The Adventurous Life: 80 miles on my Dad's 80th birthday

Roy's Ride Celebrating Life

Ten years ago my dad rode 70 miles to celebrate his 70th birthday. Roy rode solo from his home in Indiana on December 30th with temperatures hovering around freezing. I said I ride with him on his 80th, but only if we went somewhere warmer, so last week we met in Inverness, Florida to ride the Withlacoochee State Trail.

Roy planned the 80-mile ride to celebrate the blessings of his own life and to celebrate the lives of those living with the challenges of disabilities. Roy’s Ride to Celebrate Life is his way of kicking off his participation in the 44th Annual ADEC Ride-A-Bike, an event he’s attended for more than 15 years. ADEC's web site has an article about my Dad's ride, including information on how to make a donation.The article also ran in the Elkhart Truth newspaper.

My nephew Micah was the only one to ride all 80 miles with my Dad.

I missed the beginning of the ride because the bike rental shop didn't open until 9 AM and Roy needed to start at sunrise to complete the ride before the trail closed at sunset. My sisters, brother-in-law, niece, and the Aguiar family from Brazil all rode portions of the 80 miles. Eduardo Aguiar lived with us in 1979 as an exchange student. He is living in Austin, Texas for a year, making it possible to join the ride.

The Catrike Expedition

I rented a Catrike Expedition, the exact same bike my Dad has been riding for the last year. Trikes are uncommon in the Northeast, but we saw hundreds of them along the trail in Florida. The Catrike Expedition is very comfortable and really fun to ride on the flat and straight Withlacoochee bike trail.

Hampton's Edge Trailside Bicycles

If you find yourself in Floral City in need of a bike, visit Hampton's Edge Trailside Bicycles and ask for Regis. My bike was perfectly tuned and fully stocked with panniers, spare tires (both sizes), a patch kit and pump. Regis took the group photo above and swapped biking stories with us. When I returned the Catrike the next morning, Regis surprised my Dad with a Catrike t-shirt and a check for $80 for ADEC.

Catrike Q & A

The Rippers, my crew of bike-riding friends, had many questions about the Catrike Expedition, so here you go...

How did you like riding that thing?
The trike was super fun to ride, and very comfortable. It's low to the ground and handles like a go cart. The trike is very stable; balance is not a problem (though my Dad said he went up on two wheels when he took a curve too fast).

Going to get one?
I definitely hope to own a performance trike someday, maybe with a battery assist. :)
Still wracking my brain to come up with a good Ripper name for those of us who switch to trikes in our 80s.

Can we expect to see that bike at the next Diverged ride?
Riding along the path in Florida, I kept wondering how the Catrike would do on a fast dirt road descent. I think it would be a ton of fun. It handled well on the grass next to the trail. With knobby tires, the Catrike would be interesting on fire roads, but is probably too wide for single track.

Is it comfortable? Back looks happy. Neck looks sore before you even start.
It is sooo comfortable. Sometimes my neck gets sore on an upright bike, but I didn't suffer this problem on the Catrike. A few times, I leaned back against the headrest which seemed to give better aerodynamics and was even more comfortable, except for looking at the trail out of the bottom of my glasses. Of course, there is no need for padded bike shorts since you are suspended on a mesh seat. However, the recumbent position also means you need panniers because you can't stuff tools, food, and spare clothing in your jersey pockets.

What percentage of speed do you think you get with same perceived level of effort?
82%. It was great cruising along at 12-15 mph, but I tired quickly going 18-24 mph. There wasn't an opportunity to see how it handled on hills or twisty terrain, but I suspect that straight and flat is its sweet spot. The Catrike weighs about twice as much as an upright bike, which doesn't sound fun on hills.

Is it scary being so low to the ground?
No. It's actually quite fun. Sort of like driving a Mini Cooper. However, it is sort of a pain having to look up to chat with people riding upright bikes. I didn't ride in traffic, but suspect it might be hard to see over and around cars.

How is your Dad in a pace line?
We drafted for several miles when we rushed to the turnaround point and back to meet the more casual riders at a trailside lunch spot. My Dad was comfortable about 3-5 feet behind me and said it definitely cut down on the headwind. I drafted about 2 feet behind my Dad for awhile and it was definitely less windy. I didn't get to experience drafting an upright bicycle.

Is it a different muscle set altogether or were your “upright” muscles ready to go and no new aches and pains?
I rode the first 10 miles by myself from the rental shop to meet the group. I went as fast as I could and, at first, I felt some discomfort in my right calf but it stopped bothering me fairly quickly. After a moderate 80 miles on the 30th and a fast 10 miles the next day, I had absolutely no aches or pains. The only side effect I noticed, was that getting up from the very low, seated position required strength and balance that might be in short supply after miles and miles of pedaling.

Might this be a better vehicle for your Micro Breweries Century?

Good idea! The panniers would be a great way to carry my purchases, and the stability of a trike would be an asset after sampling flites at the breweries.

More Photos from Florida

The first morning (12/29) I went for a run in the Citrus Wildlife Management Area.

That afternoon, my Dad and I went for a walk along the Withlacoochee State Trail across the highway from our rented townhouse.

In the evening we went to Inverness and had Margherita pizza and tapas on the patio at Motor City Pasta Company. Mom enjoyed the fried calamari, but only after we told her it was onion rings. Tonja's family spent the day at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium visiting Winter, the star of Dolphin Tale.
(L to R below: Phillip, Roy, Phillies, Roya)

After I picked up my rental in Floral City, I rode back up the trail and met the rest of the riders who rode to the northern terminus and returned to the townhouse.

Roy at mile 40, the turn-around point of the 80-mile ride. We wanted to ride to the end at the 46 mile marker, but didn't think we could complete 92 miles before dark.