tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63949150079368333072024-02-20T11:43:02.433-05:00Iron RiderWriting from a mid-life cyclistIron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.comBlogger272125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-63050153741347175952022-12-10T16:57:00.007-05:002022-12-11T14:41:12.240-05:00The youth of old ageOn less than a day's notice Rick, Christine, and Janice responded to my email by agreeing to join me on a 100K ride that visits locations used as stops on the underground railroad in south Jersey. Rick later sent an email that reminded us all that, 10 years ago, to the day, the four of us rode together on a 200K south Jersey route and he sent us a link to this blogpost about that ride. He Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-25697921500780238652022-07-03T11:05:00.003-04:002022-12-11T07:43:17.913-05:00Thoughts on training for London-Edinburgh-London 1500KM: EnduranceI am registered to ride London Edinburgh London. It is a 1520 KM ride along the coast of the United Kingdom and we have 125 hours to finish it. To put it another way, we'll be riding 944.48 miles in 5.2 days - that's about 185 miles a day. LEL will be the longest event I've taken on to date. It's about 300K longer than Paris Brest Paris. The weather is infamous for rain and wind. The terrain is Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-15047702369319586552021-10-17T23:00:00.001-04:002021-10-17T23:01:38.614-04:00One Sunday in Late September<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-78695027615189364722021-06-02T14:16:00.012-04:002021-06-03T15:08:51.108-04:00After the shutdown: Renaissance Athlete.What a long strange year. My mom passed away in September 2019 after months of a steady, rapid decline in health. Then, in early 2020, while still getting my mind around the reality of living in a world without her, the world itself took a turn for the worse as the coronavirus literally went viral, spreading rapidly around the world, shutting down business, separating people, limiting travel, Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-46211182280167339652020-08-29T17:07:00.004-04:002022-12-11T07:44:06.529-05:00PBP 2019 - A home moviePart One: https://youtu.be/vV0lKIQP-U8Part Two: https://youtu.be/JQ5JXZyEAxIIron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-86691871039321187802019-08-27T07:43:00.001-04:002019-09-03T19:04:05.728-04:00On the final day of PBP 2019
Thursday
morning on the final day of PBP. I am on the way to Rambouillet. The
sun is rising over golden French fields. I am one of several riders who
find themselves together at this place at this time. We are climbing yet
another long but gentle rise.
"Are you happy?"
The question comes from the clear, almost musical London accent of a man's voice.
No one responds.
The voice Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-38576668959270601832019-05-11T23:13:00.001-04:002022-12-11T07:45:12.981-05:00A few thoughts on the 2019 NJ Pinelands 300K
Finish the Damn Ride
Finish the Damn Ride is an "unwritten" ethos of Randonneurring. Sure there are caveats, safety comes first but, if you can safely continue, that ethos can lead to some inspirational results.
A crash occurred early in the 186 mile brevet, before the sun was up, among the group of riders leading the field. I didn't see it, so I don't know for sure what happened,Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-68715292400194819372019-04-07T08:30:00.001-04:002019-04-28T08:00:24.609-04:00RandonneurRide like a child.
Without limits Without doubt Fearless.
Ride without effort. Dance down the road
Present in the moment
Joyful. Ride together.
Moving in unity
Approaching perfection
Transcendent.<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-60900448635844257322018-10-21T19:35:00.002-04:002018-10-22T12:10:45.808-04:00Bridging the gap
Winter
In the winter of 2017, I stepped away from long bike rides to get stronger. Following a consistent routine of ever heavier squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, bench pressing, and chin-ups required time to recover. So I set aside long rides in the cold for shorter, intense sessions under the unforgiving steel bar. Each session was a simple pass/fail test of will and growing strength: Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-81402674390130111572017-10-21T20:36:00.001-04:002022-12-11T07:46:27.393-05:00Happiness
Things things don't always happen when we think they should. Sometimes they happen in their own time. Sometimes they seem impossible.
My youngest child turned 10 just the other day and she had not yet learned how to ride a bike. Which is kind of odd because she basically grew up on the back of a bike; riding in bike seats, riding on trailer bikes, riding in bike trailers. But when it Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-20015862289601048162017-07-15T19:41:00.000-04:002017-07-16T10:58:58.084-04:00Million Meters of Milk - 1000 Kilometers in Wisconsin
"While the world spins underfoot, we start another day with wild hearts and fierce desire"*
Michele, the Great Lake Randonneurs' Regional Brevet Administrator, described the Million Meters of Milk as a 1000k where all riders would receive the same experience whether they were first finisher or lantern rouge.
I
arrived at the start physically undertrained. A right knee injury in
the Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-87495615474992609932017-06-12T17:00:00.001-04:002017-06-12T20:32:44.427-04:00New Holland 200K<!--[if gte mso 9]>
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It was a hot afternoon. Even now, sitting in the house as the last light of the June sunset languidly eases into the horizon, my body radiates heat. It's as if the afternoon sun soaked deep into my flesh the way summer heat soaks into asphalt and concrete and then lingers before it finally releases into cooler evening air. The morning started off Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-19738219950383060102017-03-20T22:45:00.000-04:002017-03-27T12:41:07.284-04:00Muscle memory
It's easy to love from a distance.
From a distance, the city is skyscrapers, life is an adventure, and commitment is easy to maintain.
Up close and personal, love takes effort .
I bring my bike into the start control because leaving it on the predawn city street is naive.
Riding the long gradual climb over the Ben Franklin Bridge hammers my off season heart.
TheIron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-40448879257035338702017-02-28T19:42:00.000-05:002022-12-11T07:47:24.465-05:00 The Rides of March bike challenge 2017
The month long March riding challenge is back and starts March 1, 2017. Let's get ready to PEDAL!!!
FOUR WAYS TO WIN
"A" TEAM = 60 minutes a day for 30 days
"B" TEAM = 30 minutes a day for 30 days
24 HOUR TIME TRIAL= 60 minutes a day for 24 days
12 HOUR TIME TRIAL = 30 minutes a day for 24 days
Rules: Ride 24 or 30 days in March for at least a halfIron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-10504162462360517472017-01-08T13:03:00.001-05:002017-01-08T13:51:12.253-05:00First Friday Writing for Randos: Live to Fight Another Day{First Friday Writings for Randos - A monthly post that features pieces from other writers that touch some facet of the Randonneuring experience, even if that was not the author's intent. It's stuff that's best read out loud - slowly.} This month it's an excerpt from
A Man's Life
Live To Fight Another Day
By Mark Jenkins
We went out for breakfast, a great heap of eggs and bacon, and Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-89401942438355155892016-12-04T08:50:00.001-05:002016-12-04T09:00:24.435-05:00First Friday writing for Randos: Embrace struggle{First
Friday Writings for Randos - A monthly post that features pieces from
other writers that touch some facet of the Randonneuring experience,
even if that was not the author's intent. It's stuff that's best read
out loud - slowly.} This month it's an excerpt from
Life Lessons From the Guy Who Just Ran the Appalachian Trail Faster Than Anyone
By Brad Stulberg
Beat and broken Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-10340103243092091292016-11-03T18:48:00.000-04:002016-12-04T08:58:43.407-05:00First Friday Writings for Randos: "Let go of expectations palm up"{First
Friday Writings for Randos - A monthly post that features pieces from
other writers that touch some facet of the Randonneuring experience,
even if that was not the author's intent. It's stuff that's best read
out loud - slowly.} This month it's a re-post from Facebook. Amy Grumprecht, the author, wrote this while riding across the United States to raise money to support MS research. Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-76432219788431337262016-07-26T19:24:00.002-04:002016-10-15T22:06:11.907-04:00A good place to be (notes from the Boston 600K)
It is the middle of a sunny Saturday afternoon in July.
I am on an audacious New England adventure, riding my bike up yet another hill, in temperatures well over 90 degrees.
The sun relentlessly beats down on the sun sleeves that protect my arms and the white wicking skully cap that protects my head.
My short sleeve, green plaid bike shirt is unbuttoned to my belly so that passing Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-9378363931678359022016-05-25T00:11:00.000-04:002016-10-15T21:54:25.152-04:00Spirited rides (or revisting the hierarchy of needs)
"Abraham Maslow (1943) stated that people are motivated to achieve certain needs.
When one need is fulfilled a person seeks to fulfill the next one, and
so on." Link
Maybe Maslow was wrong. If you're so inclined, hear me out on this one.
At this point in my life, at the tail-end of middle age (almost halfway to a century), I am acutely aware that I am fortunate. No. That's not Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-20625652476699655332016-05-02T16:35:00.002-04:002016-05-03T06:01:08.929-04:00Advice for a new randonneurWhat advice would I give to a new Randonneur?
Probably some of these gems that I've picked up along the way . . .
Dan A.: Ride your own ride.
Rick C.: Greet people along the way.
Chris N.(from NJ): Take pictures
Chris N.(From PA): A burst of slow can salvage a ride.
Joe K.: Challenge yourself
Bill O.: Remember, it could be a lot Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-35346824988887892622016-04-08T22:08:00.000-04:002016-04-09T10:05:25.560-04:00Rides of March: Team Rosters
The Rides of March Challenge returned for 2016. The basic challenge is as difficult to accomplish as it is simple to describe: ride a bike for 30 or 60 minutes a days for 30 days in March. One thing that makes the challenge a little easier is the community of people that share stories, pictures, humor and encouragement throughout the month. Not everyone successfully completed the Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-76899267883758475422016-04-05T12:29:00.000-04:002016-05-02T19:17:07.960-04:00A Fleche of all seasons.
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Maybe we should celebrate the start of a new year at the Spring solstice like the ancients once did. Gather with friends and strangers at the time of year when the seasons are in a state of flux and day and night balance for a moment on the needle of time. Maybe that is the time of year to celebrate new beginnings, not in the midst of winter's cold Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-19792104348086795782016-03-20T22:50:00.000-04:002016-05-25T09:36:29.843-04:00On the last day of Winter: Lackawanna 200K
The first edge of sunrise lightens the sky. The surrounding
woods slowly materializes from the darkness. Close to thirty randonneurs are here, ready to set out on the Lackawanna 200K. Bill, acting as ride organizer, gives
the pre-departure briefing. Outside of the Hostel, sharp crisp air reminds me that it is the last day of Winter, not yet Spring. It's been a long time since I rode a Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-16531480329189898232016-03-04T00:00:00.000-05:002016-03-04T18:30:09.035-05:00First Friday Writing for Randos: The dreamers of the day{First
Friday Writings for Randos - A monthly post that features pieces from
other writers that touch some facet of the Randonneuring experience,
even if that was not the author's intent. It's stuff that's best read
out loud - slowly.} This month it's a quote from
T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia)
All men dream,
but not equally.
Those who dream by night
in the dusty Iron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6394915007936833307.post-81498676697132311862016-02-27T10:05:00.001-05:002016-03-04T18:30:27.162-05:00The Rides of March bike challenge - Back by popular demand!The month long March riding challenge is back and starts March 1, 2016. Let's get ready to PEDAL!!!
FOUR WAYS TO WIN
"A" TEAM = 60 minutes a day for 30 days
"B" TEAM = 30 minutes a day for 30 days
24 HOUR TIME TRIAL= 60 minutes a day for 24 days
12 HOUR TIME TRIAL = 30 minutes a day for 24 days
Rules: Ride 24 or 30 days in March for at least a half hourIron Riderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18009140265170387540noreply@blogger.com0