THE END OF THE LINE

     ....even if you're old and gray
         riding around in the breeze
         we're going to the end of the line.

       A  few chosen lines out of order from one of my very favorite songs The End of the Line by the Travelling Wilburys.

       Well, since I turned 80 today I had made up my mind that there would be changes made in my life.

        So I decided I had  to quit riding my bike. There is a high risk factor so there's no sense in tempting fate. So I like to think about riding around in the breeze. 

       I have ridden about 45000 km since 1983. I will miss it

      So today was officially my last ride. I was fortunate enough to meet some well known people on the bike path and say good bye.

        There's nothing like an 80th birthday to make one think about the realities of life.  So we're riding to the end of the line even if we're old and gray!

       Now the rear view mirror on the helmet shows up as a black spot.

     So some of my birthday loot!

     But after I got in the house from my last ride I said, "You know what? There are recumbent bikes! "  So maybe I'll get a recumbent and keep on riding.

VISITING WHILE CYCLING

       As many of you know I'm an avid cyclist. I've ridden about 45000 km since I started keeping track of the mileage.

      The crazy cyclist in 2008!

       When I first started riding, I put the pedal to the metal and rode as fast and far as I could. I did not stop on any of my rides. I didn't need to stop for a breather. I do remember one time when I had to stop. I ran over somebody's dog in an off leash park that the bike trail passed through.. I thought I'm in big trouble...angry dog owner and more. The dog owners just laughed and apologized  and said they had a very energetic untrained dog and that he got what he deserved.

      I have always said hi to people on the trail.

      The last few years I have slowed down and stopped at a bench for a breather. What I found is that some of the local residents stopped at the same bench so I got to know some people: a retired air force guy, retired RCMP, a lady who's had a major stroke and a lady with three dogs and a stroller for them. 

      This summer I met a woman who is going into a masters program. She worked for thirty years, retired and went back to school. She's an interesting character.

     Then there's my friend John. I taught with John and I knew he was an avid cyclist but when he retired he really surprised me. John has ridden to the tip of South America, through Greece and Italy, Israel, and India. He's done all these trips solo! 

      We have a young librarian who is super friendly and helps seniors with computers. She's taught me a lot. Yesterday she told me,"You know that I've known you all my life." She said , " My folks live in your subdivision and all the time I was growing up we saw this cyclist with the yellow helmet go by our house. We commented that the guy with the yellow helmet must be very dedicated. " She said , "The other day I discovered the dedicated cyclist with the yellow helmet was you!" As you can imagine we had a good laugh.

     So the social contact from cycling has been great and sometimes surprising.

Another Ride

     Yesterday was one of those super November days. We had a high of 12 C eh? (54 F).  It was calm and partly cloudy.

     You couldn't guess what I did! I went for another bike ride. It was a day when many people were wearing shorts and I wish I had too as cycling got a little warm.

     So compare this to my last post on fall.

Notice the cap under the helmet. I have to wear a cap as the wind whistles through the vents in the helmet.

Still Cycling

    Yes, the leaves have turned color and gone, but I'm still cycling.

    As I've repeated in many posts I set a minimum of 1000 km (625 mi) of cycling per summer. When  I meet that minimum, I keep on going.

    I don't know when I reached the 1000 km mark, but I'm still riding. I'm well over 1100 km. I rode Friday. It was 7 C (43 F). I cycled 15 km.(9.3 mi).  If it doesn't snow I will keep on cycling. I can ride as long as it's above freezing.

    Clothing is the hardest decision. It's not throw on all the clothes you have and away you go. I don't have a problem with keeping warm. Cycle a few Km and you will be warmed up. I find the wind whistling through the helmet vents uncomfortable so I wear a cap under my helmet. Oh yes, I wear gloves.

     My biggest challenge is with perspiration. I find most shells do not breathe enough to clear the perspiration. I wear a very light jacket underneath a fleece and find this keeps the perspiration off and I stay warm. I know wearing a shell underneath is backwards but it works for me.

     Now a 1000 Km (625 mi) a summer sounds like a lot but it's not. I probably ride at an average of 20 kph (12.5 mph) . That means it takes me 50 hours to ride 1000 km. That's not much time. I find that other things in life get in the way of riding steadily. This summer we had a long spell of hot weather. It didn't cool off enough in the evening to ride. I had to ride in the morning. Before I figured this out I'd lost riding time.

    Sometimes we have snow at this time of year. Not just wet snow but the dry winter snow. Sometimes we have minus 10 - 15 C for temperatures. It's not smart or pleasant to ride in these conditions.

    So I will hope for more decent weather to keep on riding.

   Now I can't persuade anybody to take my picture on the bike. I have photos with green leaves but that doesn't go with this post. so here's a photo of my bike behind a snowbank. However, make no mistake about it. I don't have snow now.

A Couple of Firsts

       I had a couple of firsts for me in the last two days. I do keep a bit of a journal so can look back and check on things.

      We've had a long stretch of mild weather. It's been such a long stretch that most of our snow is gone. It's very pleasant. Highs have been from 5C (40 F ) to 10 C (50 F ). Half the nights have been above 0 C (32 F).

    So with all that in mind I got my bike out today and went for a short ride. I've never gone for a ride  in March before so that is the first. I didn't get any photos today so these are from last year.

    The other first for yesterday was the first robin of the year. It's always quite a thrill when you hear a robin in the neighborhood and you wait until he/she goes flying by the house.

    Now I thought Mar. 18 would be a record for the first robin in my yard. I looked up my records and no. I had a first robin on Mar. 7 in 1989. Now I think the robin in 1989 might have been one that over wintered here.

     I didn't get a robin photo yesterday either, but here's one from my friend taken a few years ago.

1000 Kilometers!

     As most of you know, my goal is to ride  my bike minimum of 1000 km (625 mi) per summer. Today I reached that magic number. In fact, when I got home today it was 1001.97  kms. 

     What am I going to do now? Quit? Never! I will continue riding until the weather shuts me down. I hope to ride at least another 100 km. One year I even made one ride in early December.

     Making my goal this year was a bit of a challenge. We had a lot of cold and wet weather. You always think it will get better so you wait . I got very little distance ridden in April, May, June and July. We had a perfect August so I rode about 500 km . I had a problem with a leg muscle so for a while riding was a challenge.

This old bike has rolled 9000 km (5625 mi)

    So I'll ride until snow, ice and low temperatures stop me. Then I will think about riding next year.

A Frustrating Cycling Problem

     As most followers know I set a minimum goal to cycle 1000 km ( 625 mi) a summer. It's not a high goal and most years I get far beyond 1000 km.

    I've ridden close to 30000 km ( 8000 mi) over the last 27 years. If your fitness level is adequate, cycling is easy and the  distance rolls off easily.

Note the blinding speed

    This year was different. In the spring we had cold, wet, windy, weather. Not to worry. The weather will turn nice and I'll easily make up the time. 

    I found riding hard this summer. I was forcing things. I would ride up a steep slope and had to  press so hard that my calves burned when I got to the top. On the level I usually do 20 km/h. This summer I could hardly do 15 km/h on the level and I was really struggling. Riding against the wind was almost impossible. I worried. Was I that far out of shape? Had age taken it's toll? Did I have some kind of physical problem? I worked hard and hoped my fitness level would come up. I still had to push it and riding was not fun. It crossed my mind that serious cycling was over for me.

A steep part of the trail that just killed me this summer

   I oiled and cleaned my chain several times. There was a slight improvement. I changed the seat.

Cleaning the chain again

   So a few weeks ago  I did another maintenance chore. I thought I better check the tire pressure. To my horror I found out the tire pressure was 12 lbs! 

   I pumped the tires to the proper pressure and tried the bike. Wow! I had lots of jump! I was back to the regular form. Cycling was very easy once again. 

Back to the blinding speed

   So all the worry and doubt was brought on by my own negligence in checking tire pressure. I'll remember this lesson for a while.

I Can Still Draw a Crowd.

    I like most people appreciate an audience when I perform!

    I have ridden my bike about 28000 km since 1988. I average over 1000 km per summer.

     With 28000 km there are chances for an accident or two. I've had some. I only had one major accident and that was only a very bad  bruise and lots of road rash. 

     A few nights ago I had a small tumble( more like stumble) on my bike. No harm was done... two little road rashes. 

     I was using a cross walk to get to the traffic light where I could press the button for a walk light that would let me cross the street safely. Cars are in the process of making a right turn when you're in the little cross walk. I had checked for cars and I didn't see anybody I thought was making a right turn. When I was crossing I saw a vehicle making the right turn and I didn't think it was going to stop. I took evasive action which turned out to be awkward and down I went. 

    My fall must have been interesting to say the least as two cars stopped to ask if I was okay and two cyclists stopped as well. So I drew a crowd. 

    Now what I'm really pleased about is that four people stopped to see if I was all right. I appreciate their caring and concern. I feel better about this place that people do care. I just wish the first car that blew by making the right turn had stopped. I would have had some things to say to him/her!

    I also look back and think how fortunate I've been doing something I really like and being safe.

    Now this is one that I don't have any pictures of.

     Some blogger comments recently were about laughing when some one falls. I'm sure they would have laughed at me when I fell the other night.

All Old Guys should Walk

     All old guys should walk daily for exercise and good health.

     A few nights ago I did my walk and wrote on Face Book that I had just got in from a refreshing walk. One of my friends replied in a joking way "sick."  That got me thinking a little more seriously about walking.

    Once cycling season ends for me I start a nightly walking routine. Sometime in the evening I do a 30 minute walk. It's thirty minutes because that's what my route takes. I try to go out even when the weather is rather nasty. If I get a little soft then I tend to stay in so I keep on walking.

    Walking is always considered to be an excellent form of exercise. From walking you get some conditioning and strength building. Walking is very safe and has a low rate of injuries. After that you get fresh air and a whole lot of tension relief. 

    Walking can be suited to each individual. I walk by myself most of the time so I can set my own pace. I walked this afternoon because there's some ice on the sidewalk and you can't see it at night. I happened to notice an awful lot of sea gulls flying over. I stopped and watched . There were literally thousands of birds that flew over. It appeared that they were mostly young of this year or from last year. So my point is you can do different things on a walk. I also stop for geese, swans and chickadees! Once in a while I do walk with people and it is pleasant.

    Since I've lived in the same neighborhood for many years I like to stop and visit with people. Unfortunately, very few people walk. So I always say, "It's only me and the bad guys out there." I believe that if people are out on their streets it makes for a much safer community.

Not today's walk but I've included the birding part

    So I jokingly say "guys" but I would never forget the gals. The same thing goes for everybody. Walking is very beneficial.

Summer Cycling Goal Met

    Regular followers have seen a post like this before. They know that I set out to ride 1000km (625 mi)  each summer. Today I turned the 1000km for this summer!

And here he comes down the trail!

    Each summer is different. This year until early July we had cold, cool and wet weather.  AS a result I had not done much riding by mid July. What got my butt moving was  when a fried accused me of being a "fair weather cycler." That did it . I go out when it was windy and cool. As a result the kms quickly built up. 

 Photos from 2008 when I was speedier

    What was different this summer is that I felt I was always pushing. It was hard to ride. I felt like I was weak. I oiled my bike. I tuned my bike. I checked the break adjustment. Something wasn't just right. Was it me or the bike. Was age catching up to me? I didn't feel that it was age or my physical condition. I gradually began to suspicion something. It took me a while to get around to testing out my theory. 

    Finally , one day I got around to changing the seat. That did it. Immediately I could feel that the legs were different and that there was lots of power left in my legs. So it was  both me and the bike that were at fault. I was using a big wide seat and it was putting pressure on the inner thighs and somehow a nerve must have been pinched so that leg power was reduced.

    I felt much relieved when I made that discovery. there's still lots of time left to ride. I'll keep going as hard as ever and see how much I can do for the summer.

An Evening Bike Ride

      I have been posting on cycling lately so I thought it was time to actually give you a ride. In our city of 100000 people we have around 80 km (50 mi) of bike trails. All of my riding is done on these trails.

Then I enter the bike trail and wind through the trees in a ravine.

Over a handsome foot bridge.

Then out of the ravine

Winding trails on the flat

Across another bridge on a more open part of the ravine.

Winding under the power line for three Km.

A two km straight stretch beside a busy road.

    Then I retrace some of the trails and I'm home again. 
     I find a 10 to 20 km bike ride in the evening to be a nice finish for the day.

Cycling Season Starts

       Skating season finished last Tuesday. so what comes next? Cycling! Actually for me cycling started about a month ago. April can be an excellent month for cycling or terrible. This year was so so. I got in about 80 km of cycling.


      As I've described in a previous post, I do at least 1000 km of cycling per summer. Our city has an extensive system of bike trails. All my cycling is done on the bike trails.


     I cycle by myself. I find it easier to concentrate on the trail and travel at my own pace. You can travel in your own little world. However, if there's any reason to stop and visit, I won't miss it. Tonight I stopped to see if I could find the frogs at the side of the trail. 

    Along with the thrill of cycling comes the headache of flat tires. I haven't had a flat for six years so this is my year. I had a flat a few nights ago and walked 5 km home! I think the only solution is to buy a new tire and tube. Safety is an issue. As you see I wear a helmet and have worn one for twenty one years. It's also important to keep the bike in repair . I hit speeds of 55 kmh (downhill that is)and you don't want something to happen at that speed or any other speed. I have a fair number of road rash scars.

Red, the mechanic , in action.

Do you think I'll make it?

     So I'm off to set my goal of at least 1000km for this summer. 

Sometimes I Fall Like a Sack of...

       A few months ago I posted about falling in the snow while I was cross country skiing. I hoped the neighbors didn't see me as it was rather embarrassing getting myself out of the deep snow. One of my blog readers had a good comment as she said, "You just had to tell about it." Since that time two people told me that they saw me struggling awkwardly to get myself out of the snow. They were ready to come out and help me.

      At my age falling is a serious issue. As I just told you it can be hard getting back up. But mostly the risk of serious injury is quite high. Also falling can be caused easily because of poorer vision and less sense of balance. However, I do not let these issues deter me from being active. In other posts I have told of my participation in skating, cycling, running, gardening etc.

      It's cycling season now and you guessed it I fell off my bike!!! One of those slow awkward embarrassing falls. And again I hope nobody saw me but it's alright to write about it. I started on my ride and suddenly the pedal stuck and I couldn't move my right foot. I looked down and saw that my shoe lace had caught in the large sprocket and that the shoe lace had wound around the crank. So there was my foot tightly held against the pedal. I couldn't pedal anymore and so soon the bike was going to stop and I would have to think fast as to how to get myself out of the situation. I couldn't tip to the left as my right foot was caught and I would be hung up with nowhere to go. I couldn't tip to the right as my right foot was caught and I wouldn't be able to put my foot on the ground to balance the bike and remain upright. So I more or less did a semi controlled fall to my right. It worked. I then got my shoe lace unwound and got up with no harm done. One more surprise. The chain had come off the back sprocket and jambed so when I tried to pedal the cranks wouldn't turn.

      So I felt like I was a sack of something falling on the curb with a quiet plop! Hopefully that's the last fall I have this year.

Cycling Season Has Begun

         A couple of posts ago I wrote about the end of skating season. A few nights ago the silly season of the Canadian election was over. So it's really time for cycling season to begin

         For me cycling season usually begins the end of March or early April. This year the winter ice from the trails finally disappeared this week. Some people will ride on the ice but that's not for me.

         The Cat Eye speedometer is what really sets cycling up for me. I set a goal of riding at least 1000 kms a season. With an accurate speedometer I can keep an up to date  account of how much cycling I'm doing. The cat eye I have is at least twenty years old. It shows time, speed, trip distance, overall distance and also times each trip. A battery lasts for at least 10 years .

      This  was the year or winter for the battery to go dead. Now you've heard this story from me before. When you replace the battery you have to redo all the information. So I have to set the wheel circumference so that I get the exact distance. Then I have to set the time. Now I've had a digital watch for more than twenty years and I can't set it. I haven't worn a watch since I retired. When I was teaching I was surrounded by twelve year olds so I had all kinds of people to set my watch. Now the other day with the cat eye I decided that I have to master these things. So I puzzled my puzzler and finally got everything set up so that it works correctly. More recently you remember my post about learning to run my ipod.

        So things are looking up. Maybe some day I will catch up to the flow of technology if I live long enough.

2010 Cycling Season Begins

        In Red deer , Alberta, the roads and most bike trails have dried so it's time for the cycling season to begin. Day time temperatures this week have reached plus 15 C so it is pleasant enough to begin riding.

        With these conditions in mind I opened the garden shed and pulled my bike out. I checked tires and added air and away I went for my first 2010 ride. Later I will do a more thorough bike check up. Through the riding season I continually do maintenance to be sure that I'm safe and the bike will be reliable. As you can see we still have some convenient snow banks!

       So I'm off and cycling! As I've said before my goal is to ride at least 1000 km a season. I find that April is a good riding month, but  it a challenge to get much distance in May and June.

      Happy riding in 2010!

1000km Cycling Goal Met Tonight

       Each year I set a goal to ride a minimum of 1000 km . Tonight I achieved my goal and I still have good riding weather left so that I can add to the total. Last year I rode until Dec. 1 but most years cycling ends at the end of October.



Riding through Bower Woods



     All of my riding is done on paved trails set up through out the city. In the picture I am riding through Bower Woods. I usually ride by myself as I find it safer. Two people tend to pay less attention as to what is around them. I also find it much more convenient as I don't have to phone someone and wait until they are ready. Now it's not that I'm antisocial. If I meet someone I know, I will stop and visit. In this way I find it easier to achieve my goal. Riding an average of 20 km per hour means that it only takes 50 hours to ride 1000 km . So 50 hours is only a small part of the summer.

The 10 000 Kilometer Club

     Some Time ago I wrote a piece on All Old Guys Should Cycle. I explained that I set a minimum goal of 1000 km per summer.

      Well, last night I rolled my odometer over the 9999 km mark and of course it resets to 0. In fact I have rolled the 9999 two and a half times. Once my battery died and I had to start over again. However, the odometer helps to keep up my will to continue cycling as it sets a very definite goal and if I set something which I can achieve it works.

     I have a Cateye speedometer which is quite accurate. It records time, trip distance, accumulated distance as well as speed. There is also a clock for regular time. Fancier speedometers are available which record heart rate if you really want to go for fitness.

ALL OLD GUYS SHOULD CYCLE

    Well, I admit I just wanted to get your attention so I could tell you about my cycling ! But that will come later . First , my heading begs for some explanation . I'm not going to leave out the female side . Second , I play fast and loose with the term "old." Let me keep age to retirees .


      I like cycling for a number of reasons . I'm sure other people would benefit from some of the same things .


     Cycling gets me out of the house . There are many good reasons to stay out of the house . Staying in the house leaves you vulnerable to being conscripted for many tasks such as dish washing , vacuuming or listening to an unwanted rant .


     Cycling gives me the opportunity to practise my falling techniques. As a senior one must be up on the tumbling abilities so that you don't get injured in a fall !


     Cycling leaves you open to many interesting opportunities . Quite often one will meet others on the trail who are more than willing to visit. Sometimes your mileage is greatly curbed by this visiting. Many interesting sightings are encountered out on the trails such as moose, deer , coyotes , foxes , ducks . geese ,beavers ....


     On a more serious note cycling gives us lots of fresh air and exercise .These good things benefit our health both mental and physical.


     I try to ride a minimum of 1000 kilometers per summer . Most of the time I exceed this goal and have at times reached 2000 km in a summer. All this is done on bicycle trails within our city which has about 100 km of paved bike trails. The mileage might seem large but it's not hard to do . If you average 20 km/hr it only takes 5 hours to do 100 km so 1000 km only takes 50 hours of riding . Now the visiting and scenery viewing will greatly add to that time .


     I tend to ride by myself. It's easier and safer to ride as an individual . You can also ride when you have the opportunity instead of waiting for someone else to get ready .

     As much as I like riding with my daughter , it meant that there were times I would not get away as I was waiting for her to get ready , My only serious accident occurred when I was riding with her although it was not in any way her fault .


      I highly recommend a good electronic odometer . You can get yourself hooked into cycling when you keep track of distance and times . The new electronic odometers have a high degree of accuracy.


       I ride a middle quality mountain bike but there are many excellent bikes to choose from . Make sure that you distribute your weight on hands feet and butt. This makes for less bodily discomforts . I have worn out two bikes . I don't like to rely on too many repairs as safety is a very important issue . So when things start to fall apart I buy a new bike . They last about 10 000 kilometers . A set of tires lasts about 3000 to 4000 kilometers .You want to ride a very reliable safe bike .


    I really think that seniors especially can benefit from cycling . Exercise and fresh air does us good, and we also enhance our balance.


     So I receive much pleasure and satisfaction from a lot of summer cycling. I hope you will enjoy some of the pleasures of cycling as well.