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Bob Dancer writes a video poker column for beginners to experts. He also writes a column with Jeffrey Compton, "Player's Edge", featuring information on promotions at various Las Vegas casinos. Player's Edge is published each Friday in the Neon section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Click here to send Bob Dancer an e-mail.

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Feb 20, 2007

Riding Into a New Decade

Several months ago (see this article) I mentioned that my 60th birthday was approaching and I used that as an excuse to lose some weight and get into better shape. My younger brother, Tom (age 48 now), and I decided that we would each run a 10K race on the week of my birthday. Since neither of us were in very good shape at the time, training to run that far would be a considerable task.

Unfortunately, halfway between the agreement and my birthday, which occurred last week, I developed a case of plantar fasciitis in my left foot and couldn't run. Later I pulled a hamstring and that set me back further. Tom had his own health issues (getting old is a bummer) and instead of a 6-mile run, we decided to complete a 25-mile bike ride the weekend before my birthday. We'd be accompanied by Tom's wife, Tracy, and son James. Shirley was invited to join us, but she didn't train very much and didn't think that riding that far would be a good idea.

I wasn't particularly worried about being able to finish. I regularly ride my bicycle 4.5 miles to and from the gym two or three days a week, along with a fairly rigorous 1-hour workout while at the gym. While I hadn't actually ridden 25 miles all at once, I was confident that it wouldn't be too much of a burden. It was, after all, a "ride," not a "race." Neither Tom nor Tracy were treating this as a competitive matter. My nephew James was altogether a different matter.

In short, James is an animal. He practices judo four hours a week and, among other things, competes in a soccer league. On the day before the race he let me know in no uncertain terms that he was going to finish quite a bit before me. He doubted that I would even finish. I suppose it was a matter of foolish pride that caused me to say, "Oh yeah? How much you want to bet?"

James was amenable to a wager. We were in the middle of the negotiation process when Tracy intervened. "James, you are not going to bet with your uncle Bob. First of all, he's a professional gambler and it's never smart to bet with such a person. They're very tricky. (I have no idea what she was talking about.) Second, I'm your mother and I say so. And third, you're only 6 and a half years old and you don't even HAVE the $10,000 you're talking about betting."

Okay. So no bet. Shirley got caught up in the excitement that she decided to ride as well. She didn't plan to complete the entire 25 miles, but she knew her way back and would quit when she had to. We started out mid-pack. Sometimes we rode on the street and sometimes on the sidewalk. It started out with James definitely wanting to ride on the streets because that proved he could keep up with the adults, but that had the disadvantage of Tracy making sure he stayed close by and far to the right. If we rode on the sidewalk, Tracy felt it was safer and wasn't so much of a mother hen, so long as he waited at the corner for us all to cross the street together. And that was a lot more fun for James.

The ride (Tour de Palm Springs --- approximately midway between Las Vegas and the part of Southern California my brother lives in) was mostly flat except for a few ugly hills here and there, and was largely uneventful until the first snack break, 6.2 miles into the ride. Immediately after leaving the break, my rear tire went flat and we didn't have any tools to fix it. Since Shirley had just about reached her limit, she and I traded bikes and she rolled my bike back to the snack area --- where there were people who would help her. Plus we passed a shopping center along the way that looked interesting to her, so she didn't mind going back at all.

James, of course, was the center of attention. Well over 100 riders and helpers complimented him. He was the youngest rider by far and everyone praised his accomplishment.

All of the uphill segments came after the break. I was probably more prepared than the others as my regular 4.5-mile rides include several hills. James struggled on the hills, although I suppose it took more leg revolutions to power his 20" tires than it did for me to do with my 26" tires.

After the second break (at 17.5 miles), James had enough energy to press the pace. I could keep up with him but it was a struggle. I was seriously peddling for all this old man's legs were worth. Had Tom and I participated in the ride without the others, I suspect we would have finished a half hour or so slower.

The ending was actually anti-climactic. About fifty yards before the finish line, a left turn was required and police officers were involved in directly when the cars, pedestrians, and bikers could pass. We waited for our turn for three minutes before being able to proceed, and by then there were hundreds of bikers all turning at once so that making a sprint for the finish was out of the question --- especially for James who had to follow his mother's instructions about staying to the right and not running into anybody. So I beat him. Yeah, Bob! Too bad we didn't bet.

All told, I'm glad I prepared for and completed the ride. I weigh considerably less than I did when the ride was first proposed. My gambling results have been better-than-average over the past nine months. I'm not sure how much of that is just plain luck and how much is due to being more fit, but I'm betting on the second. I plan to eat sensibly and continue to work out and hope it continues to add to the quality and quantity of my life.

I've been challenged by James to do this again next year. I really don't know. He's an animal!