"BH" wrote in message news:57B8f.3775$UF4.28@fed1read02...
Today is my 40th birthday, so I rode 40 miles. (Actually, 40.7 by my GPS)

I must confess though that it was on a road bike on the pavement. I just
managed to get my self out of shape for mountain biking, and it's a big
struggle to get back there now that I'm an old fart. Next year, I'll do 41
miles on trails at altitude. Maybe I'll skip the altitude part.


Hey - go easy on the 'old fart' references. I'm 37 and miles from being an
'old fart'. Don't let the bald bit, the false teeth and the small gut
(where once sat proudly a wonderful 8-pack) fool you - I'm a beast!

Today I got back on the mountain bike for the first time in 3 years. Lactic
acid is again my enemy and at times thoughts turned to that big nasty
motorbike sitting in the garage - the whole reason I dropped 7 slots down to
the one-pack.

However, it was great to have done 3 hard hours of technical stuff, despite
the pain and I've vowed never to go backwards in shape again. Onwards to
strive for the right to once more shave my legs as I used to when 300+ kms
of riding per week was the norm.

So your 40.7 miles is a great start and I congratulate you. Keep it up and
in 12 months when I'm a step closer to old fartiness, we can compare notes
about the thousands of kilometers of smiles we've pedalled ourselves
through!

Cheers,
Dave E (Sydney)
PS. Happy Birthday!