The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

I bought my little Jayco Hummingbird 10RK for one main reason: I wanted it to take my bicycle to places I might otherwise never ride. I’m not really interested in camping just so I can sit around a campground all day. My idea is to use campgrounds as cycling hubs. I can tow the Hummingbird somewhere interesting, set it up, spend the night, and then get up the next morning and explore the surrounding area on my bicycle. Funny thing, I took lots of pictures on my first trip with my Hummingbird but I forgot to take one of it set up in the park. I promise to take a picture on my next weekend trip at the end of the month. My first real test of that idea was a weekend at Caprock Canyons State Park in the Texas Panhandle. I went there with one ride planned, but by Saturday evening I already knew I wasn’t going to ride it. First, I Drove the Road I Planned to Ride I arrived at Caprock Canyons State Park on Saturday and got the Hummingbird set up. Since I had never ridden the road I wa...

Quick Take: After tens of thousands of miles together, I sometimes wonder what my bicycle would say if it could talk. What would I ask it about the miles we have shared, and what would it want to know about me? These are the five questions I would ask my bike—and the five questions I think it might ask me. Cyclists often say they have a special connection with their bike—that it becomes an extension of their body, their will, and maybe even their spirit. After enough miles together, I think there is some truth to that. But what if that bond went one step further? What if your bicycle could actually talk back? I started wondering what kind of conversation we would have. What would I ask my bike? What would it ask me? After all the miles, tours, breakdowns, good days, bad days, headwinds, climbs, and quiet roads we have shared, I have a feeling we would have plenty to talk about. Here is how I imagine that conversation might go. 5 Questions I'd Ask My Bike 1. "H...

Quick Take: My bicycle ride from Lubbock, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida, included hundred-mile days, dangerous storms, summer heat, and plenty of unexpected challenges. Yet one of my favorite days from the entire trip was a peaceful ride along Louisiana’s Tammany Trace, where a gentle rain, two unexpected conversations, and an alligator that never appeared reminded me why I love bicycle touring. A peaceful day on Louisiana’s Tammany Trace became one of my favorite memories from the entire ride to Florida. When people hear that I rode my bicycle from Lubbock, Texas, to Pensacola, Florida, they usually assume my favorite memories involve the biggest accomplishments. They imagine the hundred-mile days, crossing state lines, surviving the summer heat, or finally reaching the Gulf Coast. Those moments were important, but they are not necessarily the ones I remember most clearly. Looking back now, one quiet and rainy day on Louisiana’s Tammany Trace may have been one of...

Last Updated: June 2026 Quick Take: I still ride. I still train. I still dream about future tours. But after completing a 366-mile ride along the Mississippi River at age 70, I realized something I had managed to avoid for decades: age has finally become part of the equation. A few weeks ago, I finished a six-day bicycle tour along the Upper Mississippi River. It covered 366 miles and averaged about 61 miles per day. By any reasonable standard, I was happy with the ride. The scenery was beautiful, the weather mostly cooperated, and I enjoyed every day on the bike. Yet when I got home, I found myself thinking about another tour. Back in 2020, when I was 64 years old, I rode from the northernmost point of Texas to the southernmost point of Texas. The trip covered 972 miles in July, and most days the temperatures were over 100 degrees. Several days stretched beyond 100 miles, and when the tour was over, I felt tired but still strong. The more I thought about it, the more I realized...

Last Updated: June 2026 My son and I during my June 2026 Mississippi River bicycle tour. He provided vehicle support while I rode 366 miles through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois on my Specialized Diverge. Last week I finished a six-day, 366-mile bicycle tour along the Mississippi River on my Specialized Diverge. The ride began in southeast Minnesota, crossed into Wisconsin, continued through Iowa and Illinois, and ended near the Missouri border. My son provided vehicle support for the trip, carrying gear and helping with logistics while I rode the route. It wasn't the longest tour I've ever ridden. It wasn't the fastest. It wasn't the toughest. But it may have taught me more than any bicycle tour I've done in years. At 70 years old, I came away with a realization that many older cyclists eventually face. No matter how much we train, age changes things. And that's okay. This Wasn't My First Adventure I've been riding bicycles serious...

Last Updated: February 20, 2026 Quick Take: For this post, stacking means two rides in one day —morning and evening—so I practice riding when I’m not perfectly fresh. It prepares me for 7 straight days of touring without destroying myself in training. I’m training for a 7-day, 470-mile Mississippi River tour  where the real test isn’t day one—it’s day five. By then your legs have opinions, your energy fluctuates, and your mind starts negotiating. I’m 70. My base is solid. Now I’m preparing for the reality of long rides seven days in a row. The best method I’ve found is splitting one “tour day” into two separate rides —half in the morning and half in the evening. If you want the backstory behind this ride, read I Thought I Was Done With Solo Adventures. I Was Wrong. That post explains why I chose this Mississippi River tour and why it matters to me. What Stacking Means Here Ride 1 (morning): Controlled effort. Touring pace....