So, apparently age isn't a factor...

[EPOJoe]

I just recently hit the big 5-0, so I've been waiting for the age induced slow-down to hit, but so far I haven't noticed any issues. I seem to be riding with the same vigor/strength that I had in my twenties, as far as I can tell. I was thinking about doing the Solvang Double this year, and I just happened to take a look at the timed finisher's list. So what's up with all these old dudes (like me) crushing that double? Five of the top ten finishers are over fifty, with two of them in their sixties. Now I'm starting to think I should be expecting a huge increase in power as I move into my mid 50's. :banana:

2013 Solvang Double results:

https://www.racemine.com/Race-Day-Timing/events/2013/Solvang-Double/results

[Ken Robb]

I think aging reduces sprint speed more than endurance and some "mature" guys are retired or in positions (job and family) where they can train longer/better.

[laupsi]

from what I've seen cyclists that keep at it really don't show a major decline in ability. perhaps some decline is there, sprint ability, power, etc..., but it really isn't noticeable, at least I cannot notice any decline. those who either get into the sport later in life or who take long breaks or decrease their riding intensity do show their age and it's quite drastic.

caveot; if you "can" keep at it, the body responds pretty well.

[jr59]

Anti-aging clinics???? :banana::banana:

[weiwentg]

I think aging reduces sprint speed more than endurance and some "mature" guys are retired or in positions (job and family) where they can train longer/better.

This is what I've heard. Plus there's the experience factor: you know how far you can push yourself a lot better than when you were in your 20s. You also know that if you push yourself too far you're done, and you remember to apply this fact much more consistently than when you are so.

In a humorous dig at the OP's handle, PEDs could also offset a lot of the decline related to aging. :banana:

[Mr. Pink]

50? pffft... Wait until you're 60 and get back to us.

[jensenn]

this is very reassuring. from what ive noticed endurance doesnt really go away with age, seems to get a little bit better imo. maybe its just being more mature and having the patience to pace yourself.

only thing i notice as i get older is that my body cant recover as fast as it used to.

[dancinkozmo]

according to the general theory of relativity clocks which travel at a velocity run slower than stationary clocks...so its only natural to assume an older cyclist who has ridden many miles has aged less than a stationary non cyclist.

[Lewis Moon]

I think aging reduces sprint speed more than endurance and some "mature" guys are retired or in positions (job and family) where they can train longer/better.

That's why the 60+ guys are faster than the 55-59 on Mt. Graham...that's my excuse.

[malcolm]

I'm 54 and noticed my speed has certainly slipped but endurance is there depending on how active I am, but I can get back the endurance much easier than the speed which I've been unable to recapture.

I also tend to carry more body weight and have a harder time losing it so I'm sure that is a huge factor.

The thing I've noticed is older guys that never had a prolonged down period as in several years tend to maintain fitness much longer and better than those that were fit when younger and had the early middle age down/fattening period then started back. Leaving the pros aside some of the fastest tri guys and the ones that started way back, never stopped and are now in their mid to late 40's, sometimes 50,s. Sadly that isn't me.

[CPP]

+ 1 gizillion on the putting on weight theme.

I look at a piece of cake and gain 2 Kilos!!! I really have problems getting lean.
It's like somebody added layers of skin to my existing body overnight!
Ok, I know the red wine doesn't help

[bargainguy]

I'm 53 now, but back in my early 30's, something happened that stuck with me.

I was on a week-long tour with about 150 riders. My friend who was supposed to accompany me bailed at the last minute, so I was bunking alone and riding solo for the most part.

So on about the third day, I'm riding and an older woman - I'm going to guess around 65 - sidles up to me on her JP Weigle. We chat for a few minutes, she says, "Well, nice talkin' to ya - gotta go!" and off she went. She just smoked me. I couldn't have caught her if I wanted to.

I don't worry so much about age anymore.

[soulspinner]

+ 1 gizillion on the putting on weight theme.

I look at a piece of cake and gain 2 Kilos!!! I really have problems getting lean.
It's like somebody added layers of skin to my existing body overnight!
Ok, I know the red wine doesn't help

The IPA beer doesnt help either. A Southern tier IPA for example is over 200 calories per 12 ounces. Thankfully its over 7 percent alcohol...;)

[Fixed]

What I noticed during my early fifties was the decline in the ability to recover after repeated hard efforts during a race or hard training ride ,most of the guys I have talked to notice this .
Remember what R.S. says imperfection is perfection
Cheers :)

[OtayBW]

What I noticed during my early fifties was the decline in the ability to recover after repeated hard efforts during a race or hard training ride ,most of the guys I have talked to notice this .
Remember what R.S. says imperfection is perfection
Cheers :)
This. Age 58 here and still riding pretty dern well if I say so myself. Just can't hammer every day like I used to.

[Ralph]

I began cycling on club rides in my 30's. Demanding career, family, etc. Lucky to get 75-100 miles per week of riding, and probably half of that was on a club ride on a Sunday AM. That, and youth, was enough for me to be able to keep up OK on most club rides. Not enough to race, but enough to ride decently.

Now....having been retired about 14 years, and with the usual up and down health issues....and currently 72.....my weight is about 10 lbs less than it was when I was in my 40's, (now about 155) and I ride about twice as many miles. And ride often with some other guys about my own age and abilities, we tend to push ourselves more than in the past. So I would say we ride about as good as we ever did. Maybe better. And our butts are used to being on the saddle, I adjust my bike for comfort, and let the seat bar adjustmentfall fall where it falls (currently bars about 2" below saddle....not slamed like some young guys....my prostate won't allow that). And if my Terry Fly saddle weighs a few more grams than the latest greatest plastic wonder....no big deal. I ride 32 hole Record black hubs on light IRD Cadence rims, spoke count not so important as being able to ride it home with broken spoke. My wheels are still light....maybe not stylish. Us old guys don't figure parts matter so much at the speeds we ride. But we don't want our equipment to hold us back either. Finally realize not likely to spend ($) my way to more speed.

However....we'll still old. Our bones break easier when we fall. Our VO2 max is far less. We don't have the max strength we had years ago. So sure we ride a lot, we can still ride a long way.....but I'll be happy to trade bodies with any of you younger healthy folks.

[enr1co]

What I noticed during my early fifties was the decline in the ability to recover after repeated hard efforts during a race or hard training ride ,most of the guys I have talked to notice this .
Remember what R.S. says imperfection is perfection
Cheers :)

Yep, recovery the next day is slower. Also finding myself tired and needing to take a quick nap in afternoon after a long AM ride.

[SpokeValley]

50? pffft... Wait until you're 60 and get back to us.

I'll jump in...I turned 60 this year and have had a great year, over 4k miles so far, four fast centuries, including a hilly one that I finished in 5:44, a 150-miler, etc. Two shop rides a week with "the young and the restless" helped (made) me get faster.

Related to some other posts, I still work (sales, with a flexible schedule so I can usually get out often...I've earned it) and was able to average over 160 miles a week, with July averaging 209 per week. So lots of fast, hilly miles.

Let's face it, the gang on this forum is typically in to cycling for the long haul and I plan to "haul" as long as I can! :hello:

[#campyuserftw]

Jimmy Buffett wrote this for Muhammad Ali.

The Good Fight

They talk about the women too much
Women got ‘em so confused
They don’t talk about their lives as such
My life is all I got to lose

They take it with a grain of salt
And laugh at the complexities
They’re good at pickin’ all the faults
I keep laughin’ so they don’t pick me

Jesus if I had to quit tonight
I’d never know if I was Wrong or right
But That’s just what you get
You gotta go the distance
If you’re gonna fight a good fight, gooood fight
Keep it up & keep a good fight
Good fight

Telephone begins to ring
That could only be one call
I might as well be on the moon
Standin’ in the shower stall

I can’t believe she picked it up
She didn’t know the rules somehow
And then I hear her say hello-hello
Panic in the grey room now

Jesus if I had to quit tonight
She’d tell me whether I was wrong or right
But that’s just what you get
You got to go the distance
If you wanna fight a good fight, gooood fight
Keep it up & keep a good fight
Keep it up & keep a good fight
Good Fight

You never know until you try
It’s hard to see the side your on
Some people say I’m half way here
Some people say I’m half way gone

Jesus if I had to quit tonight
I’d never know If I was wrong or right
But that’s just what you get
You got to go the distance
If you wanna fight a good fight, gooood fight
Keep it up & keep a good fight
Keep it up & keep a good fight
All We Want is Just a Good Fight
Yes It’s gotta be a Good Fight

Jimmy’s Note:
To Muhammed Ali for twenty years of excitement and entertainment.

[tv_vt]

50? pffft... Wait until you're 60 and get back to us.

Exactly. Do some baseline TT efforts or hillclimbs or whatever now, give yourself a decade, and check back.

[thunderworks]

I'm 63, weigh 124lbs . . .I'm a good rider, but not fast, never have been, and struggle with rides over 40 or 50 miles. I can ride longer distances, but the general fatigue that comes with more hours in the saddle wear me down and I prefer the moderate distances. I ride approximately 5,000 miles per year.

There are a number of older riders in my area that are either:
1. really fast (ride 20 to 22mph consistently)
2. capable of riding really long distances

When I talk to these guys, I frequently find that they have been real athletes of one sort or another. One of the fast guys (also 63 years old) was a runner, starting when he was in his 30's, but interestingly, when he first started to run, he was immediately running sub 6 minute miles - so he's got genetic gifts.

Another guy (one of the fast group,in his 50's)I met recently turns out to have been a college distance runner and competitive diver, so clearly another one of the genetically gifted.

I don't have a point to make, other than to say our abilities on the bike are relative. Some people have great athletic talent, some don't. I do think that the decade of your 60's is the proving ground however. A lot of the previous posters are in their 50's . . . and I was still doing serious martial arts in my 50's. It's impossible now. Riding is accessible to me physically, but I'm definitely not going to get either stronger or faster, but I hope that I'm at least slowing down the rate of the inevitable decline.

[ultraman6970]

Sorry guys... double century.... 200 miles or 200 km?? trying to find info about this because the winner did almost 10 hours??? in 200 miles? that's a really good time IMO, like 20 miles per hour, impressive specially if the road goes up and down.

IMO what happens if the guy is trained, the rider gets better at pace making with large gearing, would love to know the gearing of the top guys. Not the same do 20 mph with 34x14 than with 53x14 for example. Either way those are really impressive times for the distance. I can't do 20mph average now a days even if I was using dope :D

[nm87710]

Sorry but nobody gets better with age ;)

[Mr. Pink]

All I can say is, well, around age 57, I started getting old person's injuries. Knee popped out every now and then, still does, MRI said, well, I.....can't...see...anything, but went out all last ski season from a "tweek", but, it isn't a "tweek" if I only get three days in, if you know what I mean, and, then, there's the plantar fasciitis in the right foot, which doesn't affect the biking, but, slows me down considerably when I hike or attempt to. I am accepting the fact that it is probably permanent, because, I'm 61, and, at this point, a lot of things won't change, it seems. After all, if I was a farmer in 1890 America, I'd probably be dead. Don't even start with a feudal slave just 3-4 hundred years ago in Europe.
btw, road shoes protect the plantar fasciitis very well, so, road biking is still doing very well.

[EPOJoe]

Sorry guys... double century.... 200 miles or 200 km?? trying to find info about this because the winner did almost 10 hours??? in 200 miles? that's a really good time IMO, like 20 miles per hour, impressive specially if the road goes up and down.

The Solvang Double is 200 miles (well, I think it's really 194 miles). The oldest top ten finisher was Reve Ramos, 66 years old, who did the ride in ten hours, four minutes and seventeen seconds.

[soulspinner]

The Solvang Double is 200 miles (well, I think it's really 194 miles). The oldest top ten finisher was Reve Ramos, 66 years old, who did the ride in ten hours, four minutes and seventeen seconds.

sheesh over not 100 but 200 miles....seen my testosterone patch?:rolleyes:

[ultraman6970]

Lol

[tlittlefield]

I will be 62 in December, been riding since my early 20's and have never had down time in the forty years of riding avg. about 4000 miles/yr.

To keep up your fitness you need to challenge yourself constantly. During the season I ride a fast shop ride twice a week, generally the average pace is 20 mph+ over 35 miles. I am the oldest one in the group most are in their 30's a few in the 20's.

I also lift three times a week which I find helps a lot, you need a strong upper body for climbing and sprinting.

Knock on wood I have never spent a night in the hospital, I am 5'9" and weigh 140.

[r_mutt]

I will be 62 in December, been riding since my early 20's and have never had down time in the forty years of riding avg. about 4000 miles/yr.

To keep up your fitness you need to challenge yourself constantly. During the season I ride a fast shop ride twice a week, generally the average pace is 20 mph+ over 35 miles. I am the oldest one in the group most are in their 30's a few in the 20's.

I also lift three times a week which I find helps a lot, you need a strong upper body for climbing and sprinting.

Knock on wood I have never spent a night in the hospital, I am 5'9" and weigh 140.

i want to be you when i'm 62!

[laupsi]

I will be 62 in December, been riding since my early 20's and have never had down time in the forty years of riding avg. about 4000 miles/yr.

To keep up your fitness you need to challenge yourself constantly. During the season I ride a fast shop ride twice a week, generally the average pace is 20 mph+ over 35 miles. I am the oldest one in the group most are in their 30's a few in the 20's.

I also lift three times a week which I find helps a lot, you need a strong upper body for climbing and sprinting.

Knock on wood I have never spent a night in the hospital, I am 5'9" and weigh 140.
Indeed, kudos & may we all age as well! Very inspiring ;)

[malcolm]

Hmmm...data shows the average age is 50.3 for this event which supports the notion that participants were ...well, old. So having old people in the top results seems normal.

You can slow down the affects of aging but not stop it. If you ride strong in your 50's or 60's it just means you would have ridden even stronger in your 30's given the same training. Sorry but we don't get better with age ;)

FWIW
20+ years of power data...n=1 YMMV
Age FT 5' 1' 5" (all w/kg)
31 5.1 6.0 9.9 18.1
41 4.8 5.6 8.8 16.6
51 4.3 5.1 7.5 14.0(turtle could beat me in a sprint!)



50.3 old, wow. I remember when I thought 50 was ancient, not so much any more.

[bobswire]

BTW sex is better too!

[Ralph]

The key is maintaining low BMI as you age. I know as I age and lose some strength, not having to haul all the weight I had in my 40's sure helps.

[Fixed]

The one thing that hasn't changed is the feeling of joy when riding, that is the same feeling I had in my twenties
Cheers :)
Off for a beautiful day in the presidio

[dogdriver]

Yep-- Fast twitch muscle fibers degrade (slower sprint), connective tissue (ligaments/tendons) more prone to injury, recovery slower. Plus, there's that annoying manifestation of compounding of your history of abuse, particularly on soft tissue in joints. This is why there are no elite athletes in their mid 40's and older. Metabolism also slows (lower max heart rate= slower sustained max effort), which tends to result in weight gain if you don't decrease intake or increase calorie burn.

(All of the above from MD buddies-- I'm just a stupid pilot)

In endurance-oriented low-impact events (cycling?), however, you should be good to go for a long time as long as you take care of yo'self. I'm 52 and plan to ride until I drop. I am, however, also used to getting crushed by local 60+ year olds. Gives me hope for the future...

JMOICBR, Chris

[Ralph]

You've read my story, and I've enjoyed hearing other aging athlete stories. Just gotta keep going. I'm 72 and hope to die on the bike after 90. And sure I'm slower, but can still keep going.Takes a little more gear for the long steep hills is main difference.

Some of these stories remind me of a Sunday 40 mile Club ride I was on about a month ago, when I came up on this old lady strugling up a steep 1/8 mile incline on an over pass. I know her well, and knew she is 83. And I said "What's the matter Bernice....these little hills don't usually slow you down"? And she answered "they normally don't, but I rode a century yesterday". "Little tired today". Will never forget that. Inspiring.

[2LeftCleats]

I'll be 62 soon. Not much to add to what's been said. Don't have past data to confirm, but I think overall I'm a better cyclist than in the past. There are respiratory and cardiac issues now that didn't exist previously. I don't recover as fast from hard rides and can't get my heart rate up as much as before. But I've been careful to avoid weight gain, do weight training focusing on cycling-specific muscles, and work a lot on my pedaling technique, thanks to Ti Designs. My efficiency has improved which partially compensates for the other age-related declines. I have a son and daughter who race and though I have no illusions about beating them, they nevertheless inspire me to push myself. Never was a gifted athlete but I've been persistent and try not to let the noise about giving up after a certain age affect me. I think the baby boomer generation and hopefully those behind us will re-write what "normal aging" should be.

[Chief]

Becoming 76 in Feb and having in 5,000 miles in for my goal of 6,000+ miles for the year, I've probably have slowed done somewhat over the years, but I take particular pride in beating many guys 20-25 years younger than me up the hills. I typically ride 6 days a week when I not hiking in the Grand Canyon or in one of our other national parks; e.g., Mt Rainer this past Sept. Keep on cranking!

[Waldo]

50 was fine, but at 51 (current age) I noticed myself slowing down and needing more sleep.

I've ridden Solvang Double five times and have ridden two doubles with Reve Ramos this year. He is fast and knows how to ride smart. Riding doubles is all about conserving energy, working with others, and, when necessary, sucking the right wheels (preferably tandems' wheels) -- no one except Joel Sothern rides 200-mile time trials. At 47, I did Solvang in 9:58:53 of riding time (total time of 11:05), spending about 150 miles behind tandems and that felt like a huge accomplishment.

[redir]

It could be simply that the Solvang Double doesn't attract a young crowd. Is it a race or a ride? I think USAC races will attract a more younger crowd throughout the categories. When I raced a lot in my 30's I probably would not have done a ride like that especially if there was a calendar conflict. 200 miles is a lot of riding in one day and I think would be outside of most racers training programs.

Having said all that I've seen some older guys who are ridiculously fast. David Laduc comes to mind. I saw him get 2nd place in a cat 1/2 crit and I think he was 63 at the time.

I think if you just keep going and never stop then you can maintain a good level of fitness, genetics certainly helps.

[Waldo]

Riding double centuries is a middle-aged male activity. Average age of a California Triple Crown finisher (three double centuries in a calendar year) is 48. There's nothing special about Solvang.

[metalheart]

I'm 69, but don't think about it much. I just ride.

[Pete Mckeon]

It is part of my love for life, There are folks in COLORADO HEART CYCLE.ORG out of Colorado that have STRONG rider pace, and much faster than me and they are in their 70s


If you were on here a few years ago, you might recall that cycling, I was in early 60s and on the Ride the Rockies. It brought out a headache that when i was back to NC found cancer tumor on my brain. the CYCLING conditioning helped me to be beat it that time. and is helping tree years later even,


RIDE, HAVE FUN, and RIDE - - enjoying life and fellow riders/friends:cool:

[soulspinner]

It is part of my love for life, There are folks in COLORADO HEART CYCLE.ORG out of Colorado that have STRONG rider pace, and much faster than me and they are in their 70s


If you were on here a few years ago, you might recall that cycling, I was in early 60s , on the Ride the Rockies, brought out a headache that when back to NC found cancer tumor on my brain. CYCLING conditioning helped me to be beat it that time. and is helping tree years later even,


RIDE, HAVE FUN, and RIDE - - enjoying life and fellow riders/friends:cool:

Right on Pete. Im 57 and although I feel more discomfort after longish rides and Im slow these days I think I enjoy the riding more.........

[oldpotatoe]

Right on Pete. Im 57 and although I feel more discomfort after longish rides and Im slow these days I think I enjoy the riding more.........

What I need and I am going to do is retire..then I'll have the time and lack of mental retail stress to be able to

Ride.

Just went on the government dole last Wednesday-Hooray-I'm 62.

Geez, after getting screwed by a biz partner in 2010, the one thing that has taken a back seat is riding. Mental state didn't allow for it...in the AM, too often I just decided to go to the shop and ride the desk. Shop very healthy(has been since mid 2010), but the stress remains, getting fooked and blind sided by a 'friend', makes you worry and look over the retail shoulder most of the time.

BUT soon, gonna strap on the bike, take care of grand daughters, money ain't a concern...drop the 20 pounds I put on...

[Pete Mckeon]

with US! and if a 57cm works for you:bike::). Red follows, i:)and then repeat again.

What I need and I am going to do is retire..then I'll have the time and lack of mental retail stress to be able to

Ride.

Just went on the government dole last Wednesday-Hooray-I'm 62.

Geez, after getting screwed by a biz partner in 2010, the one thing that has taken a back seat is riding. Mental state didn't allow for it...in the AM, too often I just decided to go to the shop and ride the desk. Shop very healthy(has been since mid 2010), but the stress remains, getting fooked and blind sided by a 'friend', makes you worry and look over the retail shoulder most of the time.

BUT soon, gonna strap on the bike, take care of grand daughters, money ain't a concern...drop the 20 pounds I put on...

[Bostic]

Riding double centuries is a middle-aged male activity. Average age of a California Triple Crown finisher (three double centuries in a calendar year) is 48. There's nothing special about Solvang.

I'm 42, started riding double centuries in 2009. I'm at 17 total now. I've done 3 a year except for 2010 where I did 5 (and volunteer one to get the Gold Jersey). Currently three per year is enough to satisfy my long distance needs.

This years Stage Race was brutal. Devil Mountain Double, Terrible Two followed by the Alta Alpina 8 pass just 2 weeks after the TT.

While any double is 'hard' in that 200 miles in a day is a long time, some are easier than others. Solvang and Davis one can benefit greatly from pacelines.
This years Stage Race, there is so much climbing you're either in the fast group or your not. DMD will blow up anyone who tries to climb Diablo too fast or tries to make up time along Altamont. Terrible Two you can paceline up to the first rest stop if you're fast enough up the first of the four featured climbs. Alta Alpina you just can't. I watched all the fast guys in the hunt for the Stage Races top placings go by. I started an hour earlier so I watched them climb while I descended the first pass. After that I would see them descend while I climbed until by the fourth pass I saw Robert Choi (he's 10 years older than me) by himself.