Aimed at those who fall into this category and would appreciate hearing how you reached a decision as to whether to continue or not, as the case may be.

Is it really a case of mtfu or is being sensible and practical a better option?

Thanks. 🙂

What do you mean by health conditions i.e. having the sniffles or a more serious complaint, I had to give up half way through a 104 mile sportive as I came down with a virus so I stayed off the bike for a few weeks as kept feeling crap with swollen glands etc, last night though I thought sod it and went for a short ride and now feel great and I’m planning a 50 miler over the weekend to make certain I ok. Makes me wonder if its psychosomatic believing I have a virus when I could be run down instead.

Edit! 😳 Sorry thread title did not sink in. Has now though!

flippinheckler – Member
What do you mean by health condition

I think the bit at the top of the thread where it says “Permanent” is a bit of a give away…

To the OP, that’s a very open question. Obviously it depends on the type/severity of the condition. My ex has had MS for many years and is still able to get out on the bike from time to time, but she has to be very careful and ensure that she doesn’t write cheques that her body isn’t subsequently able to cash. We were together for over 10 years so I’ve a lot of experience of dealing with the issues affecting someone with an incurable neurological condition. Let me know if you want to find out anythin more.

Type 1 diabetic here – have been for 38 years.

If it’s that sort of thing you’re talking about the best thing is to try & live life as normally as possible so get out there and do it.

As long as your control is reasonable any injuries shouldn’t taker much longer (if any) to heal, but if you’re that worried about injuries perhaps MTBing isn’t necessarily for you.

As I get older I get more wary about hurting myself but that’s down to age & responsibilities rather than any medical condition.

Well it’s not stopped that bmxer lad with one leg…. Legend

Depends on how your condition affects you I guess.

I’m diabetic, so have to watch my blood sugar. Family worry a bit if I ride on my own but I’m sensible, and let them know where I’m going. Bit of a pain coz sometimes you want to see what’s round the corner or whatever, but it’s less hassle. And you can guarantee the day I slump into an unconscious diabetic heap is the day I don’t ride where I said I would!

Oh yeah, I’m also partially sighted, so can’t focus quickly. Means I have to ride technical downhills really slowly.

I suppose as long as you can physically ride a bike you can adapt, and with the right attitude adjust your expectations too. And most importantly keep enjoying it.

It entirely depends on the health condition and severity. I’ll keep riding until mine (if ever, I’m working on not) means that I can’t get on the bike.

Depends on the condition. I have osteoperosis, and a rather smashed up leg. I told my consultant “I’ve taken up cycling”, he said “excellent, some gentle road cycling will help your rehabilitation”, I showed him a photo of me doing a ladder drop… bricks were shat. Riding mountain bikes at all isn’t wise, riding like I do is probably downright foolhardy. Only concession is I don’t wear SPDs (because if I twist my leg right it’ll drop off)

But I figure, yes maybe I’ll have a bad crash and shatter like a dropped glass. But when the choice is to live like you’re already crippled, in order to remove a risk of becoming crippled, that doesn’t even sound like a choice to me.

Ironically, I mountain bike because of my condition- I broke my hip in a non-bike accident, and got back into cycling for therapy.

I too am diabetic, I would say the same as others be aware of your limitations and be sensible, if you feel crap cut the ride short. Tell whoever you are riding with the basics in case they need to administer first aid and always carry your meds / prepare to be stuck somewhere for a few hours if by yourself! If you are on multiple meds and illnesses wear a medi alert bracelet/ chain it helps any subsequent medical help you may need.
Basically I prepare for the worst and just get on and ride safe in the knowledge I’ve done my duty to help others help me. Don’t be too shy to ask other questions re health as we seem on here to be quite a sickly bunch lol.
If I do have a spell that I am sick with say a chest infection I take a week off riding, I may be slower than I could be but hey, I ride for me not for anyone else!
And my new theory is racing and strava is for the insecure 😆

Oh yeah diabetic too but tbh it doesn’t make very much difference to me. Also everyone tends to carry energy gels 🙂

I think Ton is one of the best examples on here.
He was told it was game over,but he didn’t give up and found a way to keep cycling.

It’s often more about adjusting your expectations.

Some good helpful replies, thank you.

Nothwind you cheapskate lol

CG, just keep on keeping on love. never give up. and hopefully one day, everything will come good.

My arm’s too weak to risk another crash in the medium term. Not permanent, but enough to make cycling impossible/unenjoyable.

So I bought a dinghy.

Same ammount of time spent faffing.

Good quality racing 3x a week on my doorstep plus open meetings are usualy cheeper than even XC races (3 day National Championships, including food, GPS tracking, rescue boats, etc is £70).

Same demands on fitness (if anything it’s harder as everyone races, you can’t be “fat lad at the back on a group ride”).

Same demands on skill.

Same “go for a ride and get pissed and a curry afterwards” social scene.

It was a sport I’d done before and given up in favour of MTBing, but I was amazed how quickly I got over the whole “I’m a MTBer, there is nothing else to compare it to, it’s the only sport worth doing” evangelism.

Maybe I’ll come back to cycling in a couple of years, but I’ve lost the ‘suns out, must go and do a 50 mile epic in the Lakes tomorow, jump in the car at 7pm on a Friday night and up the M6 and sleep in a layby outside Keswick’ level of mojo for it.

P.S. Burghfield sailing clubs got an open day this weekend, there’s everything for 7 year old’s in Oppies to 97(ish) year olds in wheelchairs racing challenger trimarans.

thisisnotaspoon – Member

“I’m a MTBer, there is nothing else to compare it to, it’s the only sport worth doing” evangelism.

Every time I feel like that, I remember that I used to feel the same about motorbikes, and mine hasn’t run for about 3 years now 😆 No shortage of great things to do with your time.

hisisnotaspoon – Member
“I’m a MTBer, there is nothing else to compare it to, it’s the only sport worth doing” evangelism.

I used to feel like that about trials riding, I couldn’t imagine life without a trials bike, then afterwards about sled dog racing.
I haven’t done either for twenty years and something would no doubt come along to fill the void if I was no longer able to ride push bikes.

Tis hard when you’ve already had to give up one sport which ironically has probably contributed to permanent condition no. 2. 😐

Keep the replies coming please, I really need to get my head sorted out and it does help hearing of others experiences.

I have smashed myself up on a bike and years playing rugby and struggle with knee and back pain, I struggle with asthma now in the winter months and one day i can ride 150 miles on a road bike, the next day i seem to struggle riding 10 miles, my weight and my fitness seem to fluctuate up and down.

The way i look at it is, firstly, i enjoy riding my bike, I look forward to it and most of my good friends are cyclists too and secondly, cycling can be a very low impact sport and i do not know of many medical conditions where doctors would state exercise and fresh air are bad for you?

Like everything else it is moderation, if you don’t feel up to it or you are no longer enjoying it then don’t do it, but all the time you are enjoying it still and it doesn’t have any real detriment to your health, then keep on keeping on, but take advice from medical experts as to how hard you can push yourself.

I too started concentrating on mtbing after big road accident on a motorbike. I thought I would never be happy without a bike but apart from the odd covetous look at some bling machine I am more than happy with cycling even though I will be never as fit as my riding mates. Of late I have become aware of the ticking clock, I am getting old. I can’t even manage what I did a few years ago but I am not giving up. It is about what someone has said already, know what you can do and don’t do stuff because you feel you ought to. That way you will feel physically as well as mentally, bad.
It is about a period of adjustment, feeling your way forward. Just make sure you do what YOU want and I am sure you will find a balance.

CG like funkrodent up there^ my wife has MS, only her’s is very bad these days (can’t stand at all) she used to be very fit & active. She would love more than anything to be able to walk again, as a result she gets angry with people who can walk moaning about having to walk somewhere.

I think what I’m saying (badly) is don’t just give up if its at all possible, “you’ll miss it when its gone”

BTW I do remember you saying, but have forgotten now, what’s wrong?

Taking the decision to give up something you love, keeps you fit and healthy and is good for your mind too is going to be hard.

So hard in fact that when I couldn’t ride, I just decided I’m going to get back on my bike no matter what. Aiming to take part in ‘Hit the North’ saved my sanity.
The only way for me was on our tandem, this was so fantastic that in no time at all some fitness came back allowing me to ride my own bike.

All I can say c_g is that you alone will know when it’s time to give up, however just keep going for as long as you possibly can and by whatever means.

bunnyhop x

I had Guillain Barre Syndrome four years ago and still have a lot of residual problems. I can’t really enjoy any type of technical riding now (which probably stems from me not being very good at trachy stuff anyhow) but still love riding, and have just changed the type off riding I do.

I actually jog far more than I cycle now, which is a shame, but it seems to suit me better now.

*the fact I’m able to do anything means I’m happy with this.

both feet – joints burned up by inflammatory arthritis 17 yrs ago at 30 yrs, digital neuromas (hard nerve tissue like pencils between fingers) make pressure on feet also feels like ball bearings in shoes, also no pads on feet, atrophied long time ago. This put me out of any real cycling action for best part of a decade, few yrs in wheelchair, many on crutches – and partial recovery has been one of bloody-mindendess, extensive therapy, avoiding what I believe to be dangerous arthritis drugs and educating myself. Getting back to cycling, first modified riding style by using only my heels on platform pedals. Neuromas between toe joints have been manipulated and partially dispersed by my forced walking on uneven ground, using walking aids, could have surgery by no guarantee and likelhood of loss of feeling.

The pain is a big issue, but learned to recognize good and bad days and tailor activity, often juts grin and bear it, (until tooth grinding brought it’s own problems, hahah) sometimes that made it worse, sometimes it paid dividends.

Whichever, only you know your own body and condition. Mrs Rider has osteoporosis and breaks bones easily, but was never nuts about cycling so not such a decision to ‘give it up’, and is fairly unconfident riding so a liability to self. A broken hip would be severely disabling, as would a rebroken clavicle We’re looking at trialing a recumbent offroad trike as she currently can’t swim (current complex clavicle fracture, pins, plate etc) and that would be ideal for pootling around in the summer, see if she likes it.

It’s all down to attitude and smarts, balancing long term risks/short term pleasures/maintaining fitness levels etc etc…

You can do anything you want to do, even if you have to modify how and when, so all the best to you, yr attitude is yr best friend and you seem to have that in spades so graaarrr! When i was 30 could do 140 miles in a day, now i can’t, but I enjoy short fast blasts and long slow tours, it’s just about changing it around, am still moving and enjoying the whole thing as much as ever, i was never much about personal bests except for hillclimbing, which is now quite a challenge with the pain, so I limit how much climbing I do. Fact- now enjoying swimming as much as cycling, and was a terrible swimmer for most of my life but got hooked while trying to lose weight. Bonus! to answer Q in short: Will never give up cycling in whatever form I can manage.

Have asthma brought on by furry animals not exercise but does play up in the damp months(most of the year lol)but find some exercise is better than none