Ride your age.
 

My bitrthday is in January and It was cold and snowy and frosty so once again this years Ride your age ride was postponed. I was beginning to wonder if I was going to get it in as milage has not been high on any ride this year and definitley not for the Decrebit soul that I have been feeling.

But Yesterday I was talked into taking up the entry for a team with one rider that pulled out at the last minute. Road ride of 54 miles and a report will follow later when I can get the brain to work again. Pretty easy ride really but there were a few other entrants- About 30,000 of them- on the London To Brighton annual ride on Fathers day for the British Heart Foundation.

With plenty of riders you can guess that parking at the start is non-existant so last night I spent an evening in London for the early start. Cycled 5 miles to the event and the ride of 54. Only another 5 and my age would be ridden. Did that after the ride --at a very gentle pace and along the FLAT seafront at Brighton so that is one more goal down for this year. Two in fact as it also did the metric that I was planning to do shortly.

But without much training- I surprised myself and my fellow riders in the team. Did the milage and at my usual way of starting slowly and building up. No problem of the others waiting for me as we had other problems that meant I was not the slowest rider----and on top of that I climbed Ditchling Beacon without being knocked off or forced to stop by other riders-Or non-riders as the case normally is.

Just got back home and about to have a shower- A cold shower as the boiler has gone on the blink but that will have to wait for another day.

Congrats.

Last Saturday at the Indy TdC my initial goal was 50 miles, but then I thought with another 3 laps I'd be just over my upcoming age - 57 on August 2 - so I adjusted my goal accordingly. Then I decided what the heck - if I could tack those 3 laps on, I might as well do 2 more still and make it a metric century. Of course there were no hills on my "route."

YES! our best to your success.
R&J

Congratulations, Stapfam. Know what you mean about not being the slowest rider. Last week's group ride turned out to be a surprise when I was able to keep toward the front. I was thinking that the two times in one's life when the sensitivity to embarrassing one's self is greatest are adolescence and as one approaches advanced years.

I am just back in from my "ride your age" birthday ride [55]. Interesting solo ride, windy 30mph with gusts to 38mph, but that helped make up for the temps that were almost 100F at ride finish. The salty sweat, stretched fabric and saddle contact conspired against me and wore a hole in the bike shorts mid-ride, OUCH, did a reroute to the house for a quick wipedown/clean shorts. There are a fair number of hills, nothing steep but a few long climbs.

When do we get to convert birthday ride formulas from "ride your age" to "ride a century-minus-your-age?" ? :)

Makes me glad to live in a country where road distances are metric, 50km is a lot easier to do, then 50 miles :D

Congrats Stapfam! I just rode my age this weekend after last week's birthday, but didn't go the extra for the metric.

Way to go, SF.

My age now covers the metric. It takes longer to do the Ride your age ride every year.

Seems like it's farther every year too!?!?!

Congrats on getting your age ride done, and here's looking foreward to many many more.

Today's my birthday (60) but I only rode 25 miles. This was my commute plus a few extra on the way home. In January a friend and set out to ride his age (66) and ended up at 70+ so I don't feel bad about missing out on a long ride today.