jimmuller 

Jon you are really something.

Jon, you are really something else.

(Are you snowed in already?)

St33lWh33ls

According to Wikipedia the whole Moss-Stone thing is an ancient proverb. This was news to me, I first heard it in Muddy Waters “Mannish Boy” and took it to describe the nomadic nature of the blues man or folk singer like Woodie Guthrie. The Stones totally swiped it from Muddy one of their major influences. Some of my favorite albums are the London Sessions that feature the Stones, Clapton and others playing with blues legends like Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf.

I also appreciated Gomez’s affinity for train wrecks and explosions, you rang?

RobbieTunes

Then you've not spoken to my fellow brothers-in-law.

noglider 

Time flies like an arrow.

TXsailor

Most of us that are native English speakers don't understand a lot of it either.

seedsbelize 

I also am speaking from within the cold medicine haze. I've always taken the rolling stone gathers no moss to mean that a wanderer doesn't gather much money, whereas a good family man does. I myself have been a wanderer all my life and the shoe fits.

KraneXL

It means you vitality has gone the way of the Dodo.


Seriously, it can be good or bad depending on the context. It could mean things are going to get easier from now on, or be a reference to your waning manhood. That's because a lot of it is borrowed to English. English is a heavily bastardized language.

seedsbelize 

Is that Henry III's seat bag? I have one the same color, but much more beat up.

eja_ bottecchia

gugie 

canklecat

I know that feeling. Every time there's a wind from the west or east I look at my favorite 6 mile time trial segment and the terrain and think "It's all downhill from here."

Well, mostly. Both begin with about 1/3 mostly downhill. With a tailwind it's a blast.

But I can also relate to the health thing.

I just finished my 60th year. This year was rough in terms of health, between injuries from being hit by a car, thyroid cancer, surgery and unrelated complications.

Before the health issues I was in peak condition, setting some of my fastest times in March-April 2018. Then everything went down the drain. Three weeks post-op I'm just beginning to regain some of that energy. But even after setting my second fastest time on a TT route, it was still a lot slower than my best time. Not even top ten, while my fastest time was good for 2nd place, a minute short of the KOM. Since then I've slipped to 3rd or 4th as other, younger, stronger and naturally faster riders have passed my best time.

And I've felt that urgency to get back into shape ASAP and take advantage of the fitness window. Because I still have room to improve my conditioning and see results in faster times.

But only up to a certain point. Beyond a rapidly approaching point in time, no amount of conditioning -- supplemented by perfect health -- will result in faster times, stronger climbs or measurable improvements. After that indefinite but tangible point, it's all downhill. No matter how I train I'll still be slower than my worst day at age 60.

But that's almost always true throughout life after our teens. There's an indistinct but undeniable window of opportunity for maximizing not only our fitness relative to age, but absolute fitness relative to any standard.

Lascauxcaveman 

In my neck of the woods, "It's all downhill from here" means you've just summitted Hurricane Ridge and you're headed to my place for a cold one.

And frankly, you've earned it.

noobinsf 

Stop, you're both right! Here is from the OED entry for "downhill":

2. fig. and in figurative contexts.

a. Characterized by or involving a steady decline in a person's condition or performance; deteriorating, worsening.

1565 L. Evans Brieue Admon. sig. Avi It is truthe, sayd Socrates, & no meruail, seing thowe doest drawe theym in a downe hyll pathe into pleasure.
1601 W. Cornwallis Disc. Seneca sig. B7v But how doth wisdomes moderation repine at this downe-hill headlong course?
1658 T. Bancroft Time's out of Tune ix. 62 Rather then chide them from their vices, and Cause them their down-hill danger t' understand.
1754 G. Jeffreys Misc. in Verse & Prose 52 The hours that wing'd their haste, To make his Cœlia's bloom appear, Have robb'd from Damon's prime as fast, And brought the down-hill prospect near.
1785 R. Cumberland Nat. Son iii. 39 The good lady, it must be own'd, is rather on the down-hill passage towards the vale of years.
1821 Churchman's Mag. Apr. 104/2 If, then, the human character is susceptible of this downhill progress,..it follows that there are lower stages in depravity, which are attainable only by practice in wickedness.
1856 J. A. Froude Hist. Eng. II. 408 The monks had travelled swiftly on the downhill road of human corruption.
1940 New Eng. Jrnl. Med. 14 Nov. 823/2 The patient ran a steady and progressive downhill course, and expired on the forty-third hospital day.
1978 D. McRoberts Second Marriage iv. 78 She and Frank had been married five years when his business took a downhill turn.
2004 L. Choyce Thunderbowl v. 40 I ran into Mr. Langford, your English teacher, and he told me you are on a downhill slide at school.(Hide quotations)

b. Of a process or period of time: free from or involving few difficulties or challenges, esp. in comparison to prior circumstances.

1622 Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII Ep. Ded. sig. A4v And it is with Times, as it is with Wayes. Some are more Up-hill and Down-hill, and some are more Flat and Plaine.
1681 J. Waite Parents Primer i. 48 An Up-hill way, is a Down-hill way to a Willing Mind.
1763 St. James's Mag. Oct. 104 The Muse..prefers this easy down-hill road, To dangerous leaps at five-barr'd Ode.
1861 E. Atherstone Israel in Egypt xv. 243 All, afterwards, Will be a downhill journey, smooth and swift.
1929 D. Hammett Dain Curse (1930) xxii. 253 Today won't be like yesterday. You're over the hump, and the rest of it's downhill going.
1982 Villanovan (Villanova Univ.) 16 Apr. 8/6 Never again could or would my troubles be as large. I knew that I could live my life assured that it was a downhill ride from then on.
2008 Observer (Nexis) 28 Dec. 42 Some argy-bargy in November aside, you have an easy downhill run into the new year.

Chrome Molly

KraneXL

Here you go Timmy. A spoon full of this will clean out your insides and fix you right up. Make you feel like a new man.

randyjawa 

In my book "all down hill, from here" means that things will get easier now. That is the figurative explanation. But for me, when riding, all down hill is a bummer. Why? Because I suffer from carpal syndrome, in both hands, and riding down hill, especially here in Jamaica, where there are lots of steep hills and they can go on and on and on. Going down those steep and intimidating hills means lots of braking and braking hurts my hands, after a while.

nlerner

It's all downhill when a year-old thread gets revived, perhaps just a little farther down that hill.

jj1091

I'm in Florida, so there's not any "down-hills" here. But, I turn 65 next year, so I'll soon be seeing the other meaning. Neck aches and wrist aches after long rides are already making their presence felt....

Lascauxcaveman 

Mick Jagger, cajoling the rest of the band to get motivated and go on yet another world tour: "C'mon blokes! We're gathering moss 'ere!"

Rocket-Sauce 

Interesting how some words end up reversing their meaning with (over)use.
I literally died on that climb.

One of my favorites is tricking up my athletes "What is the ultimate position to place in the race?".

jonwvara 

My brother likes to illustrate that with the phrase "the opposing pitcher was literally on fire."

Incredibly (to me) some dictionaries now define the word "literally" as "figuratively." Admittedly, it's not listed as the preferred usage, but still. One more sign of the decline of western civilization.

crank_addict

Nothing philosophical (unless one goes over the edge). Happened across this vid showing some queasy roads, a few appear popular for cyclist. Wee!

https://youtu.be/Ir-ZcNePWk4

curbtender

OldsCOOL

KraneXL

Apparently perfect conditions for the cyclist.