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Riding your age

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Old 07-28-16 | 08:05 PM
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Riding your age

I took my recently commissioned PX-10 on a 62.4 mile ride today. (I don't have computers on any of my bikes, but that's what I came up with when I measured the route on the map with my dad's Korean-War map-measuring wheel--I suspect that it may have been a bit longer on the ground.) I turned 62 in May, so I guess that counts as an age ride.


It was a pretty hilly route, and I'm not in the best of shape this year--it took me six hours from start to finish, and I was mostly on the middle chainring on the last 10-mile stretch of the Groton Forest Road. It's clear to me now that age rides start to get pretty challenging as one's 60s go along. I should start mapping out some flattish routes to use later--not that there are any 60-mile-and-longer routes in my neck of the woods that are remotely flat.


Who's older than me and riding their age every year?
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Old 07-28-16 | 08:11 PM
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Not older but hope in 15 years I'll be riding my age. Keep it up. I admire your efforts and am sure there are no flat metrics in your neck of the woods.
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Old 07-28-16 | 09:53 PM
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I rode roughly my age today. 45m (46yo). I have been riding often with a 72 year old that averages 900 miles a month and runs 75+ more! He rides his age+ a few times a month. His wife was a pro runner and had some national records, needless to say they are probably not average for their age.

I opened my mouth so we are doing 60-70 saturday. I just wanted to collect old bikes, show them and casual ride....

Both are over 70 and ride some miles.



Last edited by Bikerider007; 07-28-16 at 10:07 PM. Reason: added pic from today
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Old 07-29-16 | 05:10 AM
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Originally Posted by jonwvara
Who's older than me and riding their age every year?
I have been for the past several years. I mean, I've been riding my age. I've been older than you for a lot longer.

Over in the 50+ forum the thing to do is a "birthday ride". I do mine as close to my b'day as weekends and weather will allow.

Last year's ride overshot the target by 6 miles. I'm 67.

For some reason my b'day ride always happens in November when it's a bit cold for riding. I keep hoping it will be earlier in the year but so far the calendar hasn't cooperated.
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Old 07-29-16 | 05:21 AM
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Originally Posted by jimmuller
For some reason my b'day ride always happens in November when it's a bit cold for riding. I keep hoping it will be earlier in the year but so far the calendar hasn't cooperated.
My B'day is a month later which also challenges the 'ride your age on yer B'day' idea but our Boxing Day rides do help. I'm 64 now and rode my first full century (106 miles) last year and have done metric centuries w/o issue. I now do 50+ mile rides with little to no planning or prep, on 40 yr old bicycles. Neato. Good for my heart. And I never really was an athlete sorta guy - skinny nerdy engineer.
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Old 07-29-16 | 05:28 AM
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Right behind the OP, this year is a decade birthday, so I felt that I needed to man up and ride the 60 miles this November. Doing some training and planning for this one, we have a Century event here close to my B-day, and it has a metric component ride as a part of the route(s). Regardless, this year is getting a birthday ride, within the month of November.

Average, nondescript engineer, that was never an athlete, either. (sorry Prowler, had to ride your wheel on this one, too inviting to pass up

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Old 07-29-16 | 05:38 AM
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I've been doing a birthday/age ride for since I turned 50, seven years ago, and fortunately my birthday is in April so the weather is usually pretty good. Earlier this month I did a 4x my age plus ride (232 miles), so I think I've built up some credit for my later years.
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:17 AM
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How bout that.

Did my birthday ride my age on the Blue Ridge yesterday.
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:27 AM
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It's a lot easier to ride your age in Canada.
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:33 AM
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I've been doing this fairly consistently. My birthday is in late September, so I usually have the fitness to do it. A spring birthday would be tough.
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:38 AM
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
It's a lot easier to ride your age in Canada.
km vs. miles?
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:40 AM
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Let's raise the bar, since this is the C&V forum. How about riding the combined age of yourself and your bicycle? That would be 94 to 123 (double metric century) for me, depending on which bike I chose.
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Old 07-29-16 | 11:10 AM
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I didn't know this was a thing.

Coincidentally, I plan to celebrate my 50th by riding a century tomorrow. I will be taking my modern CF bike though, not one of my C&V rides.

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Old 07-29-16 | 11:26 AM
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I rode almost triple my age yesterday. 154.1 miles.

I've done a couple of birthday rides, but it falls on November and the weather doesn't usually cooperate in that month.
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Old 07-29-16 | 11:37 AM
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I did a metric ride my age Wednesday. Working on an Imperial. My feet seem to be the limiting factor at the moment. My butt and hands are manageable. Got a few months before the actual date to get there.
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
It's a lot easier to ride your age in Canada.
Nah, it's harder. Those metric years are smaller so there are lots more of them.

Originally Posted by John E
Let's raise the bar, since this is the C&V forum. How about riding the combined age of yourself and your bicycle? That would be 94 to 123 (double metric century) for me, depending on which bike I chose.
Yes to this! (In fact I threw out that spec once or twice a few years ago but it didn't get much traction after a few days.)

Originally Posted by Roger M
I rode almost triple my age yesterday. 154.1 miles.
Because you are a monster. No question. Well done.
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Old 07-29-16 | 06:41 PM
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When I read the title of this thread I first assumed it was referring to riding bikes around the same age as you as opposed to riding your age in miles. This would have been fine for me given that I was born in 1987 and I happen to like that era of bikes but I then remembered that I'm an outlier here and if we did it that way it would be a thread full of suicide shifters and rod brakes.
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Old 07-30-16 | 11:44 AM
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It wasn't so long ago, I rode double my age for my birthday ride; Now I struggle to ride my age, though here in Mexico, as in Canada, it's a significantly shorter ride.
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Old 07-30-16 | 12:10 PM
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In golf, at least you get a little help to shoot your age as you get older. With bikes, the target just keeps getting farther away.
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Old 07-30-16 | 12:50 PM
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With bikes, the target just keeps getting farther away.
Well...yeah....

My birthday was last week, and my doc didn't let me get on my bike until mid-June. I hope to ride my age at the Evanston Bike Club's North Shore Century - the metric century + miles to and from home. I'm not as fast as you guys, though.

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Old 07-30-16 | 04:00 PM
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I did a 100k ride today, but I can't figure out the kilometers-to-years conversion.
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Old 07-30-16 | 05:21 PM
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No I haven't. My problem is that my next birthday will be my 78th & my birthday is in January. In Minnesota.
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Old 07-30-16 | 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by nlerner
I did a 100k ride today, but I can't figure out the kilometers-to-years conversion.
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Old 07-30-16 | 08:51 PM
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Oh.
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Old 07-30-16 | 09:25 PM
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Originally Posted by MeadMan2
No I haven't. My problem is that my next birthday will be my 78th & my birthday is in January. In Minnesota.
You have a challenge ahead of you.
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