Machka 

There is an old tradition ... no idea where it started but I first heard about it a decade or more ago ... of cycling your birth age on your birthday in miles (or perhaps kilometres if your birthday is in the dead of winter ).

So, for example, if you're turning 32 this year, you'd cycle 32 miles in one day on your birthday or as close to your birthday as you can get. If you're turning 50, you'd cycle 50 miles in one day on or near your birthday.

A recent birthday thread reminded me of this and so I wondered what plans you had for your birthday ride this year.

datlas 

I have heard this for several years. Anyone know where it started?

Machka 

I may have first heard it when I started posting on cycling forums in 2002? ... Or it might have been before that, maybe when I started racing in 1998? ... Or it might have even been earlier than that. I was reading my father's Bicycling Magazines back in the 1970s, so perhaps I read it there?


Edit: I just looked through my records, and it is a bit hard to tell ... I rode my age in km on or near my birthday in earlier years, but it looks like the first time I rode my age in miles on my birthday was 2002. So perhaps I heard about it when I first got involved in a cycling forum.

Machka 

Did a little bit of digging and found reference to it in 1991 ...
Birthdays On A Bicycle Rider Logs Mile For Every Year - Sun Sentinel

K.Katso

So you would make a 100-year old ride a century on his birthday?

Maybe there should be a better formula, like 120 minus your age?

Machka 

And another one who has been doing it for the last 5 years ... which isn't particularly remarkable. What is remarkable is his age!!
94-year-old cyclist rides 100 miles on his birthday | Sports - KOAT Home


Here's another one who was/is riding centuries on his birthdays through his 70s, and he turned 80 in 2011.
https://www.richmond.com/news/article...4912d4c79.html

warrior4130

I went for years without a bicycle (about 30), and then about 2010 I purchased a hybrid for occasional short rides around the neighborhood. In 2013 I got a bit more serious, and purchased a flat bar road bike that I road 54 miles on my birthday. In 2014 I did 55 miles the day after my birthday, which caused me to think seriously about limiting my pursuit of such in the not so far off future.

Machka 

Read the links I posted. Inspirational!!



This one is inspirational too ...
https://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...y-my-59th.html

OldTryGuy

Biked my age before joining BF.

What I do now is twice my age plus 2 miles. The 2 extra is for the "pinch to grow an inch."

This July will be 130 + 2

bigdo13

i did this for my born day this year! LOL.. it was great.. felt great...the big 3-0 and knocked out an easy 30 miles and had over 200 that week...

so happy to have my fitness back after years of it being gone.

nkfrench 

I vote to change the formula that you ride your age in miles until your 50th birthday, then you ride 100 minus your age until you get to 99 years old.
When you get to 100 years old, do whatever you want.

vtdougie

Planning to ride 63 miles on my birthday in April.
My buddies will ride with me and a good time will
be had by all.

milkbaby

Last year I went for riding 100 plus my age miles. I'm in my forties and had a blast.

Mazatleco17

Turning 35 in about an hour and no plans on riding anywhere, maybe on the weekend.

Machka 

Happy Birthday! You've now got a 35 mile ride on the schedule for the weekend.

gc3

One of the guys in my office that I ride with occasionally started riding his age mileage plus elevation age times 100...last year 61 miles and 6100 feet. I hate people that can do that.

big john

That's a good one. My last birthday (60th) we rode 63 miles with 6300 feet. Wasn't really thinking about the elevation, just like the ride.
Seems like the ride your age thing wouldn't be very challenging to most of us until we got pretty old. I mean, I always ride more than my age on Saturdays, anyway.

jaxgtr

I turned 50 and did 56 miles and 5060 ft of climbing. This is a long day for me in Florida...as there is not of climbing to be had, so I have to do bridge loops to get some vertical mileage. At 220 ft per lap, I did a total of 23 laps and legs were a bit wobbly on the way home by the time I was done.

Dave Cutter

No... just switch to Kilometers.

I rode my first metric-century when I turned 62.

Mazatleco17

Thank you yes, I will definitely do it

merlinextraligh

Did 56 miles a couple of weekends ago with a friend on his 56th. I'll do 56 this July.

Some where in the late 70's this may start to get a bit more challenging.

Ultimate goal is Century at 100.

Wanderer

I'm glad my birthday is in early Feb, so I don't have to do this......... It's much nicer in June..................

Old_Roadie

I did my 66th birthday ride on Saturday, did the 66 miles. Perfect day for it, could not have been better.
I missed last year, I had a total knee replacement at the end of November, so I was very glad I was able to do it this year.
Very enjoyable ride, I just hope I can keep it up.

merlinextraligh

that doesn't sound that difficult. I did 224 miles (of gravel) and 10,000 vertical at 54.

And I've done 100 miles plus, with 10,000 plus vertical multiple times in my 50's.

KantoBoy

My last bday i just took a day off from work and just rode. Just enjoyed myself and cleared my mind. it also helped my bike was only weeks new so i was really excited to "put it through the wringer".