reading the 'officially old' posts and being the wrong side of 40 myself, wondering if we tend to look after ourselves more as we get older ?

I would say that i do, a bit, in relation to diet and consumption, but probably not as much as I should

no, as you get older you have less to lose :o)

lol. I find it much easier to 'lose' fitness though. or maybe that was the bacon and egg roll I had a few hrs ago !

I'm the right side of 40 (just), must admit in the last few years I've become a lot more health concious. Some the older guys i get a chance to ride with can leave me in there dust – i want to be like that in a few years time (or preferably next week but that ain't going to happen).

Ironically I think 40 is the time most of the population actually give up and turn into coach potatoes.

44 here and fitter than I was 10 yrs ago before I got properly into bikes. just wondering how my riding in another 10 yrs will be dictated by how I live, eat and drink in the intervening period !

Like stumpyjon I'm just the right side of 40

In the looking after myself stakes I'm definitely moving in the wrong direction safety wise while in the right one fitness wise. That said, one may be feeding into the other…..

I love being middle aged though …. MOAR bike budget!

Really fit guys I know in their mid – late 50s say that stretching becomes noticeably important and some weight training to counter muscle loss that begins to accelerate after age 40. Some of them eat healthy and some don't.

Recovery slows down so multi day stuff can be a challenge I think.

Training tends to be more focussed; hard 3 hr rides rather than longer ambles but much of that applies to people in 30s I expect and in any case is determined partly by other commitments.

At 50+, I'd say I've lost speed but increased stamina, you have to work as hard to maintain fitness as you used to to increase fitness, you lose suppleness [so yes, stretches are important] but biggest factor of all is mental attitude. You tend to have a few more experiences under your belt which in my case changes my whole outlook on life which in turn affects what I want out of my riding.

Diet: I think healthy but eat whatever and whenever! Health: I try but I'm weak…

On the countdown to 50 here. I have found that yes, stretching is important… more so now than ever before. I have found that a few hard sessions, say a week of hard work/long sessions/intervals on the turbo leave me tired for longer than say 10 years ago but I haven't slowed down that much… or maybe I'm riding more efficiently, hitting corners etc at the right speed and carrying it through rather than ragging into bends at full tilt, braking hard then sprinting out (al of the latter while i am out on the trails and not on the turbo obviously) ;o)

I find I'm looking after myself more.
Diet wise I was someone who get away with anything, that's changed, and I've become even stricter since discovering a minor heart issue. No dairy or alchol at all now.
I pay more attention to sleep as well.
Ride wise, each ride is seen as training but still hugely enjoyable.
I feel far stronger now but not as fast, probably because I'm bigger.
And though I've just turned 50 I have been road training and racing with guys over twenty years older than me, and they;re flippin fast. So there's plenty of milage in us yet.

I pay more attention to sleep as well.

isn't that counterproductive ? I find I need less…

ISTR that good quality sleep's as important as nutrition re building muscle – but mebbe if you feel you're getting enough, mebbe that's all you need ?

I hit 40 being the fittest and strongest I've ever been (47 in a few months time) – shortly followed by a series on niggling tendon issues which kept me out of the gym for long periods, and still flare up a bit now. A house move a few years later completley buggered up my sleep for ages, which didn't help with getting back in the gym 🙁 – and whilst I'm not overly bothered about being a wrinkly, that hasn't done the area around my eyes much good either.
Haven't cycled anything like as much in the same period either – the more this last year – but the one thing that's kept off the cobwebs is doing a Pilates class once a week (plus more of the same inbetween) – ie core strength and flexibility stuff

>you have less to lose :o)

In my case I think it's 'more easily damaged' !

In my case I think it's 'more easily damaged' !

….yeah, know what you mean. A gentle tumble 10 days ago with no pain at the time gave me an aching wrist that has kept me off the bike since. I reckon even 5 yrs ago it would have been better by now…

I'd best best go home and drink some wine and eat some nuts I think 🙂

Have been taking glucosamine for donkey's years. I'm the most unfit I've ever been but am happy and just love my riding. Of course having a mid-life crisis bike helps enormously 😉

ISTR that good quality sleep's as important as nutrition re building muscle – but mebbe if you feel you're getting enough, mebbe that's all you need ?

I always sleep blissfully but I figure if I waken naturally to full alterness then I've had enough

i don't know the answer. for myself (44 today) i'm making a real effort to look after myself more so i can still surf, bike etc with my kids as they get older. but then my father in law is 67 and until a few weeks ago i'd have described him as fit as a fiddle. he carries no excess weight, cycles, canoes and does quite physical work. for the last few weeks he's been complaining of chest pains and we found out an hour ago he needs a triple bypass, so i guess you never know.

🙂

Have been taking glucosamine for donkey's years

me too, plus loads of red wine, gin, whisky, pizza, curry, chips…… 😛

Just keep riding – I'm 50 and did Fred Whitton in under 7 last year, 4 Transalps, Swiss National Park Mountain Bike Marathon in under 9 hours, etc, etc. Beat my 19 year-old nephew in the Newnham 60, too. Bet I won't do that again, tho'. Stretch, eat and rest well then pedal like a bastard!

eat and rest well

…. I guess this gets back to my original point though……

50+ here. Fitter than I was in my teens and 20s. Not as strong as I used to be when I gigged 3/4 times a week and was shifting loads of gear but still ride both on and off road, run and play squash most week. Haven't got the absolute speed of the younger guys I ride with but have much greater stamina. Can still do several days of bagging alpine passes or touring. Injuries take longer to heal and I am a bit more cautious off road than I once was but other than that and a few aches and pains all is fine. I drink a hell of a lot less than I did when I worked in international banking and take care about what I eat. Having done yoga for years I have learned to listen to my body and respond to what it needs. Not so much healthy living more just being aware of what I am doing.

Yep 50+ here, I've entered SSEC and Bikefest again, I'll keep going 'til I can't…………….

48 here,fitter than ever and enjoying my riding more than ever. I'm not that careful with my diet,but don't eat crisps,McD's etc…but I do enjoy a curry and a nice glass of beer.
I'm better on long Peaks/ Lakes rides,than quick blasts around the local woods…but I've always been slow.

65 this year. No specific diet or training plan, just avoid industrial food if I can, and only drink expensive alcohol (keeps the quantity down 🙂 )

Done the previous 4 'Puffers solo on singlespeed, plus the 12 hr lite versions in summer, assorted endurance events in Oz, and qualified for this years World Solo 24hr Championship in Oct. Will be also doing the SSEC and SSUK beer & fun runs.

Biggest rule is listen to your body, and try not to crash.

Each year I have to train harder to stay as crap as I was the year before 🙂

I wish we had single speed racing and 24 hour races when I was a young fit 50 year old 🙂

I doubt there is one fast twitch muscle fibre left in my body, so endurance events are my only chance.

Health issues do keep raising their ugly head though. The body does wear out whether you like it or not, and sometimes tries to shut down altogether which is somewhat inconvenient and interferes with training and race plans. But you are a long time dead, and you don't get to pick the departure time, so it's best to get on with riding while you can.

I'm on the right side of 40 myself. 47.

I do find I tend to have to work smarter to keep up with the young 'uns, but I find it hard to be sure if I'm naturally looking after myself better these days or if I'm finally learning some lessons in sense…

Hi all – interesting to see that stretching is a theme here, I'm suffering from achy groin / lower back quite a lot these days and I think I've been lazy when it comes to stretching recently too – must stay bendy!

Forgot to mention, I have never stretched.

I like to keep health – but enjoy pies and wine too much

At my age – you tend to forget how many of each you had 🙂

42 in a couple of months, and i'm fitter now than i have been since my teens. my waist size is the smallest it's been since then too.
i suppose you could say that i live pretty healthily (vegan diet, no alcohol and no smoking) but i'm sure some would disagree…

I'm 50 and did Fred Whitton in under 7 last year

It's my birthday today (46) and I'm doing Fred Whitton for the first time in May. I reckon that anything under 10 hours will be a miracle, so I don't know whether to hate you or respect you 🙂

Joking apart, I reckon I'm fitter now than I've been since my twenties, and definitely enjoying life more than ever.

sfb "alterness?" freudian slip? 😉

sfb "alterness?" freudian slip?

well spotted – but sadly I'm deeply ordinary 🙂

52 here and am training more and doing more weights in gym, using the "weight training for cyclists" i have gained about 4lb of muscle in the last 3 months, and i can see the difference in muscle tone, like those before me have said ,listen your body, i to am much better at long distances than short races

I'm 42 and I've noticed a real slow down in my body over the last few years.

Some nights I find I need 5 hours sleep! It's like I'm wasting my entire life away! Getting up at 4!?? Half the day has gone!

Also, after I've been for say, a fast 30 mile offroad singlespeed blast over big fat hills, sometimes I'm almost too tired to kick out a quick 30 mile session at the velodrome in the evening.

Growing old blows GOATS!

47 years old and another straightedge vegan.
Probably not as healthy a diet as many would assume.
I try to eat as much home cooked food as I can in preference to processed stuff, but I keep a good stock of Linda McCartney sausages and Tesco vegetable burgers and apple strudel in the freezer and I do seem to get through them a bit too quick. 🙄
I never add salt to food, either on the plate or while cooking.
Other than that, I just eat what I want without worrying too much about whether it's the right thing or not.
I just had…
two slices of toast and marmite
two slices of toast and marmalade
a bowl of Shreddies with soya milk
about 6 fruit jellies
…for breakfast, so a fairly typical day so far.
I find injuries take longer to heal too.
I also find I stiffen up quickly when I stop and take longer to loosen up again when I get going. I like riding with friends, but I find it easier to plod on at my own pace non stop than keep stopping to regroup.

45 and as unfit as i have ever been (ish) but agree speed and strength decline but stamina increases, can ride at a slower speed for much longer.

still like to have fun though! 😉

46 in the summer and putting a bit of effort in still.
Every 10 years I've noticed a difference in my body & what I can put it through & get away with.

Gave up alcohol last year – really didn't think it agreed with me in the end. Not missed it one bit, although I've developed a bit of a sweet tooth.

Stomach is shrinking very slowly, BMI of 24.9 though.
I'll do some gym work out on my decking here and get my pect's back again when the weather improves.

Apart from that, I have no real weaknesses that I can do away with, I don't like cake, chocolate, wine, biscuits, butter etc etc, all the things we know would make a difference! I do like a big main meal / cooked breakfast, small lunch and a snack at 6-ish. It seems to work for me so I'll keep trundling on.

Entered my first solo 24hr mtn bike event in May, so that's my aim with the training right now. I don't even think about my age TBH as most of the guys I train with are Vets anyhow. 50 might be something of a watershed – we'll see when we get there. At present trying to manage 3 rides a week (10hrs on the bike) but the weather isn't helping. Just done 2x spin sessions back-to-back this morning from 07:45hrs, my first in over a year and I was soaked in sweat and shot at the end.

+1 for Iainc – fitness drops away horribly if you stay away for 2+ weeks or more.

An interesting thread, at 47 I'm probably fitter than I have been for a long time. I still cant keep up with someone 15 years younger than me, but I'm not embarrasingly slow either. I also feel much better for it.
Biggest problem Ive found is how long it takes for my body to repair itself. Joint pains I would have shrugged off 20 years ago seem to hang around for ages. Glucosamine seems to help.

srx600 – yes, agree with that, particulary the body repair time, which can get depressing at times..

I also find that although I don't eat as well as I could/should or limit the beers enough however i feel more guilty about it than I probably did 10 yrs ago, which helps to encourage better control !

Wrong side of 40 now by a year and fitter than I've ever been, lighter too but more to go….

Now I am aware of every drinking I have as it tends to wipe me out the next day these days when i have a skin full.

i only drink at the weekend but if I've been away with work so "had a few"mid week then Friday might get missed.

Food wide I watch what i eat, sometimes.

Look at it this way though, 30 years ago we'd all be playing golf or in a cricket team FFS, but instead we're charging round the woods like children on bikes. 😀

gotta luv it eh!

srx600 I have nowt to say to the thread but I love your name 😉
Let me introduce you angela 😉