I have 7 years to go. I hope I’m up for the challenge.
Olduniman, I hope you didn’t get the metal plate in your hip because of unicycling.
Glad to see new life in this group. And sorry to hear about those that have stopped unicycling. Hopefully, you are finding fulfilment and passion in other ways.
I’m more then a bit beat up myself, but had a blast yesterday unicycling with 3 buddies on fat bikes down snow-less ski cat tracks – perfect for a unicycle. It’s funny how people will look at the unicycle and not even realize it is a unicycle. The double-take is precious.
Hey! its great to see this thread getting some attention! Bob, you are an inspiration for all ‘mature’ unicyclists including me. I have a few more years to go to catch you up so here’s hoping I make it!
My riding activities have been disorientated by my move to France from the UK this year. However, it has opened the opportunity to do more long distance rides. I am planning to do ‘Eurovelo 6’ next summer - a long-distance cycle path from the Atlantic coast of France to the Rhine.
Incidently, this particular thread was stared by me Bob - it shows that in the first post of the thread. I think this is the thread you started, https://unicyclist.com//t/calling-mature-unicyclists-age-55/101526/1 That gave me the inspiration to start this thread and also produce all the ‘group photos’ that appear in it. Maybe there would be some interest to start the ‘group-photo’ thing again?
At any rate all this activity has encouraged me to complete the ride report that I started a few posts back about my last long-distance ride…watch this space 
I hadn’t seen this post before. Turning 58 next July. I’m inspired by the ride your age challenge. We’ve got kilometres here but I would be riding MTB so that would be a sufficient challenge with the rocky hills around here. There’s even a convenient join up of two rides near where I live. I’m going to pencil that in.
It is great to hear that plenty of other mad old mavericks are out there winding the wheel!
This is not a ride your age trip but there are not to many threads us old guys can lay claim to so I will post my thoughts here. I am hoping to do the Katy Trail here in Missouri from St Charles to Clinton for my 58th birthday. I wanted to do it next year for my 57th Birthday but my Daughter won’t change her wedding date (ungrateful Brat).
I plan to take about two weeks to do it so it will not be a record setting marathon or anything. I like to think of it as a two week, 225 mile pub crawl.
It is a rails to trails path along the Missouri river. I want to be leisure, smell the roses and enjoy every mile. There are lots of historic Inns, pubs, wineries and historic sites on the way. I think it would be a hoot!
Maybe a 57 mile ride next summer for my 57th birthday would be a good test of my ability and desire to do the whole trail.
old Uni Guys
I turned 60+ at the end of July this year, I saw this thread in March and was inspired to do just this. I even built up a new 36" just for this ride. Actually rode 67mi. in 7hrs. 53min. and I plan to keep on riding as long as I can.
Wow! it’s exciting to see this thread recieving some posts! Seems like there are more ‘mature’ riders around.
If you havent perused previous posts from earlier times consider looking back at the ‘group photo’ I assembled similar to the one I have attached. I think it all starts about page 14. Basically the idea was to receive a photo of each person and Photoshop the images into a virtual unicycle meeting! The sample photo was composited from images emailed from around the World!
It worked ok…until the group got bigger and bigger! However, I wonder if anyone is keen to start a new group photo…
Wow, so glad I got this going again. Is that a suspension on the 36"? Crazy.
Can’t imagine doing a ride your age. My ass is usually killing me after an hour outting.
Been planning a 24 hour/200 miler to coincide with the big Six-0 in Jan/2016. Actually closer to a “quadruple you age” ride! 
Been planning a 24 hour/200 miler to coincide with the big Six-0 in Jan/2016. Actually closer to a “quadruple you age” ride! Will also be my 10th Century-or-more ride so far.
oo-er! would that be on a road (highway) or on a footpath (beachpath)?
Way too risky “sharing” the road with cars, trucks, and other motor driven vehicles, IMO. And even a bike lane is no protection against drunk drivers or someone not paying attention, like texting or applying lipstick! Will be riding the beach bike path only.
What I like about this route is that at no time will I be more than about 12 miles from the start point, and friends who will be riding segments with me won’t have any trouble finding me; Just start riding and we’ll meetup in no time! Plus I’ll have easy access to extra food and supplies located in the middle of the route, and a friend’s dad will be bringing pizza and refreshments at midnight! 
Here is an account of the last time I did 100 miles in a day, when I was 64. It was written some time ago so the dates are out of sync’. Nevertheless it will hopefully provide an interesting read. I have posted it in this thread because this is where it belongs:
After riding ‘’100 miles in a day’ last year I faced up to attempting another ‘100’ in July this year. Actually, I plotted a 150 mile ride because I thought I might have it in me – however, on the day I failed and had to settle for only 100 miles. This is a report of that ride, the high points, the dangers and the fun.
Why 150 miles? I calculated I had the summertime daylight hours here in the UK to complete that distance and I was optimistic about being able to stay on top of the big wheel for those hours. So it was… I planned to ride the same 100 mile route as last year then just continue for an extra 50 miles. This year then, it was more serious. I was betting on accurately assessing my ability to ride 150 miles. I don’t really think I got that wrong – but I failed to ride 150 miles! So what happened?
This account begins on the outskirts of Ipswich at the start of the ride. I left my support person - as ever - the beautiful Rafaela, at the hotel to catch me up in the SAG wagon later in the morning and I set off shortly after daylight on a day that promised dry weather and good riding. I was carrying water and calories like chocolate and malt-loaf.
This year I had taken the precaution of swapping out the wheel bearings on the KH36 for new ones as last year one of the races collapsed during the ride. I also surprised myself for choosing the KH over my Nimbus, but I had my reasons. The Nimbus was set up with a disc brake and the extra width on the hub did make it noticeably wider than the KH with its narrow Oracle hub and zero ‘Q’ on the 125 Ventures. Also, last year I initially set off with 114 cranks and could have done with a brake to slow me down on inclines with the shorter cranks. Not so now, rather than a brake, the 125s would offer me the control that I needed on any downhill gradients on this particular route.
So it was…as I proceeded along the road, ‘carb-loaded’ from a 5.00 am pasta-breakfast, the early morning felt quite comfortable. The air was cool and although Britain was in effect presently experiencing a heat-wave I was en-route and the sun had not risen very far.
The first section, Ipswich to Lavenham, was delightful. I was moving quicker than last year because then the 114’s were holding me up on the undulating terrain. I marvelled at how much more improved I felt from last year, handling the gradients and cambers on the twisting country roads and completing this section with one dismount for toilet, butt butter and nibbles.
I rested just long enough in Lavenham to eat, and make a mobile call to my support person. Then I was on my way. Heading towards Bury St Edmunds where last year I got lost on a series of roundabouts that dotted the ring road. Not so this year…I only got lost once! A friendly jogger giving me directions kept me on course. In a relatively short time I had cleared Bury St Edmunds and was on course for Mildenhall.
Again, Mildenhall was reached without any issue and afforded a stop for toilet, water, malt-loaf and the ubiquitous butt-butter – but I am constantly more aware of the time as I had set myself the task of riding 150 miles. It felt ok, I was more experienced and I believed 100 miles would come up without too much trouble. I conjectured that Raffi, my support person, would be having breakfast as I rolled out of Mildenhall en route to Littleport.
I approach a mini roundabout heading out of Mildenhall, not much traffic as I rolled onto the roundabout aiming to take the second exit and knowing I have right-of-way. I have the feeling I am quite visible sitting on the big wheel as I aim for the second exit. A white van appears on my left and stops. In an instant I get level with the van but suddenly sense it is pulling off again in a move that will hit me side-on! In that moment I am aware of two things – injury and, emergency dismount now!! Subconsciously I twist the uni so the wheel turns away from the van and simultaneously I drop off the back and away from the van front. I end up on the ground with a hit to the hip and thankfully the van also stops as the driver must now have noticed me! I get up from the ground, pulling myself up on the bonnet of the van. The driver stays in his car – apparently too shocked, or surprised.
Not much is exchanged between us. In a fit of sheer frustration and anger I shout at the driver sitting in his van, “Aren’t I fcing big enough too see?!” He gets slowly out and says, “I’m really sorry, I just don’t know what happened”. He appears flustered and confused and even more shocked than me. He admits total liability but I don’t have the time to discuss it. The uni is ok and I make my way to the curbside to assess. White-van-man drives off slowly. I am ok, the hip is fine but I have a slightly pulled leg muscle caused by the sudden knee-jerk reaction that sent me hitting the ground. I resolve to take some ibuprofen and see how it settles down for a few miles.
Fortunately the scuffs I received, due to the collision with the van, begin to settle down over the next hour or so as I continue on the A1101 towards Littleport. I know this section from a previous 100 mile ride following this route and it takes a very flat and often windy course across Fenland. However, I like this section because of the terrain. Large flat areas and roads that are straight towards the horizon. For me, I think it has something to do with riding the 36er. I find nothing better than sitting high and maintaining a steady repetitive cadence mile after mile! I find it almost meditative looking down a very straight road that disappears towards the horizon. On roads like this I endeavour to improve my riding technique by ‘calming’ all unnecessary upper-body movement and working downwards from the waist. I bought a 29” sometime ago believing I needed a range of experience but I have hardly ridden it. I personally just don’t like thrashing around off road, jumping, bumping and twisting my way around.
It is getting a little warmer as the day progresses and by the time I reach Littleport all is not well! I am sensing growing issue with trying to keep myself cool and my head is throbbing with the heat. As I crawl into Littleport I have to have serious words with my support person who is fortunately carrying several 5 litre bottles of water in the car. Still, at this point I am on schedule for 150 mile as I have the hours ahead of me. Nevertheless I realise that if I don’t cool myself down all is lost!
My support driver, Rafaela then has a solution. She simply pours water all over me, and makes a ‘turban’ out of a T-shirt and soaks that with water. These are desperate times…even if I do look like an extra for Starwars with the turban twisted around my head and down my back to keep my neck cool – together with a body-clinging wet T-shirt. So, no problem then right? Wrong!
I set off again with renewed vigour from Newport heading for Wisbech. I feel cooler and my head has stopped pounding! Such a relief to have all that wet, cool cloth around me. Hmmm did I say wet? Well take one very hot day and a good breeze created by riding the uni, and what have I got? In a very short time, lots of dry cloth wrapped around my head of course! The support vehicle has gone so I get on the mobile. Hi Raffie, its me. I’m hot again I need more water on the turban and T-shirt. So I ride on again slowing the pace until support gets to me. Once I am wet again I cool down and can keep up the pace. Not very promising. This can’t go on and after several more attempts to keep cool I decided continue without the ‘wet-towelling’.
It is around about this point when I have my first doubts about making 150 miles. I am definitely drained by the heat as I turn onto the A17 heading for Boston – that marks the 100 mile point. Furthermore, on the A17 last year I was riding at the end of the day since that was my schedule and meant there wasn’t much traffic on it and the Sun was low in the sky. Not so now since I started earlier to try and get the extra 50 miles done. That put me on a major road full of holiday traffic like coaches as well as lorries. This was really the final straw for me and by the time I was turning onto the A16 towards Boston I decided to call it a day at 100miles and forget the extra 50 miles. I was shattered and had nothing left in me to go further except the feeling of achievement under adverse conditions
Conclusions? I got the weather wrong and it beat me! I train on cyclepaths and quieter small roads but for me real achievement is riding the unicycle on the main highways just like a b*cycle.
Killing my ass
Yes, it is a suspension + inside disc brake. That is what makes the ride comfortable along with the K. H. Zero seat.
Just started again a few months ago at 56
Great to see this discussion group. I’m just getting back into unicycling after riding in my teens.
Awesome, Lobbybopster – would you be willing to post some more pictures of your new 36er creation?
Well, I’m 60 and have just taken this up - I will be happy if I can ‘ride my age’ in anything bigger than inches before I’m 61 in October!
I have been avidly following Monocyclism videos on the tube. As he starts out on his historic unicycle adventure on a 24". I recently acquired my own 24"er and use his clips as inspiration, although I can ride a 20" fairly well but at no distance really i.e. singular miles not a zillion miles like some of you. Hence the need to go on grassy avenues to obtain distance stamina, therefore the 24" Municycle should do the job better.
It is especially gratifying to read about other ‘mature’ riders existing in the free world without any hassles from people. I have suffered quite a bit of prejudice around these parts from moronic folk, invariably youthful, even a couple of attempts to unseat me in their insatiable urge to ruin society.
Undaunted I proceed, more out of the public eye though. Road riding is so risky here, we have those that regard the road as their own personal preserve and cycles of any denomination, are an insufferable bore to them, therefore we get treated with distain on every occasion.
I am currently attempting free mounting in the current heatwave, the loose cotton trousers I am wearing at the moment tend to often catch on the seat on mounting, thus the cycle is nudged forward and I often get the masculine dread result. I learnt the 20" in darkest winter some twenty years back, the ground was a frozen sheet and so we taught ourselves in an abandoned office on carpet tiles. These eventually got taken up and fashioned into primitive ramps for us to fall off over… great fun was had by all !!!
Is it me, or do bruises keep getting updated in the same places each time I fall off??? Consistency must be my watchword.
Hi and best wishes with your learning-curve on the uni. Just to say for what it’s worth I reckon you have plenty of time to develop your riding ability between now and October 
So if you havent done so already why not set a ‘uni-goal’ for your birthday? If you make it realistic you will enjoy the acheivement. Let us all know what it is an we can celebrate with you!
Goof luck
I saw a video of someone riding their age on a giraffe!
He did three circuits of a gym using fathoms as his unit. I thouught it was brilliant!
You could try furlongs which, from memory, are 220 yards or approx 200m. You can always work up to kms next year or the year after.