I went for a ride with a few friends last Friday to a local trail centre (Cwmcarn) where they have quite a challenging red 15.5 km ride called the Twrch (meaning Boar). First half climbs 300 metres followed by a downhill trail including some quite scary (to me anyway) singletrack. Not the silly downhill stuff that you need body armour for but challenging enough for me. The serious downhillers don't ride up but have a trailer to take them!

The youngster of the group (he's 50, I'm 66) set off first on the downhill and I went second. About 30 yards from the top I heard a shout from my other friends saying they'd decided to go down the road rather than the track. I didn't want to have to stop and turn round so decided to carry on.

Well I completed it without any falls although with a few cuts and bruises from brambles and pedal knocks on the shins, plus aching wrists from gripping so tight (must remember to get rid of the gripshifts). I must admit I had a great thrill out of it, even if I was terrified on occasions with the drops on either side of the trail.

Later that evening my wife was on the phone to the wife of another rider and she told my wife that I'd gone down the "dangerous" route.

My wife is not very happy. She thinks that I'm far too old for this sort of riding and would prefer me to stick to roads and pathways. I can see her point of view, especially as I had quite a nasty fall about 18 months back that kept me off a bike for months, but at the same time I don't want to stop doing stuff that I enjoy - you're a long time dead.

I don't kid myself that I'm any world beater or that I can keep up with the young hot-shots, but I will carry on riding XC for as long as I can at the same time taking a lot of care. I think I know my limitations.

I'll just have to get used to being in the doghouse.

"Cool" is "dumb" that you got away with. Explain to your wife that she married you because she thought that you were cool.

RG, I love this quote, can I use it on my sig. ?.

@ Gerryattrick, you didn't have to get a ride home from the emergency room, so while she may think you're a juvenile delinquent, deep down she's probably smiling that you're still pretty cool. And pretty dumb. And I wouldn't be asking which.

Use the hell out of it. It's original with me.

With all due modesty, I think I was the source of that quote. It came about from my long history of doing stupid stuff and getting away with most of it.

Or not. If I didn't say it first, I wish I would have.

Anyway, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. just don't tell your wife next time

You need new friends who don't spill the beans!! There are advantages to riding solo.

Keep it up. You only live once, hopefully that won't be on one of your rides.

Never underestimate the power of the Spousal tab-keeping information network. Oh well, better a doghouse than a hospital room...

Gerry - good thing you have free medical coverage!

Wives have a "worry" gene. Dont worry about it.

I guess you could ride a trike then sit on the porch and watch the world go by or do what you enjoy taking general precautions...not doing things beyond your abilities/capabilities...
"You can always ask forgiveness".

"I don't kid myself that I'm any world beater or that I can keep up with the young hot-shots, but I will carry on riding XC for as long as I can at the same time taking a lot of care. I think I know my limitations."

Exactly the approach you should take. I have a 59 year old friend who runs ultra-marathons (recently 50 miles at elevations from 10,000 to 12,000 feet in Leadville, Colorado) and his motto is "it's a hill...get over it... Just DNF"
(Do Nothing Fatal). So many people can't run, ride bikes, or even walk...if you are blessed enough to have that opportunity then why not take it? Riding a bike is fun...sure it's exercise...and it's potentially dangerous...but it's FUN. When I ride, I don't feel like a 63 year old grandfather of 6...for a few precious moments I feel like a kid again. Weighing the risks is a part of life in all that we do, be smart and have fun.

Good quote.

If I were in your situation, I'd be talking to the other rider whose wife gave you away. I'd be say, "You owe me big time, I mean real big time. What happens on the trail stays on the trail. At the least, you need to pick up the tab for the next round."

I worked in a big building where the ambulance used to take someone out who had a heart attack caused by sitting behind a desk too long. Women seem to consider that safe. You're ok.

Happened to me on an MTB ride I was leading for the bike club. I landed a jump wrong, went over the bars wrong and skidded down a rock face on my left arm. So to hide it I put a ace bandage over it and told my wife it was just a slight sprain. The next day my wife is in the supermarket and one of the younger women who was on the ride sees my wife and runs up to her asking how my arm is and exclaiming how bloody and shredded it look. Sheot! it doesn't do any good to lie to them they will always find out!

And that still happens when one is 73yo. I love your thought, so well-expressed. So often we hear someone say or write - "If only I could be a kid (or some early age) again." Well, yes, you CAN!

I was a kid again for 2 hours this morning.

That's it exactly, and I hope it doesn't change. I suspect I'm not alone on this forum.

After 44 years my wife knows what I'm like, but has perfected that look when she thinks I'm acting like an idiot. At the same time she knows that cycling is preferable to smoking and sitting watching television all day.

You were able to walk home and you're still in the doghouse? Twice, on my wife's birthday, I went for a short morning ride that ended in the back of an ambulance.

Gerry,
Just bide your time and the next time she does her "ladylike" dumb action, (they do them they just seem to hide them better) turn the "LOOK" around on her. Contrary to popular propaganda, they put out, they aren't perfect, just sneakier. (When is the last time you heard a woman say " Watch this.....", and proceed to make everyone wince.)

Bill

One of my favorite quotes: "A ship in a harbor is safe, but that's not what ships were built for."

I'd rather my grandkids remember me as the nonagenarian who crashed his Trek on a technical descent than the old fart who keeled over on his Hoveround. If you gotta go, go big.

it's easier to apologize than to ask for permission

Thankfully my wife knows me too well so I don't have any "dog-house" issues.

She does admonish me to "Be safe out there!" when I take off to ride, to which I reply something like "You know me, Mr. Safety!" which gets a short laugh . . . but on the other hand, she does take good care of me after my crashes!

Rick / OCRR

Me too. My worst dream is all of my kids standing around my coffin and talking about "how sensible" dad was.

There is another quote that goes something like " I would rather die taking a chance, than have lived never taking one." I wouldn't mind having that one engraved on my urn.

Two old guys are on the tennis court.
They warm up, and proceed to play a long and fiercely contested set- lobs, drops, charging the net, blistering passing shots.
Spectators gather as the play rages, until a last, endless rally brings the exciting conclusion.
Catching his breath as they approach the net to shake hands, the loser says, "Oh, to be ninety again."