Kindaslow

When I was riding on Wednesday I saw an "older" woman at the parking lot getting her bike ready and her dogs out of her car. Later, maybe 2 hours into my ride, I saw her on the trail and we visited for a while. She started MTBing at 65, because we had such a poor skiing year that year. She is now MTBing with her dogs almost every day.

So, everyone writing about reasons to quit riding, their sagging nutsacks, and other various problems should take her lead. I was more impressed with her than I have been with most anyone in many years!

Sometimes this section of the forum is depressing! We need more about what we can do and less about our problems. We all face struggles with age! Now, I am off the ride my SS MTB. I will be sucking wind and sweating, but smiling. A day riding is a good day!

Looigi

She's fortunate to be in good enough health to do that. I'm very fortunate too, health-wise. Others may not be so fortunate and come here to find out how others might be dealing with issues similar to theirs.

Kindaslow

Good fortune and good health, relative to age, tend to have a pretty high correlation with choices made. I understand your implication, I just think the balance is too heavy on the problems side and not heavy enough on the celebration side. I have a lot of injury related issues, but I would rather celebrate what I can do.

Looigi

Whatever led to an individual's current circumstances, whether things in or beyond their control, I like to concentrate on what is currently possible.

Kindaslow

I believe that is the part of what I said above that you did not quote, "celebrate what I can do!"

ltxi

She sounds like my kind of person.

stardognine

Yeah, what he said.

Rick@OCRR

Great that she's out riding and especially on a mountain bike! I find mountain biking to be about twice as difficult as road and here she is at 66 taking on a whole new sport!

Good to hear some very positive news!

I'm 66 but I started mountain biking in '88 and while I still ride my mountain bike sometimes, I know longer race.

Rick / OCRR

Mountain Mitch

Here in the Kootenays I think there must be a law that you have to Mountain Bike at 65. At least almost everyone I know does. I'm taking a few weeks break from MTB riding while I tour Hokkaido on my faithful Devinci Caribou. I rode a few hundred kms. in Tokyo while laying over there and was pleased at how bike friendly it is.

I strongly agree that this forum needs more positive threads celebrating the joys of cycling as you age. Retiring has been a great benefit to my cycling. I hate to think of this forum as a sounding board for health complaints but that sure dominates the discussions!

John E

" ... while I still ride my mountain bike sometimes, I know longer race."

Cool malapropism there.

berner

Sometimes the luck of the draw determines how prone we may or may not be to early health problems. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies and bring on our own problems due to poor decisions.

leob1

So I guess SHE doesn't have THAT problem then.
I ride a ridged SS 29'er. But only on trails that are smooth and flowy.

Biker395 

What? No pix?

I had an epiphany the last time someone asked me:

"How are you?"

Usually, I just say "fine" and leave it at that. But I was asked that question last week when Steve and I had almost completed our ride to Big Bear. That involved super long distances and climbing (some of it very steep), and some pretty toasty weather.

And after all that, I felt great! I wasn't tired. I wasn't beat up. I actually enjoyed standing up and riding along the "Rim of the World," looking down on the city below. It was sublime. So the answer I blurted out was:

"Better than I have any reason to expect!"

I'm almost 60, and I fully expect to feel the same when I'm that woman's age. I think that kind of stuff is a matter of:

1. Luck (genes, injuries)
2. Consistency (getting significant exercise in every day)
3. Taking reasonable care of yourself
4. Attitude

So with any luck, I hope to be still riding mega rides (albeit slower), still ogling the women, and still generally being a pain in the arse to those around me for a while.

obed7

I enjoy riding. I am glad and thankful that I am able to do so. I could be retired, but I enjoy my work, so I get up everyday and go to work....
I do not see this forum as having a negative tone, nor do I see it as a negative thing when folks come here to talk about what their concerns are... looking to see how other folks there age who have the same issues have dealt with them...I see it as a positive thing, folks looking to continue what they enjoy doing.
I also see folks coming on here and posting good things, like their first century... or some other milestone they reached, one that maybe a year or two back they had no inkling they could do...
sometimes I think that whether a thread'post is positive or not, is more about how I view it....rather than the post itself.

takenreasy

Choices just about raps it up. Watching what you are doing throughout your life often leaves possibilities open for the later parts of life and the possibilities might seem unnatural to others in the later parts of life.

Kindaslow

I was not very careful and ended up with a lot of broken bones, even had to have my neck partially fused. But, I get out there and give it my best. I focus on what I can do, not on limitations caused by medical issues. We all get to pick what we focus on, which I know can be hard at times.

OldsCOOL

Great topic. It was about 2yrs back I put up a thread "Fast Women Over 50", about a female semi/pro level female rider in her 50's clobbering all us guys on Strava routes. She is incredible. Age really doesnt have to be debilitating.