March 14th, 2022

This site is in the process of being transmogrified into a more general title and coverage. Although I am still the Guinness World Record holder for the Oldest To Cycle from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, I would like to post some thoughts about exercise for more mature people, those in their 70’s 80’s and 90’s. I am now 89 and still cycling 30 or 40 km, or putting in an hour on the spin bike if the weather is naff, 5 days a week whenever possible. I am also aware of at least two men older than me who have completed LEJoG but not submitted the proof required by Guinness World Records. I am sure to be knocked off my perch fairly soon! I hope someone manages to push the age record well past 85. That is really what GWR is all about for me – giving someone the motivation to beat the current record.
There is a mounting body of evidence that exercising as hard as you can for as long as you can keeps the body in the best condition possible. I find it does the head good as well. After 80-odd, I found running became very hard to keep up. I wasn’t lifting my feet off the ground enough, so trips and stumbles became very frequent. A serious fall in one’s 80’s is not good news! Luckily, I found a Cycling Club with an enthusiastic group of people well into their 70’s and 80’s, which kept the hard exercise going to substitute for running.
Having moved away from Darlington, I have managed to keep the cycling going by myself, exploring the South Lakes. The addition of an electric bike, a Ribble SLe, to the fleet enables me to tackle steeper hills and survive. I hope to report in this blog on my thoughts and progress into even older age!