October 11th 2008 I Achieved 100,000 Cycling Miles! A Celebration Was Put Together At The Broad River Coffee Shop By My Wife, Debbie.
I still ride to this day, although I doubt I’ll ever reach the 200,000-mile mark. My rides in recent years, and these days, tend to be shorter and slower, but I enjoy them even more. So far, I’ve logged about 135,000 miles, and I’m happy to keep riding at my own pace and enjoying every mile! 🙂
I’ve made a lot of friendships over the past “now almost” 50 years of riding. We had group rides rides from the Shelby court square on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Most rides would average about 25-30 miles.
Over the years, I’ve shared many miles with Mike Keeley, Mike Ribadeneyra, Todd Anderson, John Paksoy, Mark Cardell, Jimmy Ivester, Chuck Lampley, Mark Brackett, and Charlie Rhoden, who sadly passed away a few years ago, along with far too many others to name.
For more than 15 years, we held 10-mile time trials on New House Road, usually on Thursday afternoons. Riders set off at 30-second intervals, each determined to cover the 10 miles as quickly as possible, chase down the cyclist ahead, and hopefully set a new personal best. But there was one other thing to keep in mind—you definitely didn’t want the rider starting 30 seconds behind to catch you!
At one time, nearly every serious cyclist in the area and beyond aspired to ride the annual Assault on Mount Mitchell, a legendary event that began in Spartanburg and covered roughly 103 miles before finishing atop Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River.
Over the years, I’ve ridden through just about every kind of weather imaginable—from bitter cold and 100-degree heat to snow and freezing rain. One year, I even rode through a thunderstorm with hail on the way from Spartanburg along the Blue Ridge Parkway to the top of Mount Mitchell!
For years, a group of us would meet at the Boiling Springs Post Office and ride to Polkville for coffee. The best part? I’d still make it back in time for Sunday School! Those were some great days and memories I’ll always cherish.
There are so many cycling events I’d love to share, but listing them all would taketoo much time.
October 2026 as following:
