The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

❤️ A Personal Note: I’ve seen firsthand how cycling transforms lives — not just through epic tours, but through the steady rhythm of daily rides. If you’re wondering how a bike can help protect your heart, this post is for you. As we get older, keeping our hearts healthy becomes more than just good advice — it becomes essential. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for adults over 65, according to the American Heart Association. But there’s good news: cycling regularly is one of the best ways seniors can reduce that risk — and enjoy the ride while doing it. Whether you're just getting back on the bike or already logging weekly miles, this post explains how cycling helps protect and strengthen your heart. ❤️ Why Cycling Is Good for Your Heart 1. It Improves Cardiovascular Fitness Cycling is a powerful form of aerobic exercise. Each pedal stroke gets your heart pumping and your lungs working — which improves how efficiently your body delivers oxygen t...

Last Updated: February 2026 Fresh formatting + cleaner story flow for easier reading and better skimming. The “photo” that launched a classroom legend. After surviving one of the wettest, coldest, most miserable 100-mile rides of my life at the Ride for the Roses, I returned to my job as a 6th-grade geography teacher — tired, sore, and a little proud. Naturally, the students were curious. “How’d you do?” one asked. Without missing a beat, I said: “I beat Lance Armstrong.” That’s when a spunky girl in the back — the kind every teacher remembers — shot back: “Prove it.” Now, keep in mind, this was the early 2000s. You couldn’t just whip up an AI photo or use Photoshop on your phone. But I had an idea. Here’s what I did: A friend of mine had taken a picture of Armstrong early in the ride. I also had a photo of myself crossing the finish line. So I got to work and merged the two images,...

The Day I Rode with Robin Williams (Sort Of) Quick Take I signed up for a famous Austin century ride expecting sunshine. Instead, I got cold wind, pouring rain, and one of the strangest “celebrity” moments of my life — a short conversation with a rider who turned out to be Robin Williams . I rode in the Ride for the Roses in Austin, Texas on October 26, 2003 . The day before the ride felt like the kind of weather cyclists brag about later: blue sky, calm air, and that “this is going to be perfect” feeling when you pick up your registration packet. But the next morning? Completely different. That morning hit like a slap Cold. Windy. Overcast. The kind of weather where you question every decision that led you to standing in a parking lot at 7:30 AM dressed like a human rain barrel. The ride was supposed to roll out at 8:00 AM … but we didn’t move. We just stood there shivering in our gear, waiting. Why?...

Updated: July 30, 2025 More Than 50 Years on the Bike — And This Still Hasn’t Changed I’ve been cycling American roads for over five decades — from the flatlands of Lubbock, Texas to the brutal climbs near San Diego. And despite all the improvements in gear, roads, and technology, one thing still hasn’t changed enough: Many drivers still don’t know how to safely share the road with cyclists. But here’s the thing — it’s often not due to hostility or impatience. A lot of it comes down to a simple lack of knowledge. Most drivers have never been taught how to interact safely with cyclists. They don’t understand how much space a cyclist needs to stay upright. They don’t realize how a car’s wind draft can destabilize a rider. And they often misinterpret a cyclist swerving as careless, when in reality, we may be dodging potholes, debris, or unexpected crosswinds. Driver’s Education Is Failing Cyclists Young drivers are taught how to parallel park and merge onto freeways. But few are e...

There’s a lot of noise out there right now. Political fights. Social media arguments. Endless headlines about what’s wrong with the world and who’s to blame. It’s easy to get caught up in it—and I’ll admit, sometimes I do. But I’ve found a way to quiet it all. I get on my bike. When I ride, I’m not thinking about the latest outrage or who said what on the news. I’m thinking about my breathing, the next curve in the road, how the sun feels on my back, or whether that hill up ahead is going to burn my legs. The noise fades. The world slows down. And for a while, I remember what really matters. Riding gives me perspective. It reminds me that most of what we’re arguing about isn’t nearly as important as we think it is—not in the grand scheme of things. The birds don’t care about politics. The road doesn’t ask how I voted. The wind doesn’t play favorites. When I’m riding, I get to just be . And that’s a rare gift in today’s world. I remember a ride back in 2016 that really brought this h...

When Everything Felt Perfect on the Bike Some days on the bike surprise you — not because of what goes wrong, but because of how right everything feels. That’s how it started for me on June 1st in San Diego. I had trained for a full year, preparing for what was meant to be the final leg of my long-distance cycling tour across the United States. I’d already ridden from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Lubbock, then all the way to Florida. All that remained was the west: San Diego to Las Cruces. Over 6,500 miles of training — much of it on Texas roads — had prepared me for this. I focused hard on climbing, knowing the first two days of the ride would be steep. When I rolled out of San Diego that afternoon, I felt stronger than I could’ve hoped. The hills didn’t intimidate me. My legs had power. My breathing was steady. I felt ready — not just physically, but mentally. So ready, in fact, that I pushed beyond the plan. Day 1 was supposed to end before the toughest climb. Instead, I decided t...

Last Updated: February 8, 2026 Why a Bicycle Is the Perfect Vehicle for Almost  Quick Take: A bicycle turns your pedaling into motion through the crankset, chain, and rear wheel — and it’s one of the most efficient, affordable, and low-impact ways to travel, stay fit, and enjoy life at any age. I’ve owned cars that cost more than my first house payment. I’ve joined gyms I stopped using after a month. I’ve bought fitness gadgets that ended up in a drawer. But the bicycle? That one never lied to me. And it never quit on me — unless I quit first. I’m 70 years old now, with 155,000+ miles on real roads in real wind, heat, and traffic. And if there’s one thing I’m convinced of, it’s this: the bicycle is still one of the smartest machines humans ever built. If you’re coming back to riding after time away, start here: Cycling Tips for Senior Citizens (Smart Tips for Riders Over 60) . Understanding How a Bicycle Works A bi...

Last Updated: February 2026 - Minor edits This post includes my updated, real-world sun protection routine after my diagnosis of squamous cell carcinoma . For most of my cycling life, sunscreen was an afterthought — if I thought about it at all. I’ve logged thousands of miles under the Texas sun. My arms and neck darkened by years of exposure. I wore my tan lines like a badge of honor — a mark of a cyclist who’s spent real time in the saddle. And I’ll tell you the truth: I never truly worried about it… until I turned 69. The Appointment That Changed How I Ride I went in for a free skin check offered by a local hospital — no symptoms, just something that seemed like a smart thing to do. The dermatologist took one look and said I needed to get it checked out immediately. Not “sometime.” Not “when you can.” As soon as possible. I was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma (a common form of skin cancer). Thankfully, I caught it ...

🌄 Mile 200 wasn’t just a number. It happened at sunrise, after 18 hours on the bike — a quiet moment of transformation. This story isn’t about distance. It’s about grit, grace, and what you discover about yourself when no one’s watching. It was 6:00 AM when it happened. The canyon was still — the kind of stillness that follows a long, grueling night on the bike. I was pedaling through the final hours of the 24 Hours in the Canyon ride in Palo Duro Canyon near Amarillo, Texas. My legs ached. My body was drained. My mind floated somewhere between focus and fatigue. Then the first light of dawn crept over the canyon walls. Soft. Golden. Sacred. Just as the sun rose — about 18 hours into the ride — my odometer ticked past 200 miles . And I cried. Not from pain — though there was plenty of that. Not even from exhaustion — though I was completely spent. I cried because that number, 200 , meant more than distance. It represented every early m...

🧰 Updated Gear Guide Available: For my full 2025 cycling gear checklist and favorites, click here . As someone who’s always looking for deals on quality cycling gear, I recently came across a new tool that might help fellow riders save time and money. It’s called Shomp , and it tracks sales across 70+ cycling apparel and gear brands — including Rapha, Pearl Izumi, Le Col, Velocio, and more. You can follow your favorite brands or categories and get a single daily email that shows all current sales. No need to dig through dozens of promotional emails or jump between websites. I’ve checked out their cycling apparel and bike gear sections and was surprised by how many stores they include — some I hadn’t even heard of. I’ve been cycling for years, and I can’t count how many times I’ve gone from one brand’s site to another trying to find a decent sale on bibs or jerseys. I don’t love getting bombarded with promo emails either. Shomp feels like a clean shortcut — one page, and I see what’...

Last Updated: February 3, 2026 The Feeling I Get When I Ride My Bike on Rainy Days (And How I Stay Safe at 70) Quick Take: Rain rides aren’t just “doable” — they’re different. The world gets quieter, your focus sharpens, and the ride turns into something almost meditative. The key is staying visible and staying warm enough that your hands and feet still work. Most people see gray skies and think, Not today. They think cold, wet, miserable. They think danger. I get it. Rain riding can be uncomfortable — and if you don’t take visibility seriously, it can be risky. But here’s what I’ve learned after a lifetime of miles: when I roll out into a light rain, I don’t feel trapped… I feel invited . Rain strips the ride down to the basics: breath, rhythm, and the steady sound of tires on wet pavement. It’s one of the few times my mind goes completely quiet. 🌧️ My Rain-Ride “Stay Alive” Gear Rain is where visibility gear earns its keep. I’m ...

A Real Cyclist’s Honest Take Let me start with this: I’m not an elite rider. I’m not trying to sell you anything. I’m just a regular guy in his 60s who’s spent a lot of years — and miles — on two wheels. I ride because I love it. The open road, the sun on my face, the wind (sometimes too much wind) — that’s where I feel free. But this winter was different. I was training for a long-distance tour, and the weather in Texas just wasn’t cooperating. Normally, I’d just skip the cold days. Maybe walk a bit, wait it out. But I didn’t want to lose the gains I’d made during the summer and fall. So for the first time ever, I started riding indoors — not at home, but at the gym. My Experience with the Gym’s Indoor Bike The gym had a Technogym bike with guided rides and the option to stream TV or use apps. I picked the hill programs and gradually pushed myself harder. It wasn’t easy at first. Let me be honest: riding indoors is a mental battle. Five miles on that stationary bike felt ...

There are days on the bike that test your legs. Others that test your lungs. And then there are days that test your survival instincts. One of those days came for me on a tour from the Texas-Oklahoma border to South Padre Island—a ride that turned into a battle against the elements, specifically the relentless South Texas heat. The day I’ll never forget was the ride from Kingsville to Raymondville. It started off hot and only got hotter. Riviera, a tiny speck of a town 20 miles outside Kingsville, was my last chance for supplies before the 60-mile haul across a scorched and treeless stretch of land. The forecast was already flirting with 110 degrees when I rolled into the gas station. I loaded up—water bottles in both cages, extras stuffed into my trailer and even tucked into my jersey pockets. I knew this stretch was going to hurt. And I was right. About 20 miles from Raymondville, I glanced at my cycling computer: 113 degrees . The sun wasn’t just bearing down—it felt like it was ...