Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
JIM LIMBACH, 70, of Ironwood, rides his bike for 70 miles along the Western Gateway Trail Friday. Limbach rode back and forth 14 times on the two-and-a-half-mile-long trail.
By TOM STANKARD
Ironwood - Every year on his birthday Jim Limbach matches his age in miles on his bicycle.
Although he missed his 70th birthday this year because of a prior auto accident, Limbach rode the 70 miles on Friday.
For the long endeavor, Limbach said the Western Gateway Trail in Ironwood was perfect.
"The trail is two and a half miles long. I rode 14 complete laps back and forth," he said.
Limbach said he, and the rest of the community, loves using the trail. "The community is very proud of the trail," he said.
Limbach said he started this tradition when he was 67 or 68.
To prepare for the long ride, Limbach said he rode his exercise bike for 45 minutes.
"I put in a CD and peddle like crazy," he said.
But he said riding a stationary bike isn't like riding outdoors, so he also tried to ride his Ridley bicycle every third day.
"The fact that I was going to do an event made me get out every day," he said. "The event and the goal gets me riding."
At 10 a.m. on Friday, Limbach started riding and crossed the finish line around 5 p.m., including a couple pit stops for food.
Along the way, Limbach said he rode over 20 miles per hour at times and his leg muscles surprisingly "never felt like giving out."
"There was never any desire to quit," he said.
During the 70-mile ride, Limbach said he ate two bowls of oatmeal, six bananas, some chocolate and two whole grain energy bars.
By exercising and riding his bike as much as possible, Limbach said he's in good shape and won't stop riding. "My chiropractor says I got the body of a 40-year-old," he said.
Limbach said he's been riding bicycles since he was 5.
"I got on a bike before my parents even knew. They were afraid I was going to hurt myself, so I went and hid and taught myself at age 5. I've been on a bike ever since," he said.
Limbach said he gets motivated when he sees people older than himself who are also healthy.
"There's an Italian guy at age 100 who got on a track and did 15 miles in one hour," he said. "That encourages me." Limbach said people kid him about what he is going to do when he's 100 years old.
"No problem, Sometime in the 90s I'll change to kilometers," he said.
Paul Anderson, of the Western Gateway Trail Authority, said he encourages more people to use the trail.
"That's what the trail is for, to exercise," he said. "Next year, when the section to Bessemer is built, he can do it in fewer laps."
Limbach said he looks forward to the trail reaching Bessemer next year.
"I can't wait until they do the next phase, because the Credit Union is in Bessemer," he said. "I can get my 10 miles in by riding it. It's fantastic."
