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Showing posts with the label long-distance rides

From Triumph to Breakdown: My San Diego Cycling Disaster

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...

The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

Welcome to the Ride Hi, I’m Bruce Bussell — a 69-year-old touring cyclist from Lubbock, Texas. I may call West Texas home, but my bicycle has taken me thousands of miles beyond it. From the panhandle to the coast and through countless towns in between, the open road has become my second home. I started this blog with one goal in mind: to inspire people my age to get active and discover that you can ride farther — and feel better — than you ever imagined. This isn’t about racing or competing. It’s about freedom, movement, and discovering just how much you’re still capable of. In July 2020, I rode 962 miles in 12 blazing-hot days from Texhoma, Oklahoma to South Padre Island. Back in 2016, I pedaled 1,050 miles in 19 days from Lubbock to Pensacola, Florida. And those are just a couple of the many multi-day rides I’ve completed over the years. But I didn’t start out this way. Just a few years ago, I was 85 pounds heavier and far from fit. The bicycle changed that — and it can change ...