A Fun Birthday Ride

[stepford]

A thing with older cyclists is to "ride your birthday" - i.e. go X miles the day you turn X. My wife was game to turn this into a little adventure, so a couple of days ago we rode our bikes 66 miles up the California coast to Santa Barbara and stayed at a hotel on the beach. Since we're more lazy than crazy we took the train back home (a pleasant hour and a half on the Pacific Surfliner). All in all one of the nicer birthday presents she's ever given me.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Excellent! Maybe I now know what to plan for my 60th!

 

[steady saver]

What a neat idea! It sounds like a great time and a fun memory to recount. I missed that opportunity at 12 years old...or maybe 5.

 

[RunningBum]

Great! A nice trip planned by your wife too.

It's a thing with runners too. I never did it on my actually birthday, but I did do it twice the weekend before or after.

 

[skyking1]

Excellent accomplishment!

 

[savory]

Means more to DW than me. I join her. Last one was while vacationing in Tuscan, 71 miles. Moab was the year before.

But my favorite birthday ride story was with a friend who would ride 200 miles. He did his first 100 from about 4am to noon. Took a break and we did the second hundred with him. We did it two or three times. DW made birthday cupcakes for our break at about his 150 mile mark. He is 20 years older and somewhere in his 70s at the time.

 

[pacergal]

pedal bike, electric or motorcycle? It would make a difference for me! LOL
DH was the mountain bike rider, did a couple 150 mile rides for charity.

 

[Ronstar]

Fun birthday ride op!

 

[Koolau]

Heh, heh, at 76, I just don't think it's gonna happen. Congratulations on your accomplishment. May you have many more miles and birthdays.

 

[steiny]

I don't think I could ride a bicycle that far and I'm only 54 ....lol


But I did ride my motorcycle Rt 50 coast to coast for my 50th birthday.

7150 miles -21 states- 15 days -tent camped most of it...

 

[Koolau]

I don't think I could ride a bicycle that far and I'm only 54 ....lol


But I did ride my motorcycle Rt 50 coast to coast for my 50th birthday.

7150 miles -21 states- 15 days -tent camped most of it...

That is impressive. Any good stories?

 

[steiny]

That is impressive. Any good stories?

nothing I can talk about here ....

they say a picture is worth a thousand words....

 

[Koolau]

nothing I can talk about here ....

they say a picture is worth a thousand words....

Reminds me of a Restaurant in Yuma Arizona called Jack and Rosie's Steak House. Looks like it's been demolished after all these years. Great food and nice atmosphere when I was there in 1976.

https://www.yumasun.com/bye-bye-jack-n-rosie-s/image_441bdbb2-0a61-11eb-8d86-337a4f639f61.html

But originally, it was a brothel and was "affectionately" known as Jack and Rosie's W.... House.

When we crossed over into Mexico, we saw the real deal. No stories I can tell except the phone call home after our visit. DW asked if I was bringing her anything from Mexico. I told her "I hope not." I then explained where we had gone that night and, I swore, I hadn't partaken - though a couple of guys in the party did.

The forced education of a "farm boy" can be sudden and stunning. (Full disclosure, I'm not a farm boy, but I might as well have been at the time.) Our "leader" said we're going over the border to get cheaper and better Mexican food. I was all in. What could be better than authentic Mexican food? Where we ended up was not a restaurant. Most of the guys enjoyed my naive nature and my shock.

Heh, heh, haven't told this story in a while. steiny, you're a bad influence on me.

 

[MarieIG]

Happy Birthday Stepford! Sounds like a great day.

 

[donheff]

I kept that up into my mid-sixties and then slacked off. Now, about to hit 75 and three years into Parkinson's, I switched to an ebike this year. So, riding my age would be a bit of a cheat. On the upside, it is easy to get plenty of exercise on a pedal assist ebike and it does help you maintain confidence that you won't bonk on the ride home.

 

[savory]

I kept that up into my mid-sixties and then slacked off. Now, about to hit 75 and three years into Parkinson's, I switched to an ebike this year. So, riding my age would be a bit of a cheat. On the upside, it is easy to get plenty of exercise on a pedal assist ebike and it does help you maintain confidence that you won't bonk on the ride home.

This isn't cheating. This is biking!! Keep on, keeping on.

 

[steady saver]

I kept that up into my mid-sixties and then slacked off. Now, about to hit 75 and three years into Parkinson's, I switched to an ebike this year. So, riding my age would be a bit of a cheat. On the upside, it is easy to get plenty of exercise on a pedal assist ebike and it does help you maintain confidence that you won't bonk on the ride home.

donheff - off topic here, but I have been reading The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, MD and it specifically points to amazing strides made with folks who have neurologially based issues, including specifically Parkinson's, via concerted exercise (fast walking in this case) and brain training type exercises, travel, etc. It's worth a read for sure.

 

[Koolau]

I kept that up into my mid-sixties and then slacked off. Now, about to hit 75 and three years into Parkinson's, I switched to an ebike this year. So, riding my age would be a bit of a cheat. On the upside, it is easy to get plenty of exercise on a pedal assist ebike and it does help you maintain confidence that you won't bonk on the ride home.

Heh, heh, at 76, I even have to think about driving 76 miles. That's a long way to go to see our youngest. So far, she usually comes to us. But I can do it in my old Buick. It's perhaps my most comfortable chair I own. Of course, I can't get up and stretch, so 76 miles is getting to be a lot. YMMV

 

[donheff]

donheff - off topic here, but I have been reading The Brain's Way of Healing by Norman Doidge, MD and it specifically points to amazing strides made with folks who have neurologially based issues, including specifically Parkinson's, via concerted exercise (fast walking in this case) and brain training type exercises, travel, etc. It's worth a read for sure.

Thanks. I will look into that book. I’m aware of the importance of exercise in managing PD. Cycling is very effective. Sounds like this book may hit some cognitive things I can look into.

 

[steady saver]

Thanks. I will look into that book. I’m aware of the importance of exercise in managing PD. Cycling is very effective. Sounds like this book may hit some cognitive things I can look into.

I hope it's helpful. My MIL has Huntington's and my SIL in her late 50's has been diagnosed with it. No symptoms yet but it's nothing to look forward to. Just doing any research I can to help. There's relatively little research done on Huntington's disease. I have some experience with neuroplasticity/brain re-training from the latter part of my career and so that is logically where I look.