Fifty Plus (50+) - What's your 4th of July plans?

I'm spending mine...alone...doing this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/Essex-to-OCMD/Route-map-to-OCMD.jpg

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Essex-to-Ocean-City-Maryland-via-Delaware

Here's the one from last year, but I was 49 then:

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/Essex-to-OCMD/?albumview=slideshow

Sorry... I'm just a little preoccupied with this at the moment.

So, how about you? Any other 50+ biking adventures going on?

Lucky you. Wish I could ride. :cry: I'm still "recovering" from my VV surgery and the doc said no riding till mid July. So I'm sitting around the house with my ******** legs propped up above my head. :notamused:

We're flying on the 4th to Melbourne, Florida, to celebrate with my parents their 65th anniversary on the 5th of July. While there, I hope to borrow a couple of bikes from my sister and bro-in-law and try out some of those famous hills in Florida. :)

Lucky you. Wish I could ride. :cry: I'm still "recovering" from my VV surgery and the doc said no riding till mid July. So I'm sitting around the house with my ******** legs propped up above my head. :notamused:

Sorry to hear, Ron. I hope they heal fast for you.

Looks like a nice day weather-wise. I may take the FSR out for a ride at Rock Hawk. Watching the MTB race there last week really made me want to ride it. Not sure how hard I can ride with this trach tube in my throat, but I'll do what I can.

Some of our bike club members are having a 4th of July party that evening. Food, drinks, fireworks and good old fashioned American fun.

So, how about you? Any other 50+ biking adventures going on?

That looks like a fun trip!

I'll be doing a local ride that's very popular in this area. It starts in a nearby town, winds back toward my hometown, through a local nature reserve with a couple climbs up and over the dams then heads out to the rolling country side. Hopefully the weather will cooperate this year. Last year was really wet:(

http://www.vandaliafreedomtour.org/

We're flying on the 4th to Melbourne, Florida, to celebrate with my parents their 65th anniversary on the 5th of July. While there, I hope to borrow a couple of bikes from my sister and bro-in-law and try out some of those famous hills in Florida. :)

I spent a lot of time in Melbourne in the early days of the J-STARS program. The riding was pretty dull in terms of hills, but there are miles and miles of bike paths along A-1A. Enjoy! :)

We're flying on the 4th to Melbourne, Florida, to celebrate with my parents their 65th anniversary on the 5th of July. While there, I hope to borrow a couple of bikes from my sister and bro-in-law and try out some of those famous hills in Florida. :)

Ah yes, those windy hills. Growing up in Tampa I realized that you needed 3 gears. Into the wind, across the wind and with the wind. ;)

I hope to take a ride along the lakeshore as they're calling for
fair skies with mid 70F temp.

We'll be camping with our boys (and our MTBs) at San Simeon State Park then heading up to Samuel P. Taylor State Park the following week.

Me and the wife (possibly son as well) are doing the Medina, Ohio Twin sizzler race. This is a true citizen race for all levels and abilities, it's held each year on the morning of the 4th and this is the 33 year!! They also have running and fun walk as well. The bike course is 27 miles with several nice climbs to put a hurt on you,

After the race there is an all you can eat pancake breakfast. great fun, plus you are done by 10:30 and still have the rest of the day to party.

No 4th july over- it has been banned- No national holiday- no celebtration- no Nothing.

But looking at your ride- It could almost be made locally. I reckon the people that first came to that area must have lived round the corner from me. Wilmington is the start of the Hills. Lewes is the county town and 10 miles from here- Seaford on the coast and on my route home from work. Arlington and Newark are a stones throw away. And Salisbury, Dover and Westminster are places of note in the south east of England. Don't know about Chantilly and Berlin- so must have had a few foreigners amongst those first settlers.

I dont envey NoRacer the traffic but good things to ya! For me though ill be waiving the crimson and gold[globe and anchor] and the stars and stripes and dreaming of the last weekend of the month when ill spend three day's on the grass at the Grand Lake Stream folk Arts festival as ive done for many years.Come if ya can./Ken:)

We're flying on the 4th to Melbourne, Florida, to celebrate with my parents their 65th anniversary on the 5th of July.

Say hello to my sister, my brother-in-law, my nephews, and my ex-girlfriend (from 32 years ago) while you are there.

Melbourne wouldn't be my first choice in July.

HA HA HA THE HEAT will be the biggest hill youll find drink your water and chocolate milk./Ken

NoRacer, how long of a ride is that and do you have a target on time to complete?

On both Saturday and Sunday, my wife and I will bd doing the East Bay bike path from Providence to Bristol RI. Nice 14-15 mile one way, with a nice lobster roll/salad and wine right on Naragansett Bay at the turnaround point. Hopefully, on Saturday, she will be test riding a couple bikes with the idea of replacing what she has now.

NoRacer....that's a great looking ride.

No 4th july over- it has been banned- No national holiday- no celebtration- no Nothing.


You Brits have never been able to take a good joke.

If I ride any on the Fourth it'll be a miracle. After doing a 44 miler today in lieu of human interaction the wive's feeling a bit slighted.

It'll be a kind of special day around here. We heard rrom the Ukrainian Childrens Ministry about our girl on the 4th last year. This year it'll be our new American daughter's first 4th of July celebration. We're teaching her that all Brits are violent louts who bayonette their prisoners and burn down churches.

Whoa! Sorry. Been watching too much Mel Gibson lately. Didn't mean it.

Seriously, what we are debating is whether to drive over to Southern Indiana and buy some Black Cat illegal fireworks and set them off in our back yard. I'm against it, truth be told. I'd rather go to a free display. The municipal displays tend not to tip over while firing salvos, like they did in my next door neighbor's last year :eek:

I have been planning this ride for 2 years - this Friday may be my opportunity. We were planning to spend the weekend in the Adirondaks and watch the fireworks up there. I am thinking of sending my wife in the car and I will ride to where we are staying. 75 mile ride with 3583 ft of climbing. I figure if I start out early in the AM I can be up there a little after lunch - SO can hand me a cold beer and a big sandwich on arrival. Then on Sunday - ride home. Elevation profile attached.

Unfortunately the big climb is at the end.

NoRacer, how long of a ride is that and do you have a target on time to complete?

Since I'm riding this bike (racing geometry), carrying a backpack, and will be self-sufficient, it'll be fairly slow going--somewhere between 14-15 mph depending on the weather and winds. The distance is ~180 miles and it will be somewhere around 13 hours ride time.

Here's the bike set-up and backpack from the 140 mile ride I did two weekends ago (10 hrs 22 min ride time):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/NoRacer/Chesapeake%20City%2020080622/0622081314b.jpg

During this ride, I travelled through the Susquehanna River Valley twice in one day--lots of climbing. I'll only have to do it once on Thursday and the second time on Sunday when I return. (Sorry, if anyone got the impression that this was an out-and-back on the same day.)

Me and the wife (possibly son as well) are doing the Medina, Ohio Twin sizzler race. This is a true citizen race for all levels and abilities, it's held each year on the morning of the 4th and this is the 33 year!! They also have running and fun walk as well. The bike course is 27 miles with several nice climbs to put a hurt on you,

After the race there is an all you can eat pancake breakfast. great fun, plus you are done by 10:30 and still have the rest of the day to party.

I will be riding in Twin Sizzler race also. I'll be in the 55+ group. Afterwards we go to a picnic, then on to Western PA for a week of vacation consisting of fishing the in Allegheny River and riding the hills and Rail Trail.

I was hoping somebody on the forum was having a cookout. I could use a good meal.

I'll be up early for a ride.

Kiwanis pancake breakfast about 9 AM.

Military and veteran's ceremony and wreath laying at the courthouse at 10 AM.

Downtown parade at noon.

PM--out to the lake to swim and boat, I think.

Evening.....fireworks and concert at the lake.

It's a rough life here in small town America.

Then, on Saturday, I'm gonna loaf.

Sounds like a lot of good stuff going on.

Keep 'em coming.

Will be doing the Fabulous 4th ride out of Tryon, NC. It's 67 miles with about 6500 ft of climbing. It's the 24th year of the annual event.

After that I'm headed to the beach for the week with tons of family. Will eat seafood, ride the bike a couple hundred miles, play on the beach, play golf 5 days, drink wine and margaritas and lose all my conditioning!!

No 4th july over- it has been banned


So, that day between July 3 and July 5, what do you call it?

Riding a metric century with a group from my bike club along the beautiful beaches of St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Starting out at 7:30 to beat some of the heat. Back home for a nice lunch and nap in the air conditioning and then off to watch the fireworks with the kids.

Mark

So, that day between July 3 and July 5, what do you call it?
They could celebrate Alec Rose's Solo around the world sailing voyage (BTW he was 59). I doubt the Brits can think of much else of significance happened that day in history...

So, that day between July 3 and July 5, what do you call it?

Time warp?

I'll be working around the house between rides. Nothing specific planned and by the time they start fireworks my toes are usually pointing up.

Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni

Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle Dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

A nice 35 mile RT ride from Portland, OR to Sauvies Island.

No 4th july over- it has been banned-



So what do y'all call the day that falls between the 3rd and 5th of July? :D

edit: never mind ccorlew beat me. I gotta learn to read all the way through.

I'll be in this ride:
http://www.thespincycle.com/events.asp?level1=4thRide%20Info
I did this last year. They had a "fair" turnout, only 600 bikes! It's an amazing site. Maybe this year I'll get a few pics.

In the AM I am joining the local bike activists for a public bike party in a city park. A group of local politicians will be taking a short ride with us. Later I give people rides on my semi-recumbent tandem. Later the wife and I paddle out into San Francisco Bay to get a close-up look at the Sausalito fireworks.

I'll be there too for the metric century. It's fairly flat, though with rolling hills, so isn't too bad. Like you I did it last year.

A 50 miler on Friday with another 50 miler on Saturday. The Friday ride might even get up as high as 65 miles or so. :)

I'll be spending the long weekend on Ocracoke Island, NC, carfree. We have reserved one child carrying bike and one cargo bike.

Paul

I am going to ride my red-white-and-blue Schwinn. :)

That's a nice looking ride you have planned, NoRacer. I've never done an overnighter on the bike. Sounds like it should be fun

A good friend of mine has invited me to his place on the 4th to partake of ribs with his family. The ribs are to die for. Following the ribs, his grandkids will ignite sufficient ordnance to rival the invasion of Normandy.

So, I plan to ride. I want to ride. I'll need to ride. I'll have to ride to make room for the bounty and burn off a buncha calories prior to this indulgence. That said, there is rain, or the distinct possibility thereof, for the 4th and for the days either side of it, a repeat of our last weekend.:(

I was hoping somebody on the forum was having a cookout. I could use a good meal.

Friday night, 6pm...simple fare, hot dogs, hamburgs, maybe some keilbasa, then fresh strawberry shortcake for desert...feel free to drop by!

Friday night, 6pm...simple fare, hot dogs, hamburgs, maybe some keilbasa, then fresh strawberry shortcake for desert...feel free to drop by!

I love you, man.

Been off the bike for 3 weeks so I want to get some riding in.
Maybe bike down to the local farmer's market to see if peaches are in yet. Then ride down to the Mall (DC) to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Bhutanese food for lunch. Want to leave by early afternoon before the pre-fireworks crowd gets too heavy. Will probably go to one of the local fireworks in Northern Virginia, then set a few off of my own.
Probably another ride on Sunday. Something away from the city.

You Brits have never been able to take a good joke.

We're teaching her that all Brits are violent louts who bayonette their prisoners and burn down churches.

Whoa! Sorry. Been watching too much Mel Gibson lately. Didn't mean it.

Seriously, what we are debating is whether to drive over to Southern Indiana and buy some Black Cat illegal fireworks and set them off in our back yard. I'm against it, truth be told. I'd rather go to a free display. The municipal displays tend not to tip over while firing salvos, like they did in my next door neighbor's last year :eek:


Got that wrong- The true Brits introduced you to English racer's and Brooks saddles. In my mind that is just as good a retribution.

And our National Firework day is the 5th November as a celebration of when Guy Fawkes tried to blow up parliament. Unfortunately he failed.

On the 4th club ride 55 miles. On the 5th club ride 35 miles. On the 6th club ride 62 miles.

On the 5th, watch the start of the Tour de France. :D

I'm doing a 35ish mile mtb ride on the 4th. I hope to get some pictures to post here.
In the evening I am going to a gay wedding:eek: No, I'm not going to kiss the bride, and I won't participate in the money dance:roflmao2:

One of the local club ride leaders is a Brit who claims to keep a low profile on the 4th of July. :)

For those who live near north coastal San Diego County, the City of Encinitas is having its annual pancake breakfast, bicycle decorating contest, and band concert from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Cottonwood Creek Park. I'll be the guy with the red, white, and blue Schwinn mountain bike with the British (Brooks Team Pro) saddle.

I'm spending mine...alone...doing this:

Sorry... I'm just a little preoccupied with this at the moment.

So, how about you? Any other 50+ biking adventures going on?

That looks like a great ride! How far is it?

I'll be going up to Interlochen, MI near Traverse City, where we'll either ride the Old Mission Peninsula, around Glen Lake and the Pierce Stocking climb, or maybe Leland to Northport loop. I'd like a 50 mile loop.

Road Fan

I spent a lot of time in Melbourne in the early days of the J-STARS program. The riding was pretty dull in terms of hills, but there are miles and miles of bike paths along A-1A. Enjoy! :)


Blues, you must be an ex aerospace guy, too!

Road Fan