Too Old For What?

"You're too old to ride a bike."

Someone told me that when I was, oh,  35 years old. Here I was thinking I had just become old enough to be President of the United States.  (For some reason, even though I never wanted the job, I always thought of that age as a milestone of some sort.) I guess that's how life works, at least in some people's minds:  Being old enough to do one thing means you're too old to do another.  

The man who made that assessment probably wasn't thinking that I had accumulated enough years, even if I'd never have enough votes to move into the White House. (Hey, that didn't stop someone, did it?)  He was about a quarter-century older than I was.  He also was the father of someone I rode with, who just happened to own the shop where I worked part-time when I wasn't working my regular job--or bike riding.

Needless to say, I've never subscribed to the notion that anyone is "too old" to ride a bike.  Certainly there are conditions, mainly health-related, that preclude people from mounting a saddle.  Some might be related to aging; others can strike in the prime of one's youth due to a crash or some other mishap.

Speaking of which:  on 21 October, Massachusetts resident Sue Scheible made what she admitted was a "hasty" U-turn.  Her tumble to the ground resulted in a fractured elbow.  Seeing her injury, an urgent care doctor advised her (in, I imagine, a tone of condescension that he thinks is his "bedside manner") that she should stop cycling because she's "too old."

And like the 81-year-old I hope to be, she said, "No way!"

Sue Scheible.  Photo by Bob Sears for the Patriot Ledger (Massachusetts)

Mind you, not long after she took her spill, I executed a "hasty" U turn that landed me on a Coney Island street.  While my injuries--a cut and a few scratches--weren't nearly as serious as hers, I have to wonder whether a provider would have told me what that doctor told Ms. Schieble even though I'm a good bit younger (but, by most definitions, not young).  Or what if someone younger still had shown up in the ER.  I can assure you that plenty of cyclists, skateboarders, runners and other active people young enough to be my grandchildren have had mishaps like mine--or hers.

Susan Scheible brought her bike to her local shop for a tune up and, a little less than a month ago, was back in the saddle.  

Too old--for what?  To be President?

 

She’s In The Middle Of Her Life

 Perhaps you have come to the sudden end of a trail or street and had to make a U-turn. Or you had to dodge some obstacle you couldn’t have seen—or a driver made a turn they didn’t signal and you couldn’t have anticipated.

Most times, you’ll make the stop or turn without incident, if with a few “choice words.” But there comes a time for most cyclists when such a split-second reaction leaves them off-balance, or even causes a tumble, no matter the cyclist’s skill level or age.

The last word of the previous sentence might have prompted the reaction of Sue Scheibel’s doctor after falling from a U-turn she admits she took “too fast” on her bike.

Said doctor suggested that if she wanted to continue cycling, she should do it indoors. “I’ve seen some really terrible injuries from bike accidents,” he admonished her.

She concedes that her doctor might’ve been trying to “protect” her but couldn’t help but wonder whether his advice was motivated by age-ism. (She is 80.) Although she doesn’t say as much, I couldn’t help but think that a dollop of sexism was ladled onto his prognosis: Another doctor, female, said it would be healthier to continue riding as long as she understood her limitations.

For some people, her question would beg—or answer—the question of whether someone is “too old” to ride a bike or engage in other physical activity.  She posed that question online, and most respondents, who included medical professionals, said that she could continue as long as she’s capable and takes necessary safety precautions.

Were I part of that conversation thread, I’d’ve seconded that opinion and added that as long as she’s in the middle of her life, she should enjoy cycling and any other activity she likes.

Oh, and I’d remind her of the premise behind this blog’s title:  As long as you don’t know when your life will end, you’re in the middle of it.