Breaking into RSU with a proposal to acknowledge the ‘Mature Gang’ over in ‘Just Conversation’ with a new thread entitled ‘55+ Ride Your Age’. There appears to be a significant number of active 55+ riders who could make this thread worthwhile by posting their riding exploits where they should be – in RSU. Many of the things I have read here Calling Mature Unicyclists (age 55+) is living proof of the stamina and ability of older…er sorry, make that mature riders.
‘55+ Ride Your Age’ can be a general title for any riding as long as you’re 55+. I was impressed by reading how dudes where riding their age in kilometers, furlongs or miles in the Mature Unicyclists thread. So, if you are posting in 55+ in ‘Just Conversation’ why not fill this thread with news of your latest ride or abilities.
To start things here’s my first contribution. I’m in ‘training’ to ride-my-age on my birthday in 6 weeks. I plan to ride 61 miles. Put it to the test today with a ride of 50 miles – the first time I have done that. The day started cold - too cold for comfort and highlighted how winter will be coming soon. Nevertheless I was well psyched up to make this a 50 mile run. For the first 12 miles I was playing around with seat adjustment on the N36 – dismounting several times to alter angles. By the time I had that fixed it took until about 30 miles before I started to appreciate the new riding position. Between 30 – 40 miles I was ‘cooking-on-gas’. I was using 137 Moments and getting used to a pair of 5.10 impacts that gave a great sense of confidence. Those shoes are everything people have made them out to be – they just stick to the pedals.
So - everything was set for a joust with a bi*yclist then? That made its appearance in the form of a petite Spanish lady on an MTB. Riding no-handed as she rode past me she said “That looks difficult, looking at me as I am in the process of doing a rolling mount. As I gather speed I contemplated up ahead how she is riding without her hands on the bars and I think, ‘Hang on, that’s all I’m doing isn’t it?’ Right? Wrong! So I keep pace with her, albeit 200m behind – testing myself to prove I am getting better. Was it me or was the gap increasing between us? I push myself further and hey presto – I go off the front, over the top. No chance to run it out. Legs clear the uni, great…661’s ready for impact, great… hit the road, rolling fall, great….priority to get the uni off the road and check for injury – to me not the uni . The Spanish lady rides off into the distance not realising the drama going on behind her. I take an ibuprofen and get back on the N36.
Flushed with enough carbs from adequate food intake I settle down to heading for 50 miles. So, how did I know she was Spanish? Because a couple miles up the road she is stopped with a flat tyre and requires help. Funny the way I forgot my ride - well not really, after helping the damsel in distress I am on my way again. Time to switch on the lights. It is mid-afternoon but the light is poor and trees cast deep shadows onto the road making the uni hardly visible to passing cars. The lights work well with two flashing on the back and one on the front.
The last 8 miles were progressively hell. Regardless of energy levels my leg muscles where loosing their memory. They just wouldn’t respond effectively to instructions from my brain. Jeez I felt like a drunk meandering up the road. The only solution was to slow down and just tick-over with a slow cadence without trying anything heroic. I made it! Actually I think I possibly started the ride with 61 miles worth of potential under my hood but the poor road conditions (for me) on certain sections ‘drained me’ of energy more quickly. With a smoother road all the way, not playing around with seat adjustment and no Spanish distractions I am confident of 61 miles in a few weeks.
I guess my skill is to plod on relentlessly 
At any rate the weather is picking up and for the first time in two weeks I will be riding again to test my recovery. 
