General Cycling Discussion - Real heros

On saturday morning I met with an old friend and two of his riding partners to do a 50 mile group ride. My friend is 60 years old and 7 years ago he was training to do RAAM and he and I rode togather frequently then. His team sponsorship fell through but he had gotten into great shape at 53 years of age.

Well, saturday was a pleasant surprise. I went out thinking, ok this will be a long slow distance ride and that was actually what I wanted to do any way.

We averaged 19+ for the first 20 miles and once the ride was all said and done our overall average was over 17.5 for 50 miles. Not bad for a group of late 50's and one 60 year old.

The course was riddled with climbs also so it was no cake walk. One fellow in the group was burning up the road for a few long stretches and this 38 year old had to work a bit to stay at his pace.

I must say that Lance and all the pro's are heros, but my real world heros are these guys. I hope I am still riding like them at 60.

Yeah, you are right Sam. I saw my 80 yr. old cycling friend yesterday. He was telling me that he does between 5 and 20 miles every day, depending on the weather and how he feels. He quit wearing the overalls and got himself some biking shorts. He is so cool. He has a very sharp mind, and is very limber and in good shape. He informed me that he was no longer the oldest man to ride through the tunnel in Rockmart, there is an 82 year old from Covington who came over and rode. People like this are a great example for everyone.

You should see him pulling up, letting the tail gate down and dragging that Schwinn off his truck and taking off.

While visiting my father-in-law at the nursing home last week I saw a touring bike leaning against some bushes in front of a window. During the visit, sitting just inside that window, I saw the bike's owner ride off on the bike--a man surely older than many of the people in the nursing home. He must have been visiting someone at the home. Today after a visit I saw the same rider and bike on Clayton road. I imagine he was again cycling from the nursing home where he visited someone. I commented to my wife in the car that cycling was the likely reason this fellow wasn't an inmate in a nursing home himself.

Originally posted by The Terminator
People like this are a great example for everyone.

:beer: They are an inspiration for us to keep doing what we are doing... to stay young at heart and body.

R

There are a few seniors on this board who provide me with similar inspiration. I hope to keep riding when I reach that age, too.