Get It While You Can!!..Age The Great Leveller!

Wayne Plunger

So today's ride, 104 miles but I am last on every segment nowadays. Not ten years ago in my fifties I would be challenging the "today's times"

Marked difference once you reach a certain age so make the most of it whilst you can, your muscles certainly weaken with age.

On the other side of the coin glad I can still do the distance

amrushton

Go to any audax and lots of people of an age can do the distance/endurance. It's that top end that goes (I never had it) first but the rest follows. You can keep a certain level with training/gym/diet but really you are running to stand still. Gears I used to turn just hurt now so I use lower gearing. I envy the youth with their abundance of energy. Being a parent is also a great leveller. You walk/hobble thro' the door and it's back on the clock.

pblakeney

A guy in our cafe run is in his 70s. Yes, he is getting slower and it is frustrating, but they are cafe runs. His palmares will always be better than most and I hope that I am doing what he is when I reach that age.
Do what you can while you can. This is not a rehersal.

sloppyschleckonds

E-bike

Wayne Plunger

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

E-bike

Resisting it as long as I can!!

david7m

A few chaps at my club don't have the pace or climbing of some of the younger ones, but definitely got the stamina!

Darius_Jedburgh

Ok. How do we all stack up?
I've turned 70 this year. Go out maybe 4 times a week on 40 mile rides non stop, and once a week I'll do 65/70 miles including a quick coffee and flap Jack in the caff.
I average 16.5 mph. No idea about watts. Nearly always on my own, setting my own pace.

How do I compare to the rest of you? Good, bad or just abysmal.

Wayne Plunger

Franco di Banco wrote:

Ok. How do we all stack up?
I've turned 70 this year. Go out maybe 4 times a week on 40 mile rides non stop, and once a week I'll do 65/70 miles including a quick coffee and flap Jack in the caff.
I average 16.5 mph. No idea about watts. Nearly always on my own, setting my own pace.

How do I compare to the rest of you? Good, bad or just abysmal.

Good compared to me, I am a few years younger, mid sixties, for my 104 miles yesterday averaged 14.5, on shorter runs usually in the early 15's. I too ride predominantly solo, average does go up a bit if in a group.

tonysj

I'm a lot younger at 56 yrs but only started riding road bike at the beginning of 2017 so I've little to compare with drop off in fitness with age.
I generally ride 3 times a week 2 of those being 55-65 milers with a group of retired/older riders and average speed is 14 mph but we do have at least 2 cafe stops. Some of the guys are in their 70's and can hold a decent pace 17 mph but simply don't have the climbing ability from when they were younger, its normally a See you at the top comment from them and we wait at the top to regroup. Works well but I also have to do solo rides as I put more effort into those rides.
Went for my first proper group/drafting ride just the other week with 2 others and covered 69 miles at 4000 ft elevation in just over 4 hours moving time, really enjoyed the ride style.
Last July I covered a 112 miler at 4000 ft elevation in 6 hours 28 mins moving time average over 17 mph.
Now if I can still do that in 10 or 20 years time I will be a happy man.
I wouldn't say I'm not improving still at my age but I'm definitely finding it hard work to achieve a small gain in fitness, that or I've plateaued. That and the fact my overall health is getting worse with age related issues, joints, High BP, Crohn's etc.
I'm still going to give it some beans while I can and see what happens as that's all I/you can do..
Regards.
T.

Sutton_Rider

I'm 66 been riding 5 years. I did a 53 miler in 3:30 with an average speed of 15.2mph this morning. I couldn't of gone much faster.

webboo

64 last month. 101.38 miles on Monday 4,242 ft of climbing at 17.08 mph on my jack jones.
Do I get a medal or will I eventually fail to make the top twenty

Darius_Jedburgh

You are in the gold medal position at present. You can sit in the chair that Wiggo sat in at the Olympics!!!

webboo

I forgot to mention coming doing the stairs on Tuesday morning was a painful experience. I guess a bungalow is the answer if I want to keep cycling.

dabber

A slightly different bit of willy waving..... I rode the Tourmalet on my 70th birthday and Luz Ardiden the following day (that was 2 years ago). Last year I rode Hautacam and Troumouse.

Darius_Jedburgh

As we're willy waving....I did the Staveley Sportif on my 70th. 55 miles and 5,500 ft in less than 4 hours. And I was second over 70, by about 45 minutes.

Wheelspinner

Staking a claim for the Lanterne Rouge here... :oops:

Late 50's. Longest outdoor "ride" this year about 20km of gravel trail, grass track and some road, with a small backpack of camera gear. Average speed did make double digits but not by much.

zest28

Today, I overtook a very old guy on a steel bike with no deep section wheels. His pace was pretty impressive considering his old steel bike and old age (he was doing around 20 mph on average I guess?). So don't underestimate what old people can do. I gave him a thumbs up when I passed him :P

However, a lot of the top guys on Strava set those times in group rides. That makes a huge difference. So don't try to compete against those times. Just keep riding and have fun

mercuryrev

Inspirational stuff guys.

Pretty much starting out at 58, out 3 times a week, up to 2+ hour rides so far and hoping the fitness comes soon!

Live an hour out from the Pyrenees, so plenty of challenges ahead.

Wayne Plunger

Franco di Banco wrote:

As we're willy waving....I did the Staveley Sportif on my 70th. 55 miles and 5,500 ft in less than 4 hours. And I was second over 70, by about 45 minutes.

Don't know about willy waving, after six hours in the saddle I have a problem finding it let alone waving it!!!

Darius_Jedburgh

After 6 hours????
3 hours is well above my limit!!!

handful

A lot depends on how much riding you did vs how much you do now. I usually average around 16-17mph or a bit less with a more hilly ride but regularly get Strava PBs at the age of 57. On my 15 mile commute (when I do it) I usually average 17-17.5mph but that's pan flat albeit usually quite windy!

I only started cycling around 8 years ago and I'm probably as fit now as I've been during that time. Had a PB going up Cheddar gorge today! Not fast I hasten to add, just a PB for me!

So what I'm saying is, if you were a good cyclist doing a lot of miles when you were younger then there will be more of a drop off than an older starter gradually putting more hours in each week.

amrushton

I'm 60 this year. Commute 25 miles per day 5 days week on a fixed. Try to get out on a day at w/end but I have a young daughter so she needs to do her things and my wife has her running ( 5 - 17 miles depending how she feels). Ebikes? Not yet, but I've met people who are using them and have had various surgeries and might have had to give up riding. One guy I met recently was cycling Sheffield - Ulverston over a couple of days and used the battery to get him up the big climbs. He was older than me and had had a couple of ops but was able to get out and enjoy himself - chapeau

blueturtle

Its all in the mind. Last month I did 100 miles at an average speed of 18.6 mph With the fast lads in my club.Saturday training rides 60+miles average 18.5 to 20 mph. I am 73 and have no intention of slowing down. I reiterate its all in the mind . Do not give in to old age . I am no one special . Just believe in yourself.

keef66

62 in a couple of months. Been riding a road bike for 12 years. Never been very powerful or quick; 15mph is the fastest average speed I've ever managed, and that was on an hour long ride where I made a conscious effort to really push myself. Usually manage a couple of 20 mile-ish evening rides a week and a longer weekend 40-50. I'll definitely do more when I retire.

kangarouge

Does it really matter whether you're faster or slower now than you used to be, or what average speed you do? Surely the main criteria is - are you enjoying your riding. Lack of speed is presumably only relevant if you're competing. One doesn't need to go fast to enjoy oneself.

keef66

Annoyingly I never really bothered to work out how fast I was 40+ years ago when I had hair, testosterone and thighs like trees. I know I could push much bigger gears than I do now.

I still enjoy my cycling regardless of speed, but the money I used to spend on shiny things is now going on fitting easier gearing

Tiesetrotter

Kangarouge wrote:

Does it really matter whether you're faster or slower now than you used to be, or what average speed you do? Surely the main criteria is - are you enjoying your riding. Lack of speed is presumably only relevant if you're competing. One doesn't need to go fast to enjoy oneself.

Depends whether you want to do well at LVRC events or not, no one is slowing down for age in those.

bristolpete

48 now. 165 miles this weekend 'bloc' and one thing to note, is I ride with intensity and TSS readings post ride via training peaks which you can attain with power or HR.

I do not think too much about average speed or time and ride a lot of middle distance 40-70 miles. I realise speed relative to time and distance are the metrics we used for years and years but with the advent of affordable power it is easier to ride smart with age and actually continue to develop. This morning got my best 1 minute power of 2019 at 380 watts and 10 minutes creeping along nicely at 258 today.

But it never gets easier to coin the famous phrase.

edward.s

Zest28 wrote:

However, a lot of the top guys on Strava set those times in group rides. That makes a huge difference. So don't try to compete against those times. Just keep riding and have fun

Took me a while to work this out :-) My awful brother in law was bragging about averaging 18mph on his rides and how I am too slow. Turns out that is on club group rides and doing that on his jack isn't quite so easy!

I do all my training on my own pretty much. Average between 16 and 17mph over a 30 mile, 2000ft run. I'm 46 and been riding 4 years.

jgsi

bristolpete wrote:

48 now. 165 miles this weekend 'bloc' and one thing to note, is I ride with intensity and TSS readings post ride via training peaks which you can attain with power or HR.

I do not think too much about average speed or time and ride a lot of middle distance 40-70 miles. I realise speed relative to time and distance are the metrics we used for years and years but with the advent of affordable power it is easier to ride smart with age and actually continue to develop. This morning got my best 1 minute power of 2019 at 380 watts and 10 minutes creeping along nicely at 258 today.

But it never gets easier to coin the famous phrase.

c'mon, 48 is hardly what I'd call old.
Try continue to develop at 68.. it just dont happen... especially when you have already been riding and racing for donkeys years... its a battle just to keep the speed for those LVRC races.
I'm off the bike for a while and I know, if I want to race next season (this one is written off) , I have one hell of a winter to get through. Its a good job I hate indoor training sweatfesting zwiftifying and prefer the cold and wet any day of the week.

DeVlaeminck

Yes the decline is slow but real. You can still be fast at 60 but not as fast as you could have been at 30. Some people just do age quicker too. I started in my early-mid 30s and thought maybe I had 10 years of fast group riding because at the time that was about as old as people on local fast group rides were. Now in my early 50s I know people in their early 60s still going out on those rides - though to be fair those guys were very very good amateurs back in the day and are top riders in their age nationally.