Why I Like to Ride With Geezers

Let's face it. Sometimes you can't control who's riding alongside you, especially if you show up for a regular group ride on, say, a Saturday morning. But when you can choose, probably you favor your friends and regular training partners.

Many days, I'm lucky enough to add Geezers to that list.

Now, before anybody gets hot under the collar about the name, let me tell you: They call *themselves* Geezers, although they are nowhere near what I would consider legal Geezer age. Search me; I don't know why.

These are guys in their 40s and 50s. In many cases, they are pretty darn fast guys, and they are stronger riders than I. I struggle to keep up, and they have dropped me like a stone more times than I care to count. But they tell great jokes, and they succeed in seeing the big picture, most days. In other words, stuff doesn't seem to get to them in the way it does someone like me.

Got an ache or pain? Geezers have been there and back. Probably did a race with it. One of my best Geezer pals complained, whined and moaned about his back right before one of our big local triathlons. The day before: "I don't even know if I can race tomorrow. Oh, the pain." He finished third in his age group in a very competitive field. My husband laughed out loud when he saw him come flying out of the transition onto the run course at full tilt, no signs of struggle anywhere.

Feeling in need of a little perspective? Geezers have it by the bushelful. Another of my Geezer pals loves to remind us of his mantra: "It's the journey, not the destination." This is especially reassuring to someone like me after a long morning of suffering on the Saturday ride. And when I ask the question, "Will this ever get any easier?" I know I have to believe him when he says, flatly, "No." And that's OK!

Geezers are prepared for any eventuality. They always have warm clothes, wind-resistant gear, patch kits, tools, spare tubes and money. Experience has taught them well.

They know the best places to stop for a snack.

Now you're probably thinking, "Wait a minute. You're a thirtysomething gal. Why would you want to hang with these guys?"

Ah, good question. Answer: They are fun. They make me laugh. When I get discouraged, they throw in a good word or two to get me back on track. They don't take things too seriously, most times.

Plus, there are perks for chicks who hang with Geezers (and not just the fact that we get called Cheezers). One nighttime ride not long ago was going to include a post-ride dinner. I voiced a preference of one place over another, but was sure my choice didn't matter at all--after all, I'm not a Geezer. This was the response I got, via email: "To Geezers, chick votes count twice, at least!"

See that? Two votes. I ask you: How can you not love that?

TO LANTERNE ROUGE HOME

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