'I’ll have to be buried with my bike' - 76-year-old still racking up 200 miles a week shares tips for lifelong cycling

Cycling is an activity, or sport, you can enjoy at any age. Fitness writer Hannah Reynolds has been speaking to cyclists in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, bringing tips, advice and inspiration from cyclists who are still pedalling as the decades progress.

Geoff Nelder has cycled everywhere since he was just five years old. Commuting for work in his younger days led to cycle touring and travel once he retired, and his years of cycling have helped him to live healthily with serious illness. 

"I inherited heart issues and had 3 stents in my coronary artery in 2014. The cardiologist said I might not have lived to see him had I not cycled so much and [advised me] to carry on cycling." Nelder is more than happy to follow the expert’s advice, "it’s addictive" he says.

Despite being in no way competitive - "I joked that I was so slow, if butterflies overtook me then I’d cycle in their slipstream" - Nelder has racked up a considerable number of miles throughout his lifetime. At the age of 76, he’s now averaging 100 miles a week in winter and 200 in summer. "If anything I now cycle more miles per week than when I was younger. In my lifetime I’ve cycled halfway to the moon!"

Like many children of his generation Nelder’s first bike was a Raleigh, "it was too big for me as a five-year old so dad fitted wooden blocks to the pedals," he remembers. In a tale that many cyclists can probably relate to Nelder says, "I was rubbish at sports and games but the PE teacher allowed some of us out on our bikes - no risk assessments then - on games afternoons."

Loneliness and empowerment  

For Nelder his bike gave him a sense of freedom and independence, "I even enjoyed the loneliness and empowerment of being solely responsible when cycling into the countryside on my own." From a very young age his bike enabled self-sufficiency and a way to help his family. "My mum was always ill with heart disease, my sister and I helped with chores and mine often included filling a saddlebag and rucksack with shopping. On one occasion I had to bring home a hundredweight sack of coal, balanced on top of my bike while I walked it - falling over twice!"

Throughout his working life lengthy commutes and touring were part of his routine, "every year I’d plan and cycle 140 miles over two days from Chester to see family in Cheltenham, staying at youth hostels. As a teacher I continued to cycle to work for 30 years." The route was "quite short", so he'd extend it to add up to 30 miles. 

Nelder is still covering considerable distances, with the occasional 100 miler days. He's also taken his riding further afield. "In the last 10 years I’ve cycled in Greece, Cyprus and Spain on hired bikes while researching for my hobby of writing stories and science fiction novels," he drops into the conversation, "I’ve been laughed at by goat-herding girls on Methana who’d never seen a cyclist wearing a helmet and wearing only one glove—the other was stolen by a pine marten."

Over his lifetime Nelder’s cycling has changed little except in the equipment he uses. Having bought his first drop-handlebar bike in the 1970s, he’s since invested in more kit. "I didn’t wear padded shorts and bright yellow jackets or helmet and padded gloves until my 50s. Now I always do, especially a helmet since two former pupils died in very slow collisions but hitting their non-helmeted heads on the tarmac."

Years of cycling have drummed into him to always carry a map for those unpredictable road closures. "Although I’ve used Sustran cycle maps and Strava on my phone, I’ve only recently acquired a cycle computer for route direction. I still take a paper map…just in case."

Cycling has mainly been a solo activity for Nelder, doing it more for the physical experience than the chat, he seldom rides in groups. "I am so exhilarated by solo cycling. Stopping to talk to horses and seeing strange signs such as Finger Farm on the Berwyn Hills. That’s the beauty of cycling whether you’re a solo antisocial sod like me or a social animal, there’s a road for you."

Fuelled by plants

The majority of Nelder’s miles have been fuelled entirely by plants. "I’ve been vegan for 50 years. Banana, dates and nuts are my basic snacks, supplemented with Nakd Bars and humous and marmite butties."

He does have advice for those who struggle with cramp, "I’ve found that if I stop to do stretches after 30 minutes cycling when the muscles are warm, the next lot of hills are easier than if I don’t, and I don’t get cramp. I found when cycling in hot weather I am now prone to cramp in my hands but the quinine in tonic water makes it go away!"

Nelder is conscious of the necessity for all round fitness. "Cycling does almost nothing for bone density but I don’t like running. I’ve been told jumping helps, even just hopping 5 to 10 times a day. An exercise I love is one where I don’t use any muscles at all! It’s called dead hanging. Just hang from a bar for 2 minutes a day—starting with 30 seconds. Many old folk, even cyclists, bend over as they age. Dead hanging straightens your vertebrae, strengthens your grip, shoulder and back muscles."

Like many cyclists Nelder is reluctant to travel far without his bike, "I like to go on non-cycling holidays with my wife but I aim for hotels with a gym so I can use their static bikes. Otherwise, even a week away from cycling makes my legs pine with withdrawal symptoms and it takes a few days to get back the miles."

Riding for inspiration

Nelder always carries a note pad and pen when cycling as you never know when inspiration will strike, "once halfway up Horseshoe Pass I thought of mum who had amnesia before she died. I thought thank goodness amnesia wasn’t infectious. I had to stop and jot it down. It became the main theme for my apocalyptic series ARIA for which I won an award."

He is optimistic that he has years in the saddle still ahead of him, "I think the oldest cyclist was a 105-year-old Frenchman but unlike me he raced all his cycling life, and free from serious illness. In my post-stent phase I always carry a GTN spray in case I experience angina pains, which I haven’t, even while steaming up Worlds End from Llantisilio in Wales." As a precaution he carries all his medication with him in case he needs to stop overnight somewhere.  

Age has instilled some caution, "I’ve had a few spills and broken a few bones over the years so I’m more careful now. If in doubt I get off, especially at busy junctions or rutted tracks I’d plough through when younger. I’ll not set off in sub-zero temperatures and gales any more. Black ice have had their laugh at me but no more."

A fine lifetime of bike riding and hopefully many more adventures ahead, "I hope I will always be cycling. I’ll have to be buried with my bike," he says.