Women Are Never Too Old To Bike Cycling Freed Her From Pain, Gave Her Inspiration

In March, 55-year-old Gloria Smith is scheduled to lead the first-ever commercial coast-to-coast bicycle tour exclusively for women 50 and older.

When this silver-haired cyclist was working in San Francisco in 1989 as a designer and general contractor of custom homes, she fell from the attic in an unfinished house and damaged a disc in her lower back. After four years of therapy, her discomfort continued. In spite of that, she decided to join six other women on her dream vacation - a coast-to-coast bicycle trip from Washington to Maine.

After her first three days of cycling, Smith awoke too tired to eat breakfast. But by Day 10, she had reached a turning point: She rode 72 miles into a wind and “felt an incredible joy at what a beautiful day it had been.”

Every day, Smith’s back felt better, and by three weeks out, the pain was completely gone. When she pedaled up to the Atlantic Ocean, Smith knew her life would never be the same.

“I couldn’t jog anymore, and cycling is easier on the body than any other aerobic exercise,” says Smith, who began long-distance cycling about 12 years ago.

In 1994, she founded WomanTours, a Driggs, Idaho-based company that offers a dozen women-only bicycle trips in the United States, Canada and New Zealand each year. The tours last from six to 16 days and take place mainly in the spring and fall, when roads are less crowded and weather is more moderate.

In August 1996, Smith had the inspiration to organize a coast-to-coast tour strictly for women 50 and older.

“I decided that there are a lot of older women who can and want to do a cross-country trip, but hesitate to go with younger women,” Smith says. “A lot of them like riding with their peers, and with women only.”

The 56-day, 3,135-mile adventure begins March 14, 1998. The cost is $4,800 - about $85 a day - and includes most meals. Its 20 slots sold out quickly, so Smith added a second group departing March 16. The average age of those who have already signed up is 58.

The women will dip their tires in the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, then cycle to St. Augustine, Fla., on a route mapped out by the 40,000-member Adventure Cycling Association based in Missoula.

Kevin Condit, spokesman for the nonprofit club, isn’t surprised at the instant popularity of Smith’s trips. He has seen growing numbers of cyclists 50 or more years old.

The club recently sponsored a Montana trip and the average age of the 300 participants was 50, Condit says, and the average age of people to whom the club sells route maps is more than 50.

“Bicycling is not a high-impact sport,” he says. “It’s not hard on your knees if you do it properly.”

Smith, a survivor of breast cancer diagnosed in 1986, will donate $100 per participant to the National Breast Cancer Coalition, a sponsor of the cross-country trip.

WomanTours provides a six-week training schedule for inexperienced cyclists. When the women hit the road, they will be accompanied by a van and trailer carrying gear, bicycle-repair equipment, food and water. Also joining the group will be a massage therapist. They will stay in motels and occasionally bed-and-breakfast inns, with 10 to 12 nights of camping in state parks at more remote locations while averaging one rest day per week.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TRIP INFO Contact WomanTours at P.O. Box 931, Driggs, ID 83422, telephone (800) 247-1444 or on the Internet at womantours@aol.com.