Good thing I stopped to snap this pic of the Cateye showing 69 minutes (1:09). I’da kept on keepin’ on, I’da run headlong into a herd of deer.
Huzzah! Our long national nightmare is over.
Lousy shot, but I didn’t want to startle the deer. A couple good bounds and they’re in auto traffic on Camino de la Sierra, which is much more dangerous than a trail with one 69-year-old dude on a bicycle.
I finally managed to squeeze in that birthday ride.
You will be astounded to learn that I managed my age in … minutes.
In keeping with the house motto, “Picturae vel id numquam evenit” (“Pix or It Never Happened”), I took a snap of the Cateye for documentation.
Now, as Feats of Strength go, this is … well, a tad feeble.
In my defense, however, I will note that I was riding a rigid steel drop-bar 29er on spiky desert singletrack — didn’t even bother to check the tire pressure before heading out! — and at one point nearly shot into a couple dozen deer browsing lazily along a narrow singletrack descent bordered with sharp rocks and cacti.
And still! 69, amirite? Winning!
Tags: birthday ride, Foothills Trail 365, mule deer, Voodoo Nakisi
Mad Blog Media 
March 29, 2023 at 3:52 pm |
Are those 700-32s or 35’s?
March 29, 2023 at 5:49 pm |
Them is 700×43 … Bruce Gordon specials, Dog rest his soul. I can go as big as 2.1 (rear) and 2.3 (front) on this beast, but this seems to be a happy medium.
March 29, 2023 at 7:47 pm |
Running 700-40 MSOs on one bike. They too seem a happy medium.
March 29, 2023 at 8:01 pm |
Yeah, I run 50mm on the Co-Motion, and that’s almost too big. I like the cush, but the wheels on that beast are already plenty heavy and with a two-inch tire on the front I find that wheel sometimes wants to go places I’d rather not.
Here’s a link to the BG Rock n’ Road. I think they’re still available, though of course Bruce Gordon is not, more’s the pity.
March 29, 2023 at 3:59 pm |
Well done, PO’G and CONGRATS! As with many things in life, standards change based on supply and demand, eh? A great way to celebrate your 69th … healthy, challenging, and fulfilling! Tip of the sombrero, mi amigo! 🙂
March 29, 2023 at 5:51 pm |
Thank you, sir. I’d been waiting for sun and a temp in the upper 50s for a while, and finally got both at the same time. I’m way behind on my miles this year, but I’m finding I don’t really mind all that much. My running and hiking mileage is way up, so I seem to have achieved some sort of balance.
March 29, 2023 at 4:06 pm |
It isn’t the element in which you performed the feat, but that you performed the ritual feat. Cheers to a fine celebration. I hope the furry feline will appreciate the 69 belly rubs that you give her. Only a few at a time of course. You know how cats don’t like too many all at once. Sharps claws and teeth and all that.
March 29, 2023 at 5:53 pm |
Miss Mia had a couple fine gallivants today in honor of the warmer weather. So we both had a bit of fun and nobody got hurt.
March 29, 2023 at 4:06 pm |
Happy, Happy Birthday Patrick! I know I’m late! Glad you got your ride and that luck was on your side. Thanks for watching out for the welfare of the deer and motorists and cyclists.
March 29, 2023 at 5:55 pm |
No worries, Libby. The celebration was dialed way back this year. No presents, no cake, no nuttin’. Maybe I’ll act out a bit more for 70, if I get there.
I decided to pull a U on the trail and find another way home. The deer have had a helluva time the past couple years and if they can find some forage at trailside I’m gonna let ’em have at it.
March 29, 2023 at 7:33 pm |
Good plan! Also, next time you’re feeling blah or uninspired in the kitchen treat yourselves to a lunch or takeout from a favorite restaurant and chalk it up to a late birthday present!
March 29, 2023 at 8:17 pm |
I almost did that while Herself was in Maryland. I was thinking I might pop round to Mary & Titos, or perhaps El Patio, or maybe Ihatov Bread & Coffee, which I have never visited but a friend raves about.
But then I thought, “Shoot, wouldn’t be much fun without her.” So we’ll have to tackle one or all of ’em some other time.
March 29, 2023 at 7:43 pm |
70? Wassa matta you? Seventy ain’t shit. Eighty is, as the socks say, epic shit. Rarified air is what!
March 29, 2023 at 8:11 pm |
I’m trying to not tempt the Fates. You will recall what George Carlin wanted for his epitaph:
“He was here just a minute ago. …”
March 29, 2023 at 8:20 pm |
I find I don’t really get too worked up over mileage except when I feel like a fat slob. Given I am old, feeble, and don’t race any more, it is more a matter of just wanting to feel good rather than be chomping at the bit with a race number pinned on my back.
My mileage was pretty low in January and February for a variety of reasons including laziness, indolence, not giving a shit, bad weather, and some health issues. So when I found myself closing in on 300 miles for March I went out and flogged myself today, which was a really nice day for a change, and got it over 300 ticks. Back when I was not a dilapidated old sack of shit, that would have been slow two week accumulation. But hey, I’m not dead yet, so it felt good.
March 29, 2023 at 11:58 pm |
Thumbs way up!
March 30, 2023 at 9:24 am |
HBD, sprout. Keeping busy keeps the machine working well. You’ve clearly honed that advice to a fine edge. Well done.
March 30, 2023 at 1:11 pm |
Gracias, B. I may be retired, but I ain’t expired. Thus I run, ride, blog, podcast, shop for groceries and cook ’em, and when not otherwise occupied try to entertain the other members of the O’Grady household. I’m trying to remain a moving target so the Devil can’t get a fix on me.