Originally Posted by
seypat
Then I'll ask the same question I asked(more or less) in post 4. What are you going to do when the backslide hits? You going to quit? As long as you're still out there plugging away, it's all good. That's the only thing that matters in the long run.
This is what age categories are for. I'm not super competitive, but I like to compare my performance with my peers - who are all getting older at exactly the same rate as I am. So it's a level playing field. When I get beaten by younger riders it doesn't bother me in the slightest.
At least as far as road cycling goes, the "performance" aspect of it is what makes it interesting FOR ME. If I want to noodle around admiring the countryside I prefer mountain biking. Maybe when I get older, and perhaps have more spare time, I could get into mellow touring, but I'm not there yet.