Slightly OT - but I think you need the world of audax.Thing is, I need a goal, I need to see continuous improvement, I want to reach new heights, and I want to be better!
I've done enough Charity rides to write a book, so i'm not planning anymore this year.
But seriously, I've got myself in a right old silly state about cycling.
Yup, BTDT GTTS ! I find the most annoying thing is that it takes so much longer for a relatively minor injury (from small cut to tweaked knee) to heal properly and I always want to go 'back to normal' too early .. resulting in more delay ...Growing up i had the belief that I was invincible and even today when I get injured it surprises me that my body has let me down like that.
Maybe the answer is not to be over-focussed on speed as one benefit of aging is that endurance often increases, so longer rides become more accessible. I started cycling relatively late and somewhat surprised myself in managing The Snow Roads 300km audax (4,800m of hills) at the tender age of 'about 60' ... More details and photies here.