It's never too late to saddle up

Apparently the age of 55 didn't seem too old for Al Galletly, left. That's how old he was in 1993 when he rode his first bicycle trip cross-country, covering 4,500 miles and raising $300,000 for Alzheimer's research.

The Stamford (Conn.) Advocate tells how Galletly waited five years, then organized a cross-country bicycle tour from southern California to Florida. The only qualification, cyclists had to be over 55.

His care in organizing the tour impressed me:

Galletly, who lives in Stratford, said he had mapped out the trip beforehand by flying out to different points along the route and then driving it. During the journey, cyclists received detailed directions at breakfast before setting out on each day's ride, a trip of 20 to 100 miles that took them to the next motel. It took eight weeks to reach their destination, St. Augustine, Fla.

Pictures, maps and other information about the cross-country trip can be found at the Young at Heart Tour website.

Galletly told the reporter that it's never too late to tackle something you've always wanted to do.