Skip to main content

2018 Birthday Ride

It’s called a Metric Century, we call it this years birthday ride. Distance: 62.5 miles, ride time 5 hrs. 19 minutes 12 seconds, average speed 11.7 mph.

I’m fairly certain that I will never shoot my age in Golf, swim the English Channel, or for that matter ride the Race Across America. However, since my 50th birthday my self-proclaimed yearly goal is to complete a bicycle ride, in one day, at least my age in miles, on or near my birthday. This year,  August 16, 2018, this olé boy has completed 62 trips around the Sun on this home we call Earth. That’s really hard to believe.

With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media outlets I’ve been able to shout from the mountaintop my proposed goal to all who will listen. Even to those who could care less. This serves two purposes; first, to sustain a foundational fitness level as I get older.

Dr. Dennis Waitley reminds us that our bodies are, “Our transportation vehicle to the future.” Cycling provides an exercise regiment and long-range goals to keep me healthy and motivated. Two, it challenges me to live up to my time commitments in daily activities and relationships. Busy, irregular work schedules make it difficult sometimes almost impossible to maintain a fitness program. But come what may, I’m devoted to cycling. I’ve been a distance bicyclist since about 15 years old.

The fact is, it’s not the ride that’s difficult (provided you properly train). The real challenge is - to Do What You Say you will do.

It’s a disarming thought, always do what you say you’ll do—simple yet profound. Show the world your commitment to integrity. More importantly, it is how you demonstrate dedication to yourself, your family, friends, and your community.

Believe me, after a full weeks work at Home Depot pounding the concrete, I’m tired and sore. (My Fitbit records an average of 5-7 miles per day). Sore shoulders, stiff neck, stiff back, sore hips, and I’m certain I could have fabricated a host of other excuses.

As Socrates said, “Know thyself.”

Well, my cycling legs feel fine. Those other aches and pains, nothing a couple of Advil can’t handle.

Surprisingly, I began to realize just how much everyone listened to my birthday proclamation. Friends and family began sending me messages on Facebook, texts, and phone calls.

“Happy Birthday Patrick! Are you going to ride your age?” from a fellow rider and close friend.

“Happy Birthday Patrick. Start out easy, like to the mail box and back!"

“Go for it Patrick! Age is a number not a barrier . . . keep on keeping on.”

So, it’s Sunday morning, I’m up at 5:00 a.m. preparing for our ride; a good breakfast, a shower, stretching, check the air in the tires, clean the chain, and inspect the gears.

Now, what most people don’t realize is my best friend and wife, Lori, is right beside me all the way. She reminds me to eat something every hour, is our route planner, photographer, and cheerleader. With enthusiasm, she is up by six, has her coffee, breakfast, and is ready to hit the road by 7:00 a.m.

As we roll away from the house she says, “I must be a crazy wife to participate in a stunt like this.”

“What do you mean? We play golf, go hiking, and do all the training rides together.”

Of course, she insists on taking photos. Start time, rest breaks, food stops, and finishing times. This year finishing strong with a video of me huffing and puffing my way up the hill home.

Our last rest stop, lunch, the 55 mile mark, her comment to me was, “I get to stop in four miles - right? You ride home, get the truck, and come pick me up.”

“Just kidding, I just need to stretch my back, eat something, then I’ll be ready to go.” said Lori.

With the commitment of a trooper she rode ahead to take the attached video titled, Finishing Strong.

Well, the next few days we will both take some well deserved time-off. Next weekend we will start preparing for next year’s ride.

The lesson learned - always Do What You Say. No matter how silly and insignificant what you declare may come across at the time, people do remember. And most of all, it is how you demonstrate dedication to yourself.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

Mom Was Right

In this episode: Mom Was Right (Again!) . . . Remember that old saying, "Mom knows best?" Well, this week, it resonated profoundly. I vividly recall my mother's steadfast remedy for the common cold, which was ingrained in my 1960s childhood: "Rest in bed, drink plenty of fluids, and take aspirin to reduce pain and fever." . . . Or now that I think about it, this may have been a Bayer aspirin commercial–Simple . . . Fast-forward to the age of AI and endless medical information at our fingertips, and guess what? Not much has changed. Yet, somehow, this week, Lori and I were blindsided by a cold—the first in over five years. My incredulous "How could this be?" quickly morphed into a dawning realization. Our company's annual meeting, a melting pot of colleagues from Illinois, Texas, Vietnam, Colorado, Northern California, and the Central Valley, was a veritable petri dish of germs. And, oh, the germs found me! Getting sick, especially after a long str...

Whispers of Spring

In this episode, Whispers of Spring . . . Spring has a way of sneaking in when you’re not looking. One day, you’re shaking off the last chill of winter, and the next, you realize the light has shifted, stretching shadows just a little longer. It didn’t make a big fuss about it—no dramatic entrance, no trumpets—just a quiet unfolding, like an old dog settling into a sunny spot on the porch. Last week, Daylight Saving Time kicked in, which meant we all fumbled with our clocks, grumbled a bit, and then, like frogs taken aback by a warm rain, leapt forward into longer evenings. The sun now lingers, in no rush to set, hanging in the sky like a tossed coin that refuses to fall. With the extra daylight, we find ourselves drawn outside once again, migrating to the back patio like folks are drawn to a warm campfire. The lawn chairs are right where we left them, waiting like old friends. The air hums with wind chimes, their tuned cylinders catching the breeze and weaving together something that...

Special April Fools' Edition: Did You Fall For It?

In this episode: Special April Fools' Edition: Did You Fall For It? (And a Little Baseball Nonsense) Welcome, fellow baseball aficionados and purveyors of the peculiar, to a very special, dare we say unpredictable, issue of On the Fly! Today, the air is thick with . . . well, probably just regular air, but a specific mischievous something is buzzing around. Can you feel it? Does that tingling sensation make you double-check your shoelaces and suspiciously eye any unusual packages? Yes, dear readers, it’s April 1st! A day steeped in mystery, shrouded in playful deception, and frankly, a day where you shouldn't believe anything you read (except maybe this . . .maybe). But before we descend into a whirlwind of whimsical falsehoods (don’t worry, we’ll mostly keep it light!), let’s take a quick, slightly wobbly, historical flight through the origins of this most unreliable of holidays. Whispers from the annals suggest a few intriguing possibilities for why we dedicate this particula...

At 92–Don's Digital Daydream

Listen to the audio here. In a world of his own–lives, ole' Doctor Don, Not one world, but three, 'til the setting of the sun! There’s his Blog-World , so bright, with words all a-whirl, And Book-World , with stories of boy and girl! Then, Day-World , where legs didn't leap, didn't run, Just shuffled and creaked 'til each day is done. But his brain, oh, his mind, it’s zippy and keen, A most curious fellow that ever was seen! At ninety and two, with a twinkle so bright, He met Chatty and said, "What a strange delight!" This box with the answers, so quick and so bold, Of theology and stories, new truths to unfold!" "Integrity, relationships, where do they fit? This thing makes me wonder, bit by bit!" He ponders and pokes with laughter and a grin, "Til POOF! he has gone to a world from within! A world made of words, a fantastical place, Where limits of the body, left not a trace! He Soares, and he zooms, with a thought and a rhyme, Trans...