How long have you been cycling? One day I found myself seriously exhausted after raking the lawn for an hour. I started riding on a regular basis and felt the benefits, so I kept riding more. It took me three years to be able to keep up with the group on the Saturday club ride where I lived.
How many miles a year do you typically ride? Around 5,000, including trainer miles.
What is your greatest cycling accomplishment? The summer before last, I beat a longtime age-group rival for the first time since fifteen years previous. No wait…my greatest accomplishment was riding to three breweries in one day!
Why did you join MVBC, and what have you enjoyed most? I wanted to find group rides in the area. And I enjoy seeing new people getting into cycling and improving.
What’s your funniest moment on the bike? Stopping to see if that really was a big black bear. I thought I saw something, so I turned around and went back a bit. The large bear had also decided to get a better look and moved closer to a clump of bushes near the road. We looked at each other for a moment, then we both retreated swiftly.
What is one future cycling goal you have? Finish the Seneca Circuit race ahead of at least one other old guy. Or, beat my eighteen-year-old grandson up a hill again this year. He tried to drop me last year but wasn’t successful. He won’t drop me this year unless I croak.
What’s the best advice you have for a new rider? Drink enough water before, during, and after a ride; for long or hard rides include some electrolytes (especially salt) to avoid cramps. After trying many sports drinks, I have settled on watered down juice (3 or 4 parts water to 1 part juice) with a pinch of salt thrown in. Also, if you want to get faster, don’t ride at the same speed all the time. Throw in a few all-out sprints, but some days just ride real easy for the whole ride.
*Tim’s favorite route: 42 miles.