Retirement & Cycling Continents

“Do it! You’ll surprise yourself with what you are capable of in your golden years.”
– Gary LaRove New York Times June 23rd,2024

Are you one of our newsletter’s followers, who have reached the ‘Golden Age’ and think that you have missed out on the opportunity to do TDA tours? While taking a recent lunch break, I picked up the Sunday New York Times special section – What Does Retirement Really Mean? Being well past retirement age myself, it was no wonder it caught my attention. Throughout the section it had a variety of pull quotes such as, “Please trash-can the word retirement. There is no such thing. One segues to new chapters throughout life.” “Don’t ask me about what I did for a living. What do I do now is living life!” and of course the one quoted above.

Though none of these people were past participants on any TDA tours, these quotes could have easily been uttered by our riders, some of them like me, already well into the eighth decade of their lives. Since TDA’s 2003 groundbreaking cycling adventure from Cairo to Cape Town, our participants have ranged from as old as 17 (my niece), to as young as 84. Most folks who have not been on our tours think that cycling continents, or even only small parts of them, is for young people or maybe for the middle aged. ‘But folks in their fifties, sixties, or seventies. Come on, give me a break’.

To be honest, when I sit in a hotel lobby on a rest day having a quiet beer or just a cappuccino and I see one of our ‘golden age’ participants who just cycled 130 km, in the process climbing 1,500 meters, not to mention the headwind and a bit of rain, I see men and women who not only don’t look athletic, they walk like any other person of the same age who sits at home and watches too many Netflix series. And some of those folks even started cycling only when they retired. So why are there some people who think that they too can do this while others say it’s too late, or I am afraid, or I can’t do that much mileage a day or for a variety of other reasons?

We at TDA over the last 20 years have seen that just about any reasonably healthy individual of any age can, with some training, a sense of adventure and, most important, a desire to cycle, are able to cover the distances and enjoy themselves immensely. I can’t even count how many times I have heard the opening quote of this article on our tours and the tremendous satisfaction, pride and joy that comes with accomplishing something that you didn’t think you could do. As someone who was simply a commuter cyclist, I have experienced this many times myself on our company’s various tours.

To inspire individuals who are still sitting on the fence we have created videos and blogs that can encourage them and get them on their way. Here are some pull quotes of our own from some of our participants who took the plunge.

“It doesn’t seem accessible when you look at it…it’s doable by every ordinary person. Don’t look at this as the people are super human.“

“You just become part of a team…. you turn up as individuals…you get a little bit of encouragement and these things that look really hard to do, everyone just does it.“

“You are gonna build up stamina…in your body and your mind. Can I – with my mind and my body – get over whatever the obstacle that is in front of me. It’s only through rising to these challenges that you really get to appreciate where you are in the world.“

“Some days the mileage seems really tough…you just get one pedal stroke in at a time, you just kinda roll with it. It’s all part of the experience. It makes you a better person I think.”

I will end this blog with another quote from the New York Times. “Do what brings you joy. If it stops bringing you joy, find something else to do. Repeat as often as necessary.” As a septuagenarian myself I will soon be joining our company’s Trans Oceania Cycling Tour. I will be cycling in Tasmania and New Zealand, places I have not been to and am eager to explore. If you are one of those people who just may be persuaded by what you read above, join us and I may even have a tip or two for you that will make it into a life changing experience.

Just ask any of the participants on our tours, like Australian Jim Flynn who said this about his 2024 Tour d’Afrique ride:

“We have developed an extraordinary bond, forged by both adversity and joy. We started out as individuals but finished as a group. We have shared the heat and the dust, the long climbs, the glorious tail winds, the blocked toilets, equipment failures, the early mornings, the meal rituals, the laughter and the tears. Not all have ridden every kilometre, but that hasn’t mattered at all. We have been together for the journey.“