Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Brighton, Michigan
Posts: 662
Bikes: Optima Baron LR, '14 Nishiki Maricopa,'87 Trek 330 Elance, '89 Miyata 1400, '85 Peugeot PGN10, '04 Fuji Ace, '06 Giant Rincon, '95 Giant Allegre, '83 Trek 620, '86 Schwinn High Sierra
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Part one of my thoughts.
I'm an young one here on this forum, having turned 50 just last September.
I rode a bit in my teens, felt great then. Really skinny then too
Joined USMC after HS at age 18, got out 9 years later.
For 6 years, I didn't do anything. I gained 30lbs and became out of shape. I remember how I felt then. Sluggish, hard to catch my breath on a flight of stairs. Could hardly push my daughter in a stroller up Clingman's dome. How did I let this happen...
At age 35, I discovered the bike again, and 15 years later, I feel great. In summer, at the peak of my annual fitness, I feel nearly invincible. But...I remember how I felt those years after leaving the Corps. I feel younger now that I did during those 7 years.
Part two of my thoughts
I ride with my local randonneur group. When some of these guys tell me their ages, I do a double take. "You're how old??? Thought you were easily younger than that!". Guys like Dragi and Jerry.
They inspire and amaze me. Being that age, I would have thought people would slow way down. Not these guys. They pull me sometimes! And they surely do not look their age.