In early 2024, Bike Mart Stores of the Dallas-Fort Worth area asked us the write a story for their social media channels explaining why we bike. Below is the story along with the photos that accompanied it.
After half a century of marriage and 48 years of cycling together, our journey has been filled with countless miles and endless smiles.
Cycling, for us, is a source of pure joy. Sure, the fitness benefits, the beauty of the great outdoors, the friendships we’ve formed, and the many new sights we’ve encountered are all wonderful. But at its core, our love for cycling boils down to the fun it brings into our lives.
Our home for all these cycling years has been the DFW area, a landscape that has evolved as much as we have. Our adventures have also taken us beyond Texas, cycling in 24 other states.
Bike touring has been a cornerstone of our cycling life. The pinnacle of our adventures was a cross-country journey from San Diego to Virginia Beach, totaling 3,165 miles in 56 days. Other memorable tours include Dallas to Indianapolis, navigating the majestic Colorado Rockies, and exploring the beautiful landscapes of Minnesota. Our most recent tours were on the Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD in 2021 and 2022.
As Bike Ambassadors for the Plano Parks and Recreation Department, we have the privilege of advocating for cycling. We engage with the community at various events, teach cycling classes for older adults, and lead the Plano Easy Riders on their monthly rides.
Bike Mart, and especially former owner Jim Hoyt, has been instrumental in our cycling journey, starting with the acquisition of two Schwinn Paramounts in 1985 (which we still own) and continuing with various other bikes over the years.
Yet, our greatest cycling achievement isn’t found in the miles we’ve ridden but in teaching our two children to ride in the 1980s, and decades later, teaching our grandchildren. The priceless joy on our grandkids’ faces, ages 4 and 6, when they learned to ride is the essence of our cycling legacy.
This is why we bike.
Bicycling with Don and Kay 