barbara curtiss

I am 65 years old.

I base all of my meals and snacks on food from the new food pryamid.

I take calcium and vitamin E plus blood pressure pill (which is 118/79 with pr of 69

I can't seem to determine a vitamin supplement that actually makes a difference in my physical performance.

I will force myself to ride 70-80 miles a week eventhough the same ole same ole bike route is boring.

I golf 18 holes twice a week.

I walk 2-3 miles a day.

But I still am tired all of the time? Any answers?

I blame it on being a light sleeper therefore I am not getting a substantial amount of sleep. Maybe 5 hours.

BC

DnvrFox

Welcome to the forum.

I am also 65.

I think that, in part, you may have answered some of your own quetion.

If you need to "force myself" to ride, then, somehow you are missing the anticipation and enthusiasm that many of us feel about riding.

I wake up each morning looking forward to what that day will bring in terms of new physical activities, including bicycling. My wife and I plan our day around new or renewed bicycling or other activities.

Sounds like you may be in a rut??

There must be new and interesting bicycling you can do besides "the same ole bike route" ???

I think finding exciting and new routes - and even activities - will help your sleep.

By the way, I don't golf at all. To me it would be extremely boring, and I probably wouldn't sleep too well!

Have a great day!

barbara curtiss

I just did 31 miles and it felt great.

When I was married, we used to have a schedule that was much like yours. We ran three miles, rode for as long as it took for one of us to say "Let's go back".

Pumped iron in our basement gym.

We swam, danced on Weekends with the youngsters and played golf.

We were never idle.

Then one day we divorced. (NO STORY)

This is why it is so hard for me to keep it going. BUT, I am trying. I am coming out of a depression and it is a long walk back. I plan on doing more and more as my strength comes back. Remember I am 65.

RabidCyclist

Yeah..depression sucks. The reason I got into riding so hard was after my 19 yr old daughter died I needed an escape. Best thing I ever did to channel depression.

moabrider

Hi Barbara!

First things first...whatever it takes to keep going.You have alot of loss 'on your plate' a the moment.greiving is a process. I plan my day around biking, meditating and sunning at this point. The noon hour is mine.. no exceptions. After the self-love and endorphins kick in, I keep busy with people and my mind stays out of the 'shadows' for awhile.

Hey..keep going..you are an inspiration to others that see you ride AND not quitting will reap positive results. If you get over to Moab, Let's ride!

nan P 'aka' bikedancer

guybierhaus

Short and sweet.

Trek 7200FX Hybrid

Multi vitamin, fish oil, and Rolling Rock

I was stopped, a couch potatoe, now ride between naps.

Started biking June 2004. Was biking the trails, but have since exceeded their length, now tour the roads thru the Oley Valley in Pennsylvania.

I want to bike 4 times a week, but not in heat and humidity. July and August were tough. Luckie to achieve a 1000 miles this year.

I do nothing else, I'm 60, have no life.

alfie

I'm 57 and I am riding a custom Serotta Legend ST. I ride a custom because I had a lot of trouble with joints, muscles, etc on my off the rack Lemond. Made all the difference in the world. Also added Zero pedals which allow knee comforting foot rotation.

I try as much as possible to eat whole foods. I take glucose amine/chondritin, saw palmetto, vit's C, E, and a mineral supplement. I think the diet is much more important than the supplements.

I rode as a kid, and then in college. I didn't take up riding again until two years ago. I have far less potential than I did when I was in college, but I am far more disciplined now. No way that college kid could keep up with the "old" me.

I started riding again after drinking too much wine at a 35th high school reunion. One of my old classmates lives in Seattle, and he suggested we ride the STP (Seattle to Portland), which was about a year away at the time. It's a 200 mile (double century) ride, and we planned to due it in 2 days. Long story short, we got to the half-way point and decided we could do it in one day. We did but parts of me were trashed. I then rode in the Napa Century Ride that includes a lot of climbing and trashed my legs further. Spent the winter rehabilitating with weights, and got the custom bike. This year was entirely different. Rode about 2500 preparing for the STP, and had no trouble with it. Did the Napa ride without any problems. I rode about 2500 miles last year, and I will do about 4000 this year. I ride at least three times a week, with one long ride (60-100) on the weekend.

If I may offer advice to my fellow "old folks" - eat well, drink plenty of red wine (but not when you're riding), join a club and find people who challenge you (might even be some young whipersnappers), and set goals. You will be amazed at what you are capable of.

will dehne

1) Cannondale R2000, Trek 7700, Cannondale Tandem
2) No
3) No
4) 10 years
5) 25 mile TT daily, centuries weekly
6) 10,000
7) No time left
Age 63

cruzMOKS

Please tell us your age. 54

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
I bought last August 2 Fuji Tahoes from a friend for my wife and I.
Comfort handlebars with mud tires.
46 36 26
29 24 20 17 14
Plastic pedals. I want to get some clips. The stories about falling with clipless doesn't interest me. I can't remember falling with clips. I always kept them loose.


2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
I take some assorted vitamins.


3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
It is hard to say how much, but my 15 year old son jumps on his bike with more speed.
Give me another month.


4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
1972-1984 recreational On AustroDamiler.
Started again in August


5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour,
race?
Building up a base on increasing distances. Longest in 1 trip 13 miles.
most miles in a day. Yesterday 17 miles in 3 trips. Morning 10 miles. With my daughter
to McDonalds to get an ice cream cone 3 miles. With my wife and daughter at a park 4
miles.



6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
Goal 6 days a week.
120 miles in less than a month.
The sky is the limit on future annual mileage


7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
Hike in the woods.
I plan on doing some sort of weight lifting Dec-Feb

LRtrike

Please tell us your age. 52 in 2 days )

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
I ride a WhizWheels 3.2 and I just bought a new Catrike Pocket. <VBG>


2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
I take a 'Mature' multi vitamin and Glucosomine Chondroitin.


3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
Um, lots, but I'm building up again. Had to have open heart surgery a while back. /



4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
Biking/Triking approximately 10 years.


5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
Short rides, but I'd love to feel safe enough to go longer. Too many manicial drivers on the road.



6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
Daily. Haven't got a clue. I ride for the fun of it.



7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
No.

moabrider

Welcome! I eat more frozen yougurt now. WE can..we ride it off!

BillHo

HI, Just registered with bikeforum today.

Please tell us your age. 50

What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride? ciocc 7005 (luv this bike)

Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
Centrum silver

How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any? Feel like I'm riding better than ever.

How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life? Rode quite regularly in my early 30's. Gave it up for a while. Started riding again last year.

What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race? Club rides 25 -35 miles. 40-50 alone. 1st century ride planned for this coming Sunday.

How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage? 4-5 times per week. Don't do cold weather. So approx. 2400 miles per year

Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.? Just joined a gym this past winter (Feb). Do some weight lifting and cardio. Joined the gym for the spin classes.

cyclintom

I'm about to turn 61, I'm 6'4" tall and ride a 61 or 62 cm bike.

1. I have something like 15 bikes though two of them are bikes I built for other people who then didn't want them. Road, MTB full suspension, Cross, touring and near touring and track.

2. I started having problems because of suppliments. Glucosamine made my knees hurt. GNC general vitamins seemed to give me dizzy spells.

Saw Palmetto works and I use it every day.

In the winter you probably don't get enough Vit D so I started taking that last year and was suprised that my winter riding greatly improved.

3. Hard to say if I've slowed down due to the advancing age or because I stopped racing and don't train for that anymore. I'm definitely slower lately but I'm also not motivated to ride any faster. I've had enough of that and now like to see what's going on around me instead of seeing how much tunnel vision I can stand. On the fourth day of a tour this year I started feeling really strong and the 5th day was killer though after 30 miles into a 30 mph headwind at the end of a long 80 mile day I was getting pretty tired.

4. Came back to biking at around 48 - 13 years ago. Each year I feel better about some portion of my riding. Hills no longer frighten me. Distance is something I can handle. I've developed a detachment for descending so that I don't tighten up on the bars and can better judge safety.

5. I normally do club road rides up to 100 miles. I do the occasional organized Century but tend to think that I don't like to pay to use the public roads. There are a lot of off-road trails in the San Francisco bay area on which to ride my mountain bike with a friend or two. I do some longer Tours though I like to figure them out myself. I go to the Great Western Bicycle Rally each year.

6. I generally bike at least 4 times a week. I shoot for 4,000 miles a year and generally get in about 5,000 or a little more.

7. Don't be silly - biking isn't exercise, it's fun. And what else could possibly be fun (welllllllll).

gew0419

Please tell us your age.
I'm not quite 50 yet...will be in April 2006. I hope no one minds a "youngster" joining the group early!

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
I now ride a Schwinn Mesa Mt bike w/road tires on it since I never go off road.
Thinking about getting a "bent"

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
I just take a daily multi-vitamin that my wife makes me take and some kind of mood enhancing herb (the legal kind) that my wife also makes me take. What would I do without her???


3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
I've always been a slow rider. See my thread in the commuting section titled "is bike commuting a slower life style for you, too?" https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=136843


4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
I started out when I was 7 and haven't stopped riding since. (I got and totaled my first car at 16 and would rather ride than drive, although I do both.)


5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
Since the first of the year I have been commuting to work. (Except for 6 weeks when I broke my foot...I have several exciting versions of how I did this, but the truth is I just fell down the stairs) I have a short commute to work each day. 4 miles in 5 miles home, and I try to go for a longer ride on Saturday
mornings, if I can.



6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
Almost every day (5 days a week to work and back, as I said) 9 miles a day. And some Saturday mornings I ride to my men's Bible study group, which is about 24 miles round trip. (You can do the math)


7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
I have a little dog that loves to go for long walks and the only way I can get her to heal is to keep up with her so they are fast walks. I do that almost every night.
I used to do weight training, but I also used to play softball and hurt my shoulder doing it, so I can't lift too much any more. I still do some. Retired from softball...Doctors orders.


Perhaps you might indicate your age on your reply??
I'm only 49 and a half years old.

JRF

0. Please tell us your age.
52

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
1980 Motobecane Grand Touring

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
A cheap daily vitamin

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
None but I'm sure I have

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
45 years, the last 30 on road bikes

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
Short (20 mile) tours, most errands, ride to the tennis club

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
About twice a week, about 500 miles per year

7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
Tennis 2-3 times per week, Golf a few times per year, Skiing one week each year

tcherman

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
Litespeed Blue Ridge Touring 1999, Specialized S-Works metal matrix 1995, Klein hardtail mtn bike.


2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
Condrotin+ glucosamine, Calcium, Multivit.


3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
Not slowed down, just continue to work on my touring pace.


4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
Decades


5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
Long tours - Paris to Rome, Transam cross country ( in 2 week segments) West Coast US.




6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
Weekly about 3 or 4 rides -- 20 to 50 mi. About 5000 miles/yr for last couple of years.


7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
Weights.



Perhaps you might indicate your age on your reply??
Age: 70 going on 17.

OverTheHill

Please tell us your age.
55

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
1994 Schwinn Moab Cro-Moly MTB

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
Multivitamin, Fish Oil, Vitamin E

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
Have slowed down, about 2 months training from peak performance.

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
30 years total, first 19 on a road bike, the last 11 on mountain bike

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
6-15 mile local state park bike trails, recreational around the neighborhood

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
Approx. twice a week, approx. 500 miles a year

7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
Golf once a week, walking with the wife and dog a few times a week

mandovoodoo

1. Fuji Bordeaux (AL + Carbon), Campy Veloce, either clinchers or tubulars
2. Glucosime and a vitamin. Mission control (wife unit) lays these out.
3. I don't think I quite have the jump I did 30 years ago, but I can usually keep up with the 20 year olds.
4. Biking seriously off and on for 35 years
5. I commute or ride in the mornings. I'll do the odd longer ride.
6. Lately its been 5 times / week. This varies depending on what else is going on. At current rates, I suspect I do somewhere between 1500 and 2500 per year on average. This is about 1/2 of what I would do in my 20s.
7. I intermittently hike, golf, walf, kayak, chop wood. And I work on my feet.

In many ways I feel like a more skilled cyclist now than I was many years ago. Possibly makes up for any loss in ability.

nedgoudy

Please tell us your age.
54

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
I ride recumbents for comfort, no back,
shoulder, neck or arm pain. My recumbents
can be seen below. I have a basket on my
EZ-1 and can do all my grocery shopping on
it now.
Easy Racer EZ1-SC https://www.easyracers.com/ez_1_sc.htm
Lightning Thunderbolt https://www.lightningbikes.com/thunderbolt.htm

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
Glucosamine - Chondritin, MultiVitamin, CoQ10, Mineral Supplement, Cacium, Magnesium
Potassium Pills (after rides or half way mark) and blood pressure pills.

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
I am a NON-Athelete my entire life, but have ridden a bike
since youth. I was probably in better shape in my 20s but
I smoked and rode a bike then. (:O( I average about 12 miles
an hour over an 8 hour ride and there are some decent hills here
in the east end of LA county. Mountain climbs can be up to 4,000
feet in 3 miles. But I bust my buns to get up those and consder
it a success if I can get up and back without dying. (Really.)

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
Biked in my youth, in my 20s and 30s. Been riding pretty regularly since
1999.

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
I am trying to live car free. I use my car about once a week. I do all my errands, chores and
shopping on my bike as well as visiting friends. My comfort range for riding several trips a day
is about 30 miles total, but my personal best (longest ride) was 86 miles in 7 1/2 hours.

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
Everyday. I ride about 75-100 miles per week.

7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
NO!

Ned Goudy
Glendora, CA USA

bridgestone9

bikes =2 Bstone 400's one 18sp one single spd

supplements? multi vitamin, red yeast rice for cholesterol, vit e , and bee pollen

as far as slowing down,, compared to riding like I did as a teen ,, a whole bunch, but mentally tougher now.

how long biking?, used to ride a delivery bike in NYC and ride my ten speed for fun when I was a teen, got off the bike at 18 never got back on till 47

type of rides? do 20 miles every other day some hard hills involved, once in a while do 35+ when I have time.

yearly I would say under 1800 gets cold in winter here

no other activities, except in winter visit gym a few times a week (hate it)

turned 50 in february and I feel better than when I was 35 and overweight and stressed, dropped 29 lbs in the last 3 years

eaamon

Hi!!!
at 55+
1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?
2 X (schwinn S-9 6.5, 1 at home 1 at work), 2 X carbon trek (2300 being rebuilt-5500),1 royce union on my trainer in livingroom.
2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?
trader joe's multi,eye vites,flax seed oil and C only on the weekends. i try to eat a rotating diet.
3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?
slowed down but picking up annually the last 10 years. recovering from bad auto accident then, was bed patient for 6 months.
4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?
most of my life,
5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?
30 milers, 1/2 hour lunch time sprints-8+ miles,15 minite sprint to store-2 miles round trip
6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?
almost daily now. over 1500 miles
7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?
walking

sdr

howdy! i'm 59

1. What type of bikes do 50+ folks ride?

gary fisher '05 nirvana s - hybrid

2. Do you take any special supplements/vitamins/minerals as you have grown older?

multi vitamin

3. How much do you feel you have "slowed down" if any?

i had, over the years, slowed way down but i'm picking up the pace again -- obviously observing certain limitations.

4. How long have you been biking? New, around a while, biked all your life?

i had biked extensively into my mid-forties then quit for almost 15 years. i have recently renewed my interest and i'm glad i did!

5. What type of biking do you do? Long rides, touring, short rec rides, commute, tour, race?

i sold my car a year ago and use my bicycle as my primary transportation. today i rode 27.5 miles -- yesterday 17 (days off from work). during my work week (weds. thru sat.) i ride daily - commute - but shorter distances.

6. How often do you bike? Your approximate annual mileage?

daily. at my current rate it will be somewhere between 2500 and 3000 miles annually.

7. Do you do any other type of physical activities - weight lifting, skiing, running, etc.?

weights - walking - and i still catch an occasional wave every now and then, surfing.

thanks for letting me participate in this little survey.

*sdr*

sdr

for my neighbor slightly to the east of me, ned from glendora, here is a link to some local bike trails i would like to share with you:

https://www.nearfield.com/~dan/sports...sgwf/index.htm

the west fork of the san gabriel river, in azusa canyon, is a favorite of mine. today i rode from sierra madre to, and around, santa fe dam. nice ride, also.

i hope you'll enjoy the site, if you're not already familiar with it?

*sdr*

rmwun54

51years old
Dean custom ti road
Giant OCR touring
Trek 7000 mtb
Old Bianchi Vitoria road
Calcium and multivitamins
I ride nothing under 30 mile. Riverbeds, mountains, and the Crest HWY
Slow down a bit, I use to ride group rides, but now the lone ranger is my take. Everyone is either too busy or not into the type of ride we use to do anymore.
2,000 miles a year and I also run once a week 5 miles and twice a week in the summer. I practice boxing, kung fu, yoga, and lift a little weights.
Been riding since my first Schwinn Sting Ray and 10 bikes later.

RockyMtnMerlin

53
1. Merlin Extralight; Topolino Wheels; Campy Record except FSA SLK Megaexo compact crankset. Continental Ultra 2000 foling tires; Sidi Shoes; rest of gear is whatever good quality is on sale that fits.
2. None
3. None - Due to better training I have actually gotten faster.
4. Began cycling in 1979. I train using "Cycling Past 50"
5. Fast recreational riding. Anywhere from 20 to 100 miles. Usually ride alone.
6. 5-6 times per week. At 4400 for the year and hope to get to 5000+ despite increasingly cold weather (I hate riding my bike on my trainer despite multiple bike race VCR's)
7. Hiking, situps, snowshoeing