Fifty Plus (50+) - 1st century in 38 years

Hello , a few days ago I felt the need to take a long ride and do some thinking at the same time. My last century was at the TOSORV tour in "72 . At about 35 miles out I decided to go for it. No problems , no discomfort , just a great ride, rolling terrain with a some good climbs. What made it really memorable was that at one point I realized that the dog cruising about a hundred yards in front of me was a wolf. I wasn't trying to catch him , but I wasn't gaining on him either. After about 1000 yards he pulled up in a side road and I got a good look at him before raced off again. Speed and stamina you don't see in your local farm dog. Wolf sightings here in Wi. are pretty rare , so I feel fortunate to have seen one and glad it wasn't a super dog waiting for me at the gravel road to defend it's turf .
In '72 I rode a Paramount and this time I rode a Schwinn Circuit. Both steel and both smooth rides. I bought the Circuit for $150 to take the 105 and Ultegra stuff off it , but after a few rides I got to really enjoy the bike and now keep it for a backup Hadn't owned a Schwinn since I sold the Paramount to buy an 850 Mini .

Nice ride.

Great accomplishment. How far do you typically ride?

Thanks , usual rides 25 to 40 with the next longest being 60 . The driftless area on the western edge of Wisconsin has some of the best cycling to be found anywhere. Good surface , little traffic and challenging terrain. Our biggest drawback here is winter , but we also have great xc skiing.

Nice ride, Frisky. I would love to see a wolf in the wild, although I'm pretty sure there are none in this area. Lots of coyotes and some fox, even reports of black bears and bobcats, but no wolves.

Nice ride, I really like to see the different wildlife while I ride. Never have seen a wolf but saw a fox while in OBX a few weeks ago.

Good one. :thumb: Very cool seeing the wolf. They are beautiful animals.

You win! I only had a gap of about 32 years between mine when I got back into cycling. I did the Circle Akron Ride back in the mid-70's.

Sounds like you had a great time. Wisconsin is a pretty place. My brother-in-law used to live in Shawano. He's up in Bemidji, MN now.

Great ride.

In the last couple of days, a deer and I communed for a few minutes, I saw a fox with a rabbit in his mouth, one dead skunk and countless red-winged blackbirds, raptors, meadow larks and a snake or two.

Nice ride report. I sometimes think the unplanned centuries are the best. I've done few in my time and never had one I didn't enjoy. So, did you get your "thinking" done on this ride?