Bicycling After 50?
72Why should a big fat middle aged guy go on a bicycle ride?
Recently I was driving down the road and saw a couple of guys all dressed in Spandex bike riding outfits. You know, the kind with the space age helmets that look like some kind of flame shot out of a cannon. As they were riding down a traffic laden road I thought how silly they looked and how dangerous that all was. I've seen them before you know. Everyone has. They are the bicycle freaks, the ones that don the outfits and funny looking helmets and dare traffic to run them down. They bicycle up and down hills. They bicycle with traffic, against traffic, and across traffic with what seems like not a care in the world.
It all seems so silly to me to risk one's life for a bicycle ride. Then I had a thought. Why were they so happy to torture themselves and ride their bicycles all day, seemingly going nowhere and always ending up at the same spot they started? It seems like such a waste of time. Of course I shouldn't talk since they both looked in pretty good shape and I probably needed a bicycle seat twice as wide as theirs and a set of tractor tires to hold my fat butt up.
Is it possible to have fun exercising?
I followed them for a ways and noticed they were laughing and looking like they were having a real good time. Then I wondered what it was they saw in this bicycle road riding or bicycle racing or whatever they called it. It's been probably 25 years since I've ridden a bicycle any amount of distance and I doubt whether I could get this donut laden fat filled big butted frame of mine up one or any of the hills around my sub division much less ride a bicycle any amount of distance. As I turned around to watch them they cycled out of sight and out of my mind, or so I thought.
I know absolutely nothing about the joys of riding a bicycle. Unless it's the kind of bicycle riding like around my neighborhood. I can do that. That's not really serious bicycle riding in my opinion. I don't do it enough though I guess.
I'm talking about the type of riding that they do like in that French race. You know the Tour of France or French de Tour or something like that. After watching those two guys riding and having such a wonderful time I had a thought.
Is it possible to have fun exercising?
Boy, now that's a dirty word. Exercise, there I said it again! I wondered, was I too old and too fat to do that? I mean like those two fellows? I'll admit exercise hasn't been in my vocabulary for years. I'm 53 years old and 100 lbs overweight. Could I possibly bicycle up one of those hills? Believe it or not I've always had a fascination with bicycles. I love the way they look and how you can get from here to there without one ounce of petrol being wasted. And I understand that in other parts of the world the bicycle is the main source of transportation. If everyone would ride bikes we would never have any debate about global warming I'm sure!
Anyway, I'm wondering if a fat, past his prime and middle age man could ever work himself into shape riding a bicycle like those two fellows I saw that day. I must admit I was kind of envious of both of them. They had not a care in the world and not an extra ounce of fat on their bodies either! Is this what bicycle riding does for you? I think I might give it a try. Being a seller of bicycles I think I owe my customers that much. I mean would you buy a bicycle from someone who doesn't even ride one? You know what? I think I will dust off that old bike and don some spandex and give it a try. Who knows, maybe I'll discover what all this fun is about after all. I just hope no one laughs at me.
Check back later and I'll let you know how it went.
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Comments
Yes I will admit I may be 100lbs overweight but don't worry. I have no intentions of donning the spandex at this time. I would feel awful if I was the cause of any traffic incidents. I think I'll wait till I lose at least ten pounds or the spring gets here whichever comes first. Thanks for the comment!
Here in Minnesota during the winter, I'll stay in my basement with my exercise bike pedaling and reading!
I have to say, I loved this hub! My dad turned 59 this week & he took up bicycling about a year or two ago. He's a big guy, too, about 6'5" and probably 60 pounds overweight. I don't know how much weight he's lost riding his bike, but I do know he loves his rides! I live about 60 miles north of my parent's house, and last weekend he rode his bike a full 69 miles (taking back roads) to come see me. Now that's no small feat! I'm so proud of him, and more than that, I'm so glad he has a great outlet for stress relief. Best of luck--stick with it!
I started riding in 2005 at the age of ... well... lets just say I remember Woodstock. At first it was just a few miles but it felt so good I kept riding every day. One day I thought I'd try riding to work. I didn't get into the spandex or what I call ricky racing bikes. I wore what was comfortable and my bike was a Hybred with an upright riding position. It made me feel so good and I began to read all I could on the subject.
It has grown for me to be my main passion. Last year I rode 2074 miles. I bought a second bike. A bit more expensive but built for touring. It's now equipped with all the stuff to go where ever my heart and legs will take me. I took it camping fully loaded last summer and I plan lots more this year. I ride to work every day ( if the weather permits it). It's a 44 miles round trip.
You can do it ! Just start off easy. Don't try to keep up with anyone, set your own pace and enjoy the freedom your spirit will feel.
This year I even bought a couple of pairs of those spandex riding shorts and a couple of nice riding shirts. ( just one color ones, nothing too loud !) The extra padding in those shorts sure does help.
Hey Bob, your my hero. I too am 53 and have a bicycle that has done nothing for the past several years except collet dust. I have been looking at it for the past several weeks and remeber how much I love riding it. But for the life of me can't remember why I stopped. They are a lot of Greenway trails close to my house and I have mapped it out several times, But can't get back into the routine. Bu reading about you has give me motivation to get out and do it.
You Sell bikes but didn't ride them? Wow. Great to hear that you are discovering the fun of riding now too! I bought a bike a couple years ago and it slowly drew me in to the addiction to riding. I put up my first hub about that story here: http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Lord-High-Bikasaurus-R
I would likie to thank everyone for the nice comments. I am going to tackle the Silver Comet Trail here in Georgia in two weeks with some friends of mine. Wish me luck!
Bob -- great to find this hub! My husband Mark and I bought Electra Townie cruising bikes about a month ago. I'm 51 and Mark is 44. Mark is about 75 lbs. overweight and has been a hard person to motivate to exercise. He loved biking as a kid, but as an overweight adult has had trouble finding a bike he felt good about riding. Well, that's changing with every ride. We ride for about an hour every evening and have even joined a small gym for some weight training. Mark has already lost about 13 lbs. We have loved these bikes and riding. We've been riding on greenways here in Knoxville, TN. Our usual route for everyday is about 8 miles and then on the weekends we ride 12-20 miles. He's already set a goal of buying a good road bike after he's lost 40 lbs.
We are both a little different from other folks our age. Mark graduated from University of TN (UT) at 38 as an Interior Designer and works for a local architect. I am a third year pharmacy student at UT and will complete my doctorate when I'm 53. Our daughter is 26 and lives here in Knoxville. Now Mark and I have some goals in sight for biking -- biking on vacations, riding a century at some point down the road, and losing weight and getting healthier.
Thanks for the inspiration and motivation -- always great to know there are others with the same dilemmas at our age.
Marie and Mark Rodriguez
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working
Kathy says:
8 months ago
Can I make a comment. What you said about those bikers was so true. They really enjoy what their doing and most of them are in pretty good shape. Infact I saw an old friend resently who had lost 40 pds biking. He loved bicycling and I must say he looked pretty good in those spandex. As good as a guy could look. I guess, since I'm not much of a fan of spandex. Which gets me to my comment. Bob, since you mentioned you are 100 pds overweight, could you postpone doning the spandex for a while. I'm not sure the drivers of America are ready for such a sight. You know the guy who runs off the road because of the beautiful girl he's watching. Well I think you may have the same effect on drivers around the world if such a sight rides by. I wish you luck in your quest to reach the spandex days of riding.