45 year old new comer.

davetherave99

Hi All.
Very new to cycling, have never really been into it since I was a kid.
I bought a scott hybrid bike a few years back but very seldom use it, well that was until I bought a 2nd hand tacx saturi turbo trainer.
Decided last year to convert our garage into a small gym, we now have a treadmill xtrainer and turbo trainer.
I tend to only use the turbo just now due to muscular injury sustained on treadmill, so last week I decided to try a 10 mile tt and surprised my self with approximately 31 minutes. I have since done 2 more tt on the turbo 27 min 30 sec and 26 min 50 sec.

So I guess what im trying to say is am I any good? As I only wear an old pair of trainers and ride a hybrid cycle and on top of that have only ever pushed my self on 3 x 10mile tt as noted above. Should I invest in some new gear? I was even considering joining a cycle club but dont know if thats a great idea at my age.

NUFCrichard

Distances on turbo trainers don't really mean much, it depends completely on the amount of resistance applied.
That said, if you want to join a cycle club and invest in new gear, then do it! Whether or not you are good is fairly irrelevant in making those decisions!

Btw, if you can actually ride a 10 mile TT in 26m50s on a hybrid, wearing trainers, without any training, then you are very good!

chrisaonabike

Plenty of people older than 45 around these parts, me included. Was given a new road bike for my 50th last October, 2200 miles later still loving it.

Go out for a proper ride in the countryside, see if you enjoy it. Then start thinking about whether to get all the gear.

Age should be at the bottom of the list of reasons not to do it - it didn't stop this guy

keef66

I returned to road cycling at the age of 50 after an absence of 25 years and 3 lots of knee surgery. Bought a proper road bike, and just went out riding as often as I could / wanted to. That was nearly 6 years ago and I'm now fitter than I was in my 40's. I do a brisk 20 mile loop a couple of evenings in the week, and frequently a longer ride or two at the weekend. I can manage 50 - 70 miles at a reasonable pace and not feel any after effects.

So I'd say go for it. Ditch the turbo and get out on the road. Join a club with a friendly beginners group. My guess is you'll like it.

ju5t1n

I did a hilly 75 mile road race on Sunday and 7 of the top 10 finishers were veterans (with 5 being over 45).

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/road/a ... oad-Race-0

saprkzz

very difficult to gauge how good you are as a cyclist on a turbo trainer as said before, it totally depends on the resistance setting. Its very easy to "down grade" it to suit your mind, this is harder on the open road.

When I do interval sessions on my turbo, my average speed is so much higher to what it would be on the road, (see garmin stats):

Time: 1:00:02
Moving Time: 1:00:00
Elapsed Time: 1:04:38
Avg Speed: 32.1 mph
Avg Moving Speed: 32.1 mph
Max Speed: 46.4 mph

This is no where near what I can ride like out in the real world!

What you need to do is get riding out doors, join a club and see where you fit in. This will give you an indication of your level. And maybe join in on a local 10TT, or do a 10 mile route you know of.

neeb

davetherave99 wrote:

I was even considering joining a cycle club but dont know if thats a great idea at my age.

Why ever not? I mean, why would being 45 in any way mean that it wouldn't be a good idea to join a cycling club? The average age of many club members is probably around that mark.