Ballad of an Aging Cyclist

I took this photo about two thirds of the way through a 64 mile gravel ride with almost 6000’ of climbing that I cycled with Doug, Jesse and Ruth in central NH last Wednesday. I did not realize that this was foreshadowing about how I would think about myself pedaling up the final climbs of that ride. As I struggled up those climbs, I composed a song in my head to keep my brain occupied and distracted from my aching legs. In the end of this post, I will share those lyrics which kept me amused and helped me up those climbs. But before doing so, I will also provide some context by reflecting on my past 5 years of cycling.

Exactly 5 years ago today, while bicycling across the country from Santa Barbara CA to Myrtle Beach SC, I had one of the most memorable rides of my life. With a strong tailwind, very flat roads, and a 2000’ elevation loss, I cycled 100 miles in under 4 hours. I averaged just under 26 mph for the ride which was about 7 mph faster than any century I had ever ridden without drafting and almost 5mph faster than any century I had ridden with drafting. I took the photo above while riding that day. I describe why favorite photo of the cross country trip in this post.

With all of the training I did for the 2019 cross country trip (including a trip to Chile pictured above), I was fitter than I had been in about 20 years. At that time, I was incredibly strong on the flats and downhills, and could generally keep pace with Doug, Jesse or Ruth on the climbs. However, the past 5 years have taken a toll on my body.

In January of 2020, while snowboarding in Utah, I hurt my right knee. I thought I had just tweaked it, but it turned out that I partially tore my meniscus and aggravated some arthritis. Because of the pandemic, I was not able to get surgery scheduled until the fall. However, on Labor Day weekend, I developed a very large blood clot in my left leg which had its own significant effects and further put off the knee surgery. Collectively, these dramatically limited my cycling. The only cycling trip I did was a short one to northern NH in mid-October pictured above. In 2019, I bicycled almost 11,000 miles. In 2020, that plummeted to 3500 miles.

I was finally able to get surgery on my knee in the end of January 2021. Between the knee injury and the blood clot, I had lost a huge amount of fitness. After a couple of months of recovery, my right knee was generally good. My left calf was significantly remodeled following the blood clot, remaining swollen and tight to this day. With the pandemic still restricting so much travel, I spend much more time photographing birds than cycling in 2021. I had no significant bicycling trips, just a few rides with Doug in NH and with Jesse and Ruth in VT and on the Cape. My milage for 2021 was only modestly more than in 2020 coming in at just 3750.

In 2022, I was getting back into some reasonable cycling fitness having ridden over 3000 miles by the end of June. Doug, Jesse, Ruth and I met in Seattle to ride with a group to Glacier National Park in Montana. Sadly, that trip ended abruptly just past the Montana state line when Jesse and I crashed together resulting in a concussion for Jesse and a snapped left fibula and tibia for me. The photo above was taken shortly before the crash. I had surgery in Sandpoint Idaho which I wrote about here. While my bones have healed, I no longer have full range of motion in my left ankle, have some nerve damage affecting my toes, and the ankle still bothers me most days.

I entered 2023 hoping that this would be the year I really got back into cycling shape following the setbacks over the previous three years. Jesse, Ruth and I had signed up for Trek Travel’s cross-country trip traveling from the Pacific Ocean west of Portland Oregon to the Atlantic Ocean just south of Portland ME. Unfortunately, my Dad’s illness with cancer, and his passing during the summer, meant that I was only able to join the trip starting in Wisconsin, and was definitely not in the shape I had been in for the 2019 trip. Nonetheless, I managed the last third of the trip and had a great time. The photo above is me with Jesse and Ruth as we arrived at the Atlantic Ocean last October.

Because of family issues, 2023 and 2024 have been particularly stressful for me. One of my less positive traits is that I often cope with stress by eating. Combined with the more limited riding of the past 5 years, I am currently over 20 pounds heavier than I was in 2019. This added weight and the lost fitness that occurred from my injuries means that my power to weight ratio is 25% lower than it was in 2019. In practical terms, this means that I struggle much more climbing hills and can no longer keep pace with Jesse, Ruth and Doug as they climb. Above in a photo of Jesse, Ruth and Doug waiting for me at the top of a hill from last week.

So with this long preamble, here is the song I wrote to humor myself while climbing the hills in NH:

Ballad of an Old Cyclist

I used to be a strong man
Not so many years ago
They called me the Kengine
Cause I could go and go and go

Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe
Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe

But now I am an old fart
Carrying ‘round too many pounds
My old diesel engine
Is nowhere to be found

Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe
Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe

I still get on my bicycle
And ride around the block
I time my Strava segments
With an old grandfather clock

Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe
Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe

I ain’t got a high gear
I ain’t got a low gear
I ain’t got a fast gear
I only got a slow gear

I only got a slow, slow
Pathetically slow gear

Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe
Breathe, breathe, I gotta f***ing breathe

Ballad of an Old Cyclist

More Denmark Birds

NH Gravel Cycling

© Kenneth S. Nickerson 2024