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What improvement can an old codger reasonably expect?

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Bartonflyer:
A progress report and a request for some advice please...

I came back to cycling in September at the age of 60 after 40+ years not cycling (having been a distance but not speed merchant in my youth!) - bought a hybrid & started riding, initially just 5 or 6 miles at a gentle pace every other day, and realised I was thoroughly enjoying it.

So over the last three months I've kept at it and gradually increased the distance and tried to up my pace - this morning about 20 miles and according to the little app on my phone, average speed up at 12.9 mph from 10.9 when I started - so I'm feeling a bit smug (and yes I know you 200km audax folk may smile but it's taken some effort)

My aim for next year is to be able to get up to 50 miles in a day without killing myself!

Now the observations I've made and the questions I have..

After about 15 miles I start to feel pretty tired - so far I've just been carrying a bottle of water and a bar of chocolate - but all that does is give me indigestion - If I try & push my pace up a bit or it's pretty hilly then I seem to often end up with a blinding headache - so first question is - do other (older) folk find these electrolyte energy drinks help with that?

My bike is a Giant CRS 3.0 hybrid with a gel saddle - seems fine for around an hour but then just seems to become uncomfortable - any observation on gel saddles would be welcome

My weight has remained the same at 12st 8 or 10, but my body shape has changed drastically - the wobbly spare tyre has disappeared completely - certainly no six pack but I'm delighted apart from the fact that all my trousers are now too large around the waist.

Finally it's become abundantly clear that I need another bike - I like the look of the Cheviots from Paul Hewitt and it appears after a long chat with Geoff Smith in Bolton (my LBS) that he builds bikes with the same frame as Mr Hewitt uses. Just how much advantage is there in getting a bike built for you rather than buying "off the peg" ?

And even more finally I'm really glad I found this forum - can't beat a bit of healthy cynicism!

Cheers
Ian

Wowbagger:
Well, you are lots faster than I am. I've over 5000 miles to my name this year, but also am weighing in at 18 stone and 57 years.

I'm a great fan of Brooks saddles. There are some perverts on this forum who decry such things, but they are entitled to their opinions, poor dears.

I'd keep at your relaxed pace of 11 to 12 mph and avoid the headaches. If best bitter counts as an electrolyte drink then yes, they are marvellous, but I've never drunk one out of a bidon.

Lastly, if you are from the Bolton area I reckon your rides will generally be a fair bit hillier than my normal fare (Essex).

Edit: two or three years ago I was a sylph at 16 stone and I managed one ride with an average speed in excess of 16 mph.

why1040:
I restarted in the summer on a borrowed bike before acquiring Geraldine the lovely Pilen and then eventually a slightly used but utterly fabulous Claud Butler hybrid who doesn't have a name yet.

I also started off on little pootles around 5/6 miles (in my case to the stables or back again-I was fortunate enough to have a vehicle I could take back that didn't involve pedalling) and worked my way up.  I've now done a couple of rides over 40 miles, but they were long, slow all-day jobbies that most of the forum consider "easy"  ;) 

I'm still ecstatic that I'm managing that much-though my riding has dropped off due to time constraints more recently-plus a fright after I fell off and had a visitation that ended up a little more awkward than expected in the same week!  I'm not really focussing on speed, for me it's the distance that helps-and the fact that I'm just plain out doing something!

I find that three things tend to give me a headache: dehydration, becoming overtired and wearing a helmet or too tight a buff.  The overtired thing for me is related to a chronic fatigue condition that I'm getting over, which means I have to be more careful than you might expect.  I've taken to keeping some Lucozade energy drinks in a pannier when I go out for anything more than a pootle round the block, just in case.  They contain the glucose and also caffeine, so they'll get me home even when I've gone pretty much splat.  Also nuts are great for a bit of a pick-me-up, but not salted unless you're rehydrating well!

Saddle-wise, have you considered padded shorts?  I swear by them and won't do a longer ride without them!  They can go under normal clothes just as well as wearing them on their own.  Other than that, which saddle suits you is pretty much down to individual choice!  I'm getting used to my Brooks and actually prefer it to the odd padded thing that came with the Claude, but it's very much horses for courses!

One thing I will say is that a friend of mine gets headaches when she overexerts due to high blood pressure.

Peter:
Bartonflyer, I'd say you were doing fine but I think I'd go to the doc.'s for a check-up anyway after such a long time.  Probably nothing wrong at all but it can't do any harm to find out.

Good luck!

inc:
Age itself is not a problem but have you been doing any other sort of exercise for the intervening 40 years. I would think the tiredness you feel after an hour or so is just as likely to be general muscle fatigue, your muscles are being asked to do something they have not done for some time and it will take time for them to adapt. The water is essential but if you feel you need more energy then electrolyte drinks  may help, it is something you just need to try, personally I don't think the chocolate is such a good idea. Headaches can be a sign of dehydration are you drinking enough water. Saddles are a very personal thing, the softer gel sort are generally good for shorter distances but as you have found less so as the riding time increases as they don't support you properly,  see if you can borrow some other saddles  to try. When you say get a bike built I assume you mean assembled from components. There is a big advantage with this method as you can have the the bike set up for you with the correct position through choice of bars,stem etc and have the wheels and tyres you want. I would say you are doing everything just right with a nice gentle build up, for a bit of variety you maybe could try shorter distances a bit faster and the longer rides a bit slower. If you are doing 20 miles now then your target 50 mile ride next year should be well within your ability, good luck.

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