Old Age

[Quick Shifter]

I am an old guy (68) who has been riding for pleasure all my life. My rides are usually around 25 miles along country lanes in the UK, with lots of hills thrown in. Last Summer I found that I was getting tired at around 17-18 miles, and thought maybe I was suffering with a virus, but this Summer is the same and I find that when I get home after a ride I am exhausted.

Is there anything that I can do to improve this problem, or is it an inevitable part of getting old? Should I eat something, like a biscuit maybe? I could cut the ride length down (and inevitably will have to) but then it does not seem worth getting my gear on for such a short time.

 

[Mr. Beanz]

My buddy is 73 and still kicks butt. Ain't the age.

He does eat well, fuel for rides of 50+. Lots of hills and HYDRATE!!!!

Maybe look into an electrolyte source before and during rides. After for recovery.

I use Liquid IV. 30 packs for around $22 at Costco.

But I'm only 60 years old and still doing 50 miles without too much effort. I started using electrolyteslast year working in the summer sun 102 degrees in steel toe boots. Started cramping on rides when I never had before.

Old age I guess but Liquid IV and electrolytes have worked well. I do buy a little jug of Electrolit or Pedialyte Sport to keep myself hydrated. Especially now with the 100 degree heat .

 

[Quick Shifter]

Thanks for that Mr. Beanz, I will look into the energy issue.


Cheers,

Colin

 

[cobbwheels]

Last Summer I found that I was getting tired at around 17-18 miles, and thought maybe I was suffering with a virus, but this Summer is the same and I find that when I get home after a ride I am exhausted.

If you had Covid, it will take a bit longer to restore performance. I didn't get back to my usual performance until after 2 years after getting infected by Covid.

The Covid vaccines gave me hypertension and made things worse. I went to extreme lengths to try to reverse the damage caused by Covid and vaccines. I won't advise you nor anyone to do this but I went as far as doing 80 miles without eating nor drinking to try to get rid of my body of all the bad stuff from Covid and vaccines. I have kept doing this routine as it seemed to have cured my prediabetes. I no longer display any symptom of prediabetes. I stopped having migraines too.

 

[Quick Shifter]

Thanks cobbwheels,

I did find that I struggled after I had Covid last year, and it took a month or so before I felt strong again. I am worried about the vaccine, and have wondered if my tiredness is connected to being double dosed. I have decided not to have any more Covid shots, but it is a bit late now!

 

[cobbwheels]

Thanks cobbwheels,

I did find that I struggled after I had Covid last year, and it took a month or so before I felt strong again. I am worried about the vaccine, and have wondered if my tiredness is connected to being double dosed. I have decided not to have any more Covid shots, but it is a bit late now!

No problem. I feel just fine after recovering from Covid and off from cycling for one month. Then family pressured me to take vaccine and booster shots. Since then I started having hypertension. Something I never had before. It could still be delayed reaction from Covid but it happened right after the vaccine.

Apart from hypertension, I feel perfectly fine but my cycling performance had deteriorated.

 

[Quick Shifter]

Hmmm,

Let's hope that it is a short term problem and you feel better soon. There are well-documented reports of damage to the heart muscles from MnRA vaccines.

 

[cobbwheels]

Hmmm,

Let's hope that it is a short term problem and you feel better soon. There are well-documented reports of damage to the heart muscles from MnRA vaccines.

Thanks! That was a year ago. I am stronger now than even before I got covid and vaccines!

One interesting fact about me. If I don't ride for two weeks, my hypertension comes back! I don't take blood pressure nor anti cholesterol meds. They are expensive for me and cycling/intense exercising is the only way I can sustainably maintain good vitals.

Same thing for you, don't lose hope, you'll get your usual strength back. It will just take time for your body and epigenetics to cope and adapt if the Covid shots is to blame.

 

[Quick Shifter]

Thanks! I will keep fighting it, got to try to stay fit.


Cheers buddy.

 

[rovelo]

I read in a cycling magazine recently an article by a 96(?) year old, lifelong cyclist, who is a professor of philology. Essentially as we age our muscle mass declines (especially after middle age) and our bodies response to damage is delayed and weaker, and we find ourselves struggling more to recover from mild ilnesses.

There's very little you can do about it (it's hardwired into our genetics), but gentle training does help - but it will take a long time compared to someone in there 20s. Weight training is also beneficial to slow the loss of muscle mass, but ultimately we will all have to work around it. Some might see a big decline after 60, some might not until they're 80 - it's all genetic - and it's part of the life experience.

 

[Quick Shifter]

Thanks. I certainly noticed a decline in myself after I retired - I had a very physical job and I suppose that this slowed the decline in muscle loss.

 

[comebackkid]

You should go see a doctor. Everyone is different, but it is smart to be checked out to make sure you are not having any heart problems, hypothyroidism, lyme's disease etc.. I am 61 and I can still do a ride that length at a decent speed and have some energy left for the rest of the day, and I ride with a lot of guys in their 70s who still regularly ride twenty or thirty miles each day and handle it well.

 

[Quick Shifter]

Thanks, good advice.

 

[cyclintom]

I am an old guy (68) who has been riding for pleasure all my life. My rides are usually around 25 miles along country lanes in the UK, with lots of hills thrown in. Last Summer I found that I was getting tired at around 17-18 miles, and thought maybe I was suffering with a virus, but this Summer is the same and I find that when I get home after a ride I am exhausted.

Is there anything that I can do to improve this problem, or is it an inevitable part of getting old? Should I eat something, like a biscuit maybe? I could cut the ride length down (and inevitably will have to) but then it does not seem worth getting my gear on for such a short time.

I'm 78 and around the beginning of this year my riding started becoming more and more labored. I do climb a lot but that doesn't improve my performance on the flats anymore. This happened to a friend when he hit 88. So I expect that everyone has an age when their own personal metabolism will not allow the speed that we at least would like to think we did. It won't stop me from riding but I will just be slow without worrying about it. We can't live young forever so no sense in fighting it.

 

[Quick Shifter]

I suppose deterioration in fitness is inevitable, it all depends on the individual how long it takes. A friend of mine was super fit and seemed like a superman, but he succumbed to cancer at 72.

 

[cobbwheels]

I suppose deterioration in fitness is inevitable, it all depends on the individual how long it takes. A friend of mine was super fit and seemed like a superman, but he succumbed to cancer at 72.

We riders tend to avoid cardio vascular diseases. Heart attack seems to be the #1 cause of deaths in America. I suppose we'd be adequately protected from heart attack.

But cancer, not so much, sadly. Unfortunately, riding outdoors raises our chance of getting skin cancer more than average. Sugary fuel and plenty of sugar in after-ride meals also raises the risk.