Road Bike, Cycling Forums banner

Bicycling? What's that?

7K views 47 replies 22 participants last post by  PBL450 
#1 ·
Cry Me a River! The lungs, legs & love are still there for bicycling but circumstances and Father Time aren't being especially friendly. I now live in a part of the world where...though absolutely beautiful...the roads are shoulder-less, narrow & crowded with trucks. Eyes don't quite do the job anymore and the surgeons remain divided on whether it's time to fire up the laser and get 'em good enough for me to actually see the pavement. A succession of accidents have made me realize that, yes, stuff can actually happen to you. Meantime, my Bianchi Infinito hangs on the wall, winking flirtatiously.
 
#2 · (Edited)
well, we don't continue to participate in our hobbies forever.

skied, played basketball and tennis for many years, but had to give them up because the knees said so.

was a cave diver for 16 years, but that's apparently being put on the shelf. not really for physical reasons, but all the same, it's just not happening for me any longer.

still riding tho...in fact, about to log my first 10,000-mile year. so, do what you can do while you can do it, because the door will close at some point.

getting old isn't for sissies.
 
#3 ·
Sorry to hear of limitations.

I no longer ski patrol, nor hike for the Forest Service as a wilderness ranger. Bike miles are down.

But thank goodness my physical abilities are not too significantly impaired. However, my memory is shot and I have gotten 'lost' a few times such that I have voluntarily given up driving. Long solo bike rides are also a thing of the past. With 15 roadies in the collection, that's a major limitation.


Aging gracefully is a tough task. Find the hobbies that please.
 
#4 ·
Sounds like me......15 months ago, one of my eyes broke. That kept me off the bike for 6 months.....After starting training again, I crashed really bad and messed up my shoulder so that I couldn't grab the bars. I'm healed enough to start training again in January.
I guess that bad things can happen to people who have pressed their luck way too long.
I guess that I've entered my last race.
 
#5 ·
Well then, since we are in the RBR confessional, here goes. Cycling is pretty much all I have left that I can still do and enjoy. Cutting and splitting firewood gets harder every time. Turns out putting the crane on the splitter we good foresight since it has become increasingly obvious that I can no longer muscle a 200 pound log onto it without some mechanical advantage. I freeze when the temperature drops below 30 and I seem to spend more time fixing things I screwed up than almost anything else. (knocked a quart can of "radio flyer wagon" red paint off the island onto the rug the other day, that took nearly 4 hours to clean up, although, FORTUNATELY it was water base not solvent). The eyes.... Well, at distance, outdoors, I see like an eagle, indoors, well, I have reading glasses scattered all over the house, in 4 different strengths for different distances. Well at least I am not getting fat! Looking for the item that I just had in my hand keeps me active. (particularly in a 3 story house with a 2 story garage, I average 20 flights of stairs a day.)

I caught my reflection in the mirror the other day and stared in disbelief. All in all, between gravity and time, physics has not been that kind. But, I feel pretty good and rarely have regrets. (although, I really wish that I hadn't dropped the can of paint)
 
#8 ·
Trainer time - keeps you fit so you don't have to regain when you get to a part of the world where it's safe again to ride and your vision perhaps is restored again.
 
#9 ·
I'm 58, and have been on dialysis for 4 years now. I used to be able to do centuries, but today a 25 mile ride requires planning, and taking of extra protein supplements for a day or 2 ahead of time. Arthritis is a minor concern, but still there, lurking. And I'm staring to develop cataracts, too. I find myself riding on the roads less, and more on rail/canal trails (which we have in abundance near me). I used to climb steep hills like they were nothing; I used to torque so hard up hills that my rear tire would sometimes shift on the rim. Today, just the climb up the hill to my house can sometimes wind me, leading to the 'walk of shame' up to the top. I rarely go on club rides anymore; the 'athletic' rides I get dropped, and the 'old goats and hybrid' rides are just too pathetic, so I'm mostly a lone rider these days. I'm at the stage of my life that Ian Anderson once described as "too old to rock and roll, too young to die".

Well, at least I can still put in a fairly spirited 10-mile loop ride that incorporates pavement, improved bike path and un-prepared rail trail (with a stop for coffee) most weekend during the good weather, as well as some fairly placid back-country XC skiing in the winter. I'm not ready to retire to sit by the fire all day yet. today is going to be nearly 50°, and I'm going to get on my bike for the first time in 2 weeks.

Merry Christmas, all!
 
#11 ·
Just starting down that road now. I guess I'm lucky in that the pathetically small number of miles I managed this year (just over 1800) was due more to schedule than ailments. But no amount of free time fixes the fact that I am still fat, slow and older every day. My New Year's cycling resolution is going to be to try to focus less on the number of miles and more on the number of smiles on my rides. Enjoy what you can while you can. As this thread shows, nothing is forever.
 
#13 ·
Do all the tales of woe in this thread reflect the fact that only oldsters prowl the internet forums nowadays and all the less age-challenged have moved to messaging, facebook, etc.? If my mind were less arthritic would I truly care?
 
#14 ·
dunno about the preferences for communicating, but even tho I'm in a university town, my personal observations indicate the average age of 'dedicated' roadies has to be 50+...

yeah, there's some young studs ripping up the asphalt, but most of the folks I see in kit have some gray hair.

thus, the Medicare stories...
 
#18 ·
I'm younger than most of you, in mid-40s, and have really felt things start to slide the last couple years. Weird things happening to body that docs can't track down, noticable loss of speed and power (especially in playing soccer but also on the bike), some specific muscles and joints starting to go south. Also a toddler in the house and a newborn on the way so the next time I can really dedicate time to riding is in about 19 years...
 
#20 ·
Well, first eliminate this curious weakening of power simply by being overtrained and in need of a vacation?

Had the same problem at about 40. The joints couldn't take the abuse anymore. So I took up weight lifting. It rehabbed the muscles, tendons, cardiovascular system, heart, lungs, everything. Just getting on a bike and riding didn't work. The knees couldn't take high impacts anymore, much like yours, as you say, playing soccer. I couldn't run a mile without beating up the knees.

One winter I followed Eddy B's winter lifting program. Dumbells were all that was needed. Twice a week over the winter he recommended lifting a grand total of "10 short tons." That took about an hour of 15# sets of 10-20 repetitions each. It adds up! I felt stronger on rides in the Spring. Now pushing 77, walks are also really helpful. The impacts strengthen the bones, like lifting, and works the heart and lungs like "low impact" cycling.

If the doctors can't find anything wrong, the reason could very well be upper body slowly becoming out of shape, in my case from "neglect," or more politely, "underuse." It was with me, and just about everyone I've ridden with who got started in their late thirties or early forties. Use it or lose. You don't have to beat yourself up, although when feeling good, it helps once in a while to see where the limits are. :D

Also, you'll find some time to take short rides and still satisfy fatherhood. Commuting, running errands, escaping for a couple of hours Sunday afternoons or an hour after work, will do it. Once fit, maintaining fitness takes much less toll on the body. You can build up power in the season faster on short rides than long rides, leaving plenty of time for the kids. So don't feel it's either/or, now that you're a dad.
 
#19 ·
Thanks to smart phones, road has become a bit sketchier than I would like-- so the rotation has a bit more gravel and mountain bike then before. Still road bike, just more careful on where and when.
 
#24 ·
My observations while I ride lead me to believe that at least 60% of drivers of all ages are distracted by something in their hands or on their dash. I may be underestimating. I try to stick to roads with as little vehicular traffic as possible. Fortunately, I live where I can do that. I can ride for several hours and only see a few cars or trucks. Generally, most of the traffic is tractors.
 
#21 ·
So get those eyes working!

There's gotta be some nice routes within striking distance it would seem to me. They might be in the more populated districts rather than out on the highways. Remember those first rides as a kid? Re-live those exploratory moments on a Bianchi Infinito! Show 'em what class is. :thumbsup:
 
#23 ·
I don't know a lot of 20 or 30 somethings that jump on their bikes and ride 40 or 50 miles 5 days a week. Yesterday was 45 degrees, a bit breezy but sunny and bright. In a couple hours, I saw one other cyclist (I am guessing, 40 something)
 
#36 ·
I think that I'm on the road back.....Last week I started doing spin classes, and didn't die...….I took it easy and only got my HR into the low 150's. (it still hurt) I was able to hold the bars without pain. I'm going to start riding the trainer this afternoon. (It's snowing out)….Riding on the road might be a problem since my left eye is messed up, and will be a problem looking back...(maybe I should move to the UK, so that I can look back to the right)…..No sissy mirror for me.
 
#37 ·
Go Grump!
 
#39 ·
Cycling enthusiasts have better oxygenated and functioning brains. the bicycle allows better vascularity in all parts of the anatomy ...Cycling keeps a healthy weight, stimulates the heart muscle, lowers the rhythm of the resting heart as well as the level of cholesterol and blood pressure.The increased breathing and heart rate caused by cycling stimulates the contraction of the intestinal muscles. which reduces the risk of colon cancer.
 
#40 ·
and welcome to RBR.....I think you may be preaching to the choir here You missed one hugely important benefit, it keeps other people alive.....no one wants to around a cyclist who hasn't ridden!
 
#44 ·
5 or 6 degrees outside right now, just got off the rollers, now I am headed outside to bring more firewood in! Sun's shining, and it appears to be beautiful out there..... Looks can be deceiving.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top