Too Old To Ride?

Nearly as often as I hear people say that my riders are too young to ride so hard, I hear others say that they are too old to ride at all. One day I might be too infirm to ride. I might be too sick to ride. I might even be too dead to ride.

But I will never be too old to ride.

The health benefits, physical and emotional outweigh the risk of injury. Terry and I rode 109 miles in 18 hours last spring to commemorate our combined ages (55 and 54). Even at this stage in life it is good to have a winning card to serve as a reminder when faced with any sort of challenge. (e.g. "There is no way that I can do this. But on the other hand I rode 109 miles and no one thought I could do that either).

(You never know when you might need to reach for those cards. Not too long ago a city lawyer was seeking to intimidate me before trial by listing all of the big cases that he had tried over his career. I listened patiently,told him that I once ate 54 raw oysters at a single sitting, and then turned and walked away. Obviously he had no idea what kind of man he was up against.)

Adults, including adults my age and older, show the same increases in confidence, compassion and courage that the little riders show as they reach higher and higher benchmarks.

Look at the Shoshone chief, Washikie, in the center of this picture. He was older than me at the time this picture was taken.

That is not a barco lounger he is sitting on.