Leo what kind of bike are you riding? I also am a bike rider and ride a 1990 Cannondale Criterium and a Centurion Dave Scott Ironman. I am 68 so  Tour De France is not in the cards for me ether. You must be in good shape to do 15 miles. I doesn't take a lot of muscle but the cardiovascular system needs to be good good shape. When modeling friends come around I get them on a bike and they have a hard time getting around the block.Have fun riding .
Ed

Leo that drug the Tour De France riders have been using is EPO. It builds up the red blood cells. Some team doctors were caught with thousands of doses several years ago. They use to take transfussion befor they had this drug .It is all very disgusting.  I think a good sniff of DuPont thinner would do the same thing. Just kidding. I bought two gallons today so I am all set for a race. That is a race to get some planes finished.
Ed

Leo, from what I was told at the NATS you shouldn't be on a bike.  But, like any streneous exercise you need to start slow.  Have fun, DOC Holliday

Doc, I can't get much fraster than slow.

Hi Leo:

First off, congrats on being on a bike at all, at any speed! If my math is right you have 76 years on those knees and the soft stuff inside the chest. And if you can still do 20 mph, and read the speedo while doing it, better still! I hit 60 myself recently but can still give my Colnago C-50 a workout. I meet guys in the very steep  Oakand/Berkeley hills all the time in their 60s and even 70s. Did a time trial up Mt. Diablo a few years back (3700 feet up in seven miles); one of the earlier finishers was 80! If your doc says you are fit to ride, keep at it. Overall fitness increases one's appreciation of life and gets the feel-good endorphins flowing, too.

And by the way the top teams in the Tour de France are resolutely and proven drug-free. Catch tomorrow's Tour stage up L'Alpe d'Huez!

Been watchin the Tour and did a ride in Idaho one year and two passes, One was 7,701 feet and the Galena pass that is 8,701. Got my hart ratr up pretty good and I love paine. It feels so good when it stops. We also had snow that same day on top of the pass. I love touring in Idaho. Also had a few words with Hemmingway while there.

This ties in CL,RC and biking so here goes. The Hunterville field was closed for six months at the end of last year until this spring for repair to the top cap of the dump that we fly on. Humpy Wheeler president of Lowes Motor Speedway set up a area for RC and CL but it never did work out for CL. Back in January I was at the Lowes site to get some flying lessons on a friends RC glider. I had my Centurion Ironman road bike with me and had been riding it around the parking lots for about 15 minutes when this guy asked me if I had run in the bicycle time trials held there at Lowes. I said no as I was intimidated by the $7000 bikes and the past Tour De France riders that show up. He said he liked my bright pink and yellow bike.Yes I told him it's kind of a joke that a bike named Ironman would have a factory paint job that is pink and yellow. He asked me how fast I could do the 7 laps,10 miles around the speedway. I spoke without thinking and said at least 20 mph.He said I don't believe it and said lets go and see you do it. This was at 8:30 am and it was 45 degrees out with no wind.I had on street shoe's jeans and a button up shirt and no helmet.I cut off the jeans and borrowed a thin Tshirt. Man was I cold. No fancy electronic timing just two guys with timers on the wristwatch. I started in the top gear and went real slow for the first 1/2 mile,8-10 mph. At the end of the first mile I was doing 25 mph. At the end of the 6th lap I had almost nothing left. I gave the 7th lap everything that I could find to finish it and it took me just under 30 minutes to finish. Average speed 21 MPH.    67 year old guy in street clothes on a 1987 steel bicycle. He gave me a pair of tickets to Coke 600. I hit 32 mph several times.
Ed
Ed

I had my door locked today and an old man with a bicycle showed up! "HEY" he said "could you straghten my crank ?! 

SO I straghten his FP-35 crack...good as new!

Thanks for reading 

Scott (back again) Riese

Leo I thought you would like this picture as it shows my Tempest just before it was finished and a bicycle in the same picture. This is not the Ironman that I road at Lowes but another one I bought the same day I sold the first one. The one I road at Lowes was mint and like new and to big for me.These seldom show up on CL but this one was there as I went to pull my add. I have it striped down for a repaint as a 7/11 Team bike as used in the 1988 Tour DE France.
Ed Ruane

The 88 bikes were Ironman bikes?  I know 7-11 used Schwinn and others but I though the 88 bikes were Murry bikes.  There are a few 7-11 and Motorola, (and Saturn and Volvo) team issue bikes running around here in Milwaukee. 

I bought my repair stand and some wheels and other stuff when Motorola closed up shop.  They had a few Meckx in my size, but the bike would have been cheap compared to the divorce.   Oh yes my wife does the books for a bike shop of a former Olympic track cyclist.  Got to hold in my hand one of the 84 funny bikes from team persuit.  Very cool

Love to see the bike when it is done

Dave Siegler
Milwaukee

Leo I thought you would like this picture as it shows my Tempest just before it was finished and a bicycle in the same picture. This is not the Ironman that I road at Lowes but another one I bought the same day I sold the first one. The one I road at Lowes was mint and like new and to big for me.These seldom show up on CL but this one was there as I went to pull my add. I have it striped down for a repaint as a 7/11 Team bike as used in the 1988 Tour DE France.
Ed Ruane

Ed, I love good road bikes and also good touring bikes. A loaded touring bike is like riding a Cadilac. Mine was a Trek touring and when you put a load on it it is easier to pedel than when it is not  loaded. And I love the open Road and what it has to offer. I will send you picture of my Lemond Bike when get a chance. Keep riding!