How long can you go on for?

[HJ]

Having just watched the Big Bike Ride (BBC 2 Scotland, but sadly not on iPlayer, evidently the BBC believes that only the Scots are interested in cycling), it was about two grannies who decided to celebrate their 70th year by cycling coast to coast...


Across Canada!!! This made think just how long can you carry on cycle touring? When, if ever, does age become a barrier to cycle touring?

I think I will start planning now for when I final get to retire (the way things are going that will probably be when I am in my seventies), so I only have another 30 odd years to go...

 

[Dougster]

Amazing ladies. Imagine going back to Scotland to have a heart pacemaker fitted and then returning to complete the trip. There seemed to be a lot of heavy traffic on their route. Very brave indeed. Well done to the two of them.

 

[HLaB]

I went on a cycling Holiday recently and there was old lady on the tour and she always finished in the top 1/4, especially in the hills and she didn't use clips. I forget how old she was but I hope I'm as fit as her come that age. Not surprisingly she gained the nickname 'supergran'.

 

[Anthony]

It's on iplayer now!

 

[Crackle]

It's on iplayer now!

Is it. Cool. I shall go and look for that.

How long can you go on for? I dunno but I regularly see people way past retirement out riding. You just have to accept that the body changes as you get older: For the same given amount of riding in my 40's compared to my 30's, I don't develop the same power as I did.

 

[Crackle]

Worth watching, proves nothing's insurmountable eh, though Penny irritated me.

I've also done what she did. Brushed my panniers against a hedge and sort of staggered off the bike.

 

[stewie griffin]

"What you did yesterday you can do today, what you do today you can do tommorrow"


(But luck is involved avoiding injury, illness & drivers who drive like it's a computer game!)

 

[dubman]

Well done to those ladies , amazing

 

[just jim]

I think Mave might have suffered a classic bonk going up that hill near the start!

 

[sadjack]

I've started riding with my local CTC. One guy is in his 70's and another 65. I'll be glad to be still walking at their age!

 

[Randochap]

The young man featured on this page did Land's End to John O'Groats, in 2005, at the youthful age of 78. The next year, he rode 7,000 km(4,000+ miles) across Canada.

Keep pedaling.

 

[HJ]

The young man featured on this page did Land's End to John O'Groats, in 2005, at the youthful age of 78. The next year, he rode 7,000 km(4,000+ miles) across Canada.

Keep pedaling.

Wow, I want to be like that...

 

[snorri]

I met an 80+yo cycle tourer in an Orkney hostel a few years ago. I asked him if he was touring alone, "Yes", he said "All my cycling friends got married so I just tour on my own now"

 

[Dave5N]

Several lads in their late seventies racing in our local cyclocross league.

They beat men almost half their age quite regularly.

And on the track:

A fantastic world champion!