downhillmaster

This.
Garbage in, garbage out.

Dudelsack 

I’ve been super tired from a modest ride I did on Saturday, and it was on a class 2 e-bike, no less.

So, yeah, I feel like an old guy. I’m 71.

Dudelsack 

I might start a new thread: you know you’re really old when…you check the list of banned users and see if you’re still there…

PGHNeil

I'm only 54, remember clearly being 19 and look forward to the promise of riding every spring until after Halloween. I wish my body felt that way and that my short term memory were better, but apart from my family accusing me of being a curmudgeon what really got me was seeing an "article" on my Firefox home page about how people born before 1975 are now considered to be "seniors." Ugh, that's 6 years my junior. *grumbles*

spclark 

Yikes! Gens X, Y & Z at it again with re-defining of otherwise well-understood words.

I'm anticipating my 75th birthday day after tomorrow. Working part-time three days a week, I regularly clock 8-1/2 hours plus, in addition to well beyond the 10,000 steps I have set as my goal. It'll be 10 years the end of Sept. I've been at this job.

Day before yesterday I awoke feeling really weird, brought to mind the heart attack I suffered some 18 years ago as of last Thursday. Two stents in one coronary artery fixed that, been on BP & statin ever since. Seems under control.

So I drove myself ( ~ 6 blocks) to local ER, feeling very dizzy all the while. Didn't stop for breakfast or coffee either. Turns out diagnosis was vertigo. Vastly worse than any dizziness I'd ever felt before, got a hint of what was in store when I felt a bit of it last Saturday & days in between.

Seems inner ear can see crystals of calcium carbonate break away or otherwise end up in the wrong place, leads to this malady. I have to assume a lifetime of accumulated limestone (CaCO3, really!) in those tubes can wreak havoc when something makes 'em come unglued. No real cure other than something called Epley Maneuver. Referred to in printed notes I was handed to take home but without explanation or how-to-perform safely by ER doc, which seems odd considering potential for harm if done wrong.

Somehow I blanch at age 50 being the Senior Divide though, that's a lot earlier than the age at which one can collect Social Security.

Still, I'm too well aware most folks I deal with on a regular basis are younger than me. Guess I shouldn't blanch at being referred to as a Senior (at my chronological age) so maybe I can attribute that short-term memory supposed to be a symptom to my inability to recall anyone ever calling me a Senior to my face since... forever?

Local LBS staffers think I'm the only bike rider on tubulars in the County, my road bike's a Senior then too, dating as it does to about this time in 1972.

work4bike

I'll be 60 this year and don't feel it. I can still get over 30-mph in a sprint and cycle all day

I am starting to feel stiffer though, I'm working on that



.

Mtracer

There's a lot of relativity to age and what is "old" or " senior". All I know is "old" gets older as I age. When you're a teen, someone 30 seems pretty damn old. Not grandpa old, but pretty darn old. Now, at almost 63, 30-year-olds look like they are in high school.

But really it's not the number that matters. We all know of people that are maybe in their 40'a and they look 80, ride an electric scooter and so on. Then there are those at 90 that are still very active and could kick your ass at most any athletic competition. Well at least kick mine.

Much of this due to luck of the gene-pool draw and a lot of the way someone lives their life (not always by choice). Aside from winning the gen-pool lottery, some of us are born into better circumstances and/or our bread lands butter-side up more often than not.

I have been the beneficiary of all of these. I seem to have good genes as I'm about 63, I take no prescribed medications, I have no chronic illnesses, just a little stiffer in the morning than when I was younger and I take longer to heal when I get hurt. I was born into a solidly middle class lifestyle, I had smart parents that didn't do dumb things to screw up the family up. Nothing bad happened to my family, like parents dying young. No one in the family got crippled in a car accident or hurt on the job, just a lot of good fortune.

All of this is one reason I try to take care of my health. Lot's of exercise with cycling, though I need to do more strength training. I try to eat well, but there's always room for improvement there. Some people are just get dealt a really bad hand. Like born with a debilitating disease. I feel a bit of a responsibility to not take my good luck for granted. So, I try to take care of myself.

BTinNYC 

I don't feel old when I'm riding.
I feel my age when I think about things too much.

jackb

I'm 76 and am still able to cycle, hike, backpack, ski (both X-country and alpine) and kayak (touring only). I feel pretty good when I do these things, though my recovery time seems longer than it used to be. The physical consequences of being old for me is pain. When I engage in these activities I'm almost always feeling some kind of ache or pain. I've had one knee replacement and one hip replacement. The other knee and hip offer some discomfort, but nothing serious yet. I do get tired faster. I can remember when I used to ski six hours in a day. Not anymore. Three to four is enough. My average bike ride is 20-25 miles whereas twenty years ago it was 30-40. But I'm still healthy and enjoying life, which is my good fortune.

rsbob 

Sounds like parallel lives. However, I am 69 with 70 coming in December. Do I feel “my age”? Not in the least. My chronological age relative to how I feel is a complete disconnect, at least at this point. My parents are 91 and 92 and slowing down, but still have good mental acuity and my father still keeps active with numerous building projects. I believe I have his gene for not being able to sit still and have to be ‘doing’ which no doubt contributes to longevity. I certainly don’t take my genetic inheritance for granted, since I see many people a decade or more younger suffering from various conditions. I feel very fortunate.

I too exercise at least 5 days a week, doing cycling and core work. Still need to get to a gym, but since I can do 50 squats in a row with no side effects other than panting, that can still be put off. A couple of rest days are now begrudgingly taken each week which leaves me time for gardening our acre, doing household repairs, and refurbishing stuff. Still hike, but haven’t downhill skied this season which is drawing to a close. This was and is my favorite sport with cycling a distant second.

My only physical complaints are an enlarged prostate which medication resolves and a self inflicted neuroma in my left foot which I will have remedied after cycling season. Knock on wood.

One thing I have learned about my age is to not get dehydrated or push it too far in hot weather - or suffer the consequences of leg cramps and at worst dizziness. I now drink far more on my rides and eat lots of carbs. I used to love cycling in the heat. I also don’t push myself so hard when riding but like to maintain 18 MPH on the flats. Where I used to always attack the hills, I now will gear down and take it easy to conserve energy but still will attack the short “punchy” climbs to get out of the saddle and see what power numbers I can hit. As never been a racer, I find hitting 700 Watts for even a second, a reward in itself. Just did a FTP test, which I really don’t like to do, because of redlining my heart, and was pleased to see I have not fallen off in two years which means I must be doing something right.

Shp4man

I'm 70, still work 40 hours a week at a blue collar job. I admittedly drink too damn much, but also try to maintain a relatively healthy body weight and level of fitness. Sometimes I feel like 80, other times I feel like 35. I can't perform on the bike like I used to, but plug along at 12-13 MPH pretty well. Life is good... I guess for an old fart.

spclark 

Seconded!

I just started my 76th lap around Sol today.

Work three days a week the last ten years in a local hardware store (like ~ 6 miles on my feet in 8-1/2 hours) and I too drink... not too much, or I fall over, which scares the bejeesus out of my wife's dog.

Wife's learned not to let that bother her.

I don't fall over much these days. Why I like riding my bikes.

SpedFast

Happy B-Day! Clark

bald1der

I’m only 57, but after 30 years in the Army my back and knees are feeling all of that 57. I still get out and try to stay as active as I can. Riding definitely helps.

pelirary

Going to be 76 next week. In my mind I am in my forties, but my body refuses to agree. On and off I have had issues with different joints giving me trouble, but most have either resolved themselves or have been remedied with some PT. But the arthritis is something that causes some soreness while riding. Both neck and back have plagued me for years, but it doesn't stop me from riding. The one thing that keeps reminding me that I am old is that my mileage is down from years ago. A century is something I would never even consider now. Metric century perhaps. This summer I plan on doing a forty mile ride. Not much for many, but I rarely do a thirty, with most rides begin between eighteen and twenty five. Another thing is the avg mph of my rides. For years, on club rides I would average between 14 and 14.5, with an occasional 15 when the leader would really push it. Now my average is thirteen. Maybe it is because I only ride solo now, but maybe not. Hard to come to terms that I can't ride as long or as fast as I used to.

SpedFast

We're close to the same age. I got conned into helping a friend move and didn't ride for 4 days (Sunday thru Wednesday). I missed being on the bike. I normally avg 25 miles/day 6 days/week. I got on it yesterday and immediately thought about turning around and going home. I was short winded, my speed was way off, and my mojo was non-existent. So I forced myself to do a little over 30 miles and will ride the same route again tomorrow just to prove to myself (hell, I don't know) maybe that I'm not a quitter. I don't know how much longer I'll be riding, but I do know one thing-Riding has kept me healthy and sane. I can't quit now and I hope you aren't considering quitting either. We'd both regret it I'm sure.

SpedFast

I did 36 miles yesterday and then got back to my regular 25 today and feeling much better mentally and physically. I don't normally ride Sundays except for night riding, but I got out there and had a good time. Going to really push it tomorrow when there should be less traffic with everyone back at work or in school.

JeffAP60

What amazes me is that old people are the same age as me lol

I'm 63 years young and up until about a year ago I was in pretty poor shape. I had to do something, I started walking, that led to short quick jogs, then I was back on the bike!

Now I am feeling great, I was amazed how my body bounced back, I guess it's never too late

rsbob 

Have for the first time committed to a workout plan. Basically it’s 3 days of 2 hour zone 2, 1 day of intervals and 2 days of rest. The rest days come after intervals and between the second and third Z2. Been doing this for two months. What I observed on my last ride, is that I have better endurance at a higher level, and can still hammer short climbs. I do find myself working harder at a higher heart rate/cadence but don’t get as tired. I also back off on the flats - recovery time - so I still have matches left for the climbs. Rode one of my fave routes last weekend and managed several PRs and several ties on previous years PRs. This mitochondria building thing might be working or else it’s a good placebo.