75-year-old cyclist tackles RAGBRAI again

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Bill Wilcox's day usually includes a 10- to 20-mile bike ride. That's how the retired West Virginian engineer stays in shape to ride RAGBRAI this summer.

Wilcox, 75, of Shepherdstown has ridden the 500-mile, week-long Iowa bike tour for the past 12 years. He usually rides with this two son's-in-law, although he has biked it alone — just Wilcox and 10,000 to 12,000 other bicycle enthusiasts.

Just look at his photo displayed with his Hagerstown Herald-Mail interview; you just know Wilcox is determined to complete this and many future RAGBRAIs.


Inspiration

Wilcox says he was inspired to do the ride by the story of an 83-year-old who did the ride annually.

He rode his first Iowa ride in 1994. He liked it so much he planned and completed a TransAmerica ride from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine, accompanied by his sister in an RV, in 1998.

Wilcox says he usually crosses the Potomac River bridge into Maryland for his daily ride, because the roads there have better shoulders for cycling.

This year's RAGBRAI runs from July 23 – 29, beginning in Sergeant Blugg and ending in Muscatine. See the RAGBRAI website for more information.


Permanent link to this article: https://www.bikingbis.com/2006/04/27/75-year-old-cyclist-tackles-ragbrai-again/

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