cccorlew

I'm reading the road forum where they take intervals and such. I'm 53. Can I improve a lot? Or at all? I know I ride my commute faster, but what are the limits to starting as an old f*rt? Can I be fast, or at least a lot faster, or at least not slow? Can I climb better? Can i make a big leap from where i am now?

rmwun54

The answer is, if you ride a lot more hills, continued speed pace, it will happen, because it's all about the saddle time.

Digital Gee

The answer is no. Your skills and strength will continue to deteriorate until at last, you won't even be able to mount the bike. Riding more hills and doing intervals will accelerate the disintegration process, so try to avoid those as much as possible. Also, God forbid you are injured, because you will take forever to heal, if at all.

Your best years are already behind you, and it's important to accept this and not be in denial. Also, you should know that the memory is one of the first things to ...

What was the question again?

CrossChain

Don't know what your level of experience is ccc, but everything you mention being "better" at is relative of course. The answer is "Yes" to all. But a qualified Yes. Can you improve at the same rate and with the same absolute gains in speed, power, endurance, and recovery as when you were 22. No....but you didn't expect that. You can get better at everything you mention...dramatically better if you work in a structured way. In terms of conditioning, the older we get it seems the fewer corners we can cut and perhaps the more self-disciplined we need to be to really maximize the potential we have. But, even if you ride most of the time just for pleasure, you will still get noticably better if you keep at it regularly and make some demands on yourself. Many of us have read Roy Wallack Bike for Life: How to Ride to 100 and Joel Friel's Cycling Past 50. They're good places to start for basic info and a little inspiration.

The cycling season is starting, you're only 53, and the road beckons. Without making it into drudgery, slowly increase your mileage, do some intervals or surges that fit you (not every ride), do some suitable climbs with some regularity, recovery rides when you need them. Find out about eating and drinking on the bike if that's new to you. Set long and short term goals, record times, mileage, perceived effort, weight, heart rate....these things some people do religiously, others ignore them. Whatever suits you... but to get better, you have to push yourself, motivate yourself, and be a little structured. BF is filled with people who would answer a realistic Yes to your questions about improvement.

CrossChain

P.S. Ignore DeeGee. Usually we keep him locked in the closet. Guys, how the hell did he get out again?

dauphin

I nominate this for post of the year.

jcm

He successfully baited us by putting on that ridiculous monk habit. Now, he's in full swing again.

BSLeVan

It really depends on many different factors, given each of us ages in a unique way. For most, however, at 53 you should be able to improve your performance. That is assuming, you're not already at peak performance levels. I know many 50+ people who are in the best shape of their lives (and, unfortunately, more who are not). My own performance has increased steadily over the last three years. Given all of that, it would be foolish of me to think that I'll ever be able to match the young guns who are in top shape. I'll be faster, able to ride longer, etc. than many who are not in shape, but with work able to earn my respect and the respect of others younger than I. A steady, deliberate, well-thought out training plan is the key to improvements quickly. For me this includes base mile training, the use of a heart rate monitor to keep from over training in the spring, and a rotating routine with intervals, long steady rides, climbs, sprints, spinning, and time trials. I'm 55 and last year I rode more miles, could ride faster, and climb better than the year before.

DnvrFox

That is your first mistake, reading the road forum.

No respectable 50+ would be found in the road forum.

They take themselves VERY SERIOUSLY and we all know that a sense of humor is one of the things we develop as we get more chronologically gifted. Some of them don't really appreciate or even understand a "sense of humor."

Oh, and your question - of course you can get better.


But don't follow DG's training advice. His avatar shows what happens when you follow the DG Training Regimen. What kind of a helmet is that, anyway?

HAMMER MAN

ride lots. with speed work/intervals/hill repeats/ sprints/ also try to do long distances of 50-80 miles @ least 1-3 times a month

cgallagh

I started cycling in a more "serious" vein the month I turned 53. That was last October. My wife and her riding partners have been at it for much longer than me although my "young" (pssst 52) wife is quite competitive and she rides with competitive people. He just turned 44 and just got back into racing. Was a Cat 2 and gave it up for family. Very quickly after going back into it at 43 he quickly catapulted to a Cat 3 from a 5 because he was shaming everyone so bad. She is late 30's and a long time Jazzercise instructor. My wife and her female buddy enjoy kicking each others butts on hills. Needless to say I was up against it. We bought a tandem thinking that was the only thing I was going to ride because at least my wife couldn't leave me in the dust cause she was tied to me. Every ride was hammer time. I swore to keep up no matter what. Our times on the rides improved with every ride. Gio (the racing animal) uses intervals with sprints pushing himself anerobic as long as he can. I took a page from his book and pushed myself as hard as I could for as long as I could, rested, then pushed again. We now have about 1400 miles on the tandem with two centuries (Palm Springs-easy and Solvang-not so easy) under our belts. I have since bought a single and for the first time ever I beat my honey in a hill sprint. She did not like it and when I get back from this long business trip I know I am in for it.

If you want to improve, push your limits. You won't know what they are until you push them. 53 is not the end. BSLevan has some good advice. Get a good training program and go for it. I know I will never beat Gio, unless I hit him in the knee with a bat, like Tanya Harding, but I can give him a pretty good chase now and it is fun.

I have a picture just like your avatar. Same hat.

will dehne

Well, What happens over 50? Here is my experience with that. I was in high performance rowing in my teen and twenties. Can no longer do that due to lack of time and opportunity.
Got fat and out of condition in my 30's.
Did substantial running, jogging and rock climbing in my 40's. My joints did not like that.
Found biking in my 50's and have not found my limits yet. I keep improving a little every year do to extreme training and eating smarter. My computer (between my ears) seems to work well enough to keep playing high level computer chess. I am 65 and will let you know when I detect a slowing down.
Not anytime soon, I hope.

Litespeed

Along the same line -- someone at my husband's workplace said he doesn't exercise because his grandmother told him his heart only has so many heart beats before it quits, so don't accelerate it and you will live longer.

DnvrFox

That's what they used to tell guys about sex! That grandmother was a very wise woman.

will dehne

Along the same line----Let a car sit in the garage. It will last a long time, except it is not good for anything.

Litespeed: I know you are being sarcastic.

cgallagh

That's it. I quit. No more biking and I am joining a monastery. Don't want to wear anything out, no sir. NOT!

My grandmother said if you don't use it, you lose it.

George

I think if your active in anything you will improve.

will dehne

George,
I like that in principle-----BUT-----it does not work with running. Believe me, I tried. It hurts and gets worse as you fight the pain. God help you if you use pills. I know a guy who did that and he is now on a dialysis machine. Not a good thing.

maddmaxx 

I still get a rash every time I get near the Road Forum.
I didn't start riding again untill I turned 55. I think that it is possible to improve after 50.

John E

What works is to challenge oneself to the point of discomfort, but not outright pain. This principle works for most forms of exercise and stretching, as long as one is doing something the body is designed to do. Running barefoot or with good shoes on a resilient surface is good, but most of us are forced to run on either concrete sidewalks (the absolute worst) or macadam roads (only slightly better), and that steady pounding over time can be harmful. I long ago gave up sprinting, not that I was ever any good at it anyway, and have replaced it with racewalking.

John E

OK, perhaps she is right. Yes, my heartbeat can accelerate as high as 140 or 150 BPM when I exercise hard, but at my resting rate of 43 BPM, my heart should be good for a long time to come. Your nonexercising friend's resting pulse could be nearly twice mine.

George

If my wife wasn't on pills she would be in a wheelchair, but she rides with me.

Stevie47

I'm 57 and definitely faster than I"ve been in years. Just yesterday, I was able to put a hurt on quite a few younger riders on one of our club rides. It was great!

They say your capabilities decrease a little bit each year, but very few of us have ever been at 100% of our potential. So while some years ago I might have been at 80% of what I was capable of, today I feel like I'm at 90% of a slightly decreased potential.

It helps that many times as we age, our lives become less cluttered (kids out of the house, work is simplified) and there is more time available to ride. And for me, I have gotten smarter as I've gotten older and realized how important riding is to me.

If you use the information on training thats out there and easily accessible and are motivated to really try, you'd be amazed at what you are capable of, even at our advanced years!

crtreedude 

One of the gifts of becoming an old geezer is the knowledge that you will never win the TDF - nor do you care. Yes, I have improved a lot. Great, I am happy, but it wasn't a goal. I don't think I am 20, I don't WANT to be 20, and I have no desire to race others (well, a little bit perhaps, but just as a Fred)

If you want to know can you improve your conditioning - absolutely. Focus on that, and the speed, ability to climb hills, etc will come. Most important, improve you ability to enjoy riding your bike - that will pay a lot more dividends in the long run that whether you can shave a few minutes off your ascent of Mount Terrible.

ollo_ollo

Within limits, improvement is possible but we have to be realistic. I'm 66, and have leveled off at "not slow but far from fast". Don