New faces

I went for another ride with the bike club on Sunday. A great bunch, and at all ends of the scale. There were a few riders there that were twice my age, and had ridden over 6000Km this year. And to top it off, they were about to go to Europe for a bike tour. I want to be in that kind of shape at that age. Hell, I want to be in that kind of shape now.

The ride was 100Km. Good group, well matched. There was a stiff breeze, but we rode in a tight pack, so we moved along very well. Over the ride I had time to chat with a few folks. One guy that told me about his long distance rides, like the Paris-Brest-Paris. 1200Km, in 90 continuous, non-stop hours. A big event that has been going since 1891. He said the worst part, was after riding through all that history, you only see about 1/4 of it, because it is either dark, or you are fighting to stay "dirty side down."

Another rider told me about his bike. It's price tag had the same number of digits as my truck. He was ashamed however, that it hadn't seen the light of day too much this year, about 600Km. I know the feeling. Reminds me of quad I know...

But the one that stuck in my head was the guy who said mid-conversation, that he really had to remember to drink water. Staying hydrated is a big part of the game, but for him, it was a bigger challenge. He told me, he had had a stroke when he was 39. For the most part he has recovered, but he has lost the ability to feel when he is thirsty. While there are many things that bring on a stroke, his doctors made it clear to him that work-related stress played a very big part in this one. Hmmmm I think there is a message in that.

The trick now, is to take the hint.