Older riders: Has your strength/fitness gradually declined or in noticeable steps?

[oxoman]

I have noticed a slowdown in my 6th decade but I put it down to 2 things. Firstly, I used to commute 100 miles each week (although in the winter this used to sap my enthusiasm for riding at the weekend), but I think the main thing for me has been the increase in cycling infrastructure.

When I set a route these days it's probably only about 25% on roads shared with car users, and when you're on paths shared with walkers and horses you have an obligation to slow down. The surfaces are also not conducive to riding as fast as a sealed tarmacked road.

I'm similar to yourself but in my area the new cycling infrastructure is useless. It's all stop start stuff a few metres between junctions so pointless, some of its on shared paths but they only give you a narrow bike width and there's street furniture on that bit. Best bit for me is the old ferry bridge which is about 1/2 mile long open to bikes and pedestrians. Sadly my commute is down to 5 miles each way, very easy to say stuff and get in the car in bad weather.

 

[oxoman]

We're on a cycling forum so few are going to agree with you on that one.

And besides, which "choices" would you say are better in regards to a low impact cardio vascular workout where you're in the great outdoors.

I believe cycling simply can't be beat. Running to me is brutal, especially on aged joints, ligaments and tendons, and the older guys on here, of which there are many, I believe, would agree wholeheartedly.

Sorry Esoxlucius, im both old and swing both ways. 🤫. I run and ride, probably both badly. At 60 I can still do reasonable speeds both riding and running but not at similar times. I can no longer do duathlons without major downtime afterwards. I find both activities help each other, but when doing big running and cycling events close together it doesn't. Case in question i did 200 dirty reiver gravel ride and a local 20 mile road run within 3 wks and both times suffered. I think as we get older we get more stubborn and soldier on regardless and tend to ignore stuff until its to late. I now tend to copy the younger generation occasionally and will have a proper sports massage well before an event to sort the tight bits out before hand. I also push myself cardio wise , within limits as I have high blood pressure. No weight lifting or sprinting etc.

 

[esoxlucius]

Sorry Esoxlucius, im both old and swing both ways. 🤫. I run and ride, probably both badly.

Obviously I swing heavily towards cycling but cycling during the late autumn, winter and early spring months isn't always nice.

Those months are when my fitness used to drop off. I needed to fix that but didn't fancy doing indoor turbo training, so I started running.

The cardio vascular side I had no problems with. No stopping for a breather or anything, I could run and run and run. My heart could take it easily. However, my legs couldn't!

Constant aches and twinges both during running and certainly afterwards too. The deal breaker came when I felt a right twinge during one run on my Achilles tendon. I stopped immediately and walked the rest of the way home. I couldn't run or cycle for around three weeks after that.

That was a couple of years ago. I ended up getting a turbo trainer and do use it quite regularly during the "off" months.

I'd love to be able to run as confidently as I cycle and yes I agree, they'd both compliment each other nicely, but it would be foolish of me to carry on running regardless and ignore what my body tells me.

 

[katiewlx]

The extremely shocking thing is though and it's a sad reflection on modern society, is that it's not just people our own age we are much fitter than, it's the younger generation too!!

My 22 year old son "thinks" he is quite a stud. He does a bit of gym work to build those muscles for the girls of course, but on the rare occasions he joins me for a jog he is totally wasted. Totally out of his depth, it's as if his cardio vascular fitness doesn't even exist!

And that probably applies to hundreds of thousands of young 20-30 year olds out there.

its not necessarily all their own fault though, theyve grown up in an era where theyve been conditioned not to think of exercise as an essential necessary thing for their health, theyll do the gym work as you say to impress the ladies, but theyll use the lift rather than take the stairs, theyll hire a cab instead of walk just a mile, cycling is a complete mystery to them as to why youd do it, they want the ebikes or escooters because its less effort.

unsurprisingly alot of them end up without much fitness at all let alone cv fitness, and you only have to look around in the supermarkets, shops or in the workplace the impact that has on them.

 

[katiewlx]

Obviously I swing heavily towards cycling but cycling during the late autumn, winter and early spring months isn't always nice.

Those months are when my fitness used to drop off. I needed to fix that but didn't fancy doing indoor turbo training, so I started running.

The cardio vascular side I had no problems with. No stopping for a breather or anything, I could run and run and run. My heart could take it easily. However, my legs couldn't!

Constant aches and twinges both during running and certainly afterwards too. The deal breaker came when I felt a right twinge during one run on my Achilles tendon. I stopped immediately and walked the rest of the way home. I couldn't run or cycle for around three weeks after that.

That was a couple of years ago. I ended up getting a turbo trainer and do use it quite regularly during the "off" months.

I'd love to be able to run as confidently as I cycle and yes I agree, they'd both compliment each other nicely, but it would be foolish of me to carry on running regardless and ignore what my body tells me.

my knees could never really handle the impact of running, but I think the achilles tendon is quite a common injury for cyclists who take up running, which is why theyll often advise pro cyclists not to do it as part of their fitness regime, though some still do but I think you have to do alot more stretching and kind of prep work on those leg muscles and tendons aspects to keep them looser and pay attention to bike setup with foot position as well as I think if you heel down more on the pedal stroke you can put more strain your achilles, and it builds as you countinually micro tear/or cause swelling to it.

 

[esoxlucius]

unsurprisingly alot of them end up without much fitness at all let alone cv fitness, and you only have to look around in the supermarkets, shops or in the workplace the impact that has on them.

Even on this forum there seems to be a startling disconnect between young members and us older ones. I'm 58 and would have thought I'd be one of the older guys here but going off ages that are regularly given out by other members, I think I'm actually on the younger side!!

Is cycling a dying thing with the young or are the younger ones just concentrating on other social media as opposed to forums? I wouldn't have thought that cycling was unpopular with the young because you just need to look at the conveyor belt of elite young riders coming through in the pro cycling world.

Maybe the young uns just don't want to converse with a load of old guffers, so they stay away, lol.

 

[kingrollo]

Any exercise is better than nothing of course.

Cycling is popular as a activity because it essentially makes something difficult - travelling distance - relatively easy. Sure you can make it difficult if you have the will power to do so but something like running keeps you on task by default - no coasting or easy downhills when you run. Fact is there are many better, more efficient and safer choices for fitness and health than cycling.

If anyone is seriously committed to health, fitness and longevity then cycling should be really be supplementary - not the main course.

Not sure how you arrived at that conclusion. As a HA survivor -;cycling is one the best exercises - if you feel a bit ropey you can back off the intensity - it's easier on your joints than running - if things really stack against you - you can try a recumbent bike or trike - then theres ebikes if you want to workout but not go into the red zone.

You do need to stretch and supplement with strength training - but that's the case with a lot of other sports.

The only downside of cycling is the pallava of getting ready ...and you probably need decent hours on the saddle v running.

 

[Webbo2]

The only downside of cycling is the pallava of getting ready ...and you probably need decent hours on the saddle v running.

The getting ready bit and I may mentioned this before. Working your way in to windblock tights, base layers and tight fitting jackets is a workout in its self. I’ve done gym sessions that were less strenuous. 🏋️‍♀️

 

[esoxlucius]

The getting ready bit and I may mentioned this before. Working your way in to windblock tights, base layers and tight fitting jackets is a workout in its self. I’ve done gym sessions that were less strenuous. 🏋️‍♀️

See, cycling is the gift that just keeps on giving. And you fail to mention peeling it all back off when you get back too! Lol.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Wandering OT but competing forms of exercise in my experience.

Swimming is great exercise but very inconvenient - you have to find a pool, unless you live by a lake or the sea I suppose. Very cheap on equipment. I personally also find it somewhere between unenjoyable and boring.

Running is super convenient, relatively cheap equipment wise but very harsh on the joints. But it is load bearing unlike cycling and swimming. I used to love running but I wrecked one knee in an accident and my surgeon recommended against recreational running as a hobby.

Cycling too is convenient. Can be very expensive (doesn't necessarily have to be) but at least more than the other two. In general it gives a more diluted workout than running, and you need to put more hours in. I suppose you could always do some furious hill reps to put the lie to that. I find those hours out on my own on the bike most enjoyable.

Walking is good but probably needs to be supplemented with other stuff.

Gyms with all their weights and cardio machines have the potential to be great if you use them well and stick at it. But they tend to be expensive and inconvenient.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Good list, @Dogtrousers . You've missed the specifically flexibility / suppleness things like yoga and pilates and similar, which I think contribute to overall fitness very considerably. I mean 'fitness' in the broad sense, not just the cardiovascular aspect, which people to tend to use as a shorthand for 'being fit'. Personally, I've had an almost unbroken, 40+ year gym (resistance training) habit and I'd rate that as massively important. Adding cycling to that for the cardiovascular fitness, and yoga for flexibility seems nicely comprehensive to me. What I'm getting at is there really isn't one activity which covers all the areas of 'general fitness'. If I was only allowed to do one then it would be resistance exercise, but the others are almost as important, and the cycling is the most fun aspect, by far!

 

[Webbo2]

See, cycling is the gift that just keeps on giving. And you fail to mention peeling it all back off when you get back too! Lol.

There have been times where I thought I was stuck in half removed jacket and Mrs W wouldn’t be home for another 2 hours. The added adrenaline usually managed to get it removed.🤣🤣🤣

 

[esoxlucius]

There have been times where I thought I was stuck in half removed jacket and Mrs W wouldn’t be home for another 2 hours. The added adrenaline usually managed to get it removed.🤣🤣🤣

I fully understand where you're coming from, tight cycling gear ain't no easy job to get on, or off! My full length tight bibs have me cursing every time.

At least when you're getting it on you are dry and no energy has been used.

Getting it off when you're sweaty and knackered, not to mention wet through if you got caught in a shower, can be rather testing to put it mildly.

 

[ColinJ]

I fully understand where you're coming from, tight cycling gear ain't no easy job to get on, or off! My full length tight bibs have me cursing every time.

Try to avoid doing what I did when very tired and trying to remove a tight, damp arm warmer from my right arm. It suddenly came loose, resulting in me punching myself in the face!

 

[Webbo2]

Wandering OT but competing forms of exercise in my experience.

Swimming is great exercise but very inconvenient - you have to find a pool, unless you live by a lake or the sea I suppose. Very cheap on equipment. I personally also find it somewhere between unenjoyable and boring.

Running is super convenient, relatively cheap equipment wise but very harsh on the joints. But it is load bearing unlike cycling and swimming. I used to love running but I wrecked one knee in an accident and my surgeon recommended against recreational running as a hobby.

Cycling too is convenient. Can be very expensive (doesn't necessarily have to be) but at least more than the other two. In general it gives a more diluted workout than running, and you need to put more hours in. I suppose you could always do some furious hill reps to put the lie to that. I find those hours out on my own on the bike most enjoyable.

Walking is good but probably needs to be supplemented with other stuff.

Gyms with all their weights and cardio machines have the potential to be great if you use them well and stick at it. But they tend to be expensive and inconvenient

A long side the turbo trainer in the garage I have weight bench and set of weights, a 40 degree overhanging climbing wall plus finger boards and other exercise stuff. The only problem is there is no power in the garage so I have run a cable across from one of the out buildings for heat, light, fans and music. I can’t leave the cable there permanently as it’s across a shared drive. Yes I know I should look at getting power fixed properly but given it’s a timber framed building I’m not sure I’d want to leave a heater on when I’m not using it.
As I’ve just typed this I’ve realised the money I will have saved in gym and climbing wall fees would cover getting power across to the garage.🤔
If only we didn’t drink so much wine.🍷