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The Octogenarian Record-Holder

09.11.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

My virtual friend Steve Martin, he of “There and Back Again” fame, linked earlier today to a feel-good story: a British cyclist who broke the one-hour cycling record in the 80-84 year-old category. Sidney Schuman is 84.

He covered 28.388 kilometers (17.64 miles) in one hour.

Sidney Schuman, one-hour record holder.
Sidney Schuman, one-hour record holder.

“This is not much of a record,” he said, “But that’s not the point.”

The point is that maybe 21 years from now, his record might be broken by a guy who now spends some time blogging about biking.

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Categories // Odds 'n ends, People, Records & stats Tags // old guy

Road Bikers vs. Mountain Bikers

07.17.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 3 Comments

mtbA couple of weeks ago, I mentioned a conversation we had while on a mountain bike ride. Another mountain biker had stopped to chat with us, and we talked for a good 15 minutes before he moved on.

“That’s why I like mountain bikers,” said my friend Maggie. “They’re more sociable than road bikers.”

Are they?

The club we’re in is a road biking club, although some of the members mountain bike, too. We never organize any mountain bike rides to supplement the road biking we do during the week. Some of the mountain bikers will put together an ad hoc ride among themselves, but there won’t be a general call to the membership to join a mountain bike ride.

Meanwhile, because of our weekly road bike rides, a large social circle has developed. Many of us see each other outside of riding activities, and many have developed close friendships.

But Maggie maintains that mountain bikers are friendlier. She’s gone so far as to say road bikers are “elitist.”

In her experience, mountain bikers are more willing to talk with new riders about the sport, more willing to offer advice and coaching, and generally nicer to be around.

I’ll echo her comment about them being more willing to share information. Earlier this year, I headed out to a trail I hadn’t used before. At the trailhead, I wasn’t sure which way to go.

I asked a mountain biker nearby. He looked like he had a lot of trail miles under his belt.

Instead of the expected, “That way,” and a point to the start, he told me of the protocols on that trail, what to watch for, and offered some encouragement.

Okay, so that shows that I’ve been lucky enough to meet some nice folks who happen to mountain bike.

As a group, though, are they more sociable? What do you think?

 

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Categories // People Tags // mountain bike

Biking Buddy

02.23.2014 by Ray Niekamp // 2 Comments

I posted a message on the club’s Yahoo group last night that, given our terrific forecast for the day, it was time for the B riders to start showing up for club rides.

It didn’t work. Besides me, only two others came out (Meanwhile, the A group had 25 riders!). But that didn’t dampen my spirits any, because one of them was Maggie, who has become my favorite riding buddy.

About two years ago, our club president told me a new rider had come out for a ride I had missed. He said she made a noble effort to keep up with the A’s, but she was really looking forward to riding with the B’s. Maggie showed up the next week, and we clicked instantly. We ride at about the same pace. We have a lot of the same interests.

Bike Noob and Maggie at a rest stop in Buda. (Click pix to embiggen.)
Bike Noob and Maggie at a rest stop in Buda. (Click pix to embiggen.)

She’s really good at spotting birds and other critters on our rides. Often, she’ll start waving an arm, and I worry that she might be in trouble. It turns out that she was trying to call my attention to a red-tailed hawk, or a scissor-tailed flycatcher, or some other interesting bit of fauna that I might have missed.

On Sunday’s ride, the A’s dropped us about 10 miles in. Maggie and I conferred with Jim, the other B rider, about distance. We decided to go beyond Buda, but not as far as Kyle. That would give us about 38 miles for the day.

Our average speed was already high, because of the peloton effect with the A’s on the way out. On the way back, a three-mile stretch of a slight downhill kept our speeds high. When we pulled into Buda, we were averaging 16 mph. Unheard of!

Buda is still pretty sleepy at 10 o'clock on a Sunday morning.
Buda is still pretty sleepy at 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning.
At the Buda rest stop, Maggie and Jim talk about their gym workouts .
At the Buda rest stop, Maggie and Jim talk about their gym workouts .

The return leg took us past a large church that’s always crowded. Black-suited ushers in white shirts and red ties direct cars to parking places. I recalled one ride, where Maggie told me that she wanted me to turn “to go by the Mexican church.”

“Why?” I asked, making the turn to comply with her wishes. We passed a couple of the ushers, and one waved at Maggie, and called out, “God bless you.”

“That’s why,” she said.

By this time, the temperature was in the low 70s (22C), and it seemed that the only wind we had to contend with was the one we caused as we cut the air with our front wheels. Jim peeled off to take an alternate route home. Maggie and I decided to skip fast and dangerous Slaughter Lane, and instead took a detour through a residential neighborhood to get back to the start, where we sat at an outdoor table at Starbucks, sipped cold drinks, and chatted.

I enjoy being part of group rides. I also like to ride alone. But a good buddy who shares many of your interests, rides at your pace, and can keep up an entertaining line of patter…well, that’s a riding buddy who beats groups and solo rides.

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Categories // People Tags // people

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