CW this week has one warming piece on an 80 year cyclist. He still rides in races and plans to head for Austria this summer to ride through the mountain passes
Apparently he can ride
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100 miles in just under 5 hours
He started riding when aged 9 years. As a young man he rode an average of 300 miles per week.
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It only dropped to 200 miles a week in the last couple of years
Ron Longstaff in CW wrote:
I may be 80 - but I'm a young 80.
I'm in good condition but my legs do hurt a little when I climb steep hills. Sadly - I'm getting slower now
Ron's a Durham lad. He's from a cycling family. The family went on cycling holidays with the parents on the tandem. He now lives in Northumberland.
Ron's cycling career has not been accident free. He ragards accidents as
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an occupational hazard
(His photos show him helmetless as a youngster but now sporting a rather nifty lid in the recent ones
)
His family do worry all the same though.
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When Ron was 74, he suffered a fractured skull after being hit by a car driven by an 81 year old woman. When he was 77 - he was taking part in a race when a lorry braked without warning. Ron was riding at a speed of 25 mph at the time and rear -ended it. He broke his collarbone and arm. He also punctured a lung.
"If I'd been 6 inches to the left - I'd have hit my head and probably died"
His family keep nagging him to give up as he has the medals and nothing to prove to anyone.
But why should he? He wants to prove to himself and others around him that we are never too old to enjoy life and if we have the "bug" - we have the "bug" after all.
Ron boasts of being able to do 60 mph down some slopes
but admits to feeling nervous on high speed roads like the A1 and A69 "where traffic flashes past him at NSL"
Ron reckons he's got better over the years - but attorubutes most of this to better racing bikes and an understanding as to how our bodies actually work.
So about his lifestyle?
Ron has muesli for breakfast., a bacon butty for lunch (or soup) , and an evening meal of "any meat plus two veg followed by two jaffa oranges. He has the occasional glass of wine. He does not smoke - apart from a dalliance with a pipe when aged 17.
Ron has raced in France, Italy, Austria and Belgium. He has toured Europe in a car - towing a caravan
He got a bit worried last year when he took 5 hours to complete a 100 mile ride in windy wet conditions in Northumberland.
He's saddened by the fact that few on time trials today are aged below 30 years and the "kids today" who
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do not take up cycling because of other attractions and parents being frightened of allowing them to ride.
I do see their argument. The roads can be dangerous and we use monr roads where we can. But I've been on races where riders have been killed.
It's difficult to suggest a real solution. I suppose we really have to educate drivers and cyclists to be more aware, but everyone today seems to be in one hell of a hurry these days.
Wise words from a really admirable gentleman. Long may he continue to keep up with his sport and hobby.
As for keeping up:
Ron's advice is
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Never stop exercising. Keep up the training and the cadence.
Use weight training to keep muscles supple and firm. It helps keeps the bones strong too.
Rest more but ride hard. Rest after rides and make sure you eat well and healthily
Be aware of hydration. Your urge to drink decreases as you get older. So make sure you take in enough fluids.
A heart warming piece. Well worth reading the whole article
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