DaveLeeNC

Since around 2014 I have been a 7K to 9K per year roadie type, but never really competed beyond the occasional 'how fast can I go' century or maybe a Strava KOM. These days (age 74) improvement year to year is not going to happen (and 'deprovement' is inevitable and happening). Now my riding has interestingly shifted to 100% indoor trainer (at least since last fall). And there is not much motivation here beyond just weight control. I ride every day that I don't play golf (so I ride 5 or 6 days a week) and tend to stop at 1000 Kcal (per my Garmin Vector's) and 80 TSS points (which are probably being underestimated since I have not recently changed my ftp numbers). This takes 75 to 90 minutes depending on how I feel.

My list of age related aches and pains is relatively long, I guess

• lumbar region spinal stenosis (thankfully in remission due to lots of crunches and I have not required a spinal epidural in over two years)
• aortic valve stenosis that probably has some kind of performance impact but not much (so far)
• bone on bone in both knees. An expensive knee brace and hyaluronic acid injections keep me pedaling although I doubt that I could do the training required for a serious century if I were so inclined. I could probably do the ride if my knees survived the training.
• bone on bone in the left shoulder. This one is the one that put me off the bike as the vibration of riding (I think) triggered enough pain that golf was becoming impossible (and sleeping was no bargain either). A shoulder workout routine managed directly by my orthopedic surgeon (no PT involved) has at least kept me swinging a golf club.
• undiagnosed (upcoming medical appointment) issue with the right shoulder
• tachycardia that is quite manageable now that I have cut out all caffeine
• carpal tunnel on both hands (some hand numbness during rides and lots at night requiring a wrist brace)

So I guess that (for now anyway) I am no longer a cyclist. Anybody want to buy a 2020 Trek Emonda SL6 (just kidding and just venting).

dave

ps. I suggested to my doctor that I rent the 2nd floor of the local hospital and have two knee replacements, back surgery, carpal tunnel surgery, aortic valve replacement, and heart ablation - just wake me when you are done

shelbyfv

The time will come for each of us but I'd suggest you view it as a process rather than a clean break. You may be tempted by nice weather or boredom to go out for a ride. Don't get rid of your gear until an entire year has passed, maybe more. Speaking from experience and a depleted wallet.

pelirary

I can identify with a lot of what you said. At 76 I still think that I am in my prime and wonder why I can't ride as fast or as long as I did years ago. My yearly mileage was nowhere near yours, averaging about three thousand. Now I am down to half that and some of that is on the trainer indoors. I keep thinking if I work at it I can get back to my old riding abilities. Hah! I only kid myself.

I know I should eat better and probably cut out the glass or two of wine I have each day to be in better shape, but I lack the willpower to do so. Or maybe my real feelings are that at this age I should be able to enjoy eating and wine.

As for my health. I have had joint and back issues since my thirties. Been in and out of PT more times than I can count. Both shoulders are okay today (lol) but could go bad at any time; and it happens. I can't do pushups or pull ups or any upper strengthening. I avoid throwing a ball, or bowling because I am afraid of making thinks worse. I have arthritis in my back and neck. And in my back I have two degenerative disks which put me on the floor with a heating pad a half a dozen times a year. My knees and hips ache from time to time but not enough to go to the doctor or keep me from riding. And I am just thankful my heart is in good shape.

Getting old is not for the weak.

nomadmax 

Start skydiving. What have you got to lose?

Wildwood 

I don't quite get how you can ride 90 min most days and not ride outside. I can see where Emonda SL isn't the best choice for relaxed riding, but outside beats inside, most of the year. Maybe an e-bike to help those knees? For me (@72) cycling is no longer mostly about fitness, but equally about fun-ness.

Some rides just feel Italian.

SpedFast

At 76 I still have the same body I was born with. Just wish I had taken better care of it when I was younger. But like OP, I still hit 7G in miles per year and do it mostly for the exercise factor. Naw, that's not entirely true, I really do love riding. Anything with wheels gets my heart pumping and always has since I was a toddler. Since OP isn't ready to part with his ride, I'm betting he'll still get out there every day he can. Good luck,

John E

... but with Japanese brakes. I see you did the same brake mod on your Bianchi that I did on mine, with aero levers and dual-pivot calipers. So much for keeping it Italian, but now at least I can stop safely.

Wildwood 

Santa Madre di Dio, non mettere mai parti giapponesi su una bici Italiano.


La sella è già inappropriata

Wildwood 

stopping is overrated for road bikes....

Perché fermarsi, solo a rallentare?

DaveLeeNC

I am the (75 year old) OP here, BTW. And there are interesting developments. I continued through the summer as an indoor only cycling guy. I just viewed it as a weight control thing - ride steady at 70 to 85% max HR for 1000 calories and then you are done (measured with Vector pedals). And that takes longer than it used to (not that long ago). I found that degradation in performance irritating.

Well, it may be something else. I reviewed that with my GP at my last physical and ended up with a stress test + nuclear imaging. They found reduced blood flow in one area of my heart, so that led to a heart cath procedure, where they found 85% blockage in one coronary artery. That was addressed with angioplasty and a stent. I can start 'riding' again on Saturday.

What is interesting is that my cardiologist (who is a former half ironman guy) says that it is important that HIIT be part of my continued training just from a heart health perspective. Mentally that is easier (for me) on the bike vs. indoors. So I wonder where this will lead. It does seem that outdoor riding really messes with my left shoulder which messes with my golf game (and sleeping).

I am hopeful (but not really optimistic) that this stent is going to resolve an ongoing problem that started late last year. I was finding that I never seemed to recover from training. Historically I was playing golf (and walking) once or twice a week and those were my rest days. A day after a golf day and I felt relatively fresh. I haven't had a "fresh day" in months. It manifests itself as 'heavy legs', BTW. Maybe the stent will help - more likely this is just part of how I age.

dave

Trakhak

That is interesting. I occasionally wonder whether hammering up short hills with a 73-year-old heart might be a bad idea. Your cardiologist's take is, ahem, heartening to read.

You say HIIT is easier for you outdoors than indoors. Guessing that you either don't have a smart trainer or have one but use it exclusively for steady-state riding.

I've found my smart trainer (combined with the use of online software to control the smart trainer) indispensable for HIIT.

Over the last 10 years or so, I've used TrainerRoad, BigRingVR, BKool, Xert, and now MyWhoosh. (There are plenty more that I haven't tried.)

All of them enable you to tailor their workout programs to your needs and preferences. After using Xert for two months last winter, for example, I added 16 watts to my FTP, and topped out at 3.7 watts/kg. Pretty good for my (then) age of 72.

But I wasn't really all that concerned with the numbers. The main benefit was that the program Xert came up with for me was great: tough but doable intervals interspersed with recovery periods two days a week, followed by easy days that still incorporated enough mild intervals to keep me from being bored.

(The workout days slowly ramped up in intensity week by week, except when the software detected that I wasn't quite up to a given workout, whereupon it eased up a little.)

Doing mostly indoor riding as you are, if you're not using a smart trainer and training software, you'd probably find getting such a setup to be worthwhile.

MyWhoosh, by the way, is where I'd start. It's not quite as sophisticated as some of the others, in that it doesn't adjust the workout based on your current state of fitness, but it is currently free. Most of the others offer 30-day free trials but then charge subscription fees.

About the best reviews of training software and of smart trainers I've seen are on a website maintained by a guy who calls himself DC Rainmaker. Lots of good info on that site.

RB1-luvr

at 60 I'm beginning to have some of the issues discussed here, so I just want to say thanks to all for sharing your experiences. It helps me to read about these things and what people do to work with them.

DaveLeeNC

Trakhak thanks for the comments/perspective. You are correct that I don't have a smart trainer. I actually have a "mistake trainer" which is a NordicTrak (kind of a Peloton clone). My wife was interested (at the time) so it was a good compromise. I found the ability to set your own route and pedal through it to be appealing, but I really don't use that feature (and it would be available with a traditional trainer as well).

What I was referring to was the (for me) it is "easier to go out and do it" outdoors vs. indoors. Here in my area pretty much any route that you pick will have lots of rolling hills so you just "attack the ups" to whatever degree you choose. It is kind of hard to avoid, actually.

If your goal is a training goal then the are huge advantages to the smart trainer. I am not convinced that the medical world understands things WRT heart health such that the optimization you can get on a smart trainer actually accomplishes something.

Thanks again for the input.

dave

ps. Amusing anecdote. Per the report from the doctor, my angioplasty balloon was inflated to 18 atmospheres. WTF?? That's something like 250 pounds and sounds dangerous for everybody in the room. Try that on your new Conti Tubeless tires

t2p

did your doc use tubed or tubeless ?

DaveLeeNC

Strictly old school tubulars. Gotta check on what sealant he used. dave

Wildwood 

on the update.

Remove all obstacles.

big john

I mostly ride road bikes but when I ride my dual suspension mtb none of my aches bother me. I don't mean on a technical trail but cruising around on pavement or mild dirt is a nice break when my back hurts or the shoulder or the neck.

Biker395 

At one time or another, all of us will have to adapt to our limitations. It's just a matter of time for me too.

As far as your hinky knees, everyone I know who has had knee replacement surgery wonders why they didn't get it done earlier. And as we get older, the recovery process only gets more difficult. So if that is really stopping you, you might want to swallow hard and get it done.

I spent last week on a bike tour in Utah, chasing my friend (77) who was riding an ebike. Ooof.

That ebike was sweet, though. It really made it possible for him to not only keep up with the group ... he was riding with the faster people in the group. It makes virtually zero noise, and riding 50-85 miles a day consumed only about 1/2 of the battery capacity each day. Pretty remarkable stuff.

So ,,, how much do you want for that Emonda?

DaveLeeNC

Biker395 your 'hinky knees' comment is interesting. I had that exact conversation with my orthopedic surgeon about 3 months ago. His view is that surgery (what he does for a living) is always a risk to be avoided. So he does not recommend surgery for me given the level of problems that I have right now. BTW, I have traditional Medicare so this is not "Managed Care Insurance speak". And if I wanted to get rid of my osteoarthritis pain it would be two knee replacements and a shoulder replacement that would still leave me with a HUGE spinal stenosis risk (symptoms under control at the moment).

Gonna keep the Emonda for now as it would probably be the bike that I would put on a "sensible smart trainer" if I get around to doing that. And I am allowed back on my bike tomorrow and I am curious as to how I will feel.

dave