What cycling can do to your rate of aging

[look 171]

Originally Posted by 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.

I know his son but not well. He comes out and ride with some of our friends in the local areas and has been a bike nut for a very long time. He's friends with a local builder, now in OR, Land Shark. I think he sells his bikes as a rep.

[HardDrive]

My dad is 81. Rides a P2 Cervello tri bike.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

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

That's good as it is not in any way attached to the bike.

Or was I supposed to know it's fake and not bother with a useless post?

The fact is, I really don't see the humor or point of fake pics. It was once funny but that was a long time ago when it took work and imagination to produce an altered image.

AFA Ford goes, that's great. He looks good on that bike. I don't see any fakery there. I could be wrong.

[David]

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...

At 58, I ride as hard as I can reasonably ride. On solo rides, I try to maintain a heart rate over 130 with occasional runs up to 150 or so. On group rides, my heart rate will drop below 120 cruising in a pack and may get up to 160 when taking a pull up front. If the group ride pace puts my heart over 150 even sitting in the pack, I drop off since I feel like I'm damaging my heart.

As a cyclist, I often have friends and coworkers tell me they want to get into cycling and ask my advice. I tell them if they're not going to get their heart rate up when cycling, they're better off just walking. Of course some people's knees don't allow much walking and then cycling's a great option.

As far as speaking comfortably, I had a racer friend tell me, racers have conversations on rest day rides so they can't get their heart rates too high.

[Jeff Higgins]

I've ridden "clipless" pedals (odd name for them, but there are those of old enough to know why) since they first became available. I'm kinda of a "cross dressing" heathen, however, in that I run SPD mountain bike shoes and pedals on my road bike. I like the two sided and flush cleat aspects of them. Way easier to use as far as clipping in and out, and to walk around once I get where I'm going. Yes, like everyone else who rides "clipless", I've had my share of embarrassing failed to release fall- overs but, even at that, I would never ride without them again.

How "hard" do I ride? I have no idea. I think I average about 150 miles per week between my two main routes. One is a somewhat hilly 20 odd miles, the other a pretty flat 40. There are no computers of any kind on my bikes, I use no ride apps whatsoever. No bio monitors of any kind, nothing. Just me and the bike. No numbers, no way to measure anything at all. I refuse. Won't do it. That would ruin everything. I just ride and have fun, for the pure joy of riding. When I feel like going hard, I go hard. When I feel like taking it easy, I take it easy. I don't ever want to be a slave to those infernal numbers again. Been there, done that, and suffered the burnout to prove it.

[stevej37]

^^^ I use the SPD's also when riding my 24 speed road bike. They are handy.
I've fallen over twice when stopping...both times because I used the wrong leg to unclip.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Jeff Higgins

I run SPD mountain bike shoes and pedals on my road bike. I like the two sided and flush cleat aspects of them. Way easier to use as far as clipping in and out, and to walk around once I get where I'm going.

Oodles of people use SPD's on the road bike. Especially older folks. For all the reasons that you state. And, with the popularity of gravel riding, which is basically off-roading on what are ostensibly fat-tired road bikes, using one style of pedal for all the bikes simplifies the shoe situation.

Like so many things in our lives, the products that we use for our hobbies are so good anymore that it's easy to get way caught up in marketing and specialization and fads that will not do one thing to make you a better rider.

One of my regular riding buds still uses running shoes and flat pedals. No one cares, and he puts in thousands of miles a year with the outdated style that works for him.

[look 171]

I can't do it, just can't ride my bike without being clipped in. I come from the days of straps and clips. Once we get moving just within the first rev of the pedals from a stop light, the straps get pulled and feet locked in. I don't remember the last itme I have fallen off due to feet stuck in pedal. Over the years, its pretty natural to snap my foot out without ever thinking about it. Sure I have my fair share of crashing with both feet stuck in the pedals. Those times are always fun. We did many track stands at red lights in heavy traffic strapped in. If we get in trouble, we had to reach down and release the buckle to get one's foot out to prevent falling over looking like an idiot. We were young, dumb and just having too much fun.

I am like Higgins, no electronic. Just go until you feel like siht and slow up a bit ( 15 second of easing off), recover and go again. I was going to get out for a ride, but daylight saving made me lazy and my light isn't charged just in case if I get caught in the dark, drivers can see me and I can see all the LA's bad roads ahead of me. I dislike riding in the dark or near dark. People get stupid.

[look 171]

How many of you snap your foot out by kicking your heel out first? I do it the other way, kick my heel in slightly to release. Its much easier requires little effort(on the knee or ankle too). Just don't get it caught in the spokes with wheel turning. Git it a try.

[herr_oberst]

I kick my heel out (and up).

[David]

Heel out for me.

Speaking of clipped in... at last year's MS150 Texas ride which I do from Austin to LaGrange, there was a woman in running shoes, no clips. I went out with the lead group and she was in there. I pass her, she'd pass me, on and on. Being the man-splaner that I am, I said, "you may want to pace yourself, it's a pretty long ride (75 hilly miles). She smiled and said she'd be fine.

I lost track of her and then saw her about 40 miles later. It was everything I could do to catch her on a pretty steep climb, where I said, "I've got to eat crow, you're a beast! With the shoes, I just assumed you didn't ride much." She said she gets that all the time. And then she dropped me.

At this year's MS150, she was there again. Still in running shoes and still pretty fast. This time we talked for quite a bit before getting into a fast single file pace line and losing her at a rest stop. So moral of the story.. Don't judge a book by their lack of clipless pedals!

[Baz]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

My dad is 81. Rides a P2 Cervello tri bike.

That's awesome! Would love to see a pic of his bike.....with or without it's rider!

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

-snip-
Like so many things in our lives, the products that we use for our hobbies are so good anymore that it's easy to get way caught up in marketing and specialization and fads that will not do one thing to make you a better rider.-snip-

Amen, Herr O! Just be true to yourself and you'll be fine.

Originally Posted by look 171

-snip-Git it a try.

I will - thanks! But I never had a problem going heel out so....

Originally Posted by David

-snip- I lost track of her and then saw her about 40 miles later. -snip-

Ha ha - awesome story!!!

[look 171]

Originally Posted by Baz

That's awesome! Would love to see a pic of his bike.....with or without it's rider!




Amen, Herr O! Just be true to yourself and you'll be fine.




I will - thanks! But I never had a problem going heel out so....




Ha ha - awesome story!!!

Try it and report back. It is SO much easier. But don't get it caught in the spokes. I do it with my foot on the up stroke. ONly draw back is that you can't do it at the bottom of the pedal stroke . Crank gets in the way. I have my pedal tighten to Max or use the track carbon springs on my Look pedals for max. holding power.

I haven't seen another rider snap their foot inwards.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by David

Heel out for me.

Speaking of clipped in... at last year's MS150 Texas ride which I do from Austin to LaGrange, there was a woman in running shoes, no clips. I went out with the lead group and she was in there. I pass her, she'd pass me, on and on. Being the man-splaner that I am, I said, "you may want to pace yourself, it's a pretty long ride (75 hilly miles). She smiled and said she'd be fine.

I lost track of her and then saw her about 40 miles later. It was everything I could do to catch her on a pretty steep climb, where I said, "I've got to eat crow, you're a beast! With the shoes, I just assumed you didn't ride much." She said she gets that all the time. And then she dropped me.

At this year's MS150, she was there again. Still in running shoes and still pretty fast. This time we talked for quite a bit before getting into a fast single file pace line and losing her at a rest stop. So moral of the story.. Don't judge a book by their lack of clipless pedals!

You got beaten by a girl, Dave

My last Sat. ride, I did some messing around up front doing big turns stirring up the pace with a few new guys we haven't seen before. They all seem to be from the same club from a city 50 miles away. After 30 miles of avg 25-28mph, I had to sit in for a bit. I couldn't catch my breath.

Comes the hilly sections of the return. I bearly hung on for the next 10 miles. Those guys were out for blood so I was spat out the back. I noticed the young woman who was really struggling to just get on my wheel as I was still chasing like hell to get back on hoping for a red light. No luck, so I waited for her just so I can help tow her back the next 10 miles. Its a long way up to the top if you are toasted. She told me to not slow down nor wait for her. I decided to slow up for a bit on the long drawn out up hills so she can catch a draft. She hung on to my wheel. Came the last steep hills and she was still there so I decided to pick up the pace a little bit before the steep sections. By now, I was breathing like if there's no tomorrow, heart beating out of my chest. She's still there, also taking deep breaths through her mouth hung wide open. She sees the the end and decided to jump on her pedals, out of the saddle, ass up in the air, flies by me as I had nothing left to give chase. The guys were giving me siht as she gives me a big fist bump at the finish.

Yeah, I got beat by a girl too and there aint no shame in that. She's a tough cookie, surviving the first 30 miles of the ride at that pace.

[herr_oberst]

I got beat by a girl just today on a group ride, too. Half my age, I'm sure, but still, nothin' I could do.

[rwest]

Women that are serious about biking get strong fast as they don’t usually have many other woman to train and race with/against, so they ride with the guys and get good.

[juanbenae]

My pops has been riding for prolly 35-40 years in one form or another and at 80 he is in better shape than me by a longshot... He's the wrinklie guy with all his hair on the right in the back seat....






He's my hero, and best friend.

[Baz]

OK speaking of the opposite sex........here's a great story. If this doesn't inspire you I don't know what to say!
------------

Natalie Grabow, an 80-year-old grandmother, has made history as the oldest woman to complete the Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. She joins "NewsNation Now" to explain how she trained for this historic feat.

[Baz]

I had the very good fortune to be part of a small group of guys back in the early 90's while living in Ft Myers meeting every Wednesday after work for a mini-triathlon.

One of the guys had a house on a lake and we'd use that for our 1/4 mile swim. It was to a dock and back of a neighboring property. I think this was in Bonita Springs, actually.

Of course I was a bit younger and in better shape. The only other experience for me as equally satisfying has been coming in from a surf session.

You just feel so satisfied - no other way to describe it......

[juanbenae]

Still pretty sure pops can kick my ass even to this day....