Mark,

I am a slow rider. Slow, but sure. I always get to town in time for a shower before dinner, but any average speed over 10 mph makes me happy. That is not being modest, that's the truth!  10 mph has been my average speed no matter how heavily loaded the bike, how much I weigh, or what my age. Now that I type that out, it does seem odd. Those should be influencing factors, but they aren't.

Thus far, at age 59, I haven't noticed a reduction in speed or endurance. I retired this year, and had plenty of opportunity to ride, but I rode easy, cruising miles. I was a little concerned about the climbing on the fall colors tour. It was just fine. I appreciated the kind routing. It took the worry out of the day for me. I tend to stress over any possible problem. When the riding looks so easy, even I can't find something to worry about, it's a fine day!

We were looking right now at the summer 2022 route. We are riding from Trinidad, CO to Raton, NM and on to Cimmaron. That can be done in one day - 60 miles, 3, 300 feet of climbing. Or, it can be divided into two days. With a stop in Raton, it's a 2,000 foot climb in 20 miles over the pass. There's a perfect example of friendlier routing. 

As to the comment about aging better than my peers - I would definitely agree with that. I know far too many people my age with chronic illness and physical issues. It's motivating.

Kelly,

I'm slow but still much fitter than most people my age. It's humbling to tour with people like Tom Swanson who are much older and much faster. I am truly inspired by the people still doing multi-day bike tours in their 70s and 80s.

Kelly thanks for raising this topic- it is quite timely for me as I contemplate and plan for a 4,000-mile trek next summer- the first such trip I've ever attempted.  

George, thanks for a) your detailed and insightful reply, and b) for demonstrating that a return to long touring after an extensive layoff is possible.  I'm 60 now and can't manage what I could at 30.  (But who can?)

You can see from my personal history that there's been an ongoing downward trend  in my own riding.  (The colors in each bar correspond to the miles logged on various bikes.)

(The vertical scale is 1,000's of miles, horizontal scale is years starting at 2000 and continuing to this year.  In a few recent years I rode so little, and had so little interest in the data, that I didn't log any miles although I rode at least once or twice for a total of maybe 50 miles...)

I must admit that, given the history of the last 12 or 13 years, it is somewhat daunting to consider riding most of the way across the U.S.  

Kelly, I have little advice to offer, as I have not much experience at "senior" cycling and none at all as a self-contained touring cyclist "of a certain age".  You have obviously not slacked off as I have done so you don't face the same issues of trying to get back into some semblance of shape, while at the same time becoming all-too-keenly aware that all is not now as it once was.

All I can add is that my peak efforts now are neither as high nor as manageable over a stretch of time as they were 30-odd years ago.  They take more out of me, and it takes longer to recover.  I find I need to account for and accept that as the price for continued existence.

Best wishes and Happy Holidays.

We call those shorter days "half rest days". It's not that we can't do longer distances, it's the recovery time needed after a long day.

Racpat

I do the same thing, but call them “moving rest days.”

We also had a few days like this on our recent late-fall tour, to keep the longer rides from being too long to accomplish in the hours between the day having warmed up enough to start and the light fading.  This was an adjustment as we’ve almost always toured in late spring or early summer and never after the end of September. 

I like it!

Rachel

Appalachian Trail through hikers call days with no mileage "zeros" and days with minimal mileage "nearos."

Back in our 40s, a group of four of us did a series of 5 day self supported tours and when it was my turn to plan I call the short days WADs - Whining Avoidance Days.

Love it! In our next journal, our half rest days might have to be renamed!

We've started doing the same thing and also call them moving rest days. Instead of 40-50 mile days we might do a 20 miler, just to loosen up the legs some and still make some progress down the road. We've found that taking a total day off the bike don't seem to be enough time for our legs to recover. 

Here's a new concession I have had to make recently, coincidentally just  as I turned 65.

Many winters I would get a cold that would linger and a doctor would say I had bronchitis and come back if it didn't go away in 2 weeks - it always did.

Back in early December I developed a cough. In the age of Covid, I waited a bit and got tested - not Covid. I  was relieved and since I recently had a flu shot and my daughter had made us get Whooping cough shots when she was pregnant  with our now 1 year old grandson, I didn't think anything of visiting and playing with my grandson.

A few days later I went out and did a 2 hour bike ride on the C&O Canal Towpath in 45 degree weather. While driving home,  my daughter called to tell me Smith was having breathing problems, and their doctor said it was bronchiolitis, a serious thing for babies. Uh oh - I had to admit I had a cough but had felt safe since it wasn't Covid and I'd had a flu shot and the Whooping cough vaccination she made us get when she was pregnant!

Smith was hospitalized overnight for observation but recovered quickly. But, that was pretty much proof I had bronchitis and I felt awful about having been the cause of him getting sick.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt even more awful - that 2 hour ride caused my apparently still irritated bronchial tubes to get really pissed off.  Much coughing, wheezing, gasping, no sleep etc. for weeks.

Shortening this part of the story, several prescriptions and almost two month later  (two months of no outdoor riding per doctor's recommendation) I'm finally almost through it. Twenty years ago I could ride through that kind of thing, apparently no more.

Kinda ironic that I stayed safe from Covid for two years, but some damn bronchitis germ got through. And, apparently my bronchial tubes didn't give me any credit for 65 years of not smoking!