All dropped to bits at 50 (now 52) mental blood pressure issues, tennis elbow, base of spine made of jelly, two fingers on left hand that numb i don’t notice them getting cut or trapped, eyesight went in six months and yes woman approach me to ask for directions…. worst thing is lack of fitness retention if i don’t get three rides a week in i go back go to ground zero in three weeks

55 yrs old. Run 5 miles 5 days a week each morning. Cycle 20 miles 5 days a week each afternoon.
Yes, I have aches and pains and carrying a bit of weight as I do like my food; but probably no worse than I was 15 years ago.
I’d say stop moaning, and get on with it!!!!

Until last year when had things to deal with I was doing a lot of triathlons and ultra marathons etc. Then let it slip and the weight go on. Plus hit the big round number and noticed the added weight and age means needing to be careful. Just played second three set tennis match of the weekend and the secret (I hope) is plenty of stretching. I don’t do enough but this is new regime. 20 mins stretching now and then hit bath with some badedas found in the back of the cupboard.

Try to avoid the pills! But my wife gave me a lavender rub this afternoon on a strained muscle and that worked a treat!!

Horas advice to see an osteopath is sound – a lot of people have misaligned pelvis’s/hips from things like always standing with one leg in front of the other and other stupid things – which then leads to other issues/pains.

Make sure you see one that gives a remedial massage first – otherwise you will need repeat visits as the muscles will pull you back out of shape given half a chance.

Only see a chiro if he does this as well, most just try to rip you off with courses of treatment with short appointment times. My wife works for one and gets free treatment, but will still travel up to London and pay to see my osteopath – who incidentally can’t work at the moment as he has a rotator cuff injury that has flared up as he works so hard straightening patients!

(Only) 44 but seem to be going downhill rapidly 🙁
Fitness is appalling right now due to partially ruptured Achilles last June and lack of bike action pretty much since then. As a consequence I’m still not walking as I did prior to that. Went out on a feeble road 25 miler (time allowance) today but felt quite beaten up after it…left knee and what I think is my ball/socket left leg joint bloody hurts now too – all related to the injury. Need to get out more and increase effort/mileage so I get fit(ter). Hopefully when I get there the aches will decrease – wishful thinking!

That’s 20 mins plus stretching and a little bit of meditation. Hot bath next.

70 this year. No aches, no pains. Plenty old injuries, all motorbike related with over 50 big crashes, but no problems, so lucky there, many of my mates weren’t.

Always avoided painkillers. Always worked on the principle I’d sooner feel the pain and work around it rather than possibly exacerbate it by overusing a damaged part.

The thing that is obvious to me is a continuous annual decline from about 55, but that’s to be expected.

Reactions are much slower now, so I’m very careful to avoid injury now, because a bad injury could be a show stopper as far as my bike riding is concerned, plus I’m on blood thinners and bleed like an over enthusiastic haemophiliac and I don’t want to make a mess on the trails.

Health advice?

Don’t smoke (lots of dead smoking mates). Drink beer sparingly, whisky is better and doesn’t give you tits. 🙂

Ride a singlespeed, lots. Grind yourself into the ground every so often with a couple of 24 hours plus a few road centuries each year, and allow recovery.

Oh, and keep your wheels on the ground. Immortality and invulnerability belong to the young.

Always avoided painkillers. Always worked on the principle I’d sooner feel the pain and work around it rather than possibly exacerbate it by overusing a damaged part.

Same here.

Don’t smoke (lots of dead smoking mates). Drink beer sparingly, whisky is better and doesn’t give you tits.

And this, or strong beer in small quantities. No processed food if poss. Eat less than I want.

Top advice (apart from the beer) Epicyclo. *fistbump*or *props* (or what it is the kids do to show respect).

kjcc25 – might try for Friday. Having my rotting set of teeth inspected tomorow morning. Now thats what I call old.

We also know someone in his seventies who regularly mountainbikes,although at the moment he’s out in the alps (again) for 3 months living out of his van & skiing!Legend & inspiration!

Good old Eric!

Who’s Eric? What’s his secret?

Ride a single speed? Don’t drink beer? I would have to consider wanting to carry on living with those constraints.. 😉

Aching like a b’stard today went sailing yesterday (dinghy racing) after my ride and used ibuprofen, I shall not do it again, (the ibuprofen) it makes it worse when it wears off and totally subscribe to the belief that it’s better to feel and manage the pain, action adrenalin is in itself all the pain killer I think we should permit ourselves, if it goes beyond sort of low level pain to acute, then stop doing it, your body is trying to tell you something.

The other thing I suffer from more and more is stupid cramp, not sure why that should be age related but it bloody is, painful and irritating in extreme, particularly buggering about in dinghies.

54 and a mere whippersnapper.

Recovery from a hard ride takes a little longer than it used to but generally I’m on the go again within a day or so. In the summer I manage getting on for 200 miles a week – about 80 off road. Mileage is less in the winter but only because I lose the will to live if I head out night after night in the cold and wet and mud. I have been night riding since before Vistalights were innovations therefore the novelty has worn off a bit.

What epicyclo said about keeping your wheels on the ground!

Plenty of stretching helps keep any aches and pains at bay.

Illnesses take a little longer to sort themselves but I just make sure I have properly recovered before launching back into a mad exercise regime.

I haven’t really slowed down yet. IMO passing 50 hasn’t proved to be that disastrous!

70 this year.

Ride a singlespeed, lots.

Just started with the singlespeeding thing this year (age 40), so glad I’ve discovered the secret with time to spare. I’m looking forward to teaching the kids a lesson in 30 years time on my old ss down the trail-centre.

Drink beer sparingly

Bugger.

After 2 bone breaks, one ending up with a frozen shoulder, I’ve gone from being the fittest I’ve ever been to a grumpy wreck.
6 months off the bike in 2013, with gentle riding to get back up to speed and a fantastic week touring the coast to coast to coast, got me back on form.
Disaster struck again when I broke my hip last July and have only just got back on the bike. Riding a very easy flat trail, which even in the bad weather made me feel ecstatic.
However my job keeps me active and I eat healthily (with a cake or chocolate treat often) and walk every day (even when on crutches), also a kind friend lent me his turbo trainer. 20 minutes spent on that every night is helping to keep me sane.

I really can’t think about a future without bikes, so I will keep riding and walking as long as is physically possible.

Hey lads, I’m not saying don’t drink beer! I’m not one for suffering. Beer is good stuff.

Just don’t drink so much beer you develop desirable fondleworthy lady bits*, or the preggie belly that hits your knees on a hill. The solution is the water of life.

But dump your derailleurs, they’re wearing out your knees with all that demented spinning.

Anyhow, single speed, an elderly single malt, and you age well. 🙂

*of course, if you are a lady, ignore this advice.

Not read the whole thread but here is my bit.

46th birthday today and first thing was a trip to the consultant to confirm my ankle is a write off and they need to hockey stick fuse it. This follows snapping the foot off in September 2012 and the 4 months zero load bearing (in bed) that followed and the 6 months of rehab that followed that. I then had a good couple of months until it slightly crashed the bike and wasn’t riding, or walking much, for another 6 months. Tried to restart riding again a couple of weeks back ans was ‘surprisingly’ unfit. Checked with friendly physio and he confirmed the ankle wasn’t good which led to the dr visit at the start of this paragraph.

The good news is that the operation, 3 months in a cast and 3 month rehab isn’t that urgent so I can use this summer to lose the extra 3 stone I put on since wrecking my ankle.

Every cloud has a silver lining

Some of us are slowing down.

I’m just getting over a serious bout of prostatitis. Bloody nora my nuts felt like they were being blow torched for the last 5 months. As for my prostate….Holy Hell. I’ve been off the bike since Oct last.

I’m only 40!

I do however have Cystic Fibrosis and ride( will be soon-again) with a lung function of around 50% -FEV1. My joints are shot to shit through CF related arthritis. In CF terms I’m an old bastard..if that counts

I’m currently having a session on Klean Prep- Bowel Blaster. I’m more packed than the tube at rush hour. Now waiting for the bomb doors to open and anal hell to be let loose…think Dumb and Dumber toilet scene. Then times by 10!

I still roll with the punches and can still keep up with my mates,well most of the time.

On the Cf units wall there is a picture. It says ‘In the midst of the Storm learn to dance in the Rain’

So folks whatever your age related problems and health issues…dance! just with a bike 😉

Oh, and I bought an SQ-LAB saddle for the Whyte 905. I have too say it’s built like all saddles should be and my prostate loves it.

^^^ scud, would be interested to hear more about the saddle. I have recently gone to ISM saddles on all my bikes post prostatectomy.

I was advised to look at SQlabs by a mate-Dr. He also rides and came 11th in last years national Hill climb champs…and was gutted.

I did a lot of research on the net and came to the conclusion that only SQlabs had the experience and clout to produce a quality product that works.

– previous to SQlabs I had Specialized (groove) saddles.

The saddle is the best item I’ve added to any bike ever. I managed in the height of my pain to do small rides.. against advice.

I would advise going on their site and having a good read. I would also recommend the mtb specific saddle for off road duties.

I really love the rear damper that allows your hips to move. This has helped with lower spine problems due to my CF. I used to come back from rides and my lower back would be killing. This saddle has resolved that!

It takes time to get used to and initially you think, ‘what have I bought this for’. Stick with it and the rewards come. It’s a saddle like no other and I’ve tried all brands/shapes etc. In my opinion it’s how all saddles should be for men..we’re just sold sub-par shite and put up with it. Largely because we are getting away with any saddle in our younger years.. slowly damaging our bits.

Hope this helps..

Just seen this thread. 52 and definitely noticed the marked deterioration since my mid 40’s

Main experience is you must keep active and after any period of inactivity you have to take it gently. Whereas 10 years ago if I hadn’t done much for a month or two I could still go out and, say, do a 3 hours bike ride. No longer, it has to build up slowly as otherwise I’ll strain something and the rehab these days is very long. Currently struggling after serious knee injury two years ago and things still not right, surgery beckons and not looking forward to the rehab.

OP I have to say for long bike rides and days in the mountains summer and winter I often take ibruprofen before I go out. Have some stronger stuff too, prescription strength Volatrene (treble strength of the over the counter stuff) for emergencies.

I have read number of places that maintaining flexibility is particularly important, I am lucky in that I have that naturally but strength is waning and there is no doubt you have to do much more excersize to maintain conditioning

Just turned 59. try to ride 75+ miles a week, 2 work commutes of 24 miles round trip & once a week with the local group but failing miserably at the moment. Main problem is neckache which turns to a headache usually the day after a commute. finally going to see if any physio will help.
Seem to take longer to recover these days & the late finish night rides kill me next day but to be expected I suppose.

Just re-read this post—59–how the heck did that happen? I’m sure I was only 25 last birthday–

Just re-read this post—59–how the heck did that happen? I’m sure I was only 25 last birthday–

Reluctant, come on admit it you re-read the thread as you’d forgotten you’d posted in it 😀

52. Bit of back pain and tight calves, mainly when i run, but after 30 years of pounding i can take that. Can still ride comfortably, aiming for a 200 miler on the road this year, just because, but finding my rigid singelspeed is probably going to have to go in favour of a full suss.
Just seem to get more niggles and tightness.
Have become a convert to Pilates and the foam roller, still training 5/6 days a week.
I firmly beleive its a mindset thing; I will not get old!!!!

Bloody Nora … Depressing thread. Hardly a single positive comment amongst ya. Looks like we need a grumpy old man cull as government policy!!

Jokes aside. Keep doing it, whatever it is, and keep active and do Stretches / yoga. I commend it to you grumpy bar stewards.

derekknightrider if you can still touch wood your’e probably doing ok !!!!

I’m sixty and still pootling , the trick is to start of really shite and then it’s easier to maintain the standard

jambalaya–reckon you hit the nail on the head-well & truly busted!!

51 this year and in my 2nd year of MTB.
First 6 months was a very painful with some bad crashes,used a lot of frozen peas during that time 🙂
Takes weeks to months to get over some injuries,i try to get back on the bike as soon as possible or able,as the saying goes *use it or lose it” tends to be true for me.
Don’t crash as much now since my fitness has gone up.
Usually do around 60-70 km at the local trial centers.
Found this book helpful and also invested in a carbon fat bar,helps with the vibrations 😀
I’ve also been taking these tablets for over 12 months and haven’t got a single cold or flu,maybe it’s due to excercise or something else but they seem to work for me.

47 & 7 months here. Born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome so have had the osteo rebuilds on my feet etc. Means I cannot physically run so much as ten yards & was advised to find jobs where I sat down – 32 yrs of working in machine shops wasn’t the docs advice!
Ive noticed my hands are losing strength & grip, which I put down to my CMT speeding up due to ageing & my eyesight has fallen off a cliff.
My knees are shot (broken the right one twice), have RSI’S in both elbows & have sciatic problems.
However, I ride to work everyday & work a physical job, I can still burn 600 calories in 30 min on the turbo, and ive just joined Audax UK and am riding a 200km next weekend.
Personal aim for summer is riding Morecombe to Bridlington in a day (185 miles) and riding with my friend as he aims to qualify for the PBP this year – and he’s 2yrs older than me!

The ground keeps getting harder and coming up faster. One becomes more cautious as reactions are slower and damage takes longer to heal.

Then add a shorter crank one side to help a dodgy knee, gripshift since arthritic thumbs ruled out regular shifters, and a gradually rising handlebar position to favour a bad back.

Other stuff has gone wrong too, when I had a spell as a couch potato, which is the reason why I’m still riding and not about to give up.