The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

Updated March 2026 That's me in the canyon Two weeks before the Hotter’N Hell 100, where I will be doing the half,   I decided to test myself with a 50-mile ride in one of Texas’ toughest places to cycle — Palo Duro Canyon . I knew it would be hot. I knew it would be hilly. But I didn’t know that the final six miles would turn into a fight just to stay upright. The Base That Made This Possible I’ve ridden over 6,000 miles in the last 12 months , much of it challenging and in the Texas heat. Living in Lubbock , I’m used to triple-digit summer rides. I would never have attempted this canyon ride without that base. Even so, this day proved that sometimes, even with years of experience, you still get humbled. My goal wasn’t to ride in extreme heat. I got there early enough that I expected to finish when temps were in the mid-90s. The morning was pleasant. But when things started going wrong mid-ride, my stops stretched the day, and by the end, it was 100–101°F. I neve...

🚴 One Ride at a Time: After my solo bike tour ended on Day One, I committed to something new — one organized event a month. This is the start of that story, beginning with the Buffalo Gap Tour de Gap. I Trained 6,000 Miles for a Tour That Ended on Day One — So I Started Something Better I trained over 6,000 miles for a solo bicycle tour from San Diego to Las Cruces. Six thousand. That’s a number most people don’t throw around lightly. I rode in wind, in heat, in the middle of nowhere. I pushed through the doubts and the soreness. I dialed in my gear. My legs were ready. My heart was in it. And then — Day One. Crash. Broken bike. Bloodied pride. Tour over before it even began. I stood there in the desert, stunned. After all that work, after all that discipline, it was just… gone. I could’ve shut it all down. Put the bike in the garage, closed the door, and let the disappointment settle in like dust. But instead — I chose something else. One Event a Month. ...

Updated: May 2026 I stumbled across a YouTube video that featured a man named Dean Nicholson cycling the world with a very unexpected travel companion: his cat, Nala. Their journey is one of the most heartwarming things I’ve seen in a long time — and it’s a story every cyclist and animal lover should know. From Welder to World Traveler Dean, a 31-year-old from Dunbar, Scotland, had long dreamed of traveling the world. In 2018, he quit his job as a welder, loaded up his bike, and began riding across Europe. His original goal? To make it all the way to Australia — then fly to Argentina and ride north to Canada. But the trip took a surprising and beautiful turn in the hills of Bosnia. A Meow That Changed Everything While climbing a steep mountain pass in Bosnia, Dean heard a tiny meowing sound. Curious, he stopped, looked around, and found a stray kitten on the roadside. She was all alone, barely old enough to survive — and she walked straight up to him. He named her Nala , and that...