RockyTopBiker

Tomorrow is my 65th birthday. Yes I was born two days after Pearl Harbor. I tell everyone that I was the first "baby boomer". Anyway, I'm going to attempt to ride my age plus five, leaving my hometown of Greeneville, TN and riding southwest to Knoxville, TN where my father originally lived. The problem is: the weather prediction here is for 11 degrees tonight and that's in good old American "round zero" degrees. I'm calling the bike ride the "Medicare Metric!" aka the "Tour de Willie" since some people think I resemble a certain country singer by the same name. There are about 20 people coming to the dinner after the ride but I have only found three or four friends who are planning on riding with me. Thankfully, it is supposed to be sunny with no wind and a high reaching the mid forties. Wish me luck!

Ned

NOS88

Ned, sounds like it will be the "Tour de chilly". Hope it's a great ride. Let us know who it goes.

stapfam

With no wind and high forties you do not need encouragement- Just think of how bad it could be. Good luck on the ride and no matter how cold- Still drink before you need to- find a slice of pie before you need to and think of the rest of us forced to get out in the garden and sweat the lbs off in a more relaxing manner.

The extra miles will come back and bite you on this forum so just just ride your age and then stop the computer. The extra 5 will be an extra 10 next year and the weather may not be as good.

RockyTopBiker

I did it! Everybody backed out except one friend. He is a postal worker and, as we all know, nothing stops them from completing their appointed task. We left the Homestead Restaurant, where we had breakfast, at 8:00 a.m. My computer has a thermometer and it read 10 degrees. After we started moving, the temperature dropped to eight! My son followed us all the way and supported us in my van. We stayed pretty warm except for our toes and fingertips. My friend, Mike, had some hand warmers that look like tea bags. We put those both in our shoes and gloves. By ten O'clock was was starting to feel good. There is an old saying: "If someone is beating you with three sticks and then he beats you with only one stick, it feels gooe!" This situation was about the same. We both had some problem with our legs cramping after about 40 miles but just walking some and a couple of painkillers alleviated thatl We ended up in Knoxville at the Regas Restaurant at five p.m., almost exactly seventy miles, and were joined by our wives and some other friends and relatives. I passed on the pie and opted for a peppercorn filet. I'm already planning the next ride in five years on my 70th birthday, The Tour de Willie/70. It's a ride from Miami to Key West. It may be crowded but surely it will be warm!

stapfam

You are braver than me 10Deg sounds cold. How were the Tea bags- Did they work?

Typical of the drop outs though and also typical of the Forecast weather!!!

Well done but 5 years between birthdays sounds a long time.

centexwoody 

this is Tennessee, remember? time moves slower there...

Louis

Uh-oh!





Congratulations and happy birthday.

p8rider

Congratulations!!
Nice story. I didn't pick it up when you first posted. Bday + 5 is a good accomplishment!!
You should give yourself additional credit because of the chilly weather. 10 degrees, I would have been one of your no shows

Terrierman

What a cool post. I hope the filet was delicious. You most certainly earned it!

BluesDawg

10 degrees? Great Googly Moogly! Way to go.

10 degrees will always be
too dang cold for me
but good old Rockytop
did the Tour de Willie
(better him than me)

jppe

Fantastic! We were out in that stuff and it was indeed a little chilly. Congratulations on the terrific ride.

NOS88

Good ride; good post! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out. ANd don't you hate that feeling when y

NOS88

Good ride; good post! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out. And don't you hate that feeling when you're thinking to yourself, "OK, it cold, but once we start riding it'll warm up."; only to see that it's actually getting colder? Way to tough it out.