fastcarbon

I usually have to start again most every year; I am usually off due to surgeries (lumbar fusion, microdiscectomy, Arrhythmias, ICD placement, kidney cyst removal, diverticulitis surgery, a few crashes, pulmonary embolisms, DVT's....the list goes on. It does get a little harder each time to reach the fitness level you were at before stopping but the journey is rewarding. Most of us must like exercise pain because we keep coming back.

rumrunn6

yes don’t fear the pain, had to remind myself yesterday, it may hurt now, but my legs will feel amazing later

rumrunn6

fwiw - my knee surgery the summer of ‘97 was only 17 minutes in & out. had a little flap of torn meniscus that had to be snipped off. was standing on it that afternoon & recovery wasn’t bad at all

big john

Some of you guys have it a lot worse than I do. I thought getting worked like a rented mule for the last 3 years of my job was a tough thing to bounce back from. I retired last April and actually made some progress with my fitness, at least until all group rides were shut down. It's harder for me to find motivation without the groups but I have been riding. Today I went out for 4 1/2 hours and the last 2+ hours were into a headwind with climbing. You know the kind of headwind where you have to work to go downhill? The headwind where you can't hear anything? A bit of that but I feel pretty good considering.

My hat's off to anyone who pushes through the physical challenges and pain you guys have dealt with. I had a little a-fib deal a couple years ago and I have asthma and now they say COPD but overall not bad.

Jinkster

What wuz this thread about again?

rumrunn6

old farts like us better not get the covid

Nerostarr

Your a lucky one, my meniscus was so deteriorated there was no saving it. I tried to deny the pain and hide it and after many years I finally realized it's time, TKR was the answer and I did it over the winter months, and I'm so glad I did.

big john

Comebacks!

rumrunn6

gotta look that up, mine us acting up again & I’m not amused

Maelochs

I know quite a few older riders who came back strong with fake knees .... I don't want to go that route and hopefully won't have to, but I have several times been amazed at how little it seemed to upset the knee recipients

Wanderer

If you are going to get old, you gotta be tough!

Wanderer

If you are going to get old, you gotta be tough!

Mountain Mitch

‘Exercise’ is one reason so many of my (soon to be FORMER) riding buddies are buying e-bikes!

I have nothing against e-bikes as commuters or for people with handicaps that would not permit them to enjoy riding even if they were in reasonable physical condition. But to see (late) middle aged people buy them just because they don’t want the exercise drives me crazy.

volosong

I took my maiden ride yesterday with my e-bike. It's a Pinarello Dyodo. Same frame geometry and layup as the Prince, (and Dogma). Have to say that my legs are a bit sore this morning. I did get a "workout". Being a pedal assist bike, you don't get any of the benefits of the motor unless you are pedaling. Pedal with little force...get little contribution from the motor. Pedal with heavy force...greater help from the motor. And, the motor cuts out at 20 mph, so you're on your own after that.

The best way I can explain the help a motor give is that it makes a head wind feel like it were a tail wind. Every time I've ridden my normal bikes, when I get a good tail wind, I tend to push it to see just how fast I can get going, and for how long. That's what I did yesterday. Push it for two hours straight with only one short break to take a photograph.

Can't say if I'm "(late) middle age" at almost 69 years young, but from just that one ride yesterday, riding that e-bike was "fun".

Mountain Mitch

Well, I’m only 65 so maybe I’ll come to it. I have no doubt it can be fun - but so is riding a dirt bike! To me a motor is a motor is a motor.

Jinkster

That's hilarious...a bunch of worn out old dogs thinking they're in it for "Comebacks"? LOL!

I'm in it for more "Get-ups & Get-outs" LOL!

big john

Hey, I'm bouncing back! As soon as I figure out how.

Jinkster

There comes a day that we all quit bouncing and just sort of go..."THUD" LOL!

My bouncing days are over...which is why I'm always keeping track of the softest places to land cause when I clip-in?....things can get hairy quick! LOL!

Mountain Mitch

the proverbial ‘dead cat bounce‘ !

Jinkster

Yep.

Carbonfiberboy 

For sure, if one lives in a hilly area and one can't buy lower gears, it's e-bike time. Pedal assist only, of course. I know a couple people in that category who've stayed fitter with the e-bike than they would have been without it. Gotta do what you gotta do. We're running a 26T chainring and a 40T big cog on our tandem. We're getting close there. Long 10% grades max us out.

probe1957

This.

probe1957

Getting old. What used to be easy is hard and what used to be hard....well....isn't.

MadKaw

Beats the alternative.

MadKaw

One thing I have realized, though. My goal is not to make a distance or a speed or a time. My goal is to ride. I am giving up the idea of making artificial goals; lets face it, the odds of the U.S. Olympic team choosing me to compete with them are pretty gosh-darn low. You'd need to use a computer program to distinguish them from zero. So what am I working for? To feel good, to be healthy, and to have a good time. Today I did just over 2 miles on my mtb, and I am HAPPY!.