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Fifty Plus (50+) Share the victories, challenges, successes and special concerns of bicyclists 50 and older. Especially useful for those entering or reentering bicycling.

Do I have to

Old 03-08-19, 09:27 PM
  #26  
Steve B.
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I guess I’m lucky that my birthday is a day after my anniversary, which is a day after my wife’s birthday. The result is I dedicate my time to my wife and don’t worry about riding, unless it so happens that I have a bike with me. As we are typically doing something grand like Italy or Ireland, I usually don’t and thus don’t have to worry about that tradition.
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Old 03-10-19, 05:27 PM
  #27  
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Simple solution: designate a week in August in which you will do your annual "ride your age" ride.
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Old 03-14-19, 08:47 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by leob1
The good thing is that once you hit 50, most rules don't apply(if you don't want them to). So do your birthday ride when ever you feel like it, or not. And if any body has a problem with that, you also have the right to not really care what anybody else thinks about anything after you turn 50.
I was going to say this exact thing. Also note that this applies doubly once you are past 60.
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Old 06-20-19, 11:33 AM
  #29  
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Reviving my zombie thread. So I joked about moving my birthday to June and here we are. So I think Saturday will be it. Longest I have ever ridden so far is 37 miles. Think I can do 52?
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Old 06-20-19, 12:02 PM
  #30  
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Given time and the long days now, anything is possible.
Good luck on Sat.
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Old 06-20-19, 12:29 PM
  #31  
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This year I did ride my age (in miles) on a ride during my birthday week. Next year, that means I'll be riding a Metric Century... After that, I'll take the chicken's Senior's way out and start riding my age in kilometers.
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Old 06-20-19, 04:32 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
Reviving my zombie thread. So I joked about moving my birthday to June and here we are. So I think Saturday will be it. Longest I have ever ridden so far is 37 miles. Think I can do 52?
Yup. But you have to want to.

Just take it easy, and pick a route with less challenging terrain.
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Old 06-21-19, 08:51 AM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
Reviving my zombie thread. So I joked about moving my birthday to June and here we are. So I think Saturday will be it. Longest I have ever ridden so far is 37 miles. Think I can do 52?
52 should be a doddle. Now that last quarter mile, to make it your current age, could be tough.
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Old 06-21-19, 09:00 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
Think I can do 52?
of course we do! you have a new bike & helmet, right? (or am I confusing you with another BF'r?) & no one says you can't take a break or breaks part way thru! I would just avoid the beer until you're done

what if we could become the age we ride in miles. meaning, what if you rode 37 miles & became 37 again ...
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Old 06-21-19, 12:13 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
of course we do! you have a new bike & helmet, right? (or am I confusing you with another BF'r?) & no one says you can't take a break or breaks part way thru! I would just avoid the beer until you're done

what if we could become the age we ride in miles. meaning, what if you rode 37 miles & became 37 again ...
Yes, same person. And I don't think I want to be 37 again. I'm in better shape now.
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Old 06-23-19, 06:50 AM
  #36  
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Didn't happen. I had selected a route I found on RidewithGPS. What it didn't tell me was that the main road in and out was under construction and really wasn't safe to ride. There was no shoulder at all and only inches between the cars and any cyclists that might be out there. I only saw one and he didn't look too thrilled. Drove along the route to see if there was an alternative place I could start avoiding that construction zone, but there was nowhere to park. After seeing the roads, I thought better of setting out on unfamiliar and relatively challenging roads alone anyway. Drove to a bike path that I have ridden before (not particularly close to where I was). By now, my breakfast was wearing off. Got on the bike, clipped in and immediately fell over. Saw that the chain had come off my bike - probably explains why I fell. My knee was bleeding like crazy, so I got that under control and a nice man helped me put the chain back in place and even gave me some bandaids for my knee. I thanked him and set out. Made it up a hill that has always kicked my butt before (and even passed a guy half my age who was walking his bike up). Get a few miles out and see that my knee is once again bleeding like crazy (although it didn't hurt at all). I knew there was a nice coffee shop just ahead, so I stopped there to clean myself up. And got coffee and a cookie since breakfast had worn off. Just as I prepared to leave, the heavens opened up so I waited it out inside. Within 20 minutes or so, the rain had stopped and the sun was out. But I knew there were scattered thunderstorms expected throughout the day. Had to decide whether to go on (10 miles to the end of the path) or go back (4.5 miles back to the car). Since it clearly wasn't my day, I went back. Got caught in another downpour just before the car. I think there was some hail because it hurt when it hit me. Loaded the bike back up and went home, defeated. Total distance - 9 miles. A bit short of what I had planned.

Today I am going riding with my husband. His favorite bike path is an easy one so today will not be a long ride. But it is a gorgeous day and I get to spend it on my bike and with my sweetie.
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Old 06-24-19, 09:13 AM
  #37  
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good thing you're a die-hard badass
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Old 06-25-19, 02:45 AM
  #38  
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NomarsGirl , sorry about the "not so good" time you had. Could try again next year this time of year, your actual birthday day or any day you want.


Originally Posted by rumrunn6
.......................what if we could become the age we ride in miles. meaning, what if you rode 37 miles & became 37 again ...
I DON'T THINK SO !!! I've been riding double my age (
) Birthday number 69 in a couple of weeks, if I live that long.
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Old 06-25-19, 07:38 AM
  #39  
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I can try again this year. I just don't often have an entire Saturday free to do whatever I want. Never going to happen on my actual birthday unless I move.
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Old 06-25-19, 09:18 AM
  #40  
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A local rider here turned 70 recently. To ‘celebrate’ on his birthday he rode back and forth to the next town (10 km each way) 7 times. Thing is, the next town is also 600 M (~2000 feet) lower than our town so he rode 4200M up and 4200M down that day. Lots of it on 8 to 10% grades.

He’s hardcore crazy imho!
Mind you, his son was an Olympic athlete....
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Old 06-25-19, 02:21 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
I can try again this year. I just don't often have an entire Saturday free to do whatever I want. Never going to happen on my actual birthday unless I move.
We have a load of riders who show up during winter just to ride our roads. Always room for another Northerner Vacationer.
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Old 06-30-19, 06:19 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by NomarsGirl
do my birthday ride today? It's 25 degrees. And way too much snow around so the roads have no shoulders. I should really move my birthday to June.
In some countries in Asia it used to be customary to consider your date of conception your birthday. Of course many don't like to be 9 months older so it's not used much any more so moving your BD isn't so far fetched. When I was there in the 80's my associates tried to explain the complexities of their birthdays as I had no idea how it worked.

So... move your birthday and how does it feel to be older now? :-)
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Old 09-29-19, 06:56 PM
  #43  
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I am declaring victory. I did 50.7 miles yesterday before I ran out of bike path and daylight. Good enough!
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Old 09-30-19, 06:10 AM
  #44  
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I ride a Century minus my age. I'm in TT territory at this point.
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Old 10-01-19, 05:18 AM
  #45  
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I rode 76.1 miles yesterday. I'm sure it was someone's birthday, just not mine which was 68 in June.
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Old 10-05-19, 05:04 PM
  #46  
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If you did 50.7, that rounds up to 100. You did too many miles!
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Old 10-07-19, 12:55 PM
  #47  
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I met a gentleman this spring, who needed help with his Garmin at a store we often stop at. he told me he was doing his birthday ride, and he was proud to tell me he was 89. he had been riding his age for a couple of decades. I was inspired!
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Old 10-07-19, 03:01 PM
  #48  
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If you had moved your birthday to June somehow then all of your friends would have graduated a different year than you because of the cutoff date. This is the peril of time traveling.
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Old 10-07-19, 03:41 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Rollfast
If you had moved your birthday to June somehow then all of your friends would have graduated a different year than you because of the cutoff date. This is the peril of time traveling.
No, the cutoff was Jan 1 in my day, so the March and June babies were in the same group. The Sept - December kids were the youngest. Basically, we were all born in the same calendar year.
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Old 10-07-19, 03:51 PM
  #50  
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My birthday is January 19, and that's usually during the coldest week of the year. I am not interested in any long bike rides that week. The short daylight hours don't add any enticement.
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