Is 40 too old??



I'm convinced that most of what is considered to be the inevitable effects of aging is just rust from nonuse. You can't help getting old, but you can do a lot to keep from being old. (In the Senior Games down here in Florida, there are a number of 60ish guys who wouldn't look much out of place in a college class. They tend to have young wives, too. Draw your own conclusions.)
 
Denny418 said:
I'm convinced that most of what is considered to be the inevitable effects of aging is just rust from nonuse. You can't help getting old, but you can do a lot to keep from being old. (In the Senior Games down here in Florida, there are a number of 60ish guys who wouldn't look much out of place in a college class. They tend to have young wives, too. Draw your own conclusions.)
As well as being good excercise, chasing cars is good stress relief.
 
freeagent35 said:
The thing I love about cycling is the lack of impact. I have ridden with guys who are 50 who blew my doors off. It really fills me with hope that I will be riding well into my 80s (with any luck).

There's plenty of impact when you hit the road. ;) A guy who has raced many years will not crash as much as someone with less experience, but the body definitely doesn't rebound as quickly from a crash as it ages (ask me how I know).

I just came onto this thread and don't have time to read the whole thing, so someone may have mentioned this already, but one thing to consider is eyesight and reflexes, which do decline precipitously after approx. age of 45. This is probably not as much a factor in road races as in crits, but still something to consider in a dense pack.

Cardiovascular is the main problem at this age. No matter how healthy you live, the arteries get increasingly narrower as you age. I suspect that the geezers who are doing well in races put a lot more energy/time into training to compensate for this, which doesn't leave much time to pursue much else.

On the positive side, I've found is that the legs remain remarkably strong, even at my present age of 50. They seem to remember the "old days." I don't know if I could hang and bang with the field today, but not too many riders pass me in Central Park, and when they do I can usually catch them. So with good technique, good tactics, attention to large-muscle mechanics, hours and hours of training, an older guy can probably remain competitive, even in the A races.

The question for me though is why would he want to put himself through this kind of misery at his age. . . getting up at 4:30 a.m. (in NYC at least) shooting his wad, and then being stiff and sore for the rest of the weekend.

Personally, I'm happy just to loop the park every other day or so and "surprise" the younger guys for a lap or two.

My two cents. . . I guess this was long-winded.
 
Inspiring thread......
I'm turnin' 40 this year and would love to step it up a notch as well.
I'm thinkin' of starting a charity race from one city to another.

I'm out there everyday riding, though nothing resembling training in years.
Just a traffic sprint to work and home. I do love dicing it up with traffic though.
I must admit that pack riding, while thrilling to watch scares the bejesus out of me.

I DO NOT want to be the newbie that took out the pack....lol. As it is I pass everyone on a bike, I'm part of the traffic. We are as old as we feel.
 
Inspiring thread......
I'm turnin' 40 this year and would love to step it up a notch as well.
I'm thinkin' of starting a charity race from one city to another.

I'm out there everyday riding, though nothing resembling training in years.
Just a traffic sprint to work and home. I do love dicing it up with traffic though.
I must admit that pack riding, while thrilling to watch scares the bejesus out of me.

I DO NOT want to be the newbie that took out the pack....lol. I know I still have some legs left , as it is I pass everyone on a bike I come across, I'm part of the car traffic. We are as old as we feel, so go out and ride.
 
I think you should keep in mind a couple things that may have been lost in the thread. I am not fooling myself thinking I will be able to compete with pro riders now or more than likely in the future. My goal is simply enter and finish a race not in the bottom 10%. I set my goals in my realm of reality and if I surpass them fine.

My goal last year was to do tours to Balitmore and Boston. Trained at the gym and started to get on the bike, gave myself a week for each ride and did them in two days each. Some further background, I had broke my ankle three years ago, 230 lbs or so and my job/company was all I had. I started the gym and my life changed back to the days when I was a messenger, I feel stronger and healthier than I did when I was 20. I just wish I would go back in time. I weigh 172lbs, bench 260lbs, squat 4 plates and that is just one day of my workout. To be honest I am on a high that I do not want to come down from yet. I love the fitness, way I look and my love for biking that started as a messenger has been re-energized. I couldn't get a girl to stand next to me three years ago, now at the gym I just can not seem to get any space to myself. It feels good when someone says "you have changed, keep it up". I guess we all need driving forces, even if for me sometimes it is reading the lady joggers butt signs.

All my life I approached my career with this intensity but now I am finding a mix and it feels awesome. The 4:30am (actually 5:00 since gym open at 5:30) feels great and I will not change. 5 days in the gym and 7 on the bike. I do not shoot my wad as I ride and workout including weekends. I have taught myself now how to not overtrain and have light and heavy days. My breathing techniques has made a big difference and starting to track my progress on the bike. How fast do I do a lap? In which gear? It is actaully alot of fun.

Tell me what times you ride Central Park...like to see your form. Sounds like you can teach a newbie a thing or two, and lets see if you can kick my butt. :D I do work so I am always stuck with the traffic hours.

Last night on the way home from work, park was packed, did one of my best laps...seemed to drop almost everyone on the hills. It did make me feel good for a few minutes but honestly after I went home, I just felt better than I see some progress ...

Sorry for rambling but the "4:30am, stiff and sore" hit something in me. Probably cause it sounds like my wife....:mad:

-js


Steelhead said:
There's plenty of impact when you hit the road. ;) A guy who has raced many years will not crash as much as someone with less experience, but the body definitely doesn't rebound as quickly from a crash as it ages (ask me how I know).

I just came onto this thread and don't have time to read the whole thing, so someone may have mentioned this already, but one thing to consider is eyesight and reflexes, which do decline precipitously after approx. age of 45. This is probably not as much a factor in road races as in crits, but still something to consider in a dense pack.

Cardiovascular is the main problem at this age. No matter how healthy you live, the arteries get increasingly narrower as you age. I suspect that the geezers who are doing well in races put a lot more energy/time into training to compensate for this, which doesn't leave much time to pursue much else.

On the positive side, I've found is that the legs remain remarkably strong, even at my present age of 50. They seem to remember the "old days." I don't know if I could hang and bang with the field today, but not too many riders pass me in Central Park, and when they do I can usually catch them. So with good technique, good tactics, attention to large-muscle mechanics, hours and hours of training, an older guy can probably remain competitive, even in the A races.

The question for me though is why would he want to put himself through this kind of misery at his age. . . getting up at 4:30 a.m. (in NYC at least) shooting his wad, and then being stiff and sore for the rest of the weekend.

Personally, I'm happy just to loop the park every other day or so and "surprise" the younger guys for a lap or two.

My two cents. . . I guess this was long-winded.
 
Every morning after Central Park, head down 9th and the messenger takes over inme and suddenly I can take on cars...but have me go down a curvy hill at more than 20 or so miles per hour and watch me turn into little bo sheep.

It is all mental...

-js


Traffic Jammer said:
Inspiring thread......
I'm turnin' 40 this year and would love to step it up a notch as well.
I'm thinkin' of starting a charity race from one city to another.

I'm out there everyday riding, though nothing resembling training in years.
Just a traffic sprint to work and home. I do love dicing it up with traffic though.
I must admit that pack riding, while thrilling to watch scares the bejesus out of me.

I DO NOT want to be the newbie that took out the pack....lol. I know I still have some legs left , as it is I pass everyone on a bike I come across, I'm part of the car traffic. We are as old as we feel, so go out and ride.
 
Having done the messenger thing in Montreal, where there is a extinct volcano in the middle of the city, I love bangin downhill. Faster faster faster, squeeze the frame with my legs..... too much fun.
 
Just reading through the rest of the thread and did not see your comments...all I can say is "amazing"...your story is definitely inspirational. I agree and honestly I am more with you than without you, meaning I am get more into the fitness than the idea of any pro dreams.

I guess I just really need a goal every year. I thought a race and just hanging on the back would not be too dangerous. But I may go for more of a race in my age group of these cycle sportif rides. Once I really get into the middle of a paceline even just to see how it feels than I will make a final decision.

But honestly until like speedy gonzalez posted I can maintain a 20mph average over the central park ... 6 mile loop I will not try anyway. So it will be building process, with joining a team/trainer to eventual culimination with finishing one event. From that point I decide is this the life way for me or do I go back to old time touring...which btw I have no problem with. It kicked my ass last year...

Again inspirational story and keep it up!!:)

-js


Denny418 said:
Hi JS,


I began "getting physical" at age 30, and from then on kept in shape through running primarily. I eventually got into racing, with some nice results (like a 5:15 mile at age 35 without any speedwork behind me). I began biking in my early 40s, and did some triathlons. Then I moved and because of geographical conditions and work commitments fell back into basic fitness mode.

On my 50th birthday, I was diagnosed with an incurable form of leukemia. A specialist estimated that I had 3-5 years left. Chemo knocked the disease back. Three years later I needed a transfusion to stay alive. Chemo knocked it back again. At age 56 I learned about the Senior Games, which are national olympics for those over 50. I started training on the bike for the 5K and 10K time trials. I'm now one of the best senior time trialists in the state, winning silvers and bronzes (age-group) in the state finals the last couple of years. The doctors see no signs of the disease at this time, and are quite amazed.

I'm convinced that training hard has had something to do with this. So it doesn't matter how old you are, get in the best shape you can and go out and celebrate it in your own way, which in your case may just be by racing. (I refuse to do road races, and never train with others. I had a bad crash in a pace line back in my tri days and vowed never to ride in one again. I can't tell you how many people have been seriously hurt locally riding in pace lines, and I know this happens all over. In my opinion, unless you're young and your goals include going pro, riding in pace lines is not worth the risk.)
 
YOUNG WIVES!! NOW YOU GOT ME INSPIRED!!

:D :D :D

Denny418 said:
I'm convinced that most of what is considered to be the inevitable effects of aging is just rust from nonuse. You can't help getting old, but you can do a lot to keep from being old. (In the Senior Games down here in Florida, there are a number of 60ish guys who wouldn't look much out of place in a college class. They tend to have young wives, too. Draw your own conclusions.)
 
jsirabella said:
Tell me what times you ride Central Park...like to see your form. Sounds like you can teach a newbie a thing or two, and lets see if you can kick my butt. :D I do work so I am always stuck with the traffic hours.

I only ride whenever the spirt moves me and it's 45+ degrees or warmer. . . this brings up another nice thing about not racing: I ride stictly for joy and never for "training." No numb toes, no snot-covered bike, gritty chain to clean, etc., etc. . . of course with 3-week winter lay-offs that means multiple bonks per season. . . not too joyful. :eek: I'll e-mail you next time I go out. . . if I forget, look for a blue 1999 Colnago Tecnos with chrome fork and black aerohead wheels (another joy: steel bikes!).

Anyway, don't let me or anyone else discourage you. Race if you want. if you haven't done it yet, it's an experience like no other. And winning even a club race is pure joy, something every rider deserves to experience. 40 is a huge difference from 50, and there are many more masters in the field today, so it's probably a lot more enjoyable as a master than it used to be (back in the 80s for me).

I quit racing in my late 30s because then the only decent sized fields were the cat 1/2 races where I always got clobbered by younger riders with no other lives but eating, sleeping (dorm style), riding, and beer drinking. I decided there are many things in life more interesting than getting up at 5:00 a.m. just to fill the pack for these guys. I wasn't training just to build someone's else's ego up. :p

p.s. if you can average 20mph for 5-6 laps in Central Park (solo) that's pretty damn good fitness. That translates into 25mph in a pace line. Good enough for a C race definitely. A sneak attack on the bell lap at Tavern on the Green could win you a trophy on a lucky day. ;)
 
OK...I got my prerequisite set up for the bigger goal...it seems doing min 30 miles at anywhere between 18-20 mph. It seems that is what you and alot of the guys are telling me. This seems like a mountain for me right now but lets make it happen. Until I do that I will not think about a race...

Given that you know CP and its terrian I trust your assessment of how well I shold be riding. You know of any articles, training schedules or books to get you up to that level?

Hope to see you in CP, if you see a Trek 5000, black and silver with aguy usually wearing a bright yellow pearl izumi jacket, it is probably me.

The goal will get me to be better at some of my worst riding like the curvy downhills. I am terrible on the uptown westside downhill. People just jam down it while I keep jamming the brakes. I should be able to make up some great time there...but...:(

Next week will take a few lite days and setup my base time/speed for 5 laps to work up from...

-js


Steelhead said:
I only ride whenever the spirt moves me and it's 45+ degrees or warmer. . . this brings up another nice thing about not racing: I ride stictly for joy and never for "training." No numb toes, no snot-covered bike, gritty chain to clean, etc., etc. . . of course with 3-week winter lay-offs that means multiple bonks per season. . . not too joyful. :eek: I'll e-mail you next time I go out. . . if I forget, look for a blue 1999 Colnago Tecnos with chrome fork and black aerohead wheels (another joy: steel bikes!).

Anyway, don't let me or anyone else discourage you. Race if you want. if you haven't done it yet, it's an experience like no other. And winning even a club race is pure joy, something every rider deserves to experience. 40 is a huge difference from 50, and there are many more masters in the field today, so it's probably a lot more enjoyable as a master than it used to be (back in the 80s for me).

I quit racing in my late 30s because then the only decent sized fields were the cat 1/2 races where I always got clobbered by younger riders with no other lives but eating, sleeping (dorm style), riding, and beer drinking. I decided there are many things in life more interesting than getting up at 5:00 a.m. just to fill the pack for these guys. I wasn't training just to build someone's else's ego up. :p

p.s. if you can average 20mph for 5-6 laps in Central Park (solo) that's pretty damn good fitness. That translates into 25mph in a pace line. Good enough for a C race definitely. A sneak attack on the bell lap at Tavern on the Green could win you a trophy on a lucky day. ;)
 
jsirabella said:
...But honestly until like speedy gonzalez posted I can maintain a 20mph average over the central park ... 6 mile loop I will not try anyway...-js
You do realise, JS, that, in all the time you've been talking about starting to race, you could have actually been doing it? Unless there is no racing available over your side of the pond at the moment, just get in a novice class and give it a try. At 40 you shouldn't be caring what other people may think and you shouldn't be worried about coming last - someone has to. Just go and do it instead of talking for months about it. It really isn't a big deal. Aim for not DNF'ing. At the moment your stuck in DNS'ing.
No-one cares what you ride / what you wear / how you place. The only person who will ever care about how crappy you went in your first race will be yourself. If you like it, it'll inspire you to do better in your next race. If you don't like it, it'll free you up to head in a different direction.
My 2 rupee's worth as this thread seems to have rolled on for a long time with lots of encouragement and still no debut race.
Regards,
Eoin
 
2 rupee's ... I wonder what that is worth...

But ok I can take a hint..not trying to keep this thread going...consider it done for me and I will start the next thread with my experience.

I think I have learned enough from it and can not be any more ready mentally.

Thanks guys...:)

-js


EoinC said:
You do realise, JS, that, in all the time you've been talking about starting to race, you could have actually been doing it? Unless there is no racing available over your side of the pond at the moment, just get in a novice class and give it a try. At 40 you shouldn't be caring what other people may think and you shouldn't be worried about coming last - someone has to. Just go and do it instead of talking for months about it. It really isn't a big deal. Aim for not DNF'ing. At the moment your stuck in DNS'ing.
No-one cares what you ride / what you wear / how you place. The only person who will ever care about how crappy you went in your first race will be yourself. If you like it, it'll inspire you to do better in your next race. If you don't like it, it'll free you up to head in a different direction.
My 2 rupee's worth as this thread seems to have rolled on for a long time with lots of encouragement and still no debut race.
Regards,
Eoin
 
I've just noticed this thread.

I'm 45 only took up cycling a couple of years ago ex motorbike racer.

Gave the motorbikes away in early fourties started to scare me too much & thoughht I'd quit while I still had all my fingers & toes. Had to think of my children as well.

Started cycling to work when a friend gave me an old MB in garage. Rode that for awhile, bought myself a better mountain bike, then thought I'd like a road bike. Bough an old Repco sdteel frame off ebay. Rode that for about a year.

About a year ago bough myself a decent road bike Ally, carbon fork with Shimano 105.

Now want to give racing a go.

Can do 20km at 33Kph or 500-60km at 30kph. In neutral conditions.

I'm a big guy 183cm 80kg but not too much body fat. So not a great climber but better at sprinting & love cornering on bicycle got back on Motor bike recently, felt like trying to corner a tank.

Love out cornering cars on bicycle.

Have just moved to Ireland from Australia so will be doing my first Vets race in about a month.

In terms of training doing 2 interval cessions, 2 x 20km flat out rides & 1 50km plus ride a week.

Trying to build up to 100km ride.

Hoping I will do OK & won't be embarased.

Any last minute tips would be much appreciated.

Looking back on everything I wish I had of take up cycling when I was younger.

But I absolutely love it. Theres a real satisfaction in knowing your doing it all yourself as opposed to motorbike & it hurts a lot less when you come off.
 
OneRing said:
I've just noticed this thread.

I'm 45 only took up cycling a couple of years ago ex motorbike racer.

Gave the motorbikes away in early fourties started to scare me too much & thoughht I'd quit while I still had all my fingers & toes. Had to think of my children as well.

Started cycling to work when a friend gave me an old MB in garage. Rode that for awhile, bought myself a better mountain bike, then thought I'd like a road bike. Bough an old Repco sdteel frame off ebay. Rode that for about a year.

About a year ago bough myself a decent road bike Ally, carbon fork with Shimano 105.

Now want to give racing a go.

Can do 20km at 33Kph or 500-60km at 30kph. In neutral conditions.

I'm a big guy 183cm 80kg but not too much body fat. So not a great climber but better at sprinting & love cornering on bicycle got back on Motor bike recently, felt like trying to corner a tank.

Love out cornering cars on bicycle.

Have just moved to Ireland from Australia so will be doing my first Vets race in about a month.

In terms of training doing 2 interval cessions, 2 x 20km flat out rides & 1 50km plus ride a week.

Trying to build up to 100km ride.

Hoping I will do OK & won't be embarased.

Any last minute tips would be much appreciated.

Looking back on everything I wish I had of take up cycling when I was younger.

But I absolutely love it. Theres a real satisfaction in knowing your doing it all yourself as opposed to motorbike & it hurts a lot less when you come off.
It's never too old to start racing, but you have to be honest about what you want. If you want to go out and finish mid pack and have fun, then you can do so by keeping a reasonable regimen. If you want to move up classes and compete with the fast guys, it WILL become a 2nd job to some extent in terms of diet, committment to fitness, equipment (and expense).

I raced BMX, then road, then mountain, and then a mix over about 15 years. I am a bigger guy (5'8, 175 lbs). What I learned was to focus on my weaknesses (weight, climbing) while maximizing my strengths (bike handling, sprinting, and pain tolerance). I'd get a book on racing (Greg Lemond's, etc.) as they contain tons of great tips on pack skills and racing tactics. Little things like learning how to draft in echelon with a cross wind can make a big difference in how much energy you burn. Overall, if you are new to racing, learn how to sit in and conserve as much energy as you can, saving it for those times when it will best serve you. Also, eat/drink often. I have trounced many a faster guy over longer distances because they don't eat/drink. I try to drink a bottle an hour and have a small granola bar or something about every 60 to 75 minutes. My last 20 minutes before the finish I usually consume a gel packet and find that these give a great last effort boost (especially the ones with caffeine). There are also some great recovery drinks out there that really seem to help with post ride recovery so you'll be ready for action sooner. Post ride massage (I use a rolling pin) is great for recovery as well.

Your bike is likely just fine. If you have any areas of nagging discomfort (back, neck, knees, etc.) consider having a "fit kit" done to make sure your riding position is optimum. The longer the distances and higher the exertion, the more little errors in setup will show and reduce performance through pain and fatigue.

If you want to consider an upgrade look first at WHEELS and tires. Rotating weight is most crucial and you will get more performance per dollar here than anywhere else. Neuvation has some great semi aero wheels that they are selling at discount right now. I haven't ridden them, but reviews and consumer opinions are very good. I personally run Ksyrium SSC SL and Cane Creek Aerohead. The CC's are a lot cheaper and if running criterium type races, or slower races with a lot of climbs, they would be my pick. Otherwise, I think a semi aero wheel is definitely the way to go. High quality Kevlar tires can be had for pretty cheap prices via mail order if you look around. I buy them cheap and change them out fairly early (at race speeds, any loss of traction can be serious, and they seem to have more rolling resistance when you develop a flat spot in the center of the tread. (Not worth saving a few $ versus eating pavement).

If you don't already train with a heart rate monitor, I would start. Many of us tend to overtrain or overdo it. At 40 plus, the chance of this being fatal certainly would seem to increase. I also find that I recover faster if I try to stay in zone (and out of redline more often). Using one religously really helped my fitness. If you are really serious, the concensus is that power measurement (wattage) is the best measure. You can get set up with a Polar 720i and a power measurement option for about $500 to $600.

I will say this, in closing. After racing off and on for many years, I pretty much gave it up. It just felt too much like a 2nd job and took away the fun of riding for me. I find fast recreational rides (weekend group rides) to be more satisfying. You get a lot of the same feeling (sprinting for stop signs, breakaways, and the "finish line") depending upon the group, but without the added expense and pressure of an organized race. I found that unless I finished in the top few places I just wasn't happy. And my HRM showed me that in doing so I wasn't always being very wise (pushing myself over the limit). Whatever you decide, just try to have fun, and ask around as a lot of guys are wiling to give you tips and help (true with mountain bikers more than true roadies, but there are always at least a few nice people to be found.)