P
Pinky
Guest
Of course like everyone else I had a bike when I was a boy -- but mine was a
huge heavy thing with a 3 speed "Sturmey Archer". ( Sp?) Living on the top
of a hill I can still remember when I grew strong enough to be able to cycle
all the way home from school without getting off to push.( in about 1949
when I was 12 yrs old).
My seven year older brother had a "racing bike" -- also with a similar three
speed 3 speed and, later, it saw me through my college days before I joined
the army. My memories of that time is that each spring time I would strip
the bike down as far as I could and clean and then regrease the bearings
and so on. I certainly don't remember ever replacing them with new bearings,
chains and so on.
I then had a "gap period" --of my adult life until at about at 65 and a
bit years old -- 2 1/2 years ago when I had gone through a hugely obese
period ( too much booze , too much food and for about 5 years no exercise)
and had whittled it down to about 90 kg I was looking for a way of knocking
off a bit more weight.
I met a young lady ( a friend of my younger son and his wife) who had walked
about 1500 kms on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. To cut a long story
short I decided to do a similar thing but a bit harder & longer (from my
front door) and to go all the way by bike/tent.
I remember going into J E James of Rotherham ( who are a good LBS ) at 65
years old and saying that I was going to cycle/camp to Spain -- and asking
for advice. I am sure that they though I was more than slightly mad. So I
bought my Dawes Discovery 501 at the end of October 2003 and by the
beginning of December started a daily training schedule -- learning all sort
of things and also making modifications to my new bike as I went along.
Before I set off I had done some 1500 miles in progressively loaded training
days.
I left home at 0830 hrs on Friday 26 March 2004 and eventually arrived in
Santiago on 11 May with 2340.3 kms on the clock.
So, since starting just over 2 years ago, I have managed to do over 10,000
miles -- nothing very spectacular -- just trundling along averaging about 10
mph on ordinary sort of "bumpy" days. I cycle every day doing at least 12
miles but aiming to do 20 miles a day. I do all my shopping trips by bike
( except for the toilet rolls./ kitchen towels run )
Last year I "did" the Danube down and up ( over 3000 kms) and this years
magnum opus is to be down the Rhein ( with an offshoot up the Mosel and
back). Not quite so far --- about 2000 kms..
I have had a hiatus when my well loved velo was purloined, on 12 December
last ( cable snipped and off into the back of a van), but I now am starting
the new seasons training on my new bike.
Did a gentle 20 miles yesterday ( Sunday) to get used to the new foibles and
found a few faults -- and I did my own little thing with my black arm band
( it is very necessary to do this even when one is on ones own).
I have also locked up the wine cellar and thrown away the key until I get
back from Rotterdam at the end of June
I am already looking at a coast to coast, West to East, cycle/camp, across
the USA for 2007. I don't know if I shall be able to afford it, but I fancy
seeing the US from the saddle of a bike, in a slow, gentlemanly way, in my
70th year taking about 3 to 4 months. Never been there -- all my travels
across the world have been Eastwards. If I don't do it then I suspect it
will never happen -- like many things I haven't managed to do!
My 98 year old dad says I ought to stop ( and he still goes out on the
community bus 3 times a week!) but I would much rather drop dead on the
bike, doing my thing, than sit at home making scratch marks on the wall!
Well that's a somewhat different sort of post but, hey, I am approaching my
second childhood -- so I wear my helmet all the time to protect my brain
when I am doing the odd wheelie!
Hopefully you have not all been too bored.
--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
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huge heavy thing with a 3 speed "Sturmey Archer". ( Sp?) Living on the top
of a hill I can still remember when I grew strong enough to be able to cycle
all the way home from school without getting off to push.( in about 1949
when I was 12 yrs old).
My seven year older brother had a "racing bike" -- also with a similar three
speed 3 speed and, later, it saw me through my college days before I joined
the army. My memories of that time is that each spring time I would strip
the bike down as far as I could and clean and then regrease the bearings
and so on. I certainly don't remember ever replacing them with new bearings,
chains and so on.
I then had a "gap period" --of my adult life until at about at 65 and a
bit years old -- 2 1/2 years ago when I had gone through a hugely obese
period ( too much booze , too much food and for about 5 years no exercise)
and had whittled it down to about 90 kg I was looking for a way of knocking
off a bit more weight.
I met a young lady ( a friend of my younger son and his wife) who had walked
about 1500 kms on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. To cut a long story
short I decided to do a similar thing but a bit harder & longer (from my
front door) and to go all the way by bike/tent.
I remember going into J E James of Rotherham ( who are a good LBS ) at 65
years old and saying that I was going to cycle/camp to Spain -- and asking
for advice. I am sure that they though I was more than slightly mad. So I
bought my Dawes Discovery 501 at the end of October 2003 and by the
beginning of December started a daily training schedule -- learning all sort
of things and also making modifications to my new bike as I went along.
Before I set off I had done some 1500 miles in progressively loaded training
days.
I left home at 0830 hrs on Friday 26 March 2004 and eventually arrived in
Santiago on 11 May with 2340.3 kms on the clock.
So, since starting just over 2 years ago, I have managed to do over 10,000
miles -- nothing very spectacular -- just trundling along averaging about 10
mph on ordinary sort of "bumpy" days. I cycle every day doing at least 12
miles but aiming to do 20 miles a day. I do all my shopping trips by bike
( except for the toilet rolls./ kitchen towels run )
Last year I "did" the Danube down and up ( over 3000 kms) and this years
magnum opus is to be down the Rhein ( with an offshoot up the Mosel and
back). Not quite so far --- about 2000 kms..
I have had a hiatus when my well loved velo was purloined, on 12 December
last ( cable snipped and off into the back of a van), but I now am starting
the new seasons training on my new bike.
Did a gentle 20 miles yesterday ( Sunday) to get used to the new foibles and
found a few faults -- and I did my own little thing with my black arm band
( it is very necessary to do this even when one is on ones own).
I have also locked up the wine cellar and thrown away the key until I get
back from Rotterdam at the end of June
I am already looking at a coast to coast, West to East, cycle/camp, across
the USA for 2007. I don't know if I shall be able to afford it, but I fancy
seeing the US from the saddle of a bike, in a slow, gentlemanly way, in my
70th year taking about 3 to 4 months. Never been there -- all my travels
across the world have been Eastwards. If I don't do it then I suspect it
will never happen -- like many things I haven't managed to do!
My 98 year old dad says I ought to stop ( and he still goes out on the
community bus 3 times a week!) but I would much rather drop dead on the
bike, doing my thing, than sit at home making scratch marks on the wall!
Well that's a somewhat different sort of post but, hey, I am approaching my
second childhood -- so I wear my helmet all the time to protect my brain
when I am doing the odd wheelie!
Hopefully you have not all been too bored.
--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
Remove PSANTISPAM to reply
