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An E-Bike Helps This Cyclist Stay Active and Sane During Coronavirus

Photo credit: courtesy
Photo credit: courtesy

From Bicycling

Age: 75
Occupation:
Retired, works at Disney World part time
Hometown:
Clermont, Florida
Weight Lost:
24 pounds
Reason for Cycling:
It’s my time! I pray, enjoy the beautiful world around me, and challenge myself to do my best on each bike ride.
Time Cycling:
18 years


I’ve been cycling on and off since I was 10 years old. But when I retired to Clermont, Florida, I noticed that everyone was riding here, which made me think that I should get back into the sport.

I started by getting a cheap bike, and soon after—this was about 15 years ago—one of my neighbors invited me to do a Disney triathlon with her. One of the reasons for retiring to Florida was to be close to Disney, so of course I wanted to do a triathlon in the park. I loved it so much that I completed two Disney triathlons.

But then I started lose interest in cycling; it was getting hard for me to motivate myself to ride my bike, and I struggled with the hills in my retirement community. So, two years ago, I made the best decision I’ve ever made. I purchased an Atom e-bike. It gives me the little extra “oomph” to get up our hills in our community. Everyday, I look forward to getting out on my bike and feeling the wind in my face.

In the last few years, I’ve gone on bike excursions in China, Norway, Denmark, Hawaii, and here at Disney World, but these last three months have been the best because of what I have accomplished through cycling.

When the coronavirus pandemic started, I figured that I might as well just eat whatever I wanted, so I started cooking and baking and eating more. But soon, I realized that what I was doing wasn’t healthy. And I was starting to go stir-crazy, like many of us are. So I decided it was time to start getting serious about biking—and my health—again. So, I committed to riding consistently and eating a healthier, Mediterranean-style diet; I incorporated more healthy fats and veggies, and started eating fewer carbs and less sugar, as well as doing some intermittent fasting, which has helped me start to lose the weight I was gaining.

[Want to fly up hills? Climb! gives you the workouts and mental strategies to conquer your nearest peak.]

Now, I ride six days a week, about 20 miles a day. Usually I head out first thing in the morning for 10 miles and then go out again for the evening for another 10. On the weekends, I do one long ride, usually 20 to 30 miles. So far, 52 miles is my furthest ride, but I plan to go further—maybe 60 miles.

My best memory of biking is teaching my grandson how to ride a bike when he was 5 years old. I’d follow him down the street, holding on to the seat, and the neighbors would come out and cheer him on. Now, we ride together on the trails. Biking is so good for families, and good for your health, I’m really sold on biking and I want others to get inspired to ride, too. Even if it’s an e-bike—it can be a great way for older people to get healthy or anyone to get into cycling.

I had a fantastic biking river cruise on the Danube booked for this year, but it got canceled due to the pandemic. I’m holding out hope I’ll be able to go next year (or as soon as I can).


We want to hear how cycling changed you! Send your story and submit your photos to us via this web form. We’ll pick one each week to highlight on the site.

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