By Staff
I struck up a conversation with Owosso Bob out of curiosity about his recumbent bicycle.
Riding 300 miles for the June 21-27 Pedal Across Lower Michigan (PALM) would be hard enough, I figured, without being astride what looks like a cross between a Sting Ray and a trike.
On the contrary, the General Motors retiree explained, letting me sit on his bike, back support makes it more comfortable than the typical 10-speed crouch.
Indeed, the rider's supine position felt more like a wheeled reclining chair.
His legs extend forward to pedals at about the same height as the low-slung seat.
I learned while he and his companions set up camp on the APEX soccer field Sunday afternoon that recumbents actually set the world speed record, leading to their ban from international racing in 1934.
"I get nothing but harassment from these guys," he says as his friends gather around to set the reporter straight.
"I broke down today so I won't hear the end of it."
Bob said he's had his purple RANS for 11 years. To me, its most distinctive feature is the oversized clear shield like you'd see on a police motorcycle.
"They're very comfortable," he said. "They roll well on flat ground. They're not quite as good uphill because you can't stand up."
Though from Owosso, northeast of Lansing, Bob spent time in Dowagiac more than 50 years ago visiting relatives. "I came down here as a young boy of 5 or 6 once in a while," he said. "He was a state trooper in this area. I think this is the 10th or 11th year I've done (the PALM)."
He came straight to this trek from another event on the Leelanau Peninsula lasting from Wednesday to Saturday.
"I happen to do both of them, but they butted up to one another this year because of the way the calendar is," Bob said.
"Normally, the one up north goes on Father's Day weekend. That's a serious ride up there, with some hills that will kill you around Traverse City. We had a few rolling hills today, but the 'rolling' was thunder and rain. They ran us into a school for a while. We got caught in Galien, then a wall of rain came from behind us and we went into a guy's garage."
He has a trailer he can pull behind his recumbent with his tent inside.
"On Memorial Day weekend, I went to the Scottish festival in Alma and pulled all my stuff with me," Bob said. Off his bike, he volunteered 12 years with his church and at a recreation area.
"You and your wife can take separate vacations and get along good," he laughed, to which Bruce agreed. Terrie offered that Bruce is a good dancer.
"He is steaming fast," Terrie of Spring Lake said admiringly of Bob.
Of course, she's being ridiculed good-naturedly by the recumbents for making the journey on a mountain bike.
"I tried to stay behind him," says Bruce, Flint Bob's nephew.
"On a regular bike, you can get behind somebody, 'draft' on them and it will suck you right in," but the recumbent is too small for better than "a quarter of a draft."
"He's a fabulous rider," Terrie said. "What else can you say about Owosso Bob except he's a granddaddy and he's introducing his granddaughter to it?"
The other Bob, Hayes, 69, of Flint, also retired from GM.
In fact, the two Bobs knew each other during their working lives.
"He wins events because of his age group," Terrie said, which Flint Bob describes as "65 to death."
"He rides a 27-mile event in the winter in the Manistee Forest," Terrie said. "He was second this year in his division, flying down hills in the woods without a second thought and finishing in 3 1/2 hours."
"We met her and her daughter on this ride about five years ago," Flint Bob, accompanied by two grandsons, said, "and we adopted her as our queen bee."
Also part of this little circle is Lester Rosan, a private investigator from Alma, P.L.T.
P.L.T. stands for Pitiful Little Town, christened by Terrie while describing where she got lost without knowing it was Les' hometown.
They take turns recalling the ride they met with tornado conditions "right out of the Wizard of Oz."
"I was in a little pup tent," she said, "but his flipped over and filled up with water."
"With me in it," Les clarified. "I've got an MP3 player with amplified speakers, so I was running around the parking lot this morning like the Good Humor man, playing concert marches."
"Everybody's tents went flying and mine stayed dry," Terrie said.
Flint Bob stayed dry, too, "because I was in the school, laughing" at his friends battling the elements.
Flint Bob "rides every day," Terrie said, "and his wife lets him because he's a pain."
"It's a great ride for people just starting because it's like family," Flint Bob said. "I do one in the fall from Lansing to Mackinac, about 360 miles in four days. That's not laid back. I've always loved bikes, and my wife won't give me any money for gas at $4 a gallon. I've ridden this one six years," compared to 21 years in another ride.
"Last year, we left from my hometown, Spring Lake," Terrie said. "I was one block from my house."
"And she paraded her harem – 10 of us guys – through town, up and down streets bragging," Flint Bob teased, pointing out Jim, who is the same age and got started two years ago, despite having artificial knees.
"He got lost one day last year and went 70 miles. I ride 5,000 to 6,000 miles a year. I go on two trips. The rest of the time, I get about 3,000 miles on trails and the rest on roads. I love cycling. I was a 'shop rat' for GM, working on production since I got out of high school.
"(Owosso Bob) and I worked together. I used to ride to work every day until December. I'll be 70 in October and I can go 100 miles a day. It's more mental than physical riding long distances. The first time I rode 100 miles, I didn't even want to get on the bike after that for about three months.
As thin as Bob is – even buying a Snickers from the Band Boosters snack cart – it's hard to believe at 170 pounds he's 70 pounds lighter than when he worked for GM.
"Bicycling's a great thing to do, and the younger you start, the better," Bob said.
"It's cheap. We've got a week's vacation for the three of us for $600, plus food. The first time you do it, it's not fun. Just ride around the subdivision every day. If it makes you sore, you've rode too far."
"You've got to be (goofy) to ride your bike 50 miles in a rain storm," Terrie said.