no sweat

I'm 54. I started my journey back to fitness Mar 21, 2014. I've lost about 30#, ridden a lot of miles, worked pretty hard. I'm trying to work up to a < 60 minute 25 mile TT.

This morning (temp 83, dewpoint 72, no wind to speak of) I did this:



I'm the two headed guy at the top of the heap. I was in better form (and in much nicer, dryer, cooler conditions) last Wed and about 45 seconds faster, but Strava didn't log it correctly. I was about 90% today, knew I couldn't climb as well, but figured I could probably crack the code on this rolling 9 mile segment anyway, so gave it a try. The only thing to be said for a 72 deg dewpoint is that at least it doesn't dry you out!

Keep turning those pedals!

climberguy

I don't do Strava but it seems to motivate you. "Good on you" as the Assuies say. Sounds like you've built up some significant fitness.

no sweat

Strava is just the modern day equivalent to chalking your initials at the top of the rope climb in the HS gym. It's not something to take too seriously (imo), but it adds a little amusement.

CliffordK

21.2 MPH for 10 miles with some climbing though isn't bad. GOOD JOB!!!!!!!

GlennR

Impressive.

bakes1

Very nice.
I am a 50 year old Clyde that just started riding a few months ago and I couldn't touch that.
I average around 19 mph on my 15 mile route but I am pushing pretty damn hard and finding out that getting up to 17-19 mph in a short amount of time is ok but getting to 20+ on the same route is a much bigger jump and will maybe mean a lot more miles than what I have been doing

no sweat

Don't over reach! My number 1 concern last year was "avoid injury". I did and I'm glad of it! I saw the gains get bigger when I was able to work up to 125 miles a week.

Viking55803

Just a short comment about Strava. I'm 2 years and 8 months post quadruple bypass surgery. I wear a heart monitor and record all my rides on Strava. I'm KOM in my age group for the simple reason that I am usually the only one IN my age group! In any case, being able to track my rides over time has been highly motivating but also gives me an excellent baseline where I can spot any issues with my heart should they occur. The algorithms they offer a premium member are also helpful as they show graphically how your fitness levels, fatigue levels and form change over time. I don't put too much faith in the accuracy of any one metric, but the whole picture is very revealing. As a 66 year old, I am figuring this year I will achieve the optimum level of fitness of which I am capable and, after that, attempt to slow the decline into decrepitude.

Shortcomings on Strava is that they don't take into account wind velocity, so when I see an unusually fast time on a particular segment I often check the weather almanac for my area and can see whether the ride was wind-aided or not. I also jot down those comments on my own PR's when a particularly fast ride is wind-aided. I'm not trying to fool anyone, least of all myself. Also, a flaw in Strava is that as you age your best rides age with you! I did some rides when I was in the under 65 age group and they now show up in the over 65 age group.

So, the bottom line is that Strava is an incredibly useful tool, especially for those of us who don't have the patience to record our rides in a training diary.

tg16

Way to go!

no sweat

I went after two more KOMs last night, shorter, flatter and faster segments. I know I beat the KOM on the first (reset my speedo at the start) and I know I was real close on the second, but darned if I didn't manage to screw up the Strava iPhone app, so these weren't recorded . Time to get a tandem and let my 15 yo daughter run the electronics.

geehue

50 years old and being able to maintain 19 mph over 15 miles seems pretty good to me ...

Jackmen

Get yourself a garmin and the loggingof rides becomes automatic. Even better get a garmin 1000 and then as soon as you stop your ride it automatically uploads to strava and to garmin connnect. Just link it with blue tooth to your phone or it can even link to your wireless network at your home.

Since i switched to the Garmin 1000 it makes the uploading quite automatic and much more enjoyable. The nice thing is that the 1000 has been out long enough now that the firmware is pretty bug free as I have had the unit for 3 months and have never had any glitches or issues. They are not cheap but if you wait til performance has a 20% off sale you can get the unit for $480 with free shipping. Not bad considering I sold my 4 year old garmin 500 for $150 (ebay) so I only ended up with a $330 charge to upgrade.

no sweat

It's actually pretty simple to get a reliable recording on a phone: what you do is start the recording then click the screen off so you don't fat finger the recording off while dropping the phone in your jersey pocket. Just need to remember to do that, lol.

Collected another KOM tonight (23.3 mph with a little climbing), a 7th place (26 mph, more or less level, think I was geared too low) and the experience of the most beautiful/enjoyable/all around blissful Summer evening I've spent on a bike... maybe *ever*. It was really that nice.

no sweat

Thursday: 25 mph time trial down 6 miles of flat river road with a little net descent.

Friday: day off to recharge.

no sweat

Picked off another one today. 2.4 miles @ 27.6 mph, one second faster than old KOM. Moved up to 7th @ 25.9 mph on that river road run in prev. post. Balance of today's ride (45 mi) nice and easy.

Reading this https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus...rry-about.html worries me, just a little. Tempers the enthusiasm.