It’s not uncommon for Scott McCrary to ride his bike up Paris Mountain and think he’s getting after it pretty good.“Then George Hincapie will ride by going up at 18 mph,” McCrary said with a laugh, “and you realize he’s a different type of human being than the rest of us.”Yet while McCrary isn’t about to compare himself to pro cyclist Hincapie, currently riding the Tour de France for the 17th time, he’s just completed his own Tour de USA and done quite well for himself. At age 64, McCrary may not be in the prime of life, but he is having the time of his life.“I’m in the best shape I’ve been in in the last five years,” McCrary said a few days after finishing a 52-day bike trip across the United States. “But I fully expect to be riding 20 years from now.“It will be a great disappointment to me if I can’t.”McCrary is among senior cyclists, hikers, paddlers, rock climbers and trail runners who’ve found age is no barrier to their active pursuits. In fact, many of them are getting involved in such adventuresome sports at older ages because they’ve found no reason they can’t. And, with some cursory warnings and limitations, most doctors encourage these pursuits because they can’t find a reason to say no.“I’m very open-minded to this sort of thing,” said Dr. Michael Kissenberth, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports medicine at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas in Greenville. “I’m not going to tell people to start jumping out of airplanes, but there is a tremendous benefit to staying active as we get older.”Yet while Kissenberth advocates activity, he also sees the downside of those who’ve been active all their lives. Many have worn out joints, torn apart tendons and found themselves on the sidelines or in the operating room instead of pursuing their passions and a long, healthy life.“We still say, before you begin, you should have a check-up,” he said. “See your primary care physician or internist first to see if you’re healthy. Then begin one step at a time, in many cases literally, with easy walking and then progress from there.”
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