Taking a break from churning the bicycle pedals on a lengthy Saturday ride last weekend, I pulled over at a rest stop next to an old man. Very old. Moses would have called him, “Sir.”
His wrinkled skin looked like a white raisin left on a hot beach for a week.
It took my brain a second to absorb that he was doing at least a part of what I was doing — riding the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD) that runs 45 miles from just beyond Washington D.C., to Purcellville, Virginia. He was clad in flashy cycling attire like a Tour de France rider, and he rode an even more colorful high-end bike.
The old man caught me in mid-astonishment and asked me how many miles I was doing.
“About seventy-two,” I said, thinking that was a good day’s work.
I politely asked him how many miles he was putting in, expecting him to say that he was on course to do perhaps 10 or 20 miles.
“Seventy-five,” he chirped!
The number punched me in the face.
What?
The old man said he was recovering from cancer and that his life-long love of biking was helping him do it.
My jaw dropped further as he continued: He said he was training for a century ride (100 miles) in October — Maryland’s famous Sea Gull Century. I know that ride well. On that very jaunt years ago, I realized I never again wanted to be away from the woman I was dating: She’s my wife now.
The old man said he used to do century rides all the time. Two of his buddies rolled up a minute later. They were just as old. They said they plan to do the century with him.
I stood there, stunned. My brain couldn’t process the information fast enough.
I couldn’t believe that the first raisin was not only kicking cancer’s ass, but that he was loving life. Living it with gusto.
I’ve been struggling to work through far more minor health issues — trivial, compared to his — and I’ve had a hard time getting motivated to do all the things I love.
But look at this guy.
Life throws him lemons; he not only turns them into lemonade but puts the mixture in his hydration pack — and slurps it down as he rides! Maybe I should up my cycling game and try to get back to century rides, I thought.
Every time I see men and women a few decades older than I am (I’m in my 50s) who are still out there pounding the pedals, I am absolutely inspired. Happens to me every time I ride. Minus the cancer part, I want to be that old man 30 years from now.
If you’re a cyclist and you happen to be in that age category, I hope you realize what a huge, life-affirming impact you’re making on other riders just by still being out there doing what we all love.
I had to bid the old man adieu before my not-as-strong-as-his legs locked up. I heaved myself back onto the trail and began fighting my way through the last 20 miles. I got passed twice, going uphill, by women in the same age group. (None of the folks I saw today were using electric bikes, by the way — just muscle.)
I wanted to thank the ladies for their inspiration, too — but I couldn’t catch them!
Christopher Lancette is a Maryland-based freelance writer with an enormous love for outdoor sports, nature and all wild things. A former journalist and environmental organization communications director, he spends much of his time exploring and writing about his favorite creek at EyeOnSligoCreek.com. He has written for some 50 national and local publications ranging from the Atlanta Business Chronicle and Biography magazine to Salon and the Washington Independent Review of Books.
Comments