# Getting stronger, having fun!



## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

Tonight i had a very successful ride at a local trail. Its not a fancy riding area, but its effective.

4.5km loop. I now run three laps.
Its very rooty and has small ups and downs w a total of 100m climb per lap.

Each loop gives me a chance to work on a variety of different things such as pedal cadence at different points along each climb. Quality of pedal stroke. finding the smoothest root and rut free line. Making an error free pass on a sketchy narrow sidehill single track with some good undulations and turns thrown in. Timing and control on a high speed pumping section that tops out my 28/10 gearing. Or simply managing my endurance to maintain a steady and consistent lap pace.

there is one short (20m) but very steep climb that has been giving me issues all summer. If its wet or too dry forget it as there isnt enough traction and the little roots and subsequent ledges on the way make the right tire placement critical. 

I usually reverse this section to avoid the fail. As I have only cleaned it once this summer. But tonight i decided to try it the other direction and i cleaned it the first two laps!!! The first time i felt like a pro. The second needed a quick downshift and the third was a fail near the top.

Two summers ago was my entry into this sport. I had to stop multiple multiple times a lap, gasping for breathe and feeling my heart rate pounding in my neck. Now i easily rip off three laps. Ride with much more control and skill. Ive Lost a little bit of weight, but just generally feel better overall.

Its nice to still feel challenged. 

How have the rest of you been doing? Got any great rides/updates to share!


----------



## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

The Sherpa is back. 

Years ago, I had the nickname of Sherpa because I could climb anything. Not fast, not fancy, but I'd grind up most hills. Then the Sherpa went away. He got old, just like me.

This season I turned 70 and the Sherpa returned. Going to the gym three days a week and riding another three days has worked wonders. I am riding better and faster then ever. I mean seriously better and faster. I'm riding trails I used to have trouble walking my bike through. 

I'm really at a loss to explain why things have improved so drastically but they have. Part of it is improved equipment but I think more is just trusting my equipment (and knowing when to bail because the best of equipment is only so good and big rocks hurt "bigly").

Skiing, my other great passion, has also improved but at least there, I was an instructor for 26 years and know the technical stuff I need to do to ski well (and know when to bail - like on the coulair in Alaska this past February when I looked down and renamed it "Oh Hell No" and found a way around and lived to ski another day.

There is no moral to this ramble but Fuse6F asked and I was in the mood to share. 

There is life after retirement and it is good. 
9/13/19


----------



## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Excellent shares for sure! Age is no reason to scale back or cease riding altogether.


----------



## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

^^^ eventually it is.


----------



## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

Yo, Rev:

What leg exercises are you doing in the gym to help improve your uphill power? Are you doing different ones for skiing?


----------



## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

ddoh

I use 11 Nautilus machines starting with abdominals and lower back for core. I move on to five machines for upper body and end with four for leg strength. One for quads, another leg lift machine, one for calfs and finally one for the muscles on the inside of the upper quads who's technical name escapes me. I've been going for six months now and though I have increased weight, I am more likely to increase reps. 

Advice on what to do came from PT therapist my wife was seeing for some knee issues. I won't change come ski season because I'm satisfied with the results and feel that core and lower leg strength will benefit me on snow as much as on a bike. I'll have to work in skiing and the gym on the same day because I usually ski five days a week.

Kudos to my wife who got me to rejoin the gym and joins me most sessions. I'm fortunate I live near a military installation with very good equipment. Because I stayed in the army (active and NG) for twenty years I was able to retire and the facilities are free to us.

Free is good.


----------



## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

Rev Bubba said:


> The Sherpa is back.
> 
> Years ago, I had the nickname of Sherpa because I could climb anything. Not fast, not fancy, but I'd grind up most hills. Then the Sherpa went away. He got old, just like me.
> 
> ...


Great share!


----------



## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

It gives me so much pleasure seeing guys riding into their 60's and beyond. At 45 I bought my first bike in over 20 years. I justified the $1,100 purchase of a new hardtail by telling my wife that at 45, it was the last bike I'd ever need, and I believed it. BOY WAS I WRONG!

Now at 50, with a brand new full suspension rig, I have put in more miles than any other year and I still have three months to go. I dropped 25 lbs and I am riding farther and faster than I did 20 years ago. I am not reckless by any means, but I have a new found trust in my legs and I am clearing obstacles and technical sections that I wouldn't even try 5 years ago. I am not the strongest rider in my group, but I can climb with anyone, even the 30 year olds!

Reading these posts, it thrills me to think I could be riding another 15-20 years!


----------



## Narrowback (Mar 26, 2017)

I turned 62 in May, bought my first bike at the end of March. I've ridden it around 250 miles so far and am finally feeling strong and am able to ride 8-10 miles without stopping and huffing and puffing like I did when I first started. I've lost 30 lbs and haven't felt this good in years. This past Sunday I did an advanced MTB clinic and was pretty happy that I could keep up with the younger guys. I just bought a Fat bike and some winter gear so that I can keep riding this winter. I'm always looking for that next ride!


----------



## bsieb (Aug 23, 2003)

Lone Rager said:


> ^^^ eventually it is.


HA! How true... the bravado rings hollow after a point.


----------



## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

… and then you get an E-Bike.


----------



## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

That sounds a bit like my local training loop; mine is 8 minutes from my house, and with one lap I'm gone about an hour. I often only have time for 1 lap with family and work, if I had to drive to the trail every time to ride, I wouldn't ride very much. 
I started riding again about 8 years ago, after many years off, and got back in to xc and cx racing about 6 or 7 years ago. Upcoming races are a great training motivator for me. When I started, I'd have a headache every night after riding from those steep climbs, it took a while but the fitness came back.

Nice job on that climb!, I have found that pointing the saddle nose just a little down allows me to slide forward, and I also drop my shoulders closer to the bars, which helps on the steepest climbs. For a few years now, I do hill repeats on my steepest climb, about once a week, those used to just wreck me, but over time they've gotten easier. First 2 years I didn't ride that climb because it was too steep, and the root at the top was nearly impossible to clear.


----------



## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

bsieb said:


> HA! How true... the bravado rings hollow after a point.


A certain amount of bravado, paired with insistence on continuing to take care of myself and work as hard as possible at my riding and racing.

Trying to minimize the downward arc...


----------

