The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

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: April 2026 Quick Take: At 19 years old, one brutal college bike race made me swear I would never ride a bike again. Decades later, cycling became one of the best parts of my life. Sometimes the thing that humbles you early becomes the thing that saves you later. As a kid, my bike was my freedom. I loved the independence, the ability to explore the neighborhood, and the feeling of wind in my face as I pedaled hard toward some imaginary finish line. A bicycle was not exercise back then. It was transportation, adventure, escape, and imagination all rolled into one. But like a lot of kids, my interests changed as I got older. Basketball became my world. I played through junior high, high school, and even earned a basketball scholarship to a small junior college. But after just one semester, I decided to give up the scholarship and the grind of competitive basketball. I still loved the game, but I did not feel the pull of chasing it as a career. So I shift...

Last Updated:  May 2026 Quick Take: Years ago, strangers laughed at me while I was overweight and riding a bicycle trying to improve my life. Recently, at that same stoplight, a young woman rolled down her window and asked if I was single because she thought I’d be perfect for her mom. The real lesson is not about insults or compliments. It is about focusing on what is best for you and refusing to let strangers shape your future. The other day I pulled up to a stop sign on a training ride near the Texas Tech campus here in Lubbock. A young woman in a car beside me rolled down her window and asked: “Are you single? You’d be perfect for my mom.” I had to laugh. She looked to be around 20 years old, and at age 70, I’m thinking I’d probably be more perfect for her grandmother. Still, it was funny, unexpected, and kind. But what really hit me was not the compliment. It was the memory of something that happened years earlier in ...

🚲 Quick Take: You’ve got the right-of-way. The car has a stop sign. But one thing has changed—and it’s making intersections more dangerous than ever for cyclists. One of the most dangerous places for a cyclist to encounter a car is at an intersection. And I’m not just talking about big, busy intersections with traffic lights. In fact, I’ve come to believe those are actually safer. At least you know who has the green, who’s turning, and where to expect trouble. But those smaller intersections—especially the ones where you have the right-of-way and the car is stopped at a stop sign —they’re tricky. I’ve had far too many close calls in those exact situations. A few years ago, there was one thing I always relied on: eye contact . I’d approach an intersection and glance straight through the driver’s window. If the driver turned their head and made eye contact with me, I’d feel a little better. It wasn’t a guarantee, but at least I knew they saw me. Of course, I still rode...

Last Updated: March 2026 Most cyclists obsess over bikes, tires, and gear—but the tool that actually keeps those tires working properly often gets ignored. A good cycling floor pump might be the most underrated piece of equipment in a rider’s garage. Tires slowly lose pressure every week. Ride with tires that are even 10–15 PSI too low and you’ll notice it immediately—slower rolling, sluggish handling, and more risk of flats. After riding more than 155,000 miles , one thing I’ve learned is simple: the easier it is to pump your tires, the more likely you are to keep them properly inflated. And that’s where many cyclists make a mistake. They assume any pump will work the same. It doesn’t. Different bikes require different pumping styles because their tires use very different pressures and air volumes. Why I Use a High-Volume Floor Pump Personally, I use the Topeak JoeBlow Mountain II Floor Pump . Most of my training and touring tires r...

Last Updated: March 2026 Most 70-Year-Olds Don’t Ride 5, 10, or 20 Miles — But Cyclists Still Do There’s something interesting about being a cyclist in your seventies. The world tends to assume people our age are slowing down. Retiring. Taking it easy. Spending more time sitting than moving. But then you roll past them on a bicycle. Helmet on. Legs turning. Maybe grinding up a hill or leaning into a headwind. And suddenly the assumptions don’t fit anymore. Because the truth is, most 70-year-olds can’t do what cyclists our age are still doing. Most 70-Year-Olds Don’t Ride 5, 10, or 20 Miles — Cyclists Do If you stop and think about it, riding 5, 10, 20 miles—or more on a bicycle is not a small thing. It means your heart can handle sustained effort. It means your balance is still sharp. It means your legs can keep pushing for miles. It means your lungs can keep up. It means your mind stays alert enough to ride safely. Most people in...