Digital Gee

I'm planning to return to cycling this spring when the weather warms up here in Northern Nevada. I've been off the bikes for about six years (except a few months back in 2015).

I want to restart mindfully and gradually. If it means riding a mile a day for a while, then two, etc. so be it. I'm in no rush at all.

Stats: I'm 67, had a mild heart attack on election day 2016, but feel pretty darn good. They put a stent in while I flirted with the nurses. My cholesterol is normal; all my various blood and other tests have put me in the normal range. I'm overweight and have been for many years. I'd be thrilled to eventually drop 35 pounds, but even that is not my reason to pick up the bike again. All that said, my diet is pretty good. Low salt, not very much junk food at all.

I want to have fun again spinning around on two wheels! If I get exercise too, that's a bonus. It's not the driver.

So - any tips for getting started again other than take it slow and don't push it? Anybody out there who had a layoff for a few years and got back into it? Should I be doing anything in specific physically while I'm waiting for the weather? I have access to a treadmill and resistance bands.

Machka 

Are you currently walking? If so ... how far each day? If not ... start walking every day. Some days will be short walks (1-2 km). Other days will be longer walks (5-10 km).

bruce19

Back in 1996 I got off the bike and didn't get back on again until 2006. I stopped riding because it wasn't fun anymore. When I got back on the bike I was 60. I didn't have any physical or health issues but I had gone from 5'10 & 175 lbs to 5'9" & 200 lbs. I only started riding again because a woman friend wanted to learn to ride and asked me to show her the "finer points." We've been living and riding together for 12 years now. But, I digress. My advice is to proceed slowly in the sense that you should concentrate on things like pedaling smoothly, riding with what the French call "supplesse" (suppleness) and enjoying the ride. Have fun and appreciate gradual success. Things like distance, speed, and time on the bike are not critical. All of that will come in time. Don't put pressure on yourself. Just enjoy the ride. These days I'm still around 5'9" but down to 180 lbs (in season). I can ride a Metric comfortably, can average 15 mph in general cycling (think 30 mi. with 2000 ft. of climbing) and have a 6.5 mi. TT that I'm close to doing at 19 mph. But, the most important thing is that it's keeping me fit, healthy, and happy. Best of luck. Oh, I will be 72 in June.

texaspandj

I'd suggest to not use a cyclemeter or watch. Just enjoy the ride and don't worry about miles and especially "kilometers".
After a layoff I didn't take my watch and it was the best thing I could have done.

Maelochs

This is good.

All the advice so far has been good, but texaspandj's was sort of specific but important (IMO.)

I had heart surgery and got back on the bike, and here i 50+ I'd bet about half of us can say that. Because you want to ... you have already won the battle.

I actually took my computer off my bike because i didn't have the willpower not to look at it. When I noticed I would adjust my effort to try to reach some numeric goal, I quit. (I still track my rides with GPS and download later, but I cannot see any data while riding.)

When i saw i was watching an electronic device instead of seeing the terrain I was riding through (it wasn't a safety issue as I wasn't starting at the computer in traffic) ..... I Only cycle for fun. Like yourself, i see health and fitness and especially weight loss a important bonuses, but the ride is for riding, nothing else. Smiles per hour.

I know I could be stronger and faster if I tried harder, or set up a training regimen ... but forget that. I ride for the ride.

You will be fine. The fact that you Want to ride is the whole story.

So ... tell us about your rides, your bike (pictures are mandatory) and all that. We are weird here---we get off on hearing about how people enjoy cycling.

Biker395 

Presuming your doc has given you the green flag, I would start riding joyously ... that is ... however much you feel like.

If it feels like it's too much or stressing you out, cut back. If you have a hankering to go faster or harder, go for it.

I realize that seems like rather obvious advice, but that's how I ride. There are days that I'm just not feeling it ... and on those days, I just roll along. Then there are days (usually after too many days off) that I really feel like pounding it ... and it feels GOOD to pound it.

Listen to your body and focus on having fun.

John E

You already know what to do -- build distance and speed gradually. Challenge yourself a bit, but not to the point of stressing out and losing the fun and enjoyment. Best wishes!

berner

I think Machka's idea about walking is very good also. I'm a fan of plain walking especially if there is a quiet wooded area or great scenery. One frequently overlooked benefit of walking is it does not cost anything. Ride the bike, sure, but throw in a bit of a walk now and then.

One of my boyhood friends had heart problems 20 years ago. On my last visit to my hometown, he told me he was taking flying lessons. He is 83 y.o. Keep pressing ahead everyone.

bogydave

Best advice.....
Ride in no stress areas, like a place you’d take the G-kids for a ride
&
Have fun

Ogsarg

I want to restart mindfully and gradually. If it means riding a mile a day for a while, then two, etc. so be it. I'm in no rush at all.

If this is your approach, I think you'll be fine.

TakingMyTime

I almost had a heart attack on election day 2016 too! (political joke)

Maelochs

I passed on that one ... glad someone said it. (This way You get banned, not me.)

RVwriter

Been there, done that, my friend. But I'm facing a start-over again this year due to some health setbacks and a seriously ailing wife (and former riding buddy). I stopped riding in the fall of '15 due to cancer surgery, followed three weeks later by a house fire we escaped with only our pajamas.

First start-over was last summer, with a new bike. First ride -- 2 miles at 10mph, but I could have ridden farther. Goal of second ride was 9.6-mile round trip. I rode 2.5, stopped & rested. Rode 2.3 miles farther, stopped and rested. Turned around, rode 2.3 miles, stopped & rested. Rode 2.5 miles & rested a lot, then drove home.

I followed that routine a few days and discovered I didn't have to stop every 2.5 miles anymore. Extended ride by 3 miles and rode that route until I was comfortable. By then I was three weeks into my start-over.

Next, I varied my ride route (but always on a paved bikeway) and rode between 12 and 17 miles. Finally, extended my ride to my pre-cancer favorite for a 20-mile round trip, some of it on back streets.

Then health problems struck again, and I packed away the bike. So now at 79 years old, I'm back at the start-up phase again and looking at a 2-mile beginning. Speed's not any sort of factor, but I'll average 10mph.

The health issues brought back a diabetes issue I'd escaped from in 2010, along with 15 pounds of weight, so for me the new start-over has some life-or-death components that make me a more determined rider than ever.
Don

Maelochs

Hang in there, Don ... we expect to here updates frequently, even if you are only riding from the garage to the mailbox.

RVwriter

Been there, done that, my friend. But I'm facing a start-over again this year due to some health setbacks and a seriously ailing wife (and former riding buddy). I stopped riding in the fall of '15 due to cancer surgery, followed three weeks later by a house fire we escaped with only our pajamas.

First start-over was last summer, with a new bike. First ride -- 2 miles at 10mph, but I could have ridden farther. Goal of second ride was 9.6-mile round trip. I rode 2.5, stopped & rested. Rode 2.3 miles farther, stopped and rested. Turned around, rode 2.3 miles, stopped & rested. Rode 2.5 miles & rested a lot, then drove home.

I followed that routine a few days and discovered I didn't have to stop every 2.5 miles anymore. Extended ride by 3 miles and rode that route until I was comfortable. By then I was three weeks into my start-over.

Next, I varied my ride route (but always on a paved bikeway) and rode between 12 and 17 miles. Finally, extended my ride to my pre-cancer favorite for a 20-mile round trip, some of it on back streets.

Then health problems struck again, and I packed away the bike. So now at 79 years old, I'm back at the start-up phase again and looking at a 2-mile beginning. Speed's not any sort of factor, but I'll average 10mph.

The health issues brought back a diabetes issue I'd escaped from in 2010, along with 15 pounds of weight, so for me the new start-over has some life-or-death components that make me a more determined rider than ever.
Don

TimothyH

Tires are probably dry rotted.

Mine were after six years off the bike.

I'd change them before riding.


-Tim-

Digital Gee

I'd like to thank everyone who has chimed in. I'm really grateful! Great advice, inspirational stories, and good tips. Just had the bike tuned up professionally and it looks and feels brand new (and tires aren't dry rotted!). The only advice which will be hard to follow (and I understand what's behind it) is to ignore the cyclometer. For whatever reason, I'm such a geek (nerd?) when it comes to tracking rides and mileage and all of that. But I'm going to give that a whirl while deciding whether to get a Quad Lock or not and so forth.

Now for some decent weather!

rumrunn6

tie your shoe laces ... I remember reading an article while at a Drs office waiting room in a magazine about a popular actor's suggestion for starting exercise. something like tie your shoe laces. meaning, put your shoes on. as-if once you do that, you can move on with the next small step. i.e. small milestones. it might have been Matthew McConaughey

haha here we go: Lesson 1: Tie your shoes How you go get out the door even when you don’t want to do it. “Tie your shoes,” he says. “It’s that simple. You tie your shoes, man, you know you’re gonna do it."

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lesso...rn-anthony-kim

oh, & go chase your "hero" he explains toward the end of this speech

Maelochs

I got RideWithGPS on my phone and use that---screen turned off. I get all kinds of data about the ride downloaded right into my computer---after the ride.

I have a Strava account, but I only upload group rides. I don't ride to impress others, and I don't want to be riding and wonder, 'What will my strava-mates think of this effort?"

I have data for almost every ride going back to-and-a-half years, all in a color-coded spreadsheet with averages by month, quarter, and year ... but while I am riding that is irrelevant.

Carbonfiberboy 

Do what I did when I started again at 50: Go to a bike shop and get measured for a bike. REI is fine. Then buy a road bike, any road bike that fits. I bought a used bike off Craigslist for $100. You won't know what you really want for a couple years. Then talk to your doctor/cardiologist about limitations they might want to put on, at least to start with. Then buy a heart rate monitor. You can get a Polar for about $70. Buy a pair of mountain bike shoes and put clipless pedals on the bike. I also put on a cheapo Cateye cyclometer.

Start riding and observe the doctor's directions. Just ride a little further every week. Especially try to ride up some hill(s). My 3rd summer, I rode a double on that 27 lb. used bike.

Digital Gee

Pretty good advice. I already have a bike I'll be using - a Sirrus Elite hybrid which I used to ride three years ago and just loved. I've had the LBS tune it up and it looks as good as new. For now, I'm sticking with platform pedals - used to ride with clipless but I'm gonna work back up to that. I like the suggestion about the heart rate monitor. Seems like a really good thing for me to use.

Bald Paul

Always check with your cardiologist and get the okay - even if you know he's going to say "good for you!" Ask him/her if there are any limitations you should adhere to, such as a maximum heart rate, and stick to it. Of course, that means you'll need some type of heart rate monitor. While you're waiting for the good weather, consider an indoor trainer. The beauty there is that if you find yourself getting tired, you can stop and you're already home! (That doesn't always happen out on the road!)

Personally, I use a resistance trainer stand, fitted the bike with a Garmin Edge 520 with speed, cadence, and heart rate sensors, and to avoid the boredom, signed up with Zwift during the colder months. My cardiologist (yes, heart attack and stents here, too) gave me a low max heartrate guideline when I started, which has been increased on subsequent checkups as I'm getting stronger. I have a few hills I ride locally that will set off the max heartrate alarm on the Garmin, but I know my "max heartrate" isn't my absolute maximum, but is the high end of where the doc wants me to exercise at. Still, I try to keep the alarms to a minimum.

Digital Gee

I'll be calling my cardiologist tomorrow. And like you say, I'm pretty sure he's going to give me a thumbs up. But I'd like to know what rate I should keep my pulse below. Good advice.

Retro Grouch 

It's hard to do but try to avoid the rut of riding the same route all the time. When I do that I start timing myself to see if I'm getting "better" and I disappoint myself every time that I don't set a new record. It turns riding into another job. I don't like that. I think it's better if I ride out somewhere until I think that I'm halfway tired and then see if I can make it home. I've made some bad decisions (in both directions) but I'm OK with that.

dhender02

The joke was sitting right there, all teed up!!! I was going to say something too but passed...