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Cyclists ride their age in miles on Razorback Greenway

The Great Wall of Lowell is a formidable sight along the Razorback Greenway. The retaining wall is south of Arkansas 264.
The Great Wall of Lowell is a formidable sight along the Razorback Greenway. The retaining wall is south of Arkansas 264.

A fine way to celebrate a birthday is by bicycling your age on the Razorback Greenway.

It's a piece of cake if you're, say, 20. If you're carrying around an AARP card, biking your age is an accomplishment to be proud of, a cause for a toast at the end of the journey.

The Razorback Greenway is the perfect route. There's no vehicle traffic except for some street crossings. Most of it is easy riding with a few climbs along the 37 miles between Lake Bella Vista and south Fayetteville.

I got the notion to ride my age in miles on my last birthday, but only because of inspiration from riders who'd already done it.

Last month, Karen Mowry of our little Le Tour de Madison County cycling group, biked 65 miles on her 65th birthday. She tacked on another 0.2 miles at the end for good measure.

Big time inspiration came from former University of Arkansas Chancellor Dan Ferritor who, in November, bicycled 76 miles on his 76th birthday on the Razorback Greenway. In February, Dan hopped on his bike again to pedal with his friend, Bill Kennedy of Fayetteville, who biked 75 miles on his 75th.

I was so pumped about my own birthday ride on June 20 that I was awake before the alarm beeped at 4 a.m. I wanted to be in Bentonville at daybreak to start my 61-mile ride

OK, so my birthday is in December. When the big 6-1 arrived last winter the temperature was 25 degrees with a north wind to match. I decided to wait for it to warm up, like in June.

Biking 61 or 76 miles is a fair distance, but when all you've got to do all day is pedal a bicycle you can cover some ground. I just planned to spend the whole day on my bike, taking my time and seeing the sights.

My bicycle doesn't have an odometer, but the greenway has mile markers that let me track the distance. I started at the Bentonville dog park on the north end of town. Right now riders can't start at Lake Bella Vista because of construction along the trail just south of the lake. The trail is closed there. A sign says the work should be done this fall.

The morning felt cool and pleasant, about 65 degrees before sunup. I took a side trip to Crystal Bridges, then moseyed my way south into Fayetteville. When I'd ridden 30 or so miles, I turned around to head back.

A south wind gave me a nice push north through Springdale and The Great Wall of Lowell, a stone retaining wall that's about 20 feet high. I stopped for lunch, then biked my way through Rogers. By now it was 95 degrees under a blazing sun.

When I got back to Bentonville, I was happy I didn't have to pedal another 15 miles like the chancellor did on his 76-mile birthday ride. He had lots of time to think on that long adventure, and came up with a great idea.

There ought to be a certificate available for people who bicycle their age on the Razorback Greenway. A city or cycling group could make one available on their website, Dan suggests. Riders could fill out their name and mileage online, print the certificate and have a fine memento of their birthday quest to frame and display.

It'd be great for kids. When you're 10, riding a bike 10 miles is a big deal. Let's say you hit the big 4-0 and tackle a 40 miler. Tadah! Here's your certificate.

Dan's idea is to call the award "Greenway for the Ages." There could even be an annual lunch to recognize riders who've biked their age that year.

He's even come up with an appropriate toast for the event: "While only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, wise and wonderful people ride their age on the greenway every year."

Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip

Sports on 07/05/2016

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