What cycling can do to your rate of aging

[Baz]

FB post today:

Dad, 96, is still rolling!
Today’s ride: 14 miles with 14 mph average with a high of 21!

[herr_oberst]

[wildthing]

How hard do you guys ride?

I tend to take it easy, like moderate heart rate, can still speak comfortably, unless it's uphill. On downhill, I take it slow for fear of going over the handlebars and into the dirt...

[recycled sixtie]

I have a mountain bike but tend to take it easy. I choose quiet routes, that is with few cars on them. It seems wherever I go I get the occasional near miss. About a year ago a truck nearly wiped me out when he came out of a side road and saw me at the last moment. Two summers ago I went over the handlebars and scraped myself in different places and got a mild concussion even with a helmet on. Yes I take it easy but enjoy the ride.

[herr_oberst]

It depends on where I'm riding. Long flat roads in the woods or the country are pretty much just ride so I an hold a conversation. Riding in town, It's stopping, starting, racing to make green lights, standing on the pedals on hills to impress the 20 year old girl in the Range Rover who someshow still finds me invisible. On every ride over an hour I try to hit it hard at least once on an uphill, HR about 165 or 170 if possible. My tendency is to always go pretty hard on the uphills anyway, and my genetic makeup is geared more towards endurance rather than outright speed and power, but I can still hammer at 66 years old.

One thing I often do on long rides is look for ways to find free speed; might be in the way I pedal, or try different ways of breathing, or get into an aero tuck. (Or drafting someone faster, ha ha!)

I'm usually the quickest up hills and slowest downhills in my groups.

[Macroni]

Originally Posted by Baz

FB post today:

Dad, 96, is still rolling!
Today’s ride: 14 miles with 14 mph average with a high of 21!

Wow. Living a full life.

[vash]

Originally Posted by wildthing

How hard do you guys ride?

I tend to take it easy, like moderate heart rate, can still speak comfortably, unless it's uphill. On downhill, I take it slow for fear of going over the handlebars and into the dirt...

i mountain bike. on my ride i feel like my heart is going to explode at times. full redline. granny gear, cheeks clamped on the saddle full grind. one time i emailed my doc with a photo of my HR and asked her if i was doing to die. . she said that number will decrease as i get in better shape.

but i am relatively out of shape. getting better.

[tdw28210]

Interesting. I just started cycling again. Charlotte has built about 30 miles of paved pathway through the city. (NtoS). I decided to try it a month ago on a beach cruiser because I will NOT bike on the city roads. It was kind of fun and rather beautiful in spots. I then dusted off my 21-speed city bike after a decade living under the deck and spent a week fixing it back up. I've gotten a few good rides in with it and my new goal to ride the entirety of the path up and back (60-ish miles) in a single day.

[jhynesrockmtn]

This is good motivation. These days I tend to ride my mountain bike more. I got tired of dealing with cars and drivers that suck.



We do put our bikes away for the winter here though so most exercise moves indoors. The rower is a great workout and has really helped my back. I've gone from using it exclusively in the winter to year round.

[Baz]

Good vid......and important reminder of what we are up against........

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by wildthing

How hard do you guys ride?

I tend to take it easy, like moderate heart rate, can still speak comfortably, unless it's uphill. On downhill, I take it slow for fear of going over the handlebars and into the dirt...

I try to sprint the flats in segments. Go hard for a minute then easy for two or until myheart rate comes down a bit. On hills I go hard up to 4/5% after that I'm just grinding.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

this thread makes me want to get out and ride.
so I will go "young-ify myself" (once it warms up a bit)

[Baz]

Posted in the "Cycling for Seniors 65 and older" FB Group:
-----------------
I’m an experienced road biker in my seventies, though for years I have limited my riding to a six-mile paved bikeway that is closed to traffic. It is also used by joggers, runners and walkers. My bike is a carbon frame road bike and I ride in full road gear that pro riders use. For years, a daily 12-mile round trip on this bikeway was my primary form of exercise. I’d always been a very careful rider. But one day, in the fall of 2022, I encountered a scenario I had never considered. I was approaching a group of pedestrians on my side of the bikeway. The other side was clear. When I began my maneuver around them, a jogger who was running on the wrong side did the same thing. We were heading directly at each other. I shouted at him, but he didn’t hear me because he was wearing noise canceling earbuds. We both went over, but I had my shoes clipped into my pedals. I fractured my pelvis in three places, along with my elbow. The jogger was uninjured. The moral of the story is this: No rider over 60 years old should use clip-in pedals. While they do improve the Biking experience, they vastly increase the likelihood of injury for older riders. My recovery took about two years and included three months in an assisted care facility.

[LEAKYSEALS951]

^that's how I broke my leg- caught in the clips and hit a rock.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by LEAKYSEALS951

^that's how I broke my leg- caught in the clips and hit a rock.

I've had one or two crashes because I couldn't get my foot off quickly enough. It sux.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Originally Posted by Baz

Posted in the "Cycling for Seniors 65 and older" FB Group:
-----------------
I’m an experienced road biker in my seventies, though for years I have limited my riding to a six-mile paved bikeway that is closed to traffic. It is also used by joggers, runners and walkers. My bike is a carbon frame road bike and I ride in full road gear that pro riders use. For years, a daily 12-mile round trip on this bikeway was my primary form of exercise. I’d always been a very careful rider. But one day, in the fall of 2022, I encountered a scenario I had never considered. I was approaching a group of pedestrians on my side of the bikeway. The other side was clear. When I began my maneuver around them, a jogger who was running on the wrong side did the same thing. We were heading directly at each other. I shouted at him, but he didn’t hear me because he was wearing noise canceling earbuds. We both went over, but I had my shoes clipped into my pedals. I fractured my pelvis in three places, along with my elbow. The jogger was uninjured. The moral of the story is this: No rider over 60 years old should use clip-in pedals. While they do improve the Biking experience, they vastly increase the likelihood of injury for older riders. My recovery took about two years and included three months in an assisted care facility.

Yeah, sorry, so many other ways to avoid that injury besides not using clip ins. Mine are adjusted very loose, but I would not ride road or mountain without them.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Baz

Posted in the "Cycling for Seniors 65 and older" FB Group:
-----------------
No rider over 60 years old should use clip-in pedals. While they do improve the Biking experience, they vastly increase the likelihood of injury for older riders.

Sample size of one. I've slipped off flat pedals and barked my shin hard enough to draw blood.

[herr_oberst]

Here's an handy invention that'll let us old folks keep our feet clipped in safely.

[Baz]

lol....

[Baz]

Harrison Ford, at 83, is still proving that age is just a number when it comes to fitness and adventure.

On October 27, the legendary actor was spotted riding his bike along Los Angeles’ coastline, covering 15 miles from Brentwood to Malibu. Decked out in full cycling gear, including helmet, goggles, gloves, and compression shorts, Ford looked every bit the committed cyclist.

Ford’s passion for endurance goes beyond casual rides. He has tackled long-distance adventures like the 1,000-mile journey from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas. His dedication to staying active is well known, with co-stars like Mads Mikkelsen recalling Ford biking 31 miles after a long filming day on Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Even after surviving a near-fatal plane crash in 2015, which left him with serious injuries, Ford continues to pursue adrenaline-filled activities, including flying vintage airplanes. Despite his age, he remains physically formidable, downplaying the difficulty of demanding work in interviews and sharing that cycling, tennis, and a bit of exercise keep him moving strong.

Ford’s example is a reminder that staying active, adventurous, and committed to your passions doesn’t have to stop with age. Whether it’s biking, tennis, or other fitness challenges, maintaining consistency and courage can keep you thriving well into your 80s.