Jinkster

It's been quite awhile since I posted here and two of the 3 bikes listed in my profile are gone...I sold the Giant OCR and gave away the Trek to my Son In-law which left me with my favorite of the 3...My Specialized Crosstrail and now onto the crux of this post.



Just for some prefaced personal background?...I was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 2011 and had a stroke in Aug. of 2015...I'll be 62 in July ...I'm also a former US Marine and have gone at everything I've ever done n life hard...weight lifting, running, martial arts etc...and always to extremes where the only thing that would stop me was the pain and injuries I caused myself by?..."Going at these things hard"

Time and again I read threads where us 50+ riders have sustained injuries by repeatedly pushing ourselves well beyond our physical limitations resulting in numerous injuries the most popular being "Smoked Knee Joints" as we get sucked into the delusion that if we just pedal hard enough, fast enough and often enough that we can turn back the hands of time and recapture our youth when all to frequently?...what we recapture is down-time recuperating in the recliners with "riding our bikes" reduced to just a fond memory.

I write this because I headed out on my Crosstrail the other night after work...my pace was casual...I even glided as the opportunities of downslopes and wind at my back afforded just taking in the rolling view free of charge.

I was out for nearly 2hrs...stopped by my daughters house 3 1/2 miles away where my grandson made fun of Popaw's tiny shorts! LOL! and stopped by the lake for a sunset pic opportunity and just?...

"ENJOYED THE RIDE"

and I'm looking forward to more of them...without "pushing myself" or?...sustaining any debilitating injuries due to excessive practices and obsessive behaviors where the question at the end of the ride is...

who's really in better shape?

Just something to consider.

freeranger

Even if some of our speed slows down a bit, or the ride is a little shorter, so long as the "smiles per mile" continue, it's all good. Keep on rollin' on!!

texaspandj

Yep.
My latest motto is "Consistency over Intensity" which I think should be the 50+ motto too.

BCDrums

Jinkster,

I liked hearing your thoughts about enjoying the ride. It's not very hard to get caught up in "improving" your bike stats, gathering miles, average speed, etc. But it's important not to turn riding into a chore. Cruise on, Jinks, enjoy that ride.

rydabent

In my old age (81) for many years I have been a proponent of the "enjoy the ride" crowd. I have taken a few slings and arrows about that by the head down crank as fast as you can types. I have been riding recumbent bikes and trikes for 15 years now, and find the sitting upright and being able to look around and see the scenery very enjoyable.

TakingMyTime

I'm fortunate that I was never one who felt like I was in some sort of competition in life.

rydabent

I guess my feeling is if you are in the drops, head down, cranking as hard as you can, you dont see much, and you get home really fast. Then what********************

Jinkster

Well?...what happens then is I spend every subsequent ride trying to best my last ride and then?...I find myself preferring just a little milk on my morning bowl of alieve and then?...I reach a point where even the alieve doesn't help and my bike and I are parked until I can once again "walk" with pain free knees....my point?...

It's just so "Liberating" to roll out onto the open road to "Just Enjoy The Ride" and the funny thing is (like I mentioned earlier) that while some get real aggressive on hopes of peddling fast enough. long enough and far enough in an attempt to recapture their youth?...

"How DID you ride when you were in your youth?"

because unless I was late for dinner or engaged in a brief race with a friend?...we rode around very casual like...talking about life...taking in the scenery....and?...

"Just Enjoying The Ride"

Mountain Mitch

Sounds like my kind of cycling! I also enjoy putting the hammer down - when I feel like it! I’m not slow - but I really don’t care. To me, it’s all about the experience and joy of being out in nature. That’s why I like touring so much. Fitness is just a pleasant side-effect. I consider Strava the devil’s work!

Jinkster

Right? LOL!

I don't want any "Meters" of any sort...speedo, odo, health...I was reading a thread about a rider concerned with a Heart Rate/BP monitor as I figured my BP&HR would probably go up just getting upset with constantly monitoring the numbers! LOL!

And even though I do make sure I take my cell phone with me?...(in case I break down or get lost)....I make a point of NOT looking at the time when I leave or get back home.

Iride01 

There are all sorts of ways to enjoy cycling. As long as I'm not forced to enjoy it one particular way, I'll be happy. Some rides are leisurely, some will be fast.

philbob57

Amen. I'll ride my ride. You're free to ride yours. Around here, at least, there's room for all of us.

I use my HRM as a tool to slow down. I track my rides just to confirm that I ride farther and faster as a biking season progresses, and for some reason I have mileage goals. But my primary goal is to have fun.

My highway driving changed about 12 years ago. I realized what i hated to do was to slow down behind a slow driver. The thought hit me that if I set the cruise control to just a little over the speed limit, I'd probably reduce the need to slow down a lot. I was right - I got passed a lot, but I almost never had to hit the brakes, and I arrived in a much better mood. I didn't get as far in a day, but I'm 2 days away from my most frequent destinations anyway.

Jinkster

Yep...that's pretty much sums up my point with the caveat that IT WAS ME who was "forcing me" to go above and beyond every ride....not anymore.

And please...make no mistake...I'm not trying to villainize those with ever increasing riding goals...I'm sure I'll have those again too!...but in moderation cause it sure was nice to tone it down and just do the casual "Enjoy The Ride/Pleasure Cruise" thing for a change.

Carbonfiberboy 

74 now. I was always taught that the way to get faster is sometimes to go hard, sometimes to go easy, you only get stronger when you rest and that the surest way to screw things up is to overtrain. Do these things and you get stronger all by itself as it were. Now of course the object of the game is to get weaker slowly. So far, so good. Looking forward to many more years of riding at speeds which will seem fast to me at the time. 3 PRs on the tandem with my wife yesterday, on a route we've ridden hundreds of times, almost home after 44 miles and 2600'. I made a couple of minor changes in our workout plans. I also washed the bike before the ride. My wife said it was the most fun ride so far this year.

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
- Dylan Thomas

Maelochs

".... we get sucked into the delusion that if we just pedal hard enough, fast enough and often enough that we can turn back the hands of time and recapture our youth .... "

This.

I had to finally admit that no matter how hard I tired I would never be 40 again. My drives are different, my world-view is different, and my body is very, very different. My limits are closer, my recovery is longer ... and no amount of pretending or pushing will change that.

I still try to ride more and exercise more .... but ... whatever. I can finally face the fact that I am past my physical peak ... and that to get the most out of me now, thrashing and bashing is counterproductive.

i was contemplating my shrinking legs this morning, and realized that even though I am finally getting more opportunities to ride .... not likely i will ever have the legs of 15 or 20 years ago. I was thinking about how I was going to make more of an effort to use the gym when it finally reopened ... then remembered that I had spent three days nursing a sore elbow just because I did some light dumbbell work---and tried to be really careful.

I still track every ride ... but a few years back i took everything that would show me a number off my handlebars---after I found myself watching my computer screen instead of the scenery while riding. I realize that new PRs are not really likely ... but dang, riding my bike is still really fun.

As @Jinkster notes, that is where it all started ... not bad to get back here again.

Bassmanbob

Hello neighbor. Treasure Coast here.

I've been riding now for six years and just turned 55. I find that I'm beginning to view my cycling goals and desires differently compared to just a couple of years ago. I've noticed that I'm not as concerned with going faster for the sake of going faster, but I have the struggle of being a Clydesdale. While I'm perfectly fine with riding solo, and have been during this social distancing period, I also enjoy riding with a group. So with my extra weight, I need to train so I can keep up with even our local B group on Saturday mornings. With my recent training and slow weight loss, I'm ready to join that group when it is COVID safe again.

I also still have a few rides to prove to myself. I'm registered for the Crater Lake Century in August (if travel is safe again), I want to ride the Horrible Hundred a couple more times and the Six Gap in Georgia and the Cross Florida Ride one day option in 2021. In order to successfully enjoy these rides, I'll need to be a stronger rider than just a Clydesdale B rider. That being said, I find myself more often reading and watching videos about touring. I really enjoy the idea of traveling by the use of my own power. The bicycle may be a facilitator, but the power is coming from me to get from point A to point B.

It's funny. I reluctantly joined Strava at the request of some friends. I've noticed that if I go out for a casual ride, I get fewer kudos than if I go out and ride longer and faster. I found myself starting to care about that, laughed at myself and now I'm considering deleting Strava from my phone.

SurferCyclist

When I started road cycling just 4 years ago, I said I wouldn't be bothered by the numbers, wouldn't get a HRM or cadence sensor or fancy bike computer etc.
And guess what, yep got the lot. I ride solo pretty much all the time so I'm "competing" against myself and my previous times. Unquestionably as we get older it's definitely a game of diminishing returns but for now I enjoy getting PBs on Strava, the odd ten top and yes a very rare KOM now and then.

As for those who just go out and enjoy the ride, more power to you. I reckon there's room on the road for all types and long may it continue.

Jinkster

Wow....okay...allow me to clarify here that..."I would never discourage anyone"...to deviate from a training program meant to improve their health and/or overall fitness but as far as the lack of kudos from Strava goes?...to me that's just crazy because while I'm sure the ones giving you kudos for long fast rides are just trying to encourage you?...they aren't the ones that will suffer the consequences when you push yourself beyond your limitations trying to impress them...I'd recommend you listen to your body (rather than Strava) and if you feel the need to impress someone?...only ride to impress yourself.

Know this...as people/riders we're all different and I couldn't do what you do with the 'Group Rides" thing and "A Century" would be out of the question on my hybrid Crosstrail so you're doing better than I am Basswmanbob!

Bassmanbob

Sorry if I gave you the impression that you were discouraging anyone from any kind of riding. I know you did not intend that. And yes, my body is a better indicator of how far I should push myself when needed. I was surprised how I did begin to get caught up in the "keeping up with the Joneses" on Strava.

Have fun and ride safe.

Jinkster

Yep...and it's such an insidious event because there's such a fine line between friendly encouragement and peer pressure...toss in the self-worth factor?...and somewhere in there you could come up with a recipe for trashed knees! LOL!

In the thread title I mentioned "Moderation" and that it's just (something to consider) and I did so because some cyclists are about as OCD a breed of folk as I have ever met because it's just not real typical to spend 10 hrs riding a $10K bicycle and I've known more than one person in my life who spent gobs of cash on a bicycle thinking that because they dropped so much ca$h that it would motivate them to ride...and it did...for a little while...until they hurt themselves...and I had yet another coworking friend whose $10K bicycle cost him his marriage...cause it was the 2nd $10K bicycle he bought and garaged...so yeah..."Moderation" LOL!

Papa Tom

Yup. I, too, share your philosophy about riding at a pace that lets you savor every minute of the ride, rather than judge every pedal stroke for its efficiency. However, what I have come to accept in the past few years is that not everybody has to feel the same way.

A while back, I started a thread on a different forum called "Long Island: Good Ride Today?" My intention was to get people talking about the quality of their rides and not the quantity, length, or speed. I didn't bother to establish that in my original post because I guess I assumed everybody else had the same attitude about cycling as I did. So when people started reporting, day-after-day, how many miles they rode, how fast they rode, and how disappointed they were that they had only done 45 miles on a Tuesday, I became frustrated, almost angry. With every new post in the thread, I wanted to scold people for focusing on their own personal physical accomplishments, rather than sharing good routes with the rest of us. Eventually, I abandoned the thread altogether. It's still running and is pretty much filled with the same mileage reports and personal stats every day.

What has changed is my attitude. I don't judge the participants in the thread anymore because it takes too much good energy away from me. I am glad that they enjoy challenging themselves and bragging about it on the forum, but mostly I am glad that they aren't challenging ME to change my philosophy or try to maintain the same level of physical ability I had on the bike ten or twenty years ago.

Stick with what you're doing, Jinkster. These may be the best days of the rest of our lives. Live 'em the way you choose.

Jinkster

You got it Papa Tom!!!

And personally speaking?...I feel blessed that I've come to a point of embracing the quality of the journey rather than fixating on a destination while obsessing over the ETA...kind of like the ending of the movie "Wild Hogs" when Peter Fonda advised them all to...

"Lose The Watches"

BEC111

My background couldn’t be much more different than yours. I was a technologist and writer. Office and desk bound when not in the data center test lab.

I restarted riding last year after 50+ years and then got ill and couldn’t ride all last summer. I’m ok now and started working out in the gym and stationary bike over the winter and spring. When the gym closed due to Covid19 I started to ride as soon as the weather broke. I’m payide attention to distance as a way of paying attention to my health and growing strength.

At first I’d do very short rides, a mile or two. Sort of necessary with early March winds. Then I was doing 5 or 6 miles a few times per week. Finally this past weekend I’ve been able to actually go somewhere so though distance matters, the real goals of going somewhere and smelling the roses as it were can be achieved.

I don’t really care how far I ride. I care about whether I can ride to Leesburg, about 11 miles away, and get back, and do something there. Or ride to Purcellville, about 20 miles. I love the semi rural country side and the chance to stop for photography, my real hobby.

Enjoy the ride. My new motto.

257 roberts

Good advice....you still shooting archery?

Jinkster

Yes but taking a break from it to let my bow arm shoulder recover....tore it up pretty good...ironically?..."Over-Doing It"