Are there many, some, a few of us over 50??

[kjay]

Hi all. . . I'll be 63 in July. I didn't exercise much at all during my career life. With mostly 10-hour work days and one hour of commuting, I didn't have much time for anything else.

I started biking about ten years ago when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis (hip), which resulted in having a total hip replacement nearly five years ago. The only comfortable exercise was biking, as my weight was supported. (I'd still rather bike any day than walk.) I've ridden a GT hybrid all those years, and decided to let 'er rip by joining a WomanTours ride around the island of Hawaii last November. The longest I've ridden in one day is 40 miles (in the rain and downhill from Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii to Hilo). . . the best day I've ever experienced on a bike.

After riding 35 miles in the Wine Country Century (northern Cal) in early May on my hybrid, I knew I needed a new bike. I now have a Trek Pilot 2.1 WSD and can carry it up the stairs with one arm. Am riding in the week-long, 400-mile Candisc tour in August. I LOVE biking and plan on biking for many more years to come! And I'm hooked on touring.

[mimitabby]

Hi all. . . I'll be 63 in July. I didn't exercise much at all during my career life. With mostly 10-hour work days and one hour of commuting, I didn't have much time for anything else.

I started biking about ten years ago when I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis (hip), which resulted in having a total hip replacement nearly five years ago. The only comfortable exercise was biking, as my weight was supported. (I'd still rather bike any day than walk.) I've ridden a GT hybrid all those years, and decided to let 'er rip by joining a WomanTours ride around the island of Hawaii last November. The longest I've ridden in one day is 40 miles (in the rain and downhill from Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii to Hilo). . . the best day I've ever experienced on a bike.

After riding 35 miles in the Wine Country Century (northern Cal) in early May on my hybrid, I knew I needed a new bike. I now have a Trek Pilot 2.1 WSD and can carry it up the stairs with one arm. Am riding in the week-long, 400-mile Candisc tour in August. I LOVE biking and plan on biking for many more years to come! And I'm hooked on touring.

Wow, you're amazing!
Thanks for sharing.

[Crankin]

Re: questions about the 50's, 60's, 70's....

I remember the 50's being idyllic. My mom walked me to preschool. We had one car until I was 5. Drove dad to the trolley station on Wed. so mom could have the car for grocery shopping. Nothing was open on Sunday or at night (except Thursdays). I watched Ed Sullivan every week! I spent loads of time playing in the woods, skating, sledding, and being on the beach all summer. The beginning of the sixties were pretty much the same. I was in fifth grade when Kennedy was shot. i still remember how white the face of my principal was, when she came in to tell the teacher. That was the year the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. Every Saturday afternoon, I would open the windows and blast the album Meet the Beatles with a friend! The neighbors did not like that. When i was about 12, I started hanging out in Boston and Cambridge with friends. We had a lot of freedom. Things were still pretty preppy until I was about 14. I was one of the first to wear bell bottoms. I remember going to the Army Navy store and buying them for $5.00. Those pants, plus a black turtleneck and long silver earrings were my uniform for a few years... I hung out on the Boston Common during the summer of 68 when all of the hippies came here. Did lots of things that i won't discuss here, but I wouldn't change a thing. I discovered politics. This all ended when I moved to Miami in 1969. Let's just say that the "revolution" had not arrived. But I managed to hang in there and graduate high school, with a lot of trips to Boston in between. The early seventies were more of the same. Music was really important and really good foreign films. I moved to AZ pemantly in 1975 and finished college. Again, I felt like a fish out of water. Then the disco revolution started. Boy, were those clothes ugly. Everyone just seemed a lot more open then. No fundamentalists telling us what we should think or do. I met my husband at the end of this era. He came to the door for our first date in an all white 3 piece "John Travolta" suit a la Saturday Night fever. It seems like things started changing in the early 80's, with the Reagen era. Of course, by then I had changed from a hippie to a yuppie, but I have discovered that those old values never went away, at least for me. I raised my kids the same way i was raised, with a lot of freedom and they are fine grown ups.

[kjay]

Wow, you're amazing!
Thanks for sharing.

Sorry it took so long for me to thank you mimitabby, but I just now returned to this thread to read more responses. Anyway, thank you for your kind words.

I forgot to mention earlier that I also hug, groom, and clean stalls for 11 camels every week just because I love it. My passion is camels.

In my last message I wrote that my longest ride was 40-some miles. However, after having ridden in the week-long Candisc tour in August, my longest ride in one day is now 65 miles. A century in one day sounds undoable, and I admire anyone who can do that, so I shall continue to work toward that goal.

[Duck on Wheels]

In my last message I wrote that my longest ride was 40-some miles. However, after having ridden in the week-long Candisc tour in August, my longest ride in one day is now 65 miles. A century in one day sounds undoable, and I admire anyone who can do that, so I shall continue to work toward that goal.

Ah, but to us Europeans, 65 miles IS already a century -- a metric century. In fact, 62 miles is about 100 km, so you've already PASSED the century mark! Congratulations!!!

Oh, and I've passed the 50-mark long ago. 57 and counting. DH just celebrated his 60th last weekend (2 weeks early, but on the day itself he'll be hiking in Yunnan).

[Bike Goddess]

KJay- lover of camels- we had camels visit us in Benicia during the waterfront festival days in July. Now they don't come anymore . One year we had a momma and baby to see. Did you know we have a camel barn here????

Bay Area- hmmm where might that be- north or south?

[kjay]

KJay- lover of camels- we had camels visit us in Benicia during the waterfront festival days in July. Now they don't come anymore . One year we had a momma and baby to see. Did you know we have a camel barn here????

Bay Area- hmmm where might that be- north or south?

Bike Goddess, I'm actually southwest of you in Foster City (San Mateo area). I've gone to the Benicia camel races a couple of times; the camels come from the Nevada Camel Company. However, I had no idea they weren't racing there anymore. I'll have to write to them to find out what happened. I've wanted to visit the camel barn in Benicia for some time, and simply must take time out to do so. Thanks so much for reminding me. I'm glad we live fairly near one another.

[kjay]

Duck on Wheels, will you not be hiking with your husband in Yunnan? I had to "google" "Yunnan" because I had never heard of it. How great to have such an adventuresome hubby. You are very fortunate. I love adventure trips (and refer to most anything as an adventure. . . even a bicycle tour) but always go alone (which I actually don't mind).

[Duck on Wheels]

Duck on Wheels, will you not be hiking with your husband in Yunnan? I had to "google" "Yunnan" because I had never heard of it. How great to have such an adventuresome hubby. You are very fortunate. I love adventure trips (and refer to most anything as an adventure. . . even a bicycle tour) but always go alone (which I actually don't mind).

Nope, this was his trip. I saw the pictures afterwards, and though they were gorgeous I also could see how I would not have been able to do the hike. I have a fear of heights, and there were stretches of trail there where I would have frozen solid in fear!!!

p.s. Yesterday he watched a rerun of the Michael Palin series about hiking in the Himalayas. All serious and straight-faced, he came to my office door and harrumphed to signal an important announcement, then said that he had to go back to Yunnan again ... he'd used the wrong outhouse. (If you've seen the series, you'll know what he was referring to.)

[Bruno28]

I'm 50. Don't know how it happened