[Closed] "It doesn't get easier, you just go..... slower???"

Did you enjoy the ride until you read the stats?

Nothing ****s you as hard as old age...

but that gives as much as it takes

Nah, windy rides are always slower

as MWS asks, did you enjoy it ?  If not, and you're only doing it to be fast, then start training and stravaing and set some genuine comparisons

I ride my fatbike  3 or 4 hours most weekends. I do not set goals for speed, distance or height of climbs. I measure my ride by smiles. One of my riding mates tells me the miles but I don't care. Don't beat yourself up over it, just enjoy. I know I can't do what I used to do but still get the smiles.  I am 63 and live in Wales so am spoilt for riding options.  Today I spent 4 hours riding with 40 other fatbikers for Global Fatbik e Day. Much fun, mud and banter plus a cafe stop. No mention of distance. Perhaps you should try a fatbike.

Sorry 😉 👊

I bet you're riding one of those gravel bikes, aren't you...

[mid 40s? Time to think about an e-bike?!?]

I’m WAAAY stronger than I used to be

Strength is largely irrelevant; power is where it's at.

Nothing improved my speed like a course of plyometrics; a few months of one or two sesh's a week really upped my game.

Mid 40s thinking about ebikes, are you having a laughs, I’m early 40s and thinking by the time I retire I’ll get an ebike which will hopefully weight 13-15kg by then ..

To op 25kmph in winter when it’s cold is good going especially when windy, you’ll be going faster than 90% of other riders out their, except the castelli clad teams who ride in packs and get strava obsesive

Did you enjoy the ride until you read the stats?

Mike has beaten me to it!

I’m in my mid 50’s, so can appreciate where you’re coming from.  After years of logging performance and distance, and riding with Strava obsessives, I’ve given up with that lot and just go with how I’m feeling on the day...sometimes I’m slow, other days I feel pretty quick and capable of putting more effort in - but the big thing is that I enjoy the riding more....er, well, most of the time;)

I do not set goals for speed, distance or height of climbs. I measure my ride by smiles. One of my riding mates tells me the miles but I don’t care. Don’t beat yourself up over it, just enjoy. I know I can’t do what I used to do but still get the smiles.

Nice👌

Reminds me of a retired pro I met a few years ago on a mountainbike holiday - he said he now rides for smiles per hour, not miles per hour.  Really sound fella.

with the amount of time, effort and cash I’ve spunked on bikes over the last 25 years, I owe it to everyone connected to me to be a bit better than merely “good” TBH

Wow! WTAF?

Bikes are just toys mate. Get some perspective, eh?
Either you're surrounded by arseholes or you're blowing this out of all proprotion

Did you enjoy the ride until you read the stats?

Only the direct tail wind bit towards the end. Right from the get go I couldn't get my spin going (average cadence was a good chunk down on normal). Whilst it was surprisingly warm, it drizzled for most of the ride and I hate roadriding in the rain. But a) all my MTB kit was still wet from the previous day b) you DEFINITLEY will be shit if you don't ride.

start training and stravaing

For what? I'm massively overcompetetive, which basically translates into being unable to do anything with a time component because I wind myself up into a tizzy over it on the build up, cock it up straight out of the gate by being overstressed, then spend the next 9 months beating myself up over being shit and useless. If there's no specific end (ie a competition), it's not training, its just riding. I also detest Strava with a passion (this mainly aimed at its negative effects on the MTB end of things).

I make a very definite point of not having a computer on my MTBs (or gravel for anything other than Nav) precisely to take away the possibility of the numbers being able to influence how I ride. Road is a bit different.

Time to think about an e-bike

Over my dead body...

Strength is largely irrelevant; power is where it’s at.

Agreed - but strength applied to the pedals (ie torque) x revs = power. I'm at the skinny end of the spectrum and whilst power to weight isn't bad, outright power is pretty poor. The S&C course includes plenty of plyometric stuff, but I'm pretty poor at things like box jumps etc. I never have had, and I doubt ever will have, much in the way of fast twitch muscle, and it's pretty laughable to see my results on those exercises -v- some of the trials and BMX riders I train with.

You say you stopped commuting

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">I've podiums at long events on nothing more than consistant every day 3 mile commutes. Mostly done at 100% </span>

I've also podiumed at short events with a 20km commute.

It wasn't the distance or the speed that did it. It was the consistancy.

Mid 40s thinking about ebikes, are you having a laughs, I’m early 40s and thinking by the time I retire I’ll get an ebike which will hopefully weight 13-15kg by then ..

funny thing isn't it. Waiting?
I'd have bought an Ebike 25 years back if they'd been as capable and lightweight with the range/power my current Ebike has. Back then, and for a good few years I spent every weekend pushing DH bikes up thousands of feet just to ride 6-8 DH runs.
Why wait until you're in your 60s, weaker and more fearful/less skilled (it happens to us all) or worse still.

within 18months time some Emtbs will be 16kg. They won't have the range or power or durability/capability of the current crop of 20-21kg bikes though.

It really is odd the amount of nonsense folk on here who've clearly never spent any time riding one like to talk about them.

25kmph in winter when it’s cold is good going especially when windy

Hmm... nice to know. as that's a slower average speed than I generally ride at off road in soft conditions and wind round here E'd up.
Go me!

Just give up road riding. You're doing it all wrong.

I measure my ride by smiles

I do for MTBs (hence no computers as above), but on road I do find having some numbers helpful - especially things like cadence and heartrate. Knowing how much climbing your doing is kinda satisfying, and I always like a max speed (breaking 50mph means its a good day!). Once you've got all that, the average is easy and difficult  to avoid. The problem is numbers are concrete and unarguable, smiles are subjective. If you've felt like Pantani, but the numbers say Pants - you're wrong, the numbers are right.

Bikes are just toys mate

Yes, but also very much no. I've always wanted to ride bikes since 80s BMX and ET came out, but I was never allowed to by my parents. Learnt to ride when I was 19, and been making up for lost time ever since. For over 20 years now. my entire life has been focussed on bikes. Holidays have rarely been anything other then biking holidays. Cars have been bought to be bike carriers (I used to drive 20k+miles a year to go riding). Houses have been chosen on their bike friendliness. I stepped off the career ladder to go and live somewhere I could ride from my doorstep. To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life. (I'm lucky in that my partner sees things in a similar way).

You say you stopped commuting

I still commute - hell there's barely a day I don't do some riding, but the "commute proper" is 2 days a week - ride to the station, train to London, ride across town. Reverse the journey the next day.

I'm late 40s and enjoy riding as much as ever, but as with others above I don't care about performance or time or pace etc. Went out yesterday, late pm (family commitments prevented earlier) in the ****ing rain and had a blast, came back covered in a good part of County Durham sporting a big smile. I find I'm more prone to niggles than when I was younger but I think that if you keep it about getting out and about, socialising where you can and having some fun where you can, then you've won most of the battle. If you set targets as you get older, unless they're realistic, you're doomed to spoiling most of the enjoyment. I also find that doing weights or other exercises to build strength are really helpful as you start to lose muscle mass with age unless you do something to preserve it.

Not training and aging means you will simply get slower each year.  I have found exactly the same and at 50 I can't match my road speeds from 6 years ago (when I starting recording rides).  If you want to keep the same speed as your younger self you will need to do something more than you did as your younger self.

I find it all a bit deceptive anyway, felt like I was flying around a gravel loop this morning only to be 2 minutes slower than my fastest time that I got 5 months ago, but I am always a bit slower in winter anyway.  Enjoyed the ride so didn't really matter.

Just give up road riding. You’re doing it all wrong.

So go on, how do I do it right?

start training and stravaing

For what? I’m massively overcompetetive

Because structured training using (at minimum) something like strava will improve your riding speeds a lot more efficiently than just feeling sorry for yourself

I don’t mean to alarm you. You have all the symptoms of BAD cat aids.

So go on, how do I do it right?

Stop worrying about your average speed for a start. If that means ditching cadence and hr data then do that too. Just ride.

To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life.

Seriously?!

In road bike terms that means fast, because that’s the point of a road bike

Says who?

@geex I can understand the appeal of ebikes to some people and riding styles, but for me when I want to ride a bit of cheeky I don’t fancy lifting a heavy bike over a farmers wall or stye, an ebike just isn’t practical.

and I guess fitness wise a 2 hour ride on a regular bike is slightly more exercise than 2 hours on a power assisted..

Really depressing [b]road[/b] ride today.

There's your problem right there. Bin the road bike and sciencey rubbish off, stop measuring how happy you are and get some spare wheels with rolly tyres that you can stick in your MTB instead and go and ride up and down some stairs and do skids and wheelies or something, or buy a jump bike 🙂 If you're not riding your bike professionally there's no reason to suffer depressing rides!

Are you going to hard and toasting yourself before you've warmed up. old muscles etc take a bit longer than they used to.

I'm late 30's now and if i go out hard from the door i pay for it for the whole ride when i used to be able to nail it the whole way round a ride from door to door. Not any more and especially when it's cold!

Maybe ease into it and build if that's the case.

Steve Peat didn't race competitively for 20 years by not training. He trained harder year on year to fight as hard as he could against the younger crop of riders coming through the ranks. He'll still be training pretty hard now so he can ride as fast as he can for as long as he can. Can't imagine the roadies are any different.  As has been mentioned, the only way to maintain and possibly improve performance as you age is to train appropriately.

As has also been said, just try to enjoy being out on your bike.

You have all the symptoms of BAD cat aids.

Damn... I knew I shouldn't have got drunk at the Alleycat race...

Stop worrying about your average speed for a start. If that means ditching cadence and hr data then do that too. Just ride.

I occasionally do, but that in itself is an admission of defeat - that I'm afraid of the numbers and what they say.

Seriously?!

Yes.

Says who?

If going fast ISN'T the point of a road bike, then what is? If you want to do anything other than go fast, there are better tools for the job.

Bin the road bike

The problem is that it's made me WAAAY faster and fitter on the MTB. Also I get to ride more, as if I have a spare hour midweek, I can do an hour's ride. If I try and do that on an MTB, for 6 months of the year, there's an hour+ of cleanup and maintenance to be done, which completely bollockses up going for a ride at all.

That, and there's a purity about riding roadbikes that I just don't get on mountain bikes. Caning a corner - it's just about the corner and the line. Not about the shiny root or the loose rock or the gravel patch, just a big smooth, perfect arc. Steaming effortlessly down a descent on a hot summer's day, or cresting a climb that you've put your all into. It's quite a different reward to MTBs and if I had to pick one, it'd be offroad, but when it's good, road is pretty damn great too.

The problem is that it’s made me WAAAY faster and fitter on the MTB.

That's [u]not[/u] a problem, it's a positive 🙂 But you can go for a quick blast midweek on any bike and still get a benefit from it, you don't have to ride an MTB off road and get it manky every time you fetch it out 😉

Some days you're the pigeon, some days you're the statue. 😉

Average speed is a very crude way to evaluate a ride, especially when ~2100 feet of climbing over ~30 miles is hardly flat!

I'm way slower when it's cold, apparently the air is thicker which slows you down. I thought this was bollocks but I'm at least a full mph slower for same routes and power on my (reasonably lightweight) winter bike than I am on the good bike in the summer. Some of that's down to the bike, but the cold definitely plays a Part. I remember when we had a warm spell in may and my average speed instantly rose..despite using the same bike

Throw in a head wind and I'm even slower...the following wind on a ride never makes up for the time lost when it's into your face.

There's seems to be a level of dissonance between your expectations of your performance and what you're prepared to do to satisfy them. There are genetic freaks out there who'll be/stay fast simply by dint of DNA - at least up to a point - but for most of us, just riding around ain't going to be enough to counter-act the impact of ageing.

At that point, you either make a decision to accept that's how things are, or you commit in some way to some level of systematic, targeted training. I'm not saying you should do that btw, just that if you don't, things probably aren't going to change. Some people are wired to do that, some aren't. It's not right or wrong, it's just how you are, no?

Sounds maybe like what you need to do is find a way of 'training' that doesn't feel like formal training. Something you can build into your regular rides without spoiling the enjoyment you get from it. Just a couple of sessions a week might do it.

Someone who's a coach / sports scientist really ought to write a book about that, because I reckon a lot of people would embrace it. I'd recommend Fast After 50,Joe Friel's book, for background reading as well, even if you're not 50 yet because the general principles still apply.

Or I guess you could just enjoy riding your bike.

outright power is pretty poor.

I’m a poor power rider and today i performed a pretty lumpy ftp test.  Now, I am 17w down since October after which I rested for a month and am upset and busy drowning my sorrows.  However i’m clinging too:

a) my 20 mins equalled the highest 20 mins I’ve ever done on my own setup, the prior higher ftp was at my coaches office on a watt bike

b) I’m at the end of 4.5 weeks of VO2max and sprint intervals.

C) although better today I’ve had a mild cold since Thursday

d) racing doesn’t start until feb

E) I’ve no idea how other Vets are doing, they could all be having the same issues as me

d) I have a - Gorrick - training race next week, which should be fun.

e) those VO2max intervals have improved.

Are you trying to blast every ride? If so that's your problem. As you get older while you need hard workouts to keep the speed you also need PROPER recovery rides, that's Z1/2 riding.

“and I guess fitness wise a 2 hour ride on a regular bike is slightly more exercise than 2 hours on a power assisted..”

No, it could be less, depending on your riding style -  if you pedal as hard on an Ebike then you’ll just go further and the rest of your body will work harder handling the heavier bike down more descents.

Ride the MTB on the road, just enjoy being outside and not caring what Strava thinks. Ride to Costa, eat cake, ride back.

I’ve always wanted to ride bikes since 80s BMX and ET came out, but I was never allowed to by my parents. Learnt to ride when I was 19

W.T.A.F !!!!!!

Did they lock you in the cellar too?

Yesterday was a slow social MTB ride with mates.

More of that, less of the stats. Just have fun. Personally road doesn't give me any fun. There'd only be the achievement of miles and speed, so I've only got MTB to keep me going really.

Off road I'm riding faster ones with some mates who are obsessed with quick, and I like pushing it quick over technical stuff or just fast enough that things become technical. I also enjoy a slow social with chats, stops, even getting cold and wet / muddy. So long as there's a cake/coffee stop 😀

Mid 40s and am I slower? Don't really care. I was never quick anyway. Only improvement is I'm fitter on long climbs (not sharp sprints) and better endurance (can just keep going forever).

I'm not gonna pretend I don't get where you're coming from OP, you sound like a MUCH more extreme version of where I was at year or two ago. Riding a lot, feeling fit, but dismayed as my speed (mainly road climbs) dropped with no discernible reason and it was more of a struggle to stay up the front on group rides.

Turns out I'd bought a slower MTB and road bike at about the same time, but now I'm 45 I'm definitely having to measure my efforts a bit better. And I'm OK with that really.

Anyway, this line jumped out at me...

To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life.

Reading that back, do you not think you're being a bit harsh on yourself? You don't have to sign up to all that "smiles per hour" guff, but if you're not training or racing what's the point in feeling so competitive and holding yourself to a high standard?

Are you trying to blast every ride? If so that’s your problem. As you get older while you need hard workouts to keep the speed you also need PROPER recovery rides, that’s Z1/2 riding.

^^ This.

Also, winter is slower anyway - wet roads, crap all over them, the wind...

Basing a ride solely on average speed is an awful way to judge it; it doesn't take into account how tired you are or if you're ill, what the weather is doing, how hilly the ride is, if you're on your own or in a group or even what bike you're on (tyre pressures, riding position etc)

Ride the MTB on the road, just enjoy being outside and not caring what Strava thinks. Ride to Costa, eat cake, ride back.

This is true. When I am not feeling particularly good I take out the gravel bike, there is no expectations on going fast. Just mix it up a bit

Also..everyone has good and bad days. I went out last weekend and set numerous power pbs, best ever 20 min power etc, felt like a champ. Wasn't even trying particularly. Went out 2 days later and was terrible. Some days you have it, others you don't. When I don't I usually take a break for a few days.

@geex I can understand the appeal of ebikes to some people and riding styles, but for me when I want to ride a bit of cheeky I don’t fancy lifting a heavy bike over a farmers wall or stye, an ebike just isn’t practical.

and I guess fitness wise a 2 hour ride on a regular bike is slightly more exercise than 2 hours on a power assisted..

You seriously couldn't make this shit up.
So you reckon you're way fitter because you ride a regular bike? but you're not strong enough to lift a 47lb bike over a few fences/walls/styles?
Hmmm...
My local 13 mile XC loop being farm/estate land has 11 gates on it. it's way more enjoyable on a bike you can average over 15mph round. Especailly this time of year when parts of it are a trudge.

But let's just leave it at that. There'll no doubt be a new Ebike thread in a matter of hours when some dobbin gets to their work computer in the morning still pissed off a stranger with a motor pedalled past using less effort on a canal path or purpose built trail somewhere.

Jon. reading things like this..
"To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life. "
Makes me want to give you a hug. Chill out mate. you sound like you're suffering from mild depression/anxiety. Loads of us have spent what you have and more and made similar choices to you to enjoy our toys. But hopefully because it made them happy. Not to feel like we're not letting others down for buying them and not fulfilling a pro cycling contract.

To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life.

You ok hun?

Definately suffering from something that's for sure.

"You seriously couldn’t make this shit up.
So you reckon you’re way fitter because you ride a regular bike? but you’re not strong enough to lift a 47lb bike over a few fences/walls/styles?
Hmmm…"

Quality troll. 😉

New bike, duh.

Reading that back, do you not think you’re being a bit harsh on yourself?

To pick this out - this is how I am across pretty much everything I do. If I can do something, anything, then the next time I should be able to do it better, the time after that better again. Standing still is failure and you never, ever retreat. Forwards all the time, think, learn, apply, focus. It's the cool thing about bikes - so many subtle variations across the disciplines all using the same principles and always something to improve at. But the same applies to work, driving, skiing, DIY, picking my nose, wiping my arse, reading a book. Push*, learn, advance all the time. Never relax. That's when you lose concentration and bad things happen. BE harsh with yourself - no one else will be in this day and age, and the only person who knows what's actually going on your head is you. It's called honesty.

To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life

To put that in context - when I lived in London, I was spending £300+ a month on fuel alone driving to ride. What could I have achieved if that money had been repurposed elsewhere? I could have been mortgage free, by now as an example.

BWD makes a fair point, and I'm aware that it is the top end that goes as you age - hence all the gnarled old roadies you see out plodding along for hours and hours at a time very slowly. I've kind of always dressed the road riding up as "not training" because I'm not training for anything, but in many ways it's ALL training. Maybe I do need to be more scientific about it (but anything involving dicking around with apps on phones can **** right off as I just don't have the patience for that).

Largely I'm all about making life simple. Make stuff black and white. Take away possibilities for excuses. Just do. (Can't  remember the Yoda quote at the mo)

*Pushing whilst wiping my arse can have unexpected results...

Blimey. Just reading your view on life makes me feel tired 😃

Funny how we’re all different.

Obviously telling you chill out a bit and smell the flowers isn’t going to work so all I can think is that you need to find a professional coach to give you some proper technical feedback and areas to work on.

Or have a pie and a pint and admit you’re in your forties!

@geex yeah I know it sounds a silly one that, not wanting to lift a 22-24kg bike over a wall fence gate rather than 13kg, I was out Wednesday night in ridiculous winds we all pretty much struggled getting 11-14kg bikes over a gatepost, it’s not like in a gym lifting that weight straight up and down.

i think we’ve had these same conversations on this forums months back, so no point going down that line again..

But hopefully a quick question you can answer truthfully

Do you still ride regular bikes geex, or is it always the go to ebike, I think that’s my main concern..

Have you tried riding with a road club or some faster road riders? I find I only really push myself when I go out with others. It's a real wake up call

I have 10 bikes (BMX, DJ, 4X, Slope, Enduro, DHx2, Roadx2, commuter). Shit! that's 11. anyway I have no intention of stopping riding any of them... This week the weather was shitty but I still rode 3 different regular bikes (didn't actually ride the Ebike at all).

I still prefer regular bikes... but... Shhhhhhhh!

You aint seen me right? 😉 😉

[edit] See the lifting them thing? You honestly just get used to it really quickly. I'm fairly upperbody strong anyway though. I watched some EMBN video of a guy showing you how to use the motor's walk assist to get the bike onto the rear wheel to get through an offset gate and thought to myself WTF? how can you be so weak you can't raise an Ebike onto the rear wheel the same way as a slightly lighter bike (seeing as all the extra weight is centre)
It takes longer getting used to the extra pre-load and hip push required to get the front to balance point in a manual. and when you're re-learning/calibrating that getting it wrong (not doing it hard enough) will give you more back pain than lifting them over 20 gates

Have you tried riding with a road club or some faster road riders?

No. I'm way faster on the Ebike without breaking sweat than all the local Cat1s.

oh... sorry. maybe you meant Jon 😉

FFS @geex I was hoping You’d say u only ride the ebike now and that’d put me off for a few more years..

had planned to test one at ardrock but timing didn’t work, that climb up to the demo loop is a right bitch , a couple went past on Levo’s at full speed and they went up faster than cars.

will try again next year

Do you still ride regular bikes geex, or is it always the go to ebike, I think that’s my main concern..

It’s a good question.

The ebike is great fun and I suppose could be addictive. Since getting mine though I’ve ridden more of everything, my Capra, my DH bike and the ebike. Haven’t been out on my enduro bike (moto enduro) though.

Can’t  remember the Yoda quote at the mo

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” ..

“To pick this out – this is how I am across pretty much everything I do. If I can do something, anything, then the next time I should be able to do it better, the time after that better again. Standing still is failure and you never, ever retreat. Forwards all the time, think, learn, apply, focus. It’s the cool thing about bikes – so many subtle variations across the disciplines all using the same principles and always something to improve at. But the same applies to work, driving, skiing, DIY, picking my nose, wiping my arse, reading a book. Push*, learn, advance all the time. Never relax. That’s when you lose concentration and bad things happen. BE harsh with yourself”

This is just awful, sad and totally wrong. From everything you’ve said I presume you don’t have children because bringing them up like this would be a recipe for mental health problems. Learn to love yourself, then all these issues will go away.

“@geex yeah I know it sounds a silly one that, not wanting to lift a 22-24kg bike over a wall fence gate rather than 13kg, I was out Wednesday night in ridiculous winds we all pretty much struggled getting 11-14kg bikes over a gatepost, it’s not like in a gym lifting that weight straight up and down.”

Well I’d hope that a grown adult with no physical problems would be able to lift far more than 22-24kg straight up and down. An empty barbell with no plates on it weighs 20kg!

FFS @geex I was hoping You’d say u only ride the ebike now and that’d put me off for a few more years..

Pump tracks/BMX tracks/skateparks and proper dirtjumps are all shit on an Ebike. There's no getting round this. They don't accelerate as fast and are a lot more work to pump on the flat (well... bowls n rollers but hopefully you get what I mean)
I love riding the road. and I love riding pure DH so it wouldn't ever replace those bikes
It "could" replace my Capra. But it makes the Capra feel like it's filled with helium. Throwing it around while riding enduro tracks is absolutely amazing now. On some steeper Enduro tracks the Capra is actually very slightly slower than the Ebike against the clock (due mainly to less grip and not holding momentum as well)... even with the Ebike switched off. That's how good the Ebike actually is. (same travel, almost same geometry)
I'm a smoother rider on the Ebike than the Capra (twhich might come as a surprise to some)

Perhaps stating the obvious but cold dry air is denser than warm humid air. So you will have increased wind resistance, by quite a big margin.

Physics innit bro.

Go to Majorca, nice and warm, and near lots of water.

Hmm… nice to know. as that’s a slower average speed than I generally ride at off road in soft conditions and wind round here E’d up.

That’s nothing, I can do 45 on a moped.

That’s nothing, I can do 45 on a moped.

Now that I would like to see you lift over 11 gates.

Ps. regular push bikes can go way faster than 45

Standing still is failure and you never, ever retreat. Forwards all the time, think, learn, apply, focus. It’s the cool thing about bikes – so many subtle variations across the disciplines all using the same principles and always something to improve at.

With this attitude you should start trials riding (not motorized). The bonus of trials riding is, being fast or slow across long distances couldn't be more irrelevant.

jam bo

Nothing **** you as hard as old age…

It will always beat you.

Concentrate on enjoying the ride.

“To pick this out – this is how I am across pretty much everything I do. If I can do something, anything, then the next time I should be able to do it better, the time after that better again. Standing still is failure and you never, ever retreat. Forwards all the time, think, learn, apply, focus. It’s the cool thing about bikes – so many subtle variations across the disciplines all using the same principles and always something to improve at. But the same applies to work, driving, skiing, DIY, picking my nose, wiping my arse, reading a book. Push*, learn, advance all the time. Never relax. That’s when you lose concentration and bad things happen. BE harsh with yourself”

This is just awful, sad and totally wrong. From everything you’ve said I presume you don’t have children because bringing them up like this would be a recipe for mental health problems. Learn to love yourself, then all these issues will go away.

All joking aside, I agree. It sounds like you actually have some serious mental health issues buried under the excuse of "that's just how I am". Get some professional help, please.

Even professional sports people have an off season to relax, both physically and mentally. It's not a sign of strength to be constantly pushing and being hard on yourself, it's a sign of a potential mental health problem. You can't be at your peak constantly, our bodies don't work like that. Pro athletes have very specific training plans which enables them to hit their peak at specific points in the season. Football managers infamously rotate their squad to rest their key players so they're fresher later in the season. What makes you think an amateur cyclist is any different?

Seeing 2 hours messing about at Leeds Urban Bike Park as a waste of time isn't a good sign. If you just want to get fitter then stay on a turbo trainer, but hitting jumps, berms and flowy trails is meant to be fun and rewarding, not just a work out.

Go easier on yourself. It sounds like you're a decent athlete and in good shape, so focus on that. I'd also suggest a training plan of some kind. This doesn't have to mean pushing at 100% every time, I'm sure good training plans also focus on lower intensity days and ones where you can focus on skills rather than just fitness. But it might help give some focus and give you an excuse to have days where you're not setting PBs.

Also, if you've ridden the 2 previous days for a reasonable amount of time then you won't be at your peak strength on the third day. You'll naturally feel a bit more tired and won't have as much power. It's why sportsmen train harder in the pre season compared to during the season. The constant hard training helps build fitness, but you won't be anywhere near your peak for a one off ride if you don't rest beforehand.

I always wondered what raging against the dying of the light felt like.

I felt a bit crap today after two weeks manual labour without a day off.  I finished the big job yesterday night and was having a do nothing day. Then at 3:30 I spotted my spreadsheet on the desktop.  It's "you never don't feel better after a bike ride.xlsx.

So I got the bike out and had an hour over a muddy Cannock Chase.  Even though I burped a tyre and had to change light batteries halfway because they weren't properly charged I enjoyed it and went farther than I initially thought I would.

I didn't clean or maintain the bike after - that will keep until I do it in the spring.  I feel really good now and will do it again tomorrow when I ride to pick up my grandson from school and we ride back together.

I hear what many are saying about smiles not miles, sounds great but that is never going to fit the OPs personality.

What this sound's like to me is something more deeply rooted than riding a bike.

I'd suggest shaking things up a bit, Christmas is coming, a time that brings both joy and misery. Go volunteer at the local shelter for a few sessions over the break, get a look at life from a different perspective for a bit. I'm not saying go see how lucky you are by having a look at some people suffering, sure there'll be suffering but also hope, positivity and a wealth of just getting on with it.

When focusing on something, whether life changing or fairly unimportant it becomes huge...   riding your bike is important, your performance is important...    but just how important?

Relish the challenge of aging but remember you are pretty unlikely to beat it, acceptance can bring a little peace of mind.

Good luck from a 51 year old stubborn bastard that is riding pretty damn close to as good as ever...   but not better.  Still loving every ride.

Now I don't mean to be scaremongering, and I'm not at all saying that this is the case...but...

Be careful about passing things off as 'just getting older'. It does get harder to maintain fitness, but until you get properly old there's no reason you'll slow down massively drastically while still 'training'. I'm saying this as my dad went into his late forties getting slower and slower on a bike, and generally getting less physically capable, which he passed off as just getting older. It turned out he had lung cancer which had been reducing his lung capacity steadily over the past several years, and ended up kicking it at 52.

Like I said, not meaning to alarm, but for anyone who reads this, getting out of breath doing easy things is not a normal part of getting older.

...this is how I am across pretty much everything I do. If I can do something, anything, then the next time I should be able to do it better, the time after that better again. Standing still is failure and you never, ever retreat. Forwards all the time, think, learn, apply, focus.. .

...Maybe I do need to be more scientific about it (but anything involving dicking around with apps on phones can **** right off as I just don’t have the patience for that)...

Both quotes from the same post, TBH this just seems like contradictory bollox to me, either you have a "growth mindset" and can actually learn to apply some new understanding to your own physiology and train in order to improve, or you're just another modern day narcissist, driven by ego and self image and the need to "be the best" without the patience to learn anything, assuming that applying lots of pressure will achive the desired results...

Sometimes, perhaps inexplicably you have an off day. Surely you must have noticed this before.

Having initially misunderstood the post becuase I didn’t read it properly, then failing to get my point across which actually wouldn’t have made sense because of that...

OP, I’m hard into my winter training as a competitive cyclist.  However today I’m working from home, and at lunchtime will take my gravel bike on an unplanned yet gentle lunch excursion down the local tow paths to a cafe. where I will sit with Tea and a roll for 20 mins before cycling equally gently back home to work again.

I’m doing it because I enjoy riding my bike.  It won’t make me any faster or slower.

Standing still is failure and you never, ever retreat. Forwards all the time, think, learn, apply, focus.

Meant to be taken in the right way, but as has been said above - how do you think you have this approach yet (I'm guessing - haven't read all of this thread) haven't learned that the basics of getting faster on a bike does not consist of riding fast all the time? eg

Below 16 never happened, but would have been “go out and do the ride again – properly this time

You only get fitter and faster during the recovery phase and you need a base to build on. Slow down to speed up, etc. Getting fast is a long game, could be 6 months from where you may be now and you'll be slower in some ways before you get faster. Good time of year to start. HRM, Z2 limit, 5-6hr rides, then build the top-end from mid Feb onwards. You just need to decide you want to work towards it i/o short-term stress over day to day performance.

Man you need to take a chill pill.  Seriously at some point in the next few years, an attitude like yours is going to **** you up! 😉

The OP is copping a bit of flak, so let me reassure him he's not doing anything wrong other than running around in circles trying to beat that which cannot be beaten.

Don't believe the books about being able to go faster, that only applies to a few, the reality is you are now driving a body where the engine is on the way out. If you're fit that starts somewhere around your mid 40s.

It's now time to start looking after yourself. You can keep fit but if you drive yourself hard to equal past performances you are likely to run into problems/injuries. Be kind to your body so you can enjoy the next 30+ years of riding.

The important thing is not to give up as many do, simply adjust your perspective. (It took me a few years to accept that 🙂 ).

It's pointless competing against a younger you.

Find yourself some bike challenges where speed is not the measure.

Although I do look at it that way and don't worry about it I am not sure I couldn't be faster at 50 than I was when younger.  I have never done any training and just go out and ride my bike as fast as I can manage.   Not surprisingly I have never got any faster and with age have noticed a gradual decline.

So in my position, if I was to actually start a structured training program there is no doubt in my mind I could get faster than I have ever been.  Am I going to do that?  No, because I am happy riding as I am.

Turning 46 in a couple of months, and at my fastest and fitest both on the mtb and road bike in very long time.

One of the main things that helped this is ebikes, I have one, I ride it up  trails* and its like doing intervals, but technical and fun. I also had chainsaws and digging tools on my back which made it interesting.

And embrace age, enjoy your surroundings, road biking I love for this, my avg speeds are all over the place, but I don't care...

If you're not there in your head, you wont be in body

*Don't worry ebike haters these are trails we have opened and dont see any other traffic...

I'm faster at 47 than i've ever been, on strava and on Zwift... but i'm a hell of a lot less obsesssed about it than i used to be. I found the obsessive side of it very easy to get sucked into and very hard to get out of.... but once you get out of it, you wonder why the hell you turned into such an arsehole 🙂

you wonder why the hell you turned into such an arsehole

I managed to do that without any link to cycling

 For over 20 years now. my entire life has been focussed on bikes. Holidays have rarely been anything other then biking holidays. Cars have been bought to be bike carriers (I used to drive 20k+miles a year to go riding). Houses have been chosen on their bike friendliness. I stepped off the career ladder to go and live somewhere I could ride from my doorstep. To do all that and be less than excellent would mean I had wasted my life

It means you've spent your life following what you love to do, there's nothing bad about that. Even if you made it to be a pro, so what? what difference would it make to your life? Not one bit. There is no point to any of it, but to enjoy life, try and do as much as you love with the people you love before you die. There is no shame in just riding for enjoyment, there is no mythical status at which someone will reward your efforts with a +++GAME COMPLETED+++ certificate.

I might be talking out of sorts but from previous threads I know you suffer from depression/anxiety and maybe focussing on the stats gives you a purpose that you feel you need to get out of your bike but you need to give yourself permission just to get out to enjoy it and to admit that as you get older you will slow down but that's okay.