rowerek

How come that so many 50+ and 60+ cyclists have strong narcissistic tendencies?

Daniel4

I'm 62. People my age expect me to give up my seat on the bus for them.

rsbob 

It’s probably because it doesn’t take much energy after a hard workout.

PeteHski

My 11 old year daughter thinks I look ancient. My 14 year old daughter thinks I look very old. People my age think I look a bit younger.
People much older than me think I look young. Different perspectives depending on the age of the observer.

Jughed

The fitter I get, the older my face looks.

The fat used to fill in the voids between my wrinkles.


I'm becoming a butt-a-face.

bruce19

I'm at the gym 5-6 days a week and occasionally someone wil say that I look like I'm in my 50's when I tell them I'm 77. I don't know what age I look like but OTOH I no longer care.

seypat

I think in general, that endurance sports(at least in America) have the highest percentage of adult onset athletes. For whatever reasons, people never tried or had no success in the traditional sports. A lot of them might have went through a transformation with a dramatic weight loss. Or, they go to the doctor one day and are told they need to make a transformation for health reasons. So, they get them a bike, or start walking/running, go on the journey and make the transformation. Maybe get into triathlon. Many on this forum have taken the journey from heavyweight Clyde to physically fit individual. Once they get there, they tend to think they are an elite athlete. It doesn't seem to matter that the closest they've got to any actual competition is showing up for a local group ride or doing the local charity 5k, they're elite now. Legends in their own minds. No culling process, they can pay their entry fee and do their events. Nothing wrong with that. Hopefully they aren't haunted by their former selfs.
I'm reminded of a conversation I was having with a lady one day on a run. She was telling me how competitive she was and how hard she pushes herself. I asked her if she had grown up with competitive sports and what sports she competed in. She told me she had never done any sports until she started running about 10 years earlier. Middle to BOP at best. She definitely had a competitive spirit/attitude, but had no chance of winning any events because she had no elite athletic ability.

terrymorse 

I say "hooray" to all those who pick up athletics at an advanced age. If they have an inflated sense of their ability, that's okay. Whatever it takes to keep them going.

There are some folks who simply had zero interest in athletics while in school, but they pick up a sport when they're settled as an adult, and they end up doing pretty well. My sister was like that, she started doing triathlons in her 30s because a friend was doing it and talked her into it. Within a few years, she was winning her age group.

Edit: The same sister enjoyed poking fun at all her "star athlete" friends (and relatives!) who had stopped competing after high school/college, with their growing waistlines and sedentary lives.

Biker395 

I'm not sure how to interpret this (given in answer to the supposed narcissism of 50+ and 60+ cyclists).

I suppose it depends on your definition of "athlete," but IMHO, one can certainly be an athlete without ever being an elite athlete or even one that competes or wins.

This is a 50+ thread. We are all old enough to know "elite" or competitive athletes from our days in high school or college who have let themselves go and now struggle from all manner of maladies, many traceable to inactivity. Contrast them with people who weren't particularly athletic in their teens and 20s, but are 3 sigma athletes (whether they compete or not) in their age demographic today. Then there is the genetic factor. Some people mature early, and in my observation, they also age early. Some mature late and also in my observation, they age late.

Also, although there is a lot of variance in the subject, people who remain active, and avoid unhealthy habits are less likely to be overweight, and in our culture, being overweight is generally regarded as unattractive. So at our age, one should not be surprised that there is a correlation between being active and being thought of as younger looking.

And as I said before, it really doesn't matter. Looking good is nice, but what is really important is how you feel. The other stuff is fluff.

Jughed

I fit into most of what you said.

And on the local bike path, I am elite. Don't like it, well then come to my local path and beat me son!!!

But for real - I was riding with some of my buddys, newer riders, and they were commenting on my fitness. Asking if I race, why I don't race - and I flat told them that I am not an athlete, and you will know one when you see one.

We bumped into an older gentleman on one of our rides, he slowed down to talk with my 12 year old son and give him some encouragement, we talked with him a bit as he ramped up the pace... he was on a 50+ mile recovery ride and was clipping along at 23-25 on the flats. Dropped my group in a hurry, dropped my son after a mile, I held on for the ride as long as I could without going into the red zone - and he was on a recovery ride.

That was an athlete - and you knew it the moment you saw him. The Dogma F12 he was on was a clue as well.

rsbob 

IMO: You don’t have to win to be considered an athlete. It’s a mindset of striving to be your personal best in an athletic endeavor/s. Nowhere is an athlete defined as someone who out excels everyone else.

terrymorse 

Agreed, and I'll go even further: You don't have to compete in formal events to be an athlete. Working towards a goal, whether it be a PR in the 40k or a local Strava KOM, is just as athletic an endeavor as entering races.

RB1-luvr

in my 40s people were often commenting that they thought I was in my late 20s, now I look every bit of my 59 years. :-(

seypat

But the OP put the word "so" into his title, not just fit. He's also started multiple threads on the same subject. I interpreted that as elite level when reading his original post. I then took it into consideration when responding to post 26. I guess I need to start a backslapping thread so people can disclose it in one thread instead of starting ones like this frequently. Probably put it in the Road forum. It'll get more use there.

Alan K

To the title of this thread: does it really matter!
If one manages to keep himself or herself fit through exercising routinely and eating sensibly (I don’t mean surviving on nuts and twigs or going to the other extreme of consuming meat and fats exclusively), the rewarded of feeling well is quite enough.
I couldn’t care less what others guess my age might be!

roadfix

I went on a backpacking trip recently and we were all gathered around the campfire discussing health. There were about 15 of us and this guy next to me said he’s probably the oldest person in the group. I looked right at him and I knew the guy was at least 10 years younger than me. I asked him his age and he told me he was 52. So I replied, sorry, you’re waaay off, I’m pretty sure I’m the oldest here…. I’m 69. Cycling, backpacking, and doing yard work make me feel at least 20 years younger..lol

PeteHski

Reading "so fit" as "elite level competitive athlete" is a bit of a stretch. Sounds like you have some issues with this kind of topic.

shelbyfv

Hopefully OP has reflected on the responses and will find another.

seypat

As the old saying goes, "Act like you've been there before." I realize you're not an American, so you might not be familiar with the saying. But this is the 50+ forum, so most here should be familiar with the saying and the attitude. BF could certainly use more of that at the moment. Way, way too much "look at me" permeating throughout the forums.

rowerek

Can somebody explain how cycling can make somebody look younger, so that people around are frequently mistaken about the person age?

We are talking here about LOOKS, not necessarily fitness, and that can be achieved mostly thanks to genetics and few other factors. Biking barely shows on the radar screen, and it can be actually detrimental due to possible, excessive sun exposure and stress (see cortisol).

If somebody has good genetics, eats healthy, exercise moderately (walking will suffice), avoids smoking and alcohol, excessive sun exposure and stress, and takes basic care of the skin then this somebody has done all to stay healthy and look relatively young when compared with others not so lucky with genetics and having abusive lifestyle. Biking will not change that in any significant way.

Here is quick list from google-bard:

Factors that can contribute to older people looking younger than their peers:

• Genetics: Some people are simply born with genes that make them age more slowly. This can include genes that affect the production of collagen and elastin, which are proteins that help keep skin looking youthful.
• Lifestyle: Certain lifestyle choices can also play a role in how quickly a person ages. For example, people who eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep tend to look younger than those who do not.
• Environment: Exposure to environmental toxins, such as cigarette smoke and UV rays, can accelerate the aging process. Therefore, people who avoid these toxins are more likely to look younger.
• Skin care: A good skin care routine can also help to keep skin looking youthful. This includes using products that protect the skin from the sun, hydrate it, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.

Here are some specific things that older people can do to look younger:

• Protect their skin from the sun by wearing sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses when outdoors.
• Eat a healthy diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get enough sleep.
• Manage stress.
• Use a good skin care routine.

Trakhak

I grew up in Connecticut and have lived in several other states and am an obsessive reader, and I've never come across that saying before, and had no idea what it's meant to convey until I looked it up a minute ago.

Turns out you might have to be a football fan to get it. (I've ignored all sports other than bike racing all my life, so I'm an outlier, I admit.)

Not sure what the significance of the quote is in the context of this thread. "Act like," etc., takes for granted that we're all worried about how we're perceived by others but says that we should pretend that we aren't. Just another variety of narcissism.

The original quote:

Penn State's Joe Paterno said "when you get into the end zone, act like you've been there before."

seypat

It's common in most of the sports, at least the ones I've participated in.(And I've participated in a lot of different sports) It's about keeping concentration and focus as much as drawing attention to one's self. Since you were not familiar with the Joe Paterno quote, are you familiar with Teddy Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" quote? I'm getting to show some good, inspirational quotes today.

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7-i...ts-not-the-man

Trakhak

Had to look up "end zone" just now to confirm that once you're in it, you've scored the goal, i.e., that once you're there, concentration and focus are no longer relevant. And, after all, the quote says to "look as if you've been there before." (There's nothing wrong with preening a bit under those circumstances, of course.)

PeteHski

The irony is that you are actually drawing attention to yourself in this thread with a rather self-righteous attitude. If you think the subject of the thread is pointless then why bother participating? There are hundreds of threads posted on BF that I have no personal interest in, so I don't bother reading them. Threads often repeat themselves multiple times too, it's nothing unusual here.

seypat

But you're just looking at one sport. If after a 2 handed flush or a long 3, you go camera looking and break out into a pose/ ______ yell(left it blank because every word might be offensive these days), that's when the other team runs it back up the court and jams it leaving you looking like a fool. You have to keep the focus and get back on defense. You can't let up and take a bow.