The 80/80 Rules

The Rules

There should be as few rules as possible, but:

1.  Proof There is no financial reward for achieving 80/80, so since the whole enterprise is a matter of honour there seems no point in demanding elaborate proof. In general a rider’s word should be enough, but accounts from witnesses or photographs may well add interest. The Pedal Club’s registrar does, however, reserve the right to disallow any claim which does not seem credible.

2. ‘In a day’ This should be taken to mean ‘in a single session’ although this can include normal cafe stops. It would not be acceptable to spread a ride over two ‘sessions’ within 24 hours. That is to say, you can’t ride 40 miles one afternoon, go to bed and then ride another 40 miles the next morning.

3. ‘Eighty’ An applicant should have reached his or her eightieth birthday. It is not necessary to do the ride on the birthday or even to be in one’s eighty first year (that is, the first year of being an octogenarian). Any time after the eightieth birthday is acceptable.

4.  Course This is entirely up to the rider. Not many octogenarians would choose to do eighty miles which include three alpine passes, but if some one wants to try, good luck to them. On the other hand many laps of Regents Park would be acceptable, even though the major test would be to the rider’s sanity.

5. Pacing Many will choose to do their ride in a group; following a wheel, even for the whole eighty miles is acceptable. Motor pacing is not permitted.

6.  Machines Typically a standard solo bike. Trikes may be used, but there is no discount for that extra wheel. Tandems must have both riders as octogenarians. Electrical assistance is not permitted.

The Register

Will be held by the Pedal Club and will be published on their club website.

Applicants for inclusion should provide the following information: date of birth, date of ride, a brief route plan with distance covered and names of any companions. Also a short summary of the rider’s cycling career and club membership.

The 80/80 Register

Chris Lovibond

Seventy miles in a day at seventy is hardly worth talking about, ninety at ninety would be a big ask, but eighty at eighty is attainable, at least for a lucky few.

How frequently 80/80 has been done in the past is unknown – my own first encounter with the idea was our club mate,

Ron Richardson (b.1925) who, as a sprightly new octogenarian, did his ride in August 2005.

At the moment I have three other names for the list:

John Pound (De Laune),

Ron Jones (De Laune/ Hounslow) and

Jeff Marshall (Hounslow), but I’m sure there must be many more.

If all goes well, I hope to add my name next summer.

The Pedal Club has agreed to keep a register of riders who have achieved 80/80 and this will be published on the Pedal Club’s web site. An entry on the register should include a short account of the rider’s career, the ride itself and photographs. Although it appears that the 80/80 concept is a Hounslow idea, since the register is open to anyone it seems appropriate that it should be curated by a more ‘general’ organisation than our local club, but I think we can be proud that our idea has spread its wings and gone national.

With the nation’s ageing population and the fact the next batch of new eighty year olds will be baby boomers (famous for not admitting they are too old for anything), I believe this project will have an interest for club members and quite possibly for the general public. It could produce good publicity for any club associated with it and for the health benefits of cycling generally.

One important point which could be obscured by our current entries is that the possibility of achieving 80/80 is not restricted to elite riders. Part of the purpose of the register should be to show what can be done with a bike, and that its scope is not limited to the young, or even those in the prime of life. John Pound and Jeff Marshall could well be described as elite, since they both enjoyed successful racing careers, but fortunately we have Ron Richardson, a solid club rider who would have a go at any distance up to and including twelve hours, but not someone who aspired to international honours. If I am spared long enough to have a go at the distance this summer, my name will be another whose racing achievements and aspirations were pretty limited, but I hope to be someone whose efforts will demonstrate the benefits and the potential of the bike for ordinary mortals of all ages.