Ever since the snow melted, 76-year-old Peter McLuskey has been pedaling around Eagle Lake on his bike.
He’s not riding strictly for pleasure, and he’s certainly not taking it easy.
McLuskey is training for a 70-kilometer charity ride in Ottawa, one of three cycling events he spent months training for this winter.
He’s raised more than $900 for the ride so far, with all proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario’s (CHEO) cancer treatment programs
McLuskey decided to participate due to a decline in physical fitness that began with a hip replacement in his early 70s.
In the years following, he became slower on his bike.
“I thought if I carried on going downhill like this it’s going to make me a really old man,” he said.
So, he decided to start training.
Throughout the winter, McLuskey logged hours of indoor workouts, guided by video classes and self-monitoring blood
pressure and heart rate.
Windy conditions have made
on-the-road training difficult this spring, but McLuskey said it’s important to gauge his condition by hitting the hills. Eagle Lake has plenty. He’ll often ride around County Road 6, up Highway 118 and loops around Irish Line.
As he begins this season’s calendar of rides, he said age and experience count for a lot on long-distance rides. After the start, he said, “these young guys go like the clappers about 20 kilometers down the road.”
The burst of speed can’t be sustained, and McLuskey often will cruise right by them.
He’s received good-natured pushback from friends about riding long-distance in his mid- 70s, but he said it’s important to keep moving and active no matter your age.
“Try to do something. We’re at an age now where there might be no tomorrow,” he said.
To donate to McLuskey’s fundraiser search for Peter McLuskey on cheofoundation.donordrive.com
