The Over 50's Support Thread.

[Bonus]

Some days it's just a case of "everyone else being really quick". Sounds like you did plenty of good training so don't beat yourself up about it . . . . 

 

 

 

#over50'smotivationalspeakerforhire . . . . . . .

 

:-)

[SwissVan]

How can i get "faster" on the bike during races ? Dont know it this fits in this thread but seeing i am over 50 maybe it does. I did the PE2Plett Lite and for me it was really not Lite!!! I have been training for a year now solid ( with a coach) , and i just survived out there. If i look at the other so called weekend warriors i am actually shy to say i trained for so long...........i even lost 5kg in the process leading up to the event. I actually said to my wife i was always under the impression that i am quit "tough" but FM after an event like this i really doubt my "toughness"...........

 

Hey Help.Me

 

First thing, make sure you are comparing apples with apples.... over 50's with over 50's

Even being 10 years younger (40) makes a big difference compared to over 50 

 

Unless you have a very large base (many years) of training and racing it will be difficult (not impossible...) to compare / compete with other weekend warriors who are most likely younger and therefore at an advantage.

 

How to improve... already you are taking the right approach with a coach. 

Does your coach include regular quality (speed work, high intensity efforts) and overall body strength training? These are very important as you get older and if you want to improve. Even more important is lots of recovery / rest.... As a 50+ you need more time to recover so take a few days off per week especially after hard training efforts.

 

Good luck an welcome to the club 

[Help.Me.]

Hey Help.Me

 

First thing, make sure you are comparing apples with apples.... over 50's with over 50's

Even being 10 years younger (40) makes a big difference compared to over 50 

 

Unless you have a very large base (many years) of training and racing it will be difficult (not impossible...) to compare / compete with other weekend warriors who are most likely younger and therefore at an advantage.

 

How to improve... already you are taking the right approach with a coach. 

Does your coach include regular quality (speed work, high intensity efforts) and overall body strength training? These are very important as you get older and if you want to improve. Even more important is lots of recovery / rest.... As a 50+ you need more time to recover so take a few days off per week especially after hard training efforts.

 

Good luck an welcome to the club 

I have being cycling for a good couple of years but after 2013 i kind of lost interest due to health problems but i did cycle fairly regularly. On dr's orders i stopped completely half way in 2017. Got the problem fixed and started cycling end of 2018 again, joined up with a coach in Jan 2019, had some issues with the coach which is sorted now. I think some problems where with my FTP indoors vs Outdoors because when i went out doors i nearly died after every ride, hilly routes etc. The indoor sessions was much more manageable. The new coach sends me on more out side rides where i think i have picked up on my fitness levels. To get the real deal i presume?? Slowly but surely getting there but sometimes it is frustrating !!! Hence my questions...........   

[IceCreamMan]

We are navigating through unchartered territory , have never been this old before means its all new. 

 

Havign stated the obvious, maybe its time to realise we not 18...to quote the old joke, we dont run down the hill to cover one cow, we walk down to cover them all.

 

As Swiss stated, recovery becomes a lot more NB as we get older.  And don't underestimate the importance of chilled relaxed training. 

Edited February 14, 2020 by IceCreamMan

[BuffsVintageBikes]

If you can still cover all the cows you aren't doing too badly yet, I already need to be selective

[Blokman]

How can i get "faster" on the bike during races ? Dont know it this fits in this thread but seeing i am over 50 maybe it does. I did the PE2Plett Lite and for me it was really not Lite!!! I have been training for a year now solid ( with a coach) , and i just survived out there. If i look at the other so called weekend warriors i am actually shy to say i trained for so long...........i even lost 5kg in the process leading up to the event. I actually said to my wife i was always under the impression that i am quit "tough" but FM after an event like this i really doubt my "toughness"...........

Did I see correctly ? Four days, almost 300 km and and 4800 m of climbing. For the light version. That's not easy. You survived , you finished . You are too hard on yourself. 

[DJR]

Around the dinner table recently, I sat listening to the group about their year.

 

This one got diagnosed with diabetes, that one had a heart bypass, the other had a gall bladder removed, the girl next to him had an unspeakable womans operation, just about everyone was on some sort of medication, high blood pressure, anti-depressants, you name it......and so on.

 

I thought: Hell, you all sound so old and stuffed.

 

I decided to shut my trap about my broken arm from crashing my bike. I had a fantastic year!

Edited February 14, 2020 by DJR

[Kranswurm]

Around the dinner table recently, I sat listening to the group about their year.

 

This one got diagnosed with diabetes, that one had a heart bypass, the other had a gall bladder removed, the girl next to him had an unspeakable womans operation, just about everyone was on some sort of medication, high blood pressure, anti-depressants, you name it......and so on.

 

I thought: Hell, you all sound so old and stuffed.

 

I decided to shut my trap about my broken arm from crashing my bike. I had a fantastic year!

You sound like a bunch of old farts

[Help.Me.]

Did I see correctly ? Four days, almost 300 km and and 4800 m of climbing. For the light version. That's not easy. You survived , you finished . You are too hard on yourself.

 

Thank you!!!

[HeyYou]

How can i get "faster" on the bike during races ? Dont know it this fits in this thread but seeing i am over 50 maybe it does. I did the PE2Plett Lite and for me it was really not Lite!!! I have been training for a year now solid ( with a coach) , and i just survived out there. If i look at the other so called weekend warriors i am actually shy to say i trained for so long...........i even lost 5kg in the process leading up to the event. I actually said to my wife i was always under the impression that i am quit "tough" but FM after an event like this i really doubt my "toughness"...........

Come ride with me.

 

I'll make you feel exceptionally fast.

 

I'm 69 and I've run marathons faster than I can cycle now.

 

The important part is that you're cycling and can look forward to 30/40 years more of it.

[coppi]

I've got min dae..............turning 50 on Sunday 23. Certainly don't feel old, I still manage a good 3000km of cycling per year and plan to carry on, hopefully wiser 

[V12man]

How can i get "faster" on the bike during races ? Dont know it this fits in this thread but seeing i am over 50 maybe it does. I did the PE2Plett Lite and for me it was really not Lite!!! I have been training for a year now solid ( with a coach) , and i just survived out there. If i look at the other so called weekend warriors i am actually shy to say i trained for so long...........i even lost 5kg in the process leading up to the event. I actually said to my wife i was always under the impression that i am quit "tough" but FM after an event like this i really doubt my "toughness"...........

Go on a skills course from a coach who can actually ride AND teach - and then let go the brakes more often.

 

Learning to manage a multi day stage race and go faster comes with time - you just have to keep riding them, and figuring out what you can do to go faster - this always ends up with 3 things for me - 1) Lose weight, 2) use less brakes 3) managing your pace/effort better -knowing just how hard and for how long you can go means learning it the hard way.

[IceCreamMan]

Well, theres hope for us yet.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51618159

[DJR]

Well, theres hope for us yet.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-51618159

It doesn't say much about the sanity of 60-somethings

[Headshot]

I'm 53 and just raced the DH Nationals at Jonkerhoek which is my second official DH event ever. I have raced several enduro races and  a few short stage races in the past  While my fitness is obviously not as good as it was 10 years ago, my skills continue to improve and I'm a far better rider than I was even a year ago. This kind of riding is a mental game as much as it is physical. As an older rider, experience counts for a lot and helps make up for declining fitness. The same will apply to endurance events, but perhaps to a lesser extent. 

 

I spoke to a guy at the race ( not competing) also in his 50's who was battling to overcome his fear and learn skills like jumping. What has worked for me is reading and watching videos on skills and then applying those skills to bigger features. Once you have the muscle memory on a small jump or drop off, simply apply the same to a bigger one. Imagine yourself on the landing i.e where you want to be and ignore the dead ground in between and you'll generally end up there...

[V12man]

If you can still cover all the cows you aren't doing too badly yet, I already need to be selective

Does this mean you are a softie? :ph34r: