Today I saw a cyclist.

[Pat "5mph"]

NCN traffic calmed side street, speed bumps, made narrow by parked cars both sides.
Impatient drivers often try to overtake in spite of the speed bumps.
There's a cyclist riding up opposite me, he's very slow, slower than me!
Car behind, she wants to overtake, in fairness she leaves him room. I can see him spinning like mad, looking straight ahead, I don't think he noticed the car.
When we come level I glance at him: knock me down with a feather! He was over 80 no exaggeration, pedaling furiously, the biggest grin of joy on his face.
Many, many Kudos!
I hope the driver, that really should have waited, looked at this cyclist too and next time will wait behind.

 

[Bazzer]

Moments like that can make a journey and the memory keep you going on others.
I recall one time sharing part of my commute home with a one armed cyclist. Trafic was crap on a particularly bad stretch and having someone to share coping with the bad drivers was a joy. Never seen him since.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Fingers crossed many of us end up at 80 and still cycling. Good on him.

 

[fossyant]

He's doing better than me at 'almost' twice my age.

Signed, broken semi-ex-cyclist.

 

[steve50]

Great story, I hope I live to be eighty and even better I hope I am still cycling at eighty.

 

[Apollonius]

Entry level in our Tuesday club. Many are over 80, the oldest being 89, but he only does about 10 miles these days.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

He's doing better than me at 'almost' twice my age.

Signed, broken semi-ex-cyclist.

you'll get there!

I think I know where my presumed octogenarian rode from: the retirement home just down the road where I saw him.
I will ask our area's newly appointed active travel officer (we never had one before) to interview him for the local radio, if I find out who he is.

 

[Tin Pot]

He's doing better than me at 'almost' twice my age.

Signed, broken semi-ex-cyclist.

You'll be back.

 

[ayceejay]

I saw a group of serious looking cyclists all kitted out, male and female I did my loop and there they were again, They were all over 80 (I asked) and they were all on high end electric bikes so never give up I say.

 

[Sunny Portrush]

Arnie`s got a very stiff looking frame there....

 

[classic33]

You'll be back.

Sure I've seen someone else use that.

 

[ufkacbln]

Old people who are faster than me.......should be banned!

 

[Deleted member 1258]

There's an old clubmate of mine who is still working part time at one of the LBS's, still commuting and is still out Sunday mornings for a ride of around fifty miles, he's in his eighty's. He wrote an article about it recently.

 

[Saluki]

There are a load of over 75s here, who ride together a couple of times a week, some have electric bikes, but they ride from Bodmin to Padstow for a pub evening, then ride back again. I have ridden alongside once or twice, and had a natter as we went along.

 

[swee'pea99]

You bring to mind Tim Dowling, from last weekend's Guardian magazine: