# Excuses...



## sturge (Feb 22, 2009)

I turned 60 a couple of weeks ago, still ride 3X/week year-round in New England. Over the years my 'posse' has dwindled so I find myself doing more solo rides. I've been doing this a long time and know there can be consequences so it's easier to come up with excuses to not ride. Especially this time of year when after work it's dark, fewer people are riding, the rocky/rooty single-track is covered in leaves/debris, colder temps, etc. Factor in wet weather/poor visibility and this terrain gets greasy as hell increasing the chance of an 'event'. 

One of my riding buddies turns 60 tomorrow. Yesterday afternoon he texted me to get a ride in before crappy weather hit for the next few days. We got to trailhead after dark and the weather had already started moving in. A steady mist was falling combined with fog. I was trying to talk him out of it and offered to buy him a birthday beer somewhere warm and dry but he was on a mission to do his last ride in his 50's. He twisted my arm and we rolled into the cold wet forest. 

Two hrs later we were back at the truck wet and smiling. I kind of forgot how satisfying it is to conquer more challenging conditions. I thanked him for not listening to my excuses.:nono:


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## mikesee (Aug 25, 2003)

We all need friends like that -- for the days when we're not the one pushing at the sharp end.


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

Well l hope he still got a beer at a warm place from you....
actually 2 because he deserved them.


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## joeduda (Jan 4, 2013)

I've had very few instances where I've regretted going for a ride. I've only regretted not going for a ride. Mostly solo for me, have some riding buddies but all younger than me at 58.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

New England is great for mtbing. Wish I was there.


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## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

I just got back from a 3 day trip to Asheville. After two days of hard riding, we finished a trail on the third morning just after 12:00. I was hungry, tired and it was about to rain. I voted for loading up and finding lunch. A couple of guys talked me into one more trail. It turned out to be great ride, we finished just as the rain started, met a couple of locals and got great info on where to eat.

I'm an idiot.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

It is good to have a buddy who will encourage riding when you feel sucky ... but I always end up being that guy and have yet to find someone who will be that guy for me.

I use my dogs to motivate, the two young ones like to ride, so I feel guilty if I don't get them out regularly, but that really only works for short rides.

My main reason I ride is because I know I need to exercise, and since I'm adverse to gyms, it's either hike or ride; riding is more fun so I ride more.

From a mental health perspective: It is more important to exercise and be outside in the winter because we don't get as much light exposure due to shorter daylight hours and because we naturally spend more time inside during the winter.

So get outside!


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm 67 and wasn't able to get my so-called friends to ride with me on last Sunday's storm in Utah.
Froze my a$$ off, as I don't really have winter riding gear.
Totally worth it.


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## 33red (Jan 5, 2016)

I am just a bit north of you. To motivate me last winter my goal was 100 fat days, cold, ice with 4.8 studded i made it


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

33red said:


> I am just a bit north of you. To motivate me last winter my goal was 100 fat days, cold, ice with 4.8 studded i made it


A reasonable goal, but I've put the bike away except for occasional Moab trips. If I can get 100 days (more likely 80, anyway) of skiing, I'd be happy.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

There are benefits of riding and racing with younger guys, one of which is that they offer no sympathy regarding age.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

There's no room for excuses - that's what I tell myself.

I'm just back in Scotland after 3 months in a hot part of Australia. The weather here currently is what may be best described as bleak and wet.

On Sunday it was biblical and just far enough above 0ºC for it not to be sleet. Normally I'd stay inside when it's like lashing down like that, but I had the brainwave of going out for a couple of hours in it.

And you know what? with the right gear on, it's just as much fun as normal, and a darn sight nicer than sweating up a mountain in the high 30ºCs.

It wasn't because I was feeling macho, but because a comment made by a similar aged friend in Oz was resonating in my thick skull. 

We had been discussing who had died since my last visit, who had fallen by the wayside due to health etc when he said "No amount of money will buy you even one extra day of good health - we've got to use it while we've got it, and if we don't use it, we lose it".


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## jrm (Jan 12, 2004)

if i focus on how much better ill feel after exercising it works most the time...


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## Arebee (Sep 13, 2012)

Everything that happens before I leave the house is the toughest part for me. 

Waking up at 6:00 on a Sunday morning when everyone else is sleeping in, or rushing home after work drained from the long day and rush hour traffic. 

Then there's the ride prep. My wife watching me get ready for a ride once said "It's like you're going to the prom!" 

Managing the gear, charging the lights and GPS, snacks, post-ride cooler, checking over the bike, tires, shocks, drivetrain. This time of year throw in the early darkness and the cold and it would be so easy to find an excuse to stay home. 

Five minutes into the ride, conditions be damned, I'm asking myself how stupid it was that I was whingeing about getting out on the trail.


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