The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

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. 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. I merged the two images, aligning them just right so that it looked like I was beating Lance Armstrong by about a foot. I had the picture printed and framed. Then I hung it in my classroom — right next to the map of Europe I used for teaching about the Tour de France. Most of the kids could tell i...

The Day I Rode with Robin Williams (Sort Of) I once rode in the Ride for the Roses in Austin, Texas, on October 26, 2003. I’ll never forget what a gorgeous day it was the day before the ride when I picked up my registration materials. The sun was shining, the air was calm, and it felt like perfect cycling weather. But the next morning told a different story. It was cold, windy, and overcast. The ride was supposed to start at 8:00 AM, but we all stood shivering in our gear, waiting. Why? Because Lance Armstrong was the special guest, and the crowd wasn’t moving until he showed up. This was a Livestrong event, and at the time, Lance was the greatest cyclist in the world. He had won his 5th straight Tour de France that year. People were excited to see him — but not so excited about waiting in the cold. Finally, about 30 minutes late, Armstrong arrived and the ride began. A full 100 miles lay ahead, and the weather was already miserable. Around 20 miles in, I was pedaling st...