The Old Guy Bicycle Blog

Cycling is not only a great way to stay active and explore your surroundings, but it can also be a powerful tool for improving your mental and emotional well-being. By practicing mindfulness while cycling, you can enhance your experience, reduce stress and anxiety, and boost your overall sense of well-being. If you had told me way back when I started cycling that I would be talking about mindfulness I would laugh at you but here I am all those years later doing it. Cycling does change as you age and I find practicing mindfulness pretty cool. This may sound hokey to some of you but I find it serves me well. Understand that I am no longer a competitive cyclist. I do not enter races trying to place high in the standings. If I enter a race nowadays it is just to enjoy the fact that I can ride, meet some cool people, and see if I can finish it. Most of my riding today involves getting ready for multi-day adventures. I don't go fast. It is about endurance but it is also about stopping an...

Embarking on a long bike ride can be both exhilarating and challenging. The freedom of the open road, the wind in your face, and the sense of accomplishment as you conquer mile after mile—it's a feeling like no other. But what happens when unexpected circumstances leave you dehydrated and desperate for a sip of water? That's exactly what I experienced during a recent adventure, when a chance encounter with a stranger turned into an unforgettable act of kindness. The Ride Begins: I was on day 11 of a 12 day tour from the Oklahoma-Texas border to South Padre Island . This was going to be my most difficult day. It was a little more than 80 miles, which isn't bad, and it was a flat ride, which is very good. What made it bad? There was a 60 mike stretch with absolutely no water resources available. Making matters worse was the weather forecast. It was going to climb up over 110 degrees in the mid-afternoon. I pedaled away before sunrise trying to ride as much as I could in the c...