I still ride to this day, although I doubt I’ll ever reach 200,000 miles. My rides in recent years, and these days, tend to be much shorter and slower. So far, I’ve logged about 135,000 miles to-date, and just happy to be able to continue riding.
I’ve made a lot of friendships over the past 47 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 ridden many miles with Mike Keeley, Mike Ribadeneyra, Todd Anderson, John Paksoy, Mark Cardell, Jimmy Ivester, Chuck Lampley, Fred Sisk, Mark Brackett, Gary and Tammy Edelman, Bryan Hensley, Vic Branton, Don and Kathryn Bridges, Bill Parker, Chris Rossi, Kenny Hoyle, Doug Noblet, Joe Champion, Harvey Whisnant, and Charlie Rhoden, who sadly passed away a few years ago. I could list many, many more people that I’ve ridden with over the past 47 years, but the list would be too long!
Charlie Rhoden played an important role in bringing serious, competitive cycling to the local area in the mid-1970s. He was the first in the area to own a bicycle of true Tour de France quality. Charlie studied cycling with rigorous training, and a serious commitment to improving his performance. His efforts paid off, as he became the North Carolina State road racing and time trial champion for at least five years.
A pharmacist by profession, Charlie owned Suttle’s Drug in Shelby. Beyond his work in pharmacy, he helped build the local cycling community by organizing the Lattimore time trials. He also made his mark in endurance cycling as the first rider in the local area to complete the Assault on Mount Mitchell in about 5 hours and ~30 mins.
At one time, nearly every serious cyclist in “the local area and far beyond” aspired to ride the annual Assault on Mount Mitchell. This is 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. I feel fortunate to have been able to complete the ride eight times, but never at a record time. I had too many other things to do, as very serious training and lots of miles were necessary for a time in the five-hour range.
Mike Keeley and I even had the opportunity to ride with Canadian pro cyclist Eric Wohlberg on quite a few occasions! In fact, there’s a very steep hill in Rutherford County that’s known as the “Wohlberg-Keeley Hill,” named after an unforgettable moment during a Thursday afternoon group ride back in the ’90s. Eric put his hand on Mike’s back and pushed him all the way to the top of the hill—right past the entire group! Now that’s a story that’s still talked about by local cyclists even today!
Click on the following link to read the story of the Shelby Criterion:
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!
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 on Sunday mornings and ride to Polkville for coffee. We left many times while it was still dark, with “little more” than flashlights attached to our bikes. During those days, high-intensity cycling lights were just being developed. Most of the time, I’d still make it back in time for Sunday School! Those were some great days and memories I’ll never forget.
I remember one early Sunday ride in particular: The temperature was below freezing with light-snow, and we rode to McDonalds in Gaffney for pancakes! I can still remember hearing the ice cracking underneath my tires while crossing the I-85 bridge! This was for sure a dangerous day to be riding a bicycle, and when I got back home, it took me the longest to warm up. However, this is normal when riding on cold days and most always, freezing feet!
I have been fortunate to be able to ride “at least” fifteen-times to the top of Beech Mountain, leaving from Mask General Store in Valle Crucis, then to Banner Elk and to the top. My last time was with Mike Keeley, quite a few years ago.
Click on the following link to read the Beech Mountain story:
Then there was another mountain to climb!
October 2026: My latest ride and the more important things in life…
April 2025
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