"over 40"...show of hands?

[wavedancer]

I just turned 55 two weeks ago and got my first "real" road bike last year. Didn't do a tremendous amount of riding, but really enjoyed it. I felt a little frustrated because living on Cape Cod, a lot of the cool places to ride are on dirt/sand roads and trails.

So...got myself a mountain bike for Christmas! I've been out a half dozen times this winter and totally love it! I'm not ready for anything too technical, but I have ridden on some fairly rough, steep stuff and plan on taking a mountain bike clinic in June. I decided to go clipless after the first ride (I use them on my road bike) because my feet kept slipping off the pedals. I have had several comical "timberrrrr" moments while attempting to start on rough stuff and losing my forward motion, or unclipping and falling the opposite direction. No serious injuries, just embarrassing moments.

So other than making sure I take my calcium and Actonel for osteoporosis, going for a stress test next week because I told the doc I work with that I was wheezing and feeling nauseous at the end of a long steep climb, I feel GREAT! I think I just need to get myself more aerobically fit before pushing to the max on the hills. Started doing some interval training on the elliptical trainer and will get to a spin class when I can. Maybe just use the club's spinning bikes on my own to boost my aerobic capacity.

This is a great board. I am really enjoying everyone's stories and advice. We're as young as we feel, gals...Let's keep it going!

[penster]

Hey, I didn't start cycling until I was 49! It's been 10 years now and I have been converted from the slow-poke soccer mom, on my 18 speed mountain bike, to loving the down hills on my Terry Symmetry. I know that I'm not race material, but I really get into doing long rides (30 to 40 milers on the weekends) and have recruited some of my 40+ friends to buy into it too! We all have a great time, share bike lust stories, bike bite stories, and just plain ole bike stories! Life is GOOD..... and P.S. I rode with a group in Florida while down there a couple of years ago, and the average age was high 60's - and they do 3x a week 30 to 40 milers - moderate speed, but lots of comradarie. Good time.

[cyclingnewbie]

I just starting riding last year, and I'm finding that most of the rides that I can do with my cycling club are all groups of older men. I'm forty-something and I keep ending up with a bunch of guys in their 50s & 60s +! I either need to improve my speed and distance capabilities, or get used to being one of the guys.

[gretchen]

I know you are all sitting on pins and needles (ok, maybe not!) wondering when my back surgery is (dread)....
Let the count down begin...
One week from today.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhh!
I actually had this lady tell me yesterday that two of her friends had it and had terrible results. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Can you imagine telling someone that?!!!! Clueless! Ok, it turns out she was trying to sell me some "Miracle" cure powder stuff.
She's a "distributor" (can you say AMWAY) for it.
I'm on my bike every second i possibly can up to next Tues... when you hear terrible primal screams coming from the Chicago area...it's just me on the next day after surgery when the sun is out and my bike sits in my living room (it's kind of spoiled...but adds an interesting touch to the decor) waiting for the doctor to give me the ok to get back on. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! It could be 4 weeks . AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
All i can say is, this better work! (it's just to releave the presser on a nerve being pinched by a bulging disk...sounds like a fun time to me!).
Ok that's the update!
Happy riding !
gretchen
ps...my iron is going up! yea!!!

[cyclingnewbie]

Gretchen:

Good luck with the surgery. I hope it solves your problem. And, I am quite confident that it is going to be a cold and rainy April with very little prime riding weather, so you won't be missing much. The weather really won't clear and turn consistently nice for another 4-5 weeks. Yes; that's it. Ugly weather. So bad, your bike will be relieved to be in the living room!

[gretchen]

thanks!!!!

[grannydea]

Gretchen, I am interested in hearing how you do after this is all said and done. I have degenerative disks in my back and know that one of these days I am going to have to have something done surgically, but like to have all the imput I can on how people do after they have stuff done to there backs. I will be saying prayers that you recover quickly and can be back on the bike as soon as possable.
Dea

[gretchen]

Medical Update:!!!
Ok, first off, the iron is a hefty 12.5!!!! Up from 8.4 in just one month!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH YEAH! Feeling good!!!!
(ok, i guess i was getting a little winded after workouts!).

Surgery: Done!
I had it done on Tuesday...8:30am and was back home fixing dinner at 6:00pm. Ok, i'm not the norm, i tend to want to push recovery, but i'm feeling pretty good! It's Thurs. and i just got back from walking into town to Starbucks for my soy latte (2 miles round trip). I wasn't walking my usual crusing speed but boy is my posture great!!!! (after this surgery, you ONLY want to stand up straight!!!!).

Dea: The dr. said it would be a while before the numbness in my toe would go away, and i have to say that the pinching in my hip is worse, but it's only been two days and i feel pretty swollen still.

From what i understand, they grind (AHHHH) out the bone behind the nerve to relieve the pressure on it from the bulging disk, then he cleaned out another disk that was "spongie"! (AHHH). He said my disks were pretty "old" looking BUT!...i have no fat and have really thick ligaments (both good things!!!)....which will help me in the long run!

Ok, time to stand again...sitting starts to hurt after a while!
thanks for your prayers!!!!
gretchen

[kelrunran]

Glad to hear you are on the mend Gretchen! Keep taking good care.

Can hardly wait to be able to chime in on this conversation in October....i'll be 40! Did I say "can hardly wait"?

One thing about being active and aging....I move into a whole new age group !.........and post on this link!!!

Kelly

[SadieKate]

44 going on 24! And, I own more bikes than my hubby (he is soooo jealous!)

Been road biking since age 25 and mountain biking since before clipless pedals, suspension, etc. I was actually talking to a bike shop employee the other day who thought he knew everything about clipless pedals. I finally told him that know only did he not know what he was talking about but I had been using clipless pedals longer than he had been alive.

And, the best part? Our regular group spans 4 decades!

[Tamra]

I'm 39 & holding, at least for a few more months. I think my local cyling club member base is comprised mostly of the over 40 crowd - they seem to have a lot of weekday rides during normal working hours. I'd love to join in on some of their weekend rides, even though my average speed is less than their advertised group average. I'm gonna feel bad If I get dropped by a group of "seniors".

[SadieKate]

Hey, you haven't experienced nothing until you've had a couple of guys in their 70s look back just as you're catching up, grin evilly, and up their speed. Never caught them until the coffee shop at the end of the ride and I can motor along pretty well. We have some incredibly strong and fast older riders around here. They give "active senior" a new meaning. So, don't wait. You'll never catch them if you don't try!

[cyclingnewbie]

Yippee Yahoo! I'm not the only one out there worrying about the "older" riders in my bike club. The only organized rides that I think I can keep up with look like they are mostly men in their 50s-70s. And I'm not sure I could keep up with them for the distances they ride. I have been too intimidated by the whole thing to join in. I'm glad I'm not the only one worried about this!

[gretchen]

I'm signed up for this west coast ride this summer with my daughter Katherine (she's the M fo Blue posting you see!)...about 800 miles over two weeks. I have been a wreck worrying about being the oldest one on the ride being left in the dust!...
Not anymore!
A nun (!)...63 years young just signed up! YEA! I'm not the oldest anymore! I'm so excited now! What a great diversity our group will have. (watch her blow me out of the water!!! great!).
Is that great or what?!!!!!

[gretchen]

Ok Girls...it's time for the two week update on the old back surgery!
I'm back on my bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Ok, not outside yet, but the dr. said i could get back on the trainer. The forcast for the next week is crummie anyway (YEA) so i couldn't be out there anyway, right?!!!
Grannydea: If you're still reading this posting sight...
If you have to face surgery in the future sometime, it's a snap! I feel about 97% and like i said, it's been two weeks and a day. (still a ever so slight twinge by my incession when i move a certain way). As i understand, those stomach muscles are SOOO important for those of us with crummy spines, so do those crunches!