At least you didn't have to fight a head wind.

On a tour a couple decades ago, I did 11 100-miles days in a row, fully loaded, over some seriously hilly terrain (up the East Coast, across the foothills of the Smokies and stuff) and was never even tired.

Today I get tired wheeling my bike out of the garage onto the driveway to start a ride.

Hardcore is doing a 12-hour mountain bike race on a rigid single-speed, solo .... guaranteed to win the class, though .... Not me, never me, but I saw it happen.

The Orbea guy could have done one or three of six short rides that day, or maybe it was his day to do a long ride ..... Whatever his thing is, is his.

Nope...nope.

I'm sure it's possible. The main reason I suppose it was a single ride is just because there's really nothing out where we were. And I didn't notice any kind of pack that might indicate he was planning a day. Just a guy in a jersey on a regular road bike.
I didn't get a real good look at the guy but I suspect he was probably in my age range, even a little younger. Hard to pinpoint but probably 40-55 range. I know that's a pretty wide spread but it wasn't like I spent a lot of time checking the guy out.
Well done. :beer: Except I'm pretty sure he didn't recognize my car. :lol:

Of course, I realize the guy could have been doing any number of things in the interim. However, there are no shops or stores or cafes in that area so it's unlikely he was doing much else besides riding.

And yes, I know there are plenty of people more fit than me. I can admit that, and I have to accept it. But it still doesn't assuage my innate competitive nature.

that uphill grind from the red rock paid entrance up to the high point before that fun descending ain't no joke. harder and longer than it looks. no shade either.

can definitely think of worse places to spend many of the daylight hours doing repeat loops.

When I finished my formal education I had the summer off. I would often ride a route in the morning, starting around 9, go home, and then ride the same route after the evening rush. Again: Occam’s Razor. But that would defeat the supposition underlying this thread. :foo:

Your name is VegasJen and you don't like Vegas?
Haha, that's actually really funny to me. Why make a name with something you dislike?
Never change, Jen.

Changing locations is easier than changing names. I lived in Vegas for over 20 years. You ever hear the expression, "It's a nice place to visit..."?

Every rider thinks they're tough and hard core until somebody comes along and proves otherwise. It's always been that way and always will.

I consider myself a "fairly fit" 65 year old rider. Sometimes I am totally dumbstruck when somebody my age, or older, just blows my doors off. It doesn't get to me, it inspires me to grind harder.

But, you joined the forum in Dec 2021 when you were no longer in Vegas. You could have chosen any name you wanted then.

Sure could have. Maybe there's another reason why I didn't do that.

Obviously you can chose any name you like. But, when you respond with:

you imply you only have the name because it was difficult to change it.

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave….”—Sir Walter Scott


“She” should retire this profile, at least for a while. Cover is too blown.

You are here on a Sunday nit-picking a screen name. :wtf:

Should I have waited until Monday?

Do what you want when it comes to where you live and what name you choose for a message board, but your response makes no sense to me.

You joined 15 months ago and could have chosen anything you wanted, but you chose to identify by a city you are not fond of. That is funny no matter how it's explained.

OK, seriously. I've been accused of being a troll here by a few characters. I start a completely innocent thread about something I saw the other day, yet these some of these same characters choose instead to get all wound up about my screen name. FFS. You can continue if you want, I really don't care. But if any of you dare to accuse me of trolling again, I'm calling your a$$es out. But as long as you want to continue to harp on a completely irrelevant issue, anybody ever read Covey? Talk about being stuck in the thick of thin things.

Um...I referenced your screen name first in this thread, but have never thought you are a troll. Thru the last year I've thought you are immature, misguided, unwilling to consider other views, and much more...but I have never thought you are a troll.

I brought up your screen name and how you don't like Vegas simply because it's funny. The screen names are how everyone is known here, and you chose to be known for a town you don't even like. How can you not laugh at that? Absurdity is funny.
It's like if someone chose to go by [MENTION=37341]Vintage[/MENTION]merckx, but doesn't like Eddy or own a vintage Merckx bike.


I'll throw you a bone here since a simple funny observation triggered you. I don't golf anymore. I also don't attend mississippi stare anymore. Yet my name claims both.
Simma down.

A 7 hour ride is not necessarily hardcore. I'm 69 years old this month and my Saturday rides are normally 6-7 hours. And I'm not super fit or fast.

RAAM is hardcore. PBP is hardcore. My friend did a fairly hilly double century in less than 9 hours, that was pretty hardcore. Biker395 finished a 508 mile race when it was so windy half the field quit. So windy that his bike was lying on the ground and the wind flipped it over. Hardcore.

I was big when I joined the forum, now I'm a skinny old man with a fat gut. The nickname was chosen by my club, anyway.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cffc28e784.jpg

I once pedaled a 90 lb. bike 109 miles. It was so hot the tar patches were liquefied. My downtube got tar all over it and caked with little pieces of gravel that stuck to the tar. Hardcore.

I think there's only one person that's wound up ...

14 world cycling records could just be hard core https://road.cc/content/feature/14-f...records-214554

On my road bike, I used to think in terms of miles. And my times were all fairly consistent at the 20 mile per hour mark with a bit of plus or minus depending on wind and hills.

Now that all my mileage is on a gravel bike and a mountain bike, distance really doesn’t seem accurate. Mountain passes and average speed of 4 mph, for waay more than 4 miles. It started getting ridiculous to think in terms of 20.

1-2 hours is a great ride when crunched for time.

3-5 when I get the occasional chance for a bigger ride.

6-8 hours if I plan way ahead and make sure my kids and wife are occupied.

Over 8 hours, a very rare epic.

I can’t do loops upon loops. Whether at Red Rocks or elsewhere, the boredom that sets in on repeats is too great. The voice that tells me to quit early, at the end of the first loop or two, is too loud.

I bet you are glad you decided to contribute! Nothing like giving a bunch of old timers a chance to relive tales of great strength and perseverance as well as be scolds at the same time. We even got a HTFU comment like we are all trying out to be Navy Seals. Thanks for the effort though.