, but there is a legitimately absurd hill in Portola Valley off of Alpine colloquially name “the wall” where you easily hit 65+ mph. Think it’s near willowbrook.

again, imo the consequences of crashing at 50+ are potentially fatal, where for me crashing below 20 is borderline a non issue.

some kids in their early teens were riding their bikes down the hill I live on last month, the first time I’ve seen something like this. I went out like a dad and told them to be careful, and one of them said they were and then said “this is so much fun!” Honestly I wish I could have fun descending, I kind of hate it. Had a TBI when I was descending a hill when I was 18 and then went and got strong in a town in Ohio paved flat by a glacier, then moved back to a hilly region.

Polaris OBark

My balance is worse, my vision is worse, my bones are more brittle, I have witnessed vastly more carnage, and what once might have been road rash is far more likely to put me into the emergency room, or worse, and as noted above, healing time is greatly extended. But most importantly, bicycles are FAR more expensive to replace.

VegasJen

According to my Velo, a white-knuckling 37mph. Once.

Koyote

No problem. My wife got a big raise last year.

Kai Winters

When I hit 65 I was on a 'closed' road for a specific race. I've not encountered a similar opportunity again or I would have given my bike her head.
The speed I hit now is on an open road descending into a city where not a lot of people obey the traffic laws or care much about the safety of others.
I also don't 'bounce back' from crashes but that doesn't bother me much more than it did when I was much younger.

Eric F 

My reflexes and vision aren’t what they were in my early 30s, and quick death is not guaranteed - although I’m not a fan of that idea, either. We all accept some risk to participate in our sport, but I’m less comfortable pushing against the limits of my abilities than I used to be, and my limits are also lower than they used to be. Old bodies break easier, and heal more slowly. I also care more about remaining structurally intact than I used to.

Koyote

Good points, all of them. Guess I've been spending too much time thinking about my 85-year old mother, who is basically an invalid with some dementia. Makes me (sort of) hope for a quick ending before I get to that point, which seems more and more likely with my family history. But I suppose I can't guarantee that a distracted driver will get the job done cleanly.

'Course, I used to say that I wanted to be shot by a jealous husband when I'm 95...But that was before I fell in love and married a much younger woman who will likely outlive me.

genejockey 

1) Realization of one's own mortality
2) Increased healing time after any injury as one ages
3) Understanding that while a "quick and fatal bike crash" might be an okay ending, anything short of that might make one's remaining years a living hell.

genejockey 

I have long made the joke that my expectation is that when I'm 90, they'll invent a drug to stop the aging process, and I'll take it. 5 years later, they'll invent a drug to REVERSE the aging process, but it ONLY works if you've never taken the other one, and I'll be 90 forever, surrounded by 25 year olds.

john m flores 

I was 53 when I hit 150mph on a motorcycle.

Koyote

Then you'll have to change your sig line.

Eric F 

I don't want to be 25 again. 35 was pretty good, though.

genejockey 

I was in better shape at 25 than at 35, but I'm in better shape at 66 than at 35.

Trakhak

Written by Ray Davies of the Kinks when he was 24 years old:

Eric F 

My peak was 33-35. I was also less-dumb at 35, than 25.

big john

I wouldn't mind being 55 again, except for the having to work part.