The start of ...... The End

MarioM

Likes Dirt
I have noticed a change from turning 40 . I`m 43? now and have been noticing certain things . I seem to have developed the concentration span of a block of wood . Nothing heals as it used to and i have not had such a bad run of injuries as i had in 2014 . There must be something to turning 40 that knocks you around for a while , surely some scientist who got a government grant has done a study on this .
My missus tells me I`m not as young as i used to be and I need to tone it down a bit but there`s just something that snaps when you hit the trail , or surf , or footy field or whatever other dumb stuff we do that makes us think we are invincible . However now matter how many times we tell ourselves to hold back , it may work for a little bit , we can`t help but go hammer and tongs at it .
 

Mitto68

Likes Bikes
Started MTB riding at 44, two years ago, and beat myself up constantly at the percieved lack of improvement with my fitness and skills. Then it was pointed out that my efforts were the same but the speed and distance were actually getting greater. Definately notice a big drop in performance if i'm not riding at least twice a week. Still, it always seems as though it takes me a lot longer to get up to speed than a lot of the younger guys I ride with.
Fuck it, just ride and enjoy it until the body just won't let you, and don't ride with younguns!
 

SideFX

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Quickly approaching 44yrs I've noticed that the hills are getting that little bit steeper, flats are just that little bit harder. I remember when I used to feel strong whilst busting up those steeps, but now I feel like I just barely hang on. Maybe it's just a motivational thing..

When I used to play alot of golf in my younger days I remember one of the members (who used to hit it a country mile) saying that when he got into his forties, almost overnight he lost like 30% of his strength.

Definitely, over the last couple of years I've noticed big detereation in my eye sight, sense of balance has gone out the window. There's been a couple of times I've fallen off the bike whilst just sitting on it.... Is this it? The start of The End? ... Should I be looking into 29ers :)

Curious to hear other experiences.
No this is the start of getting ride of these fad enduro bikes and go fully DH . DH is were its at and at 42 its only getting better .
Live to shred
Shred to live
 

NUMBER5

Likes Dirt
No this is the start of getting ride of these fad enduro bikes and go fully DH . DH is were its at and at 42 its only getting better .
Live to shred
Shred to live
Haha... I think my Mrs wants to have a little chat to you. I assume it's something along the lines of "..Who do you think you are.....bad influence....irresponsible.....he's got young kids.....what you do with your life is your business but....blah...blah...blah" haha:evil:
 

BorisBC

Likes Bikes
Hmm I'm still on the good side of 40 (37), but I seem to be healing ok! Did my achilles 3 months ago and it seems to be healing well, which I'm putting down to riding heaps.

Can't shift the spare tyre though, even if I do a ton of riding and eat right, it's like I only drop a few psi max. :(
 

Mitto68

Likes Bikes
I reckon that as we get older our pain threshhold must get higher. Why do I think this, read on and i'll attempt to explain. Recently I had an unfortunate mishap on the bike at one of these enduuuro events and banged myself up a bit (yes Nautonier, i'm the one that "ruined the fun for everyone else") and when the paramedics finally arrived the first thing they asked was "on a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain". I promptly responded "about a 6 or 7" and she immediately gave me morphine and the whistle.
This same line of questioning didn't seem to stop. When arriving at the hospital the doctor asked me, then the nurse, then the radiologist and pretty much anyone that spoke to me, I think even the cleaner asked me!
Now the problem with this line of questioning is if you don't tell everyone that asks that your obviously a 10 and your starting to see a white light at the end of a tunnel, you are obviously just a bit bruised and "we will have you out of here and home in a jiffy". Now lucky for me the doctor decided to send me for a CAT scan just to be on the safe side and low and behold he presents me with the news that I have a cracked pelvis, cracked coccyx and cracked L5 vertabrae.
After a few days the nurses were getting me ready to be discharged and asked if I had any other issues. I told them that my knee was starting to feel a little tender and no sooner had I said it she replied "on a scale of.......". I told her it was about a 4 and they sent me to radiology for another xray. After a few hours they told me there was no damage and I was free to go home and lay on the couch.
So here we are, 2 months later and the knee is still a little tender. I take myself off to see my local GP and he orders an MRI. He asks to see me after receiving the results and tells me I have a slight tear in my miniscus and a signicant tear in my MCL which will require surgery.
The moral of this long winded rant, if you hurt yourself tell everyone that asks that if you were to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10, your a 10!
 

biro

Cannon Fodder
Just got back from the Doc. The report read Plaque in the left artery, we better send you to the Heart specialist. What the heck after thirty plus years of riding, six or seven broken ribs, a broken collar bone, cracked sternum, various cuts, bruises, concussions, and i am only 69. Boy i hope the specialist is busy. Still need to get back to Buller, Jindy, Stromlo, Plus i have to try Blue Tier, Melrose, Tathra, Atherton, Cairns.
 

Lazmo

Old and hopeless
As long as you love riding, who cares how much you have slowed down… just enjoy the ride regardless.

I’m 58 and ride 3 to 4 times a week… not long rides, as I have a family to sort out, usually an hour and a bit each ride. I’m lucky in that my wife is also heavily into riding.

The one thing I got sick of was going over the bars… and I did quite a few times... as I don’t bounce or heal as well as I used to. But since I’ve gone to slacker front end bikes, the dreaded OTB's have stopped… as I reach for a piece of wood to touch.

Just enjoy the ride.
 

John U

MTB Precision
Just turned 44 and I've been riding harder than ever in the reduced amount of time I have. I was pushing my boundaries and stacking in the single track every couple of weeks. People at work were either concerned or impressed when I turned up to work covered in dust, mud, and blood because I'd eaten dirt on my commute. I have broken my bike and so far it has taken 2 months to try to get it fixed. I think it was more bad bike design than my hellish riding style.

The factor that's brought all this on? I signed up for my first 24hr solo. Signed up in June. It's on in 3 months. I know the less riding I do beforehand the less likely I am to finish, and the more it will hurt. There's nothing like the promise of increasing future pain to get you motivated.
 

Hamsta

Likes Bikes and Dirt
The reality hits when the physio says that if I have 1 week off training it will take me 3 weeks to get back to the same level of stamina/strength/recovery I had before the 1 week off.
 
Top