I-Like-To-Bike

True, I suspect frequent riding for pleasure, relaxation, and even leisurely exercise doesn't stir the breathing rates, let alone imagination of cyclists obsessed with competing with their own metrics if not strangers on the MUP, and that every ride should serve the purpose of improving "performance."
I doubt that there are that many forums outside of the racing or road cycling lists where judging by the posts on 50+, the posters (of any age) seem so interested in suggesting or espousing adapting various fitness, training, nutrition, dietary, and vitamin supplement schemes principally as a means to maintain or improve cycling performance metrics.

Personally, I find it more useful to use bicycling as an enjoyable way to help maintain or attain personal fitness, among other psychic and physical benefits, rather than consider healthy fitness as tool to attain improved performance readouts on a cycling performance software program.

wolfchild

Getting passed by random strangers doesn't bother me at all, I don't care. I don't participate in imaginary races....A good experience for me is a 50 - 60 mile low intensity zone 2 ride in mixed terrain while enjoying the outdoors and the world around me and getting fresh air. I use cycling as a health promoting activity and I don't care about chasing numbers or performance.

gobicycling

ILTB I think aging is a component of this issue, at least for some of us. I solved my concerns with what has happened to the 50 plus forum, by forming another group on Facebook of 65 Plus. Amazingly, we have little discussion on performance or competition with others for kudos in this area. Instead, we post our rides and pictures of what we are doing, and discuss some of the concerns with aging as several of us are in our 80s. So I come here if I want to read about performance, and I post to my own group and read my own group for other topics of interest. We have about 750 members.

I-Like-To-Bike

Gobicycling, seems that you have correctly analyzed the posting dynamics of the 50+ list, wisely started another discussion group for older cyclists more in line with your own and 750 other cyclists' interests. Bravo!

MinnMan

non-sequitur.

Getting dropped from a group ride is not being passed by random strangers and is not an imaginary race.

wolfchild

Find a slower group or just ride alone at your own pace and effort.

PeteHski

So what?

MinnMan

I didn't ask for and don't need your bad advice.

MinnMan

This thread was meant to be about dreams and sleep, not about getting dropped, but here is an anecdote from my ride yesterday that might illuminate why some here completely misunderstand the dynamic and the meaning of "getting dropped".

I was riding in the year's biggest event in the Twin Cities - the Tour de Tonka, on the century route, riding in a fast group of about 20. I was riding near the back because I had recently finished a pull. The going started to get harder because we had turned into a headwind, the terrane got more hilly, and some people were tiring. Some of the people in back, like me, were there b/c we had recently been in front, but some were people who had been staying there b/c they were sitting in and not up to riding in front. A gap opened up a few riders ahead of me, as somebody could no longer hold the draft. By the time I realized it, the gap was pretty significant and growing quickly. So I was being dropped.

I jumped into the gap with 2 of the other stronger riders. The others had no chance and did not try. The three of us worked extremely hard, trading pulls, to get back on to the group. It was the hardest I worked during the entire ride, but it was exhiliarating. Our success meant that I spent the last 1/3 of the ride riding with a big group of friends and, part of the time, enjoying the protection of the draft in a strong headwind.

The group finished the century with an average speed of 22.8 mph, btw.

More generally, I NEVER see posters in this forum denigrating people who ride "just for fun". I do see posts where people denigrate those of us interested in performance. If you take my post about my performance as an implicit criticism of your lack of interest in that, that is your problem.

PeteHski

Exactly and they usually presume we don’t have fun too.

Bald Paul

I had a dream that I went to the LBS and, on a whim, purchased a Colnago V4RS on my credit card.
I woke up in a cold sweat, hyperventilating.

UnCruel 

Did she say how hard you were pedaling?