Author Topic: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old  (Read 5330 times)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43308729


Members of Audax:) shown in film. Anyone here?

I'll get me jacket on then.

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #1 on: 08 March, 2018, 05:07:27 pm »
Quote from: BBC
They are members of Audax, a long-distance cycling organisation that organises events ranging from 100km to 300km.

Either they didn't want to scare people or they missed the 1 off the front of 1300km!!

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #2 on: 08 March, 2018, 05:14:30 pm »
Quote from: BBC
They are members of Audax, a long-distance cycling organisation that organises events ranging from 100km to 300km.

Either they didn't want to scare people or they missed the 1 off the front of 1300km!!

I saw that. Probably a misquote around the norms for the group being studied that has been applied to Audax in general, albeit with the over-80s in their group tending to do slightly less.

Nice article though. 

Eddington: 133 miles    Max square: 43x43


Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #4 on: 08 March, 2018, 09:41:24 pm »
Seems to be an echo in here
<i>Marmite slave</i>

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #5 on: 09 March, 2018, 09:04:59 am »
Doesn't do a lot for the phyzog, though.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #6 on: 09 March, 2018, 09:11:15 am »
What it really says imo is that folk who have been physically active throughout their lifetimes fare better than average in their twilight years, many factors notwithstanding.   It's probably too late to switch from a sedentary bar-propping lifestyle upon the occasion of your retirement though.

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #7 on: 09 March, 2018, 09:18:20 am »
Is it buried under their patio?

frankly frankie

  • I kid you not
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Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #8 on: 09 March, 2018, 09:33:10 am »
Unable to get off the treadmill of the obsessional "getting the miles in" cyclist.  Call that living?
when you're dead you're done, so let the good times roll

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #9 on: 09 March, 2018, 09:58:59 am »
Seems to be an echo in here

All that exercise doesn't do anything for the aged mind though...  :P
The loss of humanity I could live with.

Ben T

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #10 on: 09 March, 2018, 05:48:06 pm »
I wish they'd done a test of whether endurance cycling specifically bestows any benefit to the immune system. With a control group of people who were active but not into long distance cycling, for instance.
I wonder whether any of the benefits are due to passing through lots of different landscapes all with different agriculture and pollen, etc. I often seem to get "hayfever" on an audax, I wonder if I'm building up resistance to things by going through a lot of different terrain.

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #11 on: 09 March, 2018, 10:24:21 pm »
What it really says imo is that folk who have been physically active throughout their lifetimes fare better than average in their twilight years, many factors notwithstanding.   It's probably too late to switch from a sedentary bar-propping lifestyle upon the occasion of your retirement though.
I don't think that's what it was saying. IMO it seemed to be selling the opposite view.
However, the anecdotal "evidence" didn't ask if the interviewees had had a lifetime of physical activity. It did look likely that they had always been "cyclists".

My impression of the original research agrees. However it doesn't draw any comparisons with those who have who have become active late in life. That comparison may have been researched elsewhere. If so can anyone give a source?

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #12 on: 10 March, 2018, 06:25:58 am »
Maybe it’s just the “ popularising” of the story, but it does seem to lack any real comparative data.

As presented, another interpretation is that keen cyclists who do have excellent health and good genes carry on riding.

It’s a conversation some times at the cafe. Look at all these 60/70/80 year old cyclists, isn’t it great. Then we start to run through a list of those who are no longer alive, or well enough, to ride.

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #13 on: 10 March, 2018, 10:21:05 am »
Maybe it’s just the “ popularising” of the story, but it does seem to lack any real comparative data.

As presented, another interpretation is that keen cyclists who do have excellent health and good genes carry on riding.

Indeed, many of the older Audaxers I've talked to were very keen racers and/or TTers in their day.

How many of them are still able to do a 200km or 300km ride within time because they were doing sub 24-min 10's back in their youth.

(I've no chance as I was never fast in my youth.)
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #14 on: 10 March, 2018, 06:20:59 pm »
Maybe it’s just the “ popularising” of the story, but it does seem to lack any real comparative data.

As presented, another interpretation is that keen cyclists who do have excellent health and good genes carry on riding.

Indeed, many of the older Audaxers I've talked to were very keen racers and/or TTers in their day.

How many of them are still able to do a 200km or 300km ride within time because they were doing sub 24-min 10's back in their youth.

(I've no chance as I was never fast in my youth.)

Yes, it was amusing to hear a reporter recount his pride at a 6:35 mike, aged 47, to be told in and interview that Roger Bannister, Brasher or Chattaway had run 5:35 ages 70:)

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #15 on: 10 March, 2018, 07:26:54 pm »
I think the original report is brilliant. Only another 20 years to go and I'll suddenly be fit and healthy.

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #16 on: 11 March, 2018, 09:40:18 pm »
What it really says imo is that folk who have been physically active throughout their lifetimes fare better than average in their twilight years, many factors notwithstanding.   It's probably too late to switch from a sedentary bar-propping lifestyle upon the occasion of your retirement though.
Robert Marchand  only took up cycling at 68, but it did take him a few decades to get to breaking /setting records for the 100 and 105+ age categories  ;D

A link to the original (proper) scientific article can be found here http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/acel.12750/full
It's interesting that they included women as well as men

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #17 on: 12 March, 2018, 08:35:44 am »
Quote
Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old

Audax UK are helping police with their enquiries.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #18 on: 12 March, 2018, 10:58:35 am »
Also, think it’s unfair to describe someone in their prime at 80 as being elderly. That carries a number of discriminatory implications.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #19 on: 12 March, 2018, 01:11:00 pm »
If they're fit enough not to be elderly they're young enough to pay for their bus tickets.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #20 on: 13 March, 2018, 09:59:12 pm »
There used to be a cafe in Lancashire where the mid-week cyclists were greeted with a cry of 'the coffin-dodgers are in'. I suppose that's a summation of this report.

It does tend to reinforce the Audax stereotype though, and on prime-time as well.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #21 on: 14 March, 2018, 03:56:59 pm »
It does tend to reinforce the Audax stereotype though, and on prime-time as well.
I think the prime time stereotype of audax is "Oar what?"
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #22 on: 16 March, 2018, 08:36:37 am »
I think the message is that if you have plenty of spare time to ride a bike or will do you good. However it doesn't help a fair few people without that much free time to do the significant mileage such as parents with young families or single parents, or carers, etc. I would really like them to do research into the average person and specifically how they can get the benefits efficiently and within the day to day function of their life. With childcare and family commitments I'm not even cycle commuting more than twice a week. We try to have active weekends but that's not been easy with family additions recently (dog not baby). I forsee this changing in a year or less (got an active breed of dog, border terrier, so fully expect to take up running and possibly cycling with it at unearthly hours of the day and night, to try and tire it out).

Anyway, news of this type of research tends to be about reminding people that exercise is good for you. If there's anyone left in Britain who does not know that please put your hand in the air. No hands! What's the point in these reminders? Personally they only make those who already do the exercise feel superior I reckon. I doubt it changes,  that much, people's behaviour.

Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #23 on: 16 March, 2018, 08:41:53 am »
tpmb12, nail, head, struck.

I got home early last night. So I had time to spend 30min or so chatting to MrsC. Apart from that, all I did was go shopping for food, cook dinner, clear up, do laundry and some admin. We ate dinner together. I didn't even have children take care of and I still only just made it to bed by midnight. That's pretty typical of most people.

There simply isn't any spare time.
<i>Marmite slave</i>

DaveJ

  • Happy days
Re: Elderly, 80 year old, cyclists have the body of a twenty year old
« Reply #24 on: 16 March, 2018, 09:02:08 am »
Norman used to run the "Big Easy" 200k out of Woldingham, but I think that last ran in 2003.

Last time I saw him was at Brest in 2007.

Dave