# On Being 70



## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

I'm no longer 70. I am now 71.

For those who come to this forum in fear of getting old as you approach 50, get over it.

Body parts will not fall off when you hit 50. You will not fall off your bike for no reason. You may slowly continue to wear out but technology will probably stay a few steps ahead of you.

One of the first things I did when I turned 70 (after the obligatory pig out on buttercream birthday cake) was increase the travel on the Pike on my SC 5010 from 130mm to 140mm. I think it made a difference but it certainly didn't hurt. Change is good.

Then I did what I do every summer. Rode a lot on and off road. Mostly off road as I have yet to see a tree on a mobile phone trying to avoid hitting me at the last moment.

We spent a couple weeks "down the shore" where I borrowed my older son's Heckler (non-electric) and rode with roadies, cruisers, trikes, recumbents and most anything that resembled a bike. I passed them. They passed me. It appeared we all had fun.

Over the course of the summer and fall, I demoed every bike I could, finally deciding on a Santa Cruz Tallboy. Instead of buying said bike, I upgraded my 5010 to an Eagle GX 1 x 12. Much cheaper and I'd been having a great season on the 5010 anyway.

Then came October and a month in Hawaii meeting Ohana on Kauai (they live on the Big Island), renting mountain bikes, climbing a mountain, surfing, hiking and doing what you do on Kauai. After two weeks there, we spent two more weeks on Oahu.

What do you know? We returned and winter and ski season was almost upon us so I bought new skis instead of a new bike. and skied the east and the west.

In the middle of the season, we were off to the Holy Land for two weeks. While friends skied, I bathed with Moses in the Dead Sea. My wife haggled with Arab traders in the old city of Jerusalem, we stayed in Magdala on the Sea of Galilee for a week and Jerusalem for a week. My wife also made me promise not to try to sneak off to the Golan Heights to ski. They were having a banner season and much more snow then the eastern US at that point.

Returning to the US, I headed to a cousin's house in Lake Tahoe skiing the Sierra until Covid 19 brought my season to an abrupt halt. One day I was skiing 48" of fresh powder at Heavenly, the next, everything shut down. I had gotten 61 of a planned 80 days on snow by then.

This was a bummer. I was aiming for 1 million vertical feet this season and was about 8000 feet short. Fortunately, I live in NJ and we have indoor skiing 365 at Big Snow America. When that reopens, I will get the final 8k.

Flying into Reno via LAX on the way out, I was bumped to first class. Flying home from Reno via O'Hare, the plane was virtually empty allowing everyone to have their own row. It really was pleasant flying on an empty plane and beat how we were stuffed into our El Al flight to Israel.

The quarantine took hold but we were never forbidden from riding bikes so I got an early start to this season on a local back road and trails. Not in Parks that were closed, but there are trail elsewhere.

That brings me up to turning 71. I climb better then when I was 40. I even passed a few people this week while climbing. I ride longer and more technical and shake my head when people worry about turning 50. 

For my birthday, I'm getting Raceface Chester flats and Five Ten Freeride Shoes. After 30 years on clipless, its time for a change. It's also time for that buttercream birthday cake!

We head to the shore again in August and may visit friends in flyover country in September unless the virus continues.

Life is all good. Enjoy it and stop looking backwards for answers. The future will arrive whether you like it or not and if you are looking backwards, it will just bowl you ever anyway.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Way to go, Rev Bubba. The only thing worse than getting old is not getting old. 

I’m less than 5 years behind you and I’m happy to say life is as good as I’d hoped it would be.

Life is as good as we make it. My philosophy regarding health: keep moving. Sounds like you’ve got that nailed to the Nth. Me? I’m riding mountain bikes, road bikes, dirt bikes and I’m building new singletrack.

Doesn’t matter what it is, we just gotta pick something, right? Something that keeps us moving. Something that’s fun.

Thanks for the update & inspiration.
=sParty


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## RhB HJ (May 20, 2020)

I'm four years ahead of Bubba, but this is my first summer of serious riding in many years. Today I'll hit the 1000km mark, mostly on the MTB but a few good rides on the Roadie, which I changed over to easier gearing on account of my age and the local topography.
So what did it take?
Last season's long build up to the speed I want on XC skiis. As soon as the skis got packed away, the bikes got tuned.

Even a lot of daily walking won't be enough to need just 2 to 3 weeks on snow to get into the real groove. The "real groove" is keeping up with the middle of the pack of serious skiers.  :lol:


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## Fat-in-Fundy (Feb 21, 2015)

Rev Bubba said:


> I'm no longer 70. I am now 71.
> 
> For those who come to this forum in fear of getting old as you approach 50, get over it.
> 
> Life is all good. Enjoy it and stop looking backwards for answers. The future will arrive whether you like it or not and if you are looking backwards, it will just bowl you ever anyway.


Great advice, thanks!
I'm one of those people that struggled with turning 50, seems now like maybe I was worried about nothing, the best is yet to come!


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

Right. If we don't keep moving, we won't keep moving.


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## telemike (Jun 20, 2011)

Great 71 celebration. I think that we have at least ten more years to go and lets use them as well as possible.

I'm not riding more than the flats near the farm this year and that slowly. I got very little skiing this year before I destroyed my right hip. I'm hoping for that total hip replacement for my 72nd birthday so I can ski and ride by winter. 

Good going to all of us oldsters and keep it going!


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## PierreR (May 17, 2012)

Good inspirational thread. I am 65 and in good health with a few exceptions. Namely, muscle pain and tightness plus a compromised right shoulder. 
I have been skiing for 61 years. I have only been mountain biking for 8. I rank well into the top 1% of all skiers but I am an advanced intermediate mountain biker. I know too much about conservation of energy and center of mass movement but to little about exact amounts of input to totally achieve super balance and flow on a mountain bike. I backed off on the steep learning curve on the mountain bike to keep the deductibles within reason. I can't have it all at my age and body.
I can hurt on the couch or hurt on the bike. I would rather hurt on the bike.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

Good to hear. We can always get better until we can't.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

At 50, Dirt Rag published a story I wrote on turning 50. Looking back 21 years, a lot of the things I said would happen (plumbing issues), did happen. I once considered 50 the start of middle age. I heard 70 is the new 50 so I'm just starting middle age.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

I find it keeps getting better.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

PSIA by chance? I taught skiing for 26 years and keep my certification current. I don't know where I stand as a skier but there isn't much I can't ski. There are things I no longer will ski though.


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## PierreR (May 17, 2012)

Rev Bubba said:


> PSIA by chance? I taught skiing for 26 years and keep my certification current. I don't know where I stand as a skier but there isn't much I can't ski. There are things I no longer will ski though.


Yeah, still PSIA. Got my III the second year of teaching. Specialize in orthopedic issues and alignment. Working on muscle memory imprinting using simulation. Built the equipment in my garage.

I would like to think that I am middle age but there is not a lot of 130 year old people running around.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Rev Bubba said:


> At 50, Dirt Rag published a story I wrote on turning 50. Looking back 21 years, a lot of the things I said would happen (plumbing issues), did happen. I once considered 50 the start of middle age. I heard 70 is the new 50 so I'm just starting middle age.


Does this mean we're now eligible for repetitive mid-life crises?
=sParty


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

PierreR said:


> ...I would like to think that I am middle age but there is not a lot of 130 year old people running around.


Of course not.

They're out on their bikes...


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

You get to do your mid-life crisis right this time.


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## mudflap (Feb 23, 2004)

I would give both testicles to be 40 again. 
Best usage for them I can think of.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

Sounds like a reasonable trade.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Do you older guys (65+) tend to ride and hang with younger folks who are like-minded about fitness? 

On the other hand, I'm assuming that most folks your age do not exercise to the same level or intensity.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

Crankout said:


> Do you older guys (65+) tend to ride and hang with younger folks who are like-minded about fitness?
> 
> On the other hand, I'm assuming that most folks your age do not exercise to the same level or intensity.


There is a lack of other riders my age, so when I do ride with others it simply has to be much younger from 20s up to just turned 50.

In any case, I've always tended to ride solo because most of my rides are spur of the moment. When I go out the door it tends to be a case of "where does the sky look blue?" and that's the direction I go. I generally don't have a plan for distance, so sometimes it's 100+ miles and other times as few as 20.

I'm not sure what you mean by intensity, but I've never trained in the conventional sense, just gone for rides. I don't see the point of spoiling a nice ride by trying to deliberately knacker myself.

The mountains around here mean there has to be some intensity involved, especially as I like hills and prefer to ride single speed, but my pace is rarely faster than is comfortable.

When I have a 24 hour race coming up I do a series of longer rides but that's about it for intensity.

What we have to remember the best time to do stuff is when you're young.

Seeing as right now is the youngest you're ever going to be again, the best time is right now.


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## cyclelicious (Oct 7, 2008)

Crankout said:


> Do you older guys (65+) tend to ride and hang with younger folks who are like-minded about fitness?
> 
> On the other hand, I'm assuming that most folks your age do not exercise to the same level or intensity.


I'm not 65 (yet) but the guy I ride with is younger than me  
Often I'm one of only a few females in my age category for any athletic competition/race/event. I give it my all but in the end, I do it for myself


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

As a card carrying misanthrope, I enjoy riding solo. I used to ride in groups but testosterone kills. Boys and men are always trying to prove something.

At 71, its almost impossible to find people my age who are willing to ride like I do and those who do ride like I do are at least 20 years younger leaving me the slowest in the group (or close to it).

I'm not sure about what you mean by intensity either but my rides are intense no matter how you define it. Before Covide 19 shut down gyms, my wife and I were pretty faithful going every other day too.

When I ski, which is six months a year, I can ski with any age and any level. Period. There few runs, coulairs, chutes, bumps, trees, etc. I will not attempt. I find that skiing with people my age and ability is much easier then riding with people my age and ability. I was an instructor for 26 years and keep up my certifications so I do have an edge (pun intended).


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## PierreR (May 17, 2012)

I ride with two different age groups. Three days a week I ride with a group of bikers in the Cleveland Metroparks. There are about 20 of us and half show up on any given day. Average age of that group is 77 years old. At 65, I am on the younger end of that group for sure and the only one still doing single track. 8 are on e bikes that I built and I maintain them for the group. No one is on a e bike that does not have multiple co-morbidities except me. We add about as many people per year as we have funerals and bikers finally off to assisted living residents. 
Single track is mostly done solo. Not too many bikers doing single track on mid weekdays. I will often break from the group and run some single track and catch back up to them. 
I kinda quit doing single track group rides when I went to an e bike about four years ago. Before that, I was always the oldest. Times are a changing. There might be some e bikes on those rides now. I should check it out. Would love to ride with a group again and be able to keep up.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

I'm 66 and my GF is 64. We ride alone/together a lot, but this has plenty to do with being able to ride whenever we want. Our younger riding friends tend to still be earning livings so they're only available on the weekends whereas we can head out mid-week (when the trails are often abandoned.)

But we like to ride with others, too. Some are younger (40s & 50s), some are older (we rode with Al today, he's 73.) Some of my younger riding friends have discovered ebikes; they're not bad people. In fact, one of them is the president of our regional trail maintenance / mountain biking organization, the Disciples Of Dirt. Ebikes are not the devil.

After living in Eugene, Oregon for nearly 60 years, I just moved to a new city (where my GF lives, still in Oregon, thankfully.) So my circle of riding partners has been reduced, but it's expanding and will continue to do so. I'll ride with anyone, young or old. Age has nothing to do with it. I don't race anymore but that experience has left me able to feel confident joining just about any group ride. I feel lucky in this regard.

One thing has changed a lot, tho. Just 10 years ago I wouldn't give a second thought to heading out for a 40-60 miler. In fact, this was an integral component in my race training regimen as late as 2011. Today I consider 12-20 miles my wheelhouse, 25-30 miles is a big ride and I wouldn't consider attempting a 40 miler unless I planned the event to the Nth degree, including starting early, riding all day and feeling totally whacked for a few days afterward.

Aging is humbling, but it's not so bad. Aging beats the alternative and look, I can still ride a mountain bike. 
=sParty


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## fredcook (Apr 2, 2009)

Crankout said:


> Do you older guys (65+) tend to ride and hang with younger folks who are like-minded about fitness?
> 
> On the other hand, I'm assuming that most folks your age do not exercise to the same level or intensity.


I'm only 59, but something I've noticed over the years is as I get older, those I ride with aren't. At 30, those I rode with were 30. Same at 40. Now, at nearly 60, still the same... those I ride with are still 30. There's one consistent exception, a 50 yo Marine. I guess a lot of that has to do with the lack 60 year old riders on the trails I ride and the like mindedness, as you mentioned. Not complaining though. I think being around like minded youngen's keeps me young too.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

It's better to hang around with the age you feel instead of the age you are.


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## mudflap (Feb 23, 2004)

In my vain attempt to reclaim my youth, and since the new age of wtf, in which I haven't seen my equivalent aged riding partner for two months, I have resorted to something that has been staring me in the face for the last couple years: riding with our grandkids. For sure, the oldest has just got to the point where he is out of high school, so I never really considered him as a riding partner before. 
Now my new riding partners are a mixed bag of 12, 18, and 19, year old's, the youngest riding my old, but still really nice, medium frame 2000 Racer X. The oldest rides a 2020 Farley 9.6 that I just converted to tubeless using Jim Simons "fatty strippers"FattyStripper Tubeless Fat Bike Solution and SkinnyStripper Tubeless CX & DH Solution <link rel="image_src" href="http://fattystripper.com/media/FattyStripper_L best ghetto setup ever.
So really, instead of reclaiming my youth, I find myself feeling the last 70 years wearing on me and taking their toll. Truly a humbling experience when your twelve year old grand daughter leaves you in the dust, and I thought I was in good shape!
But they always wait for me at the top where we usually regroup and make sure everyone's bike is shifting o.k. and that their brakes are working. After my heartrate drops back to below 100, I realize I am an old dude who is riding with teenagers and keeping up, sort of. Not too shabby, and they are turning out to be my go to riding partners as I push through these crazy times one day at a time.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Great replies out here! I'm in my low 50's, which is why I asked the questions in my earlier post. Though you may not view yourselves as such, you are inspirational. Many of my former local racing peers have left cycling for other pursuits but there are still several in my age group that continue to amaze me.

I find myself needing specific recovery days at a higher rates than 5-10 yrs ago, but yet I consider myself a strong rider and train as such. Balancing intensity with rest is key.


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## sapva (Feb 20, 2017)

mudflap said:


> I have resorted to something that has been staring me in the face for the last couple years: riding with our grandkids.


You're lucky to have someone to ride with (and of course healthy, active grand kids). Not only do the body parts wear out, but also friends who used to be active. At only 58, I don't know anyone in my age group who is still fully functional.


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

I like riding with my older son who is 39. Is was always a very good athlete and remains in shape when many his age are on the downward track. 

He can easily out ride me but is considerate enough to choose to follow most of the time. 

I did have a friend my own age who rode just like me but he moved away five or six years ago. I still ride with him when I'm in Norcal but its not exactly like living a couple towns away in NJ. 

Up until Covid 19, there were some after work rides put on by local shops with a no drop policy and they could be fun. I was never by the front but not dead last either so I was satisfied.

I keep saying solo is fine with me and it is.


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## RhB HJ (May 20, 2020)

Crankout said:


> Do you older guys (65+) tend to ride and hang with younger folks who are like-minded about fitness?
> 
> .......................


Mostly ride by myself, but in XC skiing I want to be in the middle of the pack of those Keeners.


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## sturge (Feb 22, 2009)

Very inspiring! I'm 61 and have been riding 3x/week for years. I'm in eastern CT where there's no flowy lift served stuff but tons of great technical wooded New England singletrack with plenty of challenge and cardio. I have a couple of buddies similar age who are still into it just as much as me. We ride year round and always laugh about how 'biking season is over' when temperatures drop, the lights come out and 'variable' conditions require a totally different set of riding gear and technique. It keeps it fresh!

As time goes on even though our ability and experience gets better, the focus on NO CRASHES is more important than ever. No shame in passing on the hits with consequences so we can ride another day. That and being smart about giving old injuries/aches and pains an extra day to recover every now and then.

The newer technology is lightyears ahead of what we rode back in the day...seems like every ride is 'best ever' and keeps us smiling!


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## sapva (Feb 20, 2017)

sturge said:


> I'm in eastern CT where there's no flowy lift served stuff but tons of great technical wooded New England singletrack with plenty of challenge and cardio. I have a couple of buddies similar age who are still into it just as much as me. We ride year round and always laugh about how 'biking season is over' when temperatures drop, the lights come out and 'variable' conditions require a totally different set of riding gear and technique. It keeps it fresh!


Guess it depends on where you live. Was out yesterday, and biking season is definitely over for me in VA until fall. Maybe some lift served downhill, or the skate park if it's a really cool morning. That's one big difference from when I was younger, I don't fight the heat and humidity.


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## sturge (Feb 22, 2009)

That's a good point...last Sundays ride was very humid and high 80's and it was like a slap in the head. We get some heat waves here where heat/humidity is brutal but I'm sure it's nothing like you folks down south!


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