Senior Cyclist Cranks Colorado
Amazing Bicycle Tourist Continues to Blaze the Miles Across U.S.
Senior bicycle traveler Herb Schon has ridden 2,000 miles so far on a group cross-country ride from San Francisco to New Hampshire. Here is his latest report.
After four weeks of pedaling, amazing senior bicycle rider Herb Schon of Santa Fe, New Mexico is almost halfway across the United States.
Those following this odyssey know that to celebrate his 75th birthday, Herb has joined a group ride called America by Bicycle and is cranking his way from San Francisco to New Hampshire. How does he feel?
"I have come to realize that this endurance effort has more to do with the mind than the body. A strong will, work ethic and desire can overcome the pain of aching knees and painful shoulders, not to mention the half-dozen or so other irritants...burning feet, a swollen ankle, sunburned lips and any and everything related to a butt," Herb reported.
Nevertheless, he added, "the spirit of adventure and the challenge of keeping up with a group of riders, most of whom are young enough to be my children or grandchildren, gives me an abundance of strength."
The group Herb is with is comprised of 26 riders, including a retired policeman, federal reserve officer, educators, accountants, a diamond dealer, a judge and real estate professionals. There is a 67-year-old woman, two Brits, one Frenchman, a German, an Israeli, a woman from Hawaii, and three guys over 70.
Herb noted that a "group dynamic" has formed, with friendships being forged and "drinking buddies" helping each other home. "The aura is like that of a military unit -- trust and belief in one another." They help on another with repairs and the like.
Biking the Rockies
The group has ridden more than 2,000 miles, across the Rockies, through Colorado and Kansas and all the way to St. Joseph, Missouri. Despite heat, headwinds, rain and interstate riding, he was thrilled a while back to be greeted on Father Day with a gift of a one-pound chunk of marble halavah from his son Peter. "It was gone in a day."
Other highlights? At the summit of Monarch Pass in Colorado, two tour members, Bill and Christine, were married! And in Pueblo, Colorado, Herb was delighted to have a conjugal visit with his wife, Irene, who drove north from their home in Santa Fe to meet him. He was freezing, having ridden through miles of rain, but he says that Irene and "40 minutes in the hot tub" got him "back to normal." (Sometimes it takes a cross-country bike ride to fully appreciate the many wonderful qualities of your spouse!) After a day's rest with Irene, it was on the road again.
More on Herb's journey tomorrow.
