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Bicycle enthusiast completes 100,000 miles of bike riding

When Bruce Whiteley first started riding a bicycle, he was struck by three cars in three years.

Two wrecks sent him flying through car windshields. Another left him sprawled in the middle of the road with a damaged back.

But each time Whiteley falls off his bike, both literally and figuratively, he gets up, brushes himself off and climbs back onto the seat to ride another day.

On Saturday, after 22 years of biking, Whiteley hit a personal milestone -- 100,000 miles covered on a bicycle.

"It's kind of unbelievable," the Salinan said. "When I set out to ride a bike at age 47, I had no idea I would come this far."

Whiteley started keeping track of his biking mileage in 1987, when he rode 1,800 miles. His yearly total continued to rise before peaking in 1997 at 7,300 miles. So far in 2009, Whiteley has biked 3,228 miles.

Not bad for a 69-year-old man.

Whiteley knew he would be reaching the 100,000 milestone this August, so he made plans to hit it on Aug. 15 and celebrate the occasion with his friends and family.

On Saturday morning, 22 biking friends, many of whom Whiteley introduced to bicycling, joined him at New Community Christian Church, Cloud and Roach.

About 8:20 a.m., they set off to ride what Whiteley called the "Smolan Loop."

The 20-mile journey started south to Old Highway 81 and continued to Smolan Road and west to Burma. The riders went north on Burma to Waterwell and then east to Ohio and back to the church, where a potluck lunch awaited them.

About halfway through the loop, at Smolan and Burma roads, Whiteley hit the big 100,000. He pumped his fist to his fellow riders' applause.

"It was a great feeling," he said. "It wasn't easy with the problems I've had over the years. But that made it even more special. I had to work for it."

Nearly 25 years ago, when Whiteley was 45, he was diagnosed with borderline Type II diabetes. Shaken at the news, he decided he'd better take action to improve his health.

"I started walking, doing aerobics and weight training," he said.

Whiteley decided to start riding a bicycle in 1986. A couple of months later, in November 1986, he was hit from behind by a car while riding his bike on a county highway.

"I was thrown into the windshield and shattered it," Whiteley said, matter-of-factly. "They slammed on their brakes, and I tumbled the other way and rolled down the highway."

The second wreck happened in October 1988, when Whiteley was riding home from Tony's Pizza, where he worked 28 years in fabrication before his retirement.

"Tony's traffic was clearing out and a kid hit me," Whiteley said. "I landed in a sitting position and it snapped my back. I was in a back brace for six weeks."

The third wreck happened almost exactly a year later. Once again Whiteley was hit from the rear by a car. His head rammed through the windshield, and his bike was imbedded in the car's front bumper. After hitting the ground, Whiteley could taste what he thought was gravel in his mouth.

"It turned out to be powdered glass from the windshield," he said.

Fortunately, Whiteley was wearing a helmet during all three wrecks, which he credited with saving his life.

"I've done a lot of motorcycling, too, and I always wear a helmet," he said.

After three wrecks, Whiteley almost quit riding but loved bicycling too much to stop. Luckily, he said, he hasn't had a biking accident for 20 years.

For the last 20 years, Whiteley has been riding his bike throughout Salina six days a week and to church on Sundays.

"My wife would drive the car to church, and I'd ride my bike," he said. "It's about five miles."

Whiteley also began to participate in Biking Across Kansas (BAK), an annual event where bike enthusiasts gather the first week of each June to ride across Kansas from the Colorado to the Missouri border.

Jim Ledner, Marysville, biked with Whiteley during 12 BAK events and joined him Saturday to celebrate the 100,000 milestone.

"I have to credit Bruce for getting me into biking," said Ledner, 52. "I met Bruce when he was 56 and I was 39, and I was just dazed at what he could do. I always called him the 'Iron Man.'"

Ledner said he could not imagine anyone but Whiteley putting 100,000 miles on a bicycle.

"I'd get a Christmas card from him every year, and on it would be the miles he rode that year," Ledner said. "For him, it's a ride, not a race."

Unfortunately, this year marked the first BAK event in 19 years that Whiteley was not able to participate in because of a small stroke he'd had May 28.

"I was in too much pain for a long ride," he said.

Whiteley's back problems, excerbated by two strokes, prostate cancer and Type II diabetes (for which he now shoots insulin daily), have caused him to change the kind of bike he rides today. He once had 27-speed road bike, but now he's switched to a Baccetta recumbent bicycle that he purchased in 2003 after a second back surgery.

"My doctor told me he'd never tell a runner to stop running, and he won't tell a biker to stop biking, but that I had to stop riding a regular bike because it was killing my back," Whiteley said.

Whiteley's passion for bicyling doesn't stop with riding. He also likes to give friends and strangers alike advice on how to care for their bikes and has converted his home garage into a bike workshop.

"All the kids in the neighborhood seem to need someone to work on their bikes, so I'll do it," he said. "A bike can last forever if you put in some maintenance."

Whiteley also spends hours fixing up old bikes and giving them away to those in need.

"I love it when I can fix up a junk bike and it away, because exercise is so important, and biking is one of the best ways to get it," he said.

Whiteley has served as an inspiration and great role model for biking enthusiasts and those who want to take up biking for exercise, said Salinan Brenda Cloutier, one of Whiteley's weekday bike riding partners.

"I grew up in a bicycle family, but Bruce encouraged me to take it up more seriously," she said. "Lots of times, I would have slept in and not ridden if I hadn't gotten a call from Bruce. He's kept me going."

Whiteley believes he can keep going on his bike for quite a few more years, if his health holds out. He's survived more than his share of obstacles for the last 22 years, so he sees no reason why he can't keep riding for the next decade.

"If I keep going, I should be able to ride until I'm 82 or beyond," he said. "My next goal is to hit 120,000 miles and go from there. The secret is just to keep plugging away."

nReporter Gary Demuth can be reached at 822-1405 or by e-mail at gdemuth@salina.com.

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