Biking Bis - Bicycle Touring and More

80-mile bike ride for 80-year-old

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

It's inspiration time.

When getting passed by an elderly bicyclist in the state of Missouri, you should check the back of his shirt as he flies past. If it says, "You've just been passed by an 80-year-old man," then that's Charles Brinkmeyer.

An active cyclist for the past 20 years, Brinkmeyer recently celebrated his 80th birthday with an 80-mile ride ...

How far can you ride your bicycle in 24 hours?

Gene Bisbee — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 10:00:00 -0700

Forget about the dishes in the sink. Forget about mowing the lawn and posting your blog. Forget about sleep. If you had 24 hours, how far could you ride your bicycle?

More than 400 bicyclists met at the National 24-Hour Challenge last weekend near Grand Rapids, Michigan, to seek the answer to that question. It was the 24th meeting for the event.

Seattle resident Craig Ragsdale, 29, learned he could set the course record by covering 502.6 miles. Just as amazing, 67-year-old Dave Thomsen of Austin, Minnesota, bicycled 403.9 miles. ...

81-year-old's inspiring bike tour is a lifestyle; not a one-time event

Gene Bisbee — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:08:00 -0700

If you're looking for inspiration to get on the bike, look no further than Bill Anderson.

The 81-year-old cyclist from Yuma is pedaling the 2,000-mile perimeter of Arizona over the next two weeks to raise money for Yuma's Crossroads Mission, a charity for the homeless.

This would be quite a feat for someone half his age, but for Anderson it's pretty much par for the course. The former boxer, WWII vet and construction executive is an excellent example of how a lifetime of exercise can keep someone active for many years. ...

The Legless Lizard's Tour de Tejas

Gene Bisbee — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 08:12:43 -0800

Mikhail Davenport sets out this weekend to cycle 950 miles across Texas in 25 days.

No, it isn't a torrid pace. But the 58-year-old Texan is riding from El Paso to Beaumont on a hand-crank trike towing a trailer with his wheelchair.

Calling it the Legless Lizard Tour de Tejas, Davenport wants to raise awareness for disability issues currently in front of the state Legislature -- such as the state's claims of immunity in not following regulations of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Back to bicycling after struck by car

Gene Bisbee — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:51:08 -0800

Searching for inspiration? Look no further than this story sent in by a reader about Guy Spear. You'll never again complain that it's too hot, too cold, or too windy for a bicycle ride.

Spear is a 68-year-old cyclist from North Carolina who regularly rides his bike about 100 miles a week. He lost his lower left leg 13 years ago when he was struck by a car, and now rides using a prosthesis, at right.

In a story in the Winston-Salem Journal, Spear says:

"Getting back on the bike wasn't hard. ... I guess you just do your thing and keep on going. I never got depressed or anything about it." ...

Tyler Hamilton in first pro cycling race after suspension

Gene Bisbee — Tue, 06 Feb 2007 10:35:31 -0800

American cyclist Tyler Hamilton competed in his first professional bicycling race on Tuesday since being accused of blood doping in the fall of 2004 during the Vuelta a Espana.

Hamilton rode in the one-day French season opener, the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, as leader of the Russian Tinkoff Credit Systems cycling team. Teammate Mikhail Ignatiev finished second; Hamilton finished out of the top 15.

Hamilton lost his final appeal of the blood doping case last year ...

Bicycling gains among older population

Gene Bisbee — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 12:29:01 -0800

What's one activity that is growing among Americans 45 years and older, while it declines among the population as a whole? Bicycle riding.

The finding is in a report entitled "Global Aging and Sports: The Impact of Aging of the World's Population on the World of Sports." It was prepared by The Consilience Group, LLC, for SBRnet, a Princeton, New Jersey-based sports marketing research firm.

I'm a little surprised in the findings that bicycling has declined among the population as a whole since the early 1990s. However, the National Bicycle Dealers Association reports that the peak participation year for cycling was 1992 with 54.6 million participants. The most recent estimates available are for 2002, when 41.4 million Americans took to their bicycles. Sales figures, however, show steady growth. ...

Bicycling at 90

Gene Bisbee — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 09:08:06 -0800

Pennsylvanian Don Moul will celebrate his 90th birthday along the rail-to-trail bicycle path where he rides four or five times a week.

How are you going to stay fit when you're 90?

Moul has been an avid bicyclist since he retired in the 1980s. Currently he likes to ride his bicycle on a 15-mile route from York to Glen Rock along the Heritage Rail Trail County Park ...

Fear of falling -- the adult bicycling school

Gene Bisbee — Fri, 10 Nov 2006 04:00:00 -0800

While it might seem funny that there are adults who don't know how to ride a bike, apparently there are people who are afraid to ride because of some childhood trauma. They're afraid, but they still want to try it.

The Bicycle Riding School in Somerville, Massachusetts, is the only place I've heard of that teaches adults how to get over their fear of falling off their bikes. Nearly 2,000 people have learned to ride bikes there in the past 20 years.

There are many bicycling clinics that teach adults how to safely ride in traffic or improve their skills in road racing or mountain biking. What the Bicycle Riding School does is teach adults how to get over their phobia. ...

Finding the right bike fit

Gene Bisbee — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 05:00:00 -0700

When bicyclist Joe Kern explained his ability to ride 80 miles on his 80th birthday, he credited a proper bike fit as being one of the major reasons for his longevity in the saddle.

We all probably have a cursory knowledge of bike fit. Primarily it involves saddle height and handlebar reach, but pedal and shoe alignment also comes into play.

If the bike fit is right, we can ride efficiently for hours on end with little or no discomfort. If wrong, we suffer neck, back and knee pain, sore arms and shoulders and numb hands.

Cycling becomes a pain in the butt.

The American Physical Therapy Association is focusing on proper bike fit this month. Erik Moen of Seattle, an association member and an elite cycling coach with the US Cycling Federation, says he first looks to improper bike fit as the culprit when patients complain of cycling related aches and pains.

He recommends the following tips for better bike fit ...