The Rage of Age

Two weeks ago I rode the inaugural Worcestershire Rough Ride. A tough 4.5hrs of mixed terrain on a baking hot day, bang in the middle of our recent heatwave. At the time I remarked that it had been harder than a Tour de France stage and, in hindsight, I think it probably was.

I rode the L’Etape du Tour in 2001. A legit Tour stage. 6.5hrs, 90 miles through the Pyrenees from Tarbes to Luz-Ardiden via the Cold d’Aspin and Col du Tourmalet

Since then I haven’t ridden much. Partly because of a lack of mojo and partly as I haven’t had the time. This week, the 2nd week after riding the event I tried to get back into my HIIT Sufferfest videos and I struggled. Muscle pain, head not in it. Was i de-trained or fatigued?

I failed to complete another session mid-week and was getting concerned that my head had just gone so I just stayed off the bike until yesterday and decided to give ‘Butter’ a go. My goto 60 min endurance session on Sufferfest which you can’t hide from. If your not feeling it, it will find you out.

Butter is a 60 min 10 x 90 sec MAP intervals + 3 min recoveries session which is pretty brutal whether you feel good or not

I felt up for it and hit it hard and the sensations were there. I completed it….just, concluding I have been fatigued for the last two weeks which goes to show 1. how hard the Rough Ride was and 2. how age affects recovery.

As I get older, I know I could still give the kids a hard time in, say, a cross race if I trained properly but recovery would take much longer. Gone are the days of riding back to back races at the weekend or stage races. Annoying as it is, age slows you down whether you like it or not and I hate it.

I still think I’m 20 years younger. I drink like it, I stay up like it and I can occasionally dance like it lol but slowly the years are catching up.

I want to grow old disgracefully please.