rsacilotto

I guess it's time to hang up the helmet, Mass. General Hospital's chief of craniofacial surgery says it's too risky to ride...

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/michae..._b_923387.html

bgross

"People over 50 have slower reflexes, less strength, less coordination, less aerobic capacity and lower bone density."

Maybe they shouldn't drive cars, either?

"Rage, rage against the dying of the light!" ~ Dylan Thomas

woodway

...and in other news, doctors have discovered that people over 50 who breathe may get cancer from air pollution.

rsacilotto

rmcleod

....and almost every person who dies, dies within a few hours of injesting dihydrogen-oxide, a coincidence??

1nterceptor

https://sweatscience.com/do-the-healt...igh-the-risks/

"For the individuals who shift from car to bicycle, we estimated that beneficial effects of increased physical activity are substantially larger (3 – 14 months gained) than the potential mortality effect of increased inhaled air pollution doses (0.8 – 40 days lost) and the increase in traffic accidents (5 – 9 days lost). Societal benefits are even larger due to a modest reduction in air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and traffic accidents."

JanMM

Maybe that article is some kind of satire, like Jonathon Swift********************????

BikeArkansas

Accidents are a possible major problem for cyclists, so he has a point there. The calories burned at 10 MPH in two miles is probably correct. Therefore, I guess the article is correct. What's the problem?

Louis

"Cycling too dangerous for those over fifty?"

...Not cycling is too dangerous for those over fifty.

BengeBoy 

Wow, just wow.

I guess I would hope that a Dr. of his stature would understand statistics better.

His facts seem to be these:
1. "Whereas I used to treat older patients with bicycle accident injuries once or twice a year, just last week I evaluated three!"
2. "My daily observation tells me that bicyclists (young and old) while slowing motor vehicle traffic on Commonwealth Avenue rarely stop for red lights or stop signs, frequently ride outside of the bike lane and often ride on the wrong side of the street."
3. "U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer (born in 1938) suffered a broken collarbone in a bike accident while riding near his home in Cambridge this summer. In 1993, he suffered a punctured lung and broken ribs when he was hit by a car while cycling across Harvard Square."
4. And, walking two miles @ 4 mph burns more calories than cycling the same distance at 10 mph.

From that, he concludes: "If you are over 50, think twice before you get on a bicycle....The benefits just don't outweigh the potential consequences."

FanaticMN

This is really a link to The Onion, right? Sheesh.

Six jours

You're overthinking it. It's actually

1) I don't like bicycles because sometimes they get in my way when I'm driving, so

2) Nobody should ride bicycles.

Northwestrider

You can find Doctors that say drinking coffee is a bad idea, you can find Doctors that say drinking coffee is a good idea. Me, I ride bicycles and am over 50, and will ignore any Doc dissing bicycling.

volosong

Michael Yaremchuk, M.D. = quack

009jim

Take no notice of the doctor. I am over 50 and ride a bicycle and so do several of my friends. Use your brains and ride safely. Stay clear of cars, car-doors, other cyclists and slippery stuff on the road, and don't go fast. More people die in bed than die riding a bicycle.

maddmaxx 

If you are over 50, think twice before you read anything by Michael Yaremchuk , especially if you plan on riding a bicycle. The benefits just don't outweigh the potential consequences.

wahoonc

I got news for you all...life is terminal. And if I ever happen to see that so called Doctor....

Aaron

gear

When I read the article I got the impression they were talking about bicycling in cities. They seemed to be saying that its dangerous and you could get a better health benefit (taking in consideration the dangers of cycling in the city) from walking to your destination.

Maybe I misread it but if thats what they were saying, I have to agree especially since the city they were commenting from is Boston which despite the efforts of the mayor is still dangerous (to ride in) except on Sunday mornings.

John_V 

If I took seriously, all the the things that scientist and the medical community have said are dangerous and harmful and could kill you, I should be dead.

Giacomo 1 

Maybe you guys don't ride in the cities, but for those of us that do, I'd say the doctor has a point.

The biggest obstacle to me getting back on a bike was getting back out into traffic. What I once took for granted, narrow, pot-holed, busy streets, nearly scared the heck out of me now that I am older. Nearly all of my riding is done within inches of parked cars and moving ones. One bad move by me or a driver can spell disaster. It's taken me months to get comfortable out there again, but I'm still not overly confident and I still have my fears on busy streets. I now look 2 or 3 times at a situation I might have flown through in my younger years. Not to mention there is even more traffic out there now, which makes for less patience from drivers.

I know I am not the bike rider I once was, and due to aging, I'm not likely to ever be that confident or good again. If your skill level makes you as good as you were at twenty, then great, but most peoples skills diminish. This report won't stop me, but this doctor does have a valid point IMHO....

UberGeek

Pistard

Yeah right, the only thing I would agree is the fact that cyclist should follow the same road rules as vehicles. I don't trust cars, specially with the addiction to RX a lot of drivers here have, then there is the under 16 /24 crowd..... multitasking behind the wheel... I'll still be out there though.

DnvrFox

How about an "official" response to the article from the 50+ bicycle forum??

rsacilotto

My issues are that

a) city driving is relatively dangerous for anyone, I'm 51 and have not noticed the diminished capabilities (except cardio) that the doctor is claiming. I recently avoided a couple of collisions by reacting quickly, I had no sense that I would have done any better when I was 30. Would he prefer that bicyclists avoid the city altogether (see comment above regarding cyclist inconveniencing his driving)?

b) unless the route is completely rural, there's a decent likelihood of encountering "city-like" situations with tight roads, parked cars and aggressive drivers turning unpredictably. Should we avoid those, too?

c) who only rides two miles? I commute 32 miles round trip a couple of times a week, not really a walking option. I notice a huge difference in my physical condition when I'm riding regularly vs. other activities. I can still ride pretty hard for reasonable distances, not as fast as when I was younger, but I can just about keep up with a 20mph pace in a group for an hour, and the main obstacle is weight (230lb), not age. It just seems insulting for a doctor to suggest that once you hit 50, you should suddenly be so concerned about your physical and mental skills falling off a cliff that you should "think twice before getting on a bicycle." Thanks, but no thanks!

ScorpioLance

OK, how about: "Hey Doc? STFU!!!!" That official enough?