From health considerations to hobby, bicycling is a favorite pastime with many benefits for George Brainard of Waukon
For more than just the health of it ... George Brainard of Waukon is pictured above, at left, with Bob Moses of rural Monona, at right, holding a tandem bicycle from Brainard’s bicycle collection. As an ongoing hobby developed from an initial health consideration, Brainard, along with Moses and even the occasional addition of family members and friends, regularly travels routes on his bicycles year-round in the 40-60 mile range with some longer routes reaching 100 or more miles. Photo by Joe Moses.
Riding in comfort ... George Brainard of Waukon is pictured above seated on one of several recumbent bicycles he owns and rides on a regular basis. The recumbent bicycles offer greater comfort for his journeys that often travel 40-60 miles, and longer. Pictured in the background of the above photo is an electric bicycle that is also part of Brainard’s two-wheeled collection. Photo by Joe Moses.
Even inside ... Pictured above, George Brainard of Waukon is seated on a recumbent bicycle that is being used within his home as a stationary bicycle with the aid of a trainer/stand (pictured in more detail below). As part of Brainard’s commitment to bicycling and personal health, the stationary bicycle provides an opportunity to continue bicycling as both a hobby and healthy exercise when bicycling outdoors is not possible due to inclement weather or cold temperatures. Bicycling became an important hobby and form of exercise in the years following Brainard’s heart attack in 2011 requiring triple bypass surgery. For motivation, Brainard views indoor cycling-related YouTube videos, video camera footage taken from bicycle rides throughout the U.S. and abroad, on a Roku/Smart TV while riding a stationary bicycle to create a virtual experience similar to as if he were riding outdoors. Photos by Joe Moses.
Many miles ... In the photo above, George Brainard of Waukon displays his telephone and the GPS connectivity he uses in planning his bicycle routes. Brainard and Bob Moses of rural Monona frequently pedal routes in the 40-60 mile range in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota with some longer round-trip and one-way routes reaching 100 miles or more. Photo by Joe Moses.
by Joe Moses
To George Brainard of Waukon, bicycling has become more than a hobby. It has become a life-changing pursuit that has yielded many health-related benefits. At 80 years of age, Brainard has become famous locally for his dedication to bicycling and for traveling long distances by bicycle that have reached 100 miles within a day, at times.
Brainard’s interest in bicycling goes back to early in his life when, as a child and teenager, he enjoyed this activity until reaching 18 years of age. In high school and shortly after, he had been working and saving for his first car in anticipation of moving forward with his career plans. Owning that first car moved him away from bicycling, an activity he did not return to until the mid-1990s when he decided to purchase a mountain bicycle which for many years was only used on a very limited basis due to his work and travel schedule which kept him away from home during the week.
HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS
A health-related scare in 2011 was a turning point for Brainard which prompted him to focus more upon his physical health and well-being. A heart attack and triple bypass surgery were factors that influenced Brainard to increase his physical activity, with bicycling to become a key piece of this effort in the years that followed.
In 2017, a conversation with Bob Moses, a retired dairy and crop farmer living with his wife Sheryl in rural Monona, brought about a renewed interest in bicycling. Brainard had retired at age 70 and relocated with his wife Kathy to a house in Waukon in 2014, with the couple previously living in rural Luana. Brainard had known Bob Moses and his family for many years and had worked for William Jr. and Isabel Moses, Bob’s parents, on the Moses Family Farm in the rural Monona/Luana area the summer after he graduated from high school.
Brainard noted that in the years that followed, he and Bob Moses had only spoken a half dozen times but in retirement they were able to reconnect. During that conversation in 2017, Moses suggested a bicycle ride from Waukon to Lansing with Brainard agreeing but with some concern due to the distance of that proposed route. He explained that this first bicycle ride with Moses took four-and-a-half hours to reach Lansing from Waukon with Moses waiting at the top of several hills as Brainard walked his bicycle uphill due to leg strain and fatigue. Brainard said that the return trip from Lansing to Waukon was not possible for him, so his wife Kathy picked him up in Lansing and drove him home to Waukon.
ESTABLISHING A TRADITION
This initial long distance bicycle ride began an ongoing tradition that would later that same year include the final portion of the 2017 Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) with Moses and Brainard taking bicycle trips on a regular basis in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. Brainard shared that after becoming more accustomed to longer bicycle routes, he challenged himself and Moses to increase their mileage in increments of five, 10, 15 or more miles with some longer routes reaching up to 100 miles, the first of which took place 11 months after that initial ride to Lansing.
Brainard noted that most routes average in the 40-60 mile range with 100-mile distances not being uncommon. Round-trip and one-way routes have included Minnesota stops in Rushford and Preston and Iowa towns including Lansing, Ridgeway, Calmar and Cresco, among others within a radius of Waukon.
After two years, Brainard and Moses both switched from a hybrid bicycle, a traditional lightweight bicycle platform with a flat handlebar, to a recumbent bicycle which provides greater comfort with the rider being able to pedal from a laid-back reclining position. This has eliminated much of the discomfort experienced from riding a more traditional hybrid bicycle on lengthy routes for Brainard, with some leg strain still being unavoidable.
HEALTH BENEFITS
From a health standpoint, Brainard experienced a nearly 30-pound weight loss within that first 11 months into long distance bicycling, a weight loss he has maintained in the years to follow. Moses experienced similar results with an earlier 18-pound weight loss, which he has maintained, months into his own retirement and decision to pursue bicycling as a hobby.
Brainard had quit smoking after 24 years, with bicycling being beneficial to his general health and energy levels in addition to being beneficial to his lung function. Brainard has experienced a dramatic decrease in his blood pressure since making bicycling a consistent activity in his life. His medical provider no longer describes his blood pressure as high but rather as below normal range. Without any blood pressure related lightheadedness, his doctor has advised him to continue with his current activity level.
CONSIDERABLE MILEAGE
Brainard noted that in the last year, he traveled 6,100 miles by bicycle, which is an increase from the 5,500 miles average of several previous years. In comparison, Brainard and his wife Kathy have only put 4,800 miles on three vehicles over the last year.
Brainard has kept track of his heart rate and mileage using a smart watch with GPS functionality and connectivity. The GPS function has allowed Brainard to keep an accurate record of his mileage and travels by bicycle.
INDOORS ALSO
Brainard shared that he enjoys riding a bicycle outdoors as much as possible throughout the year. As inclement weather, winter road conditions or temperatures become an issue, Brainard continues his bicycling routine indoors using a bike trainer/stand to allow his recumbent and hybrid bicycles to function as indoor stationary bicycles, both in the garage and within his computer room.
To replicate the outdoor bicycling experience, Brainard has used several YouTube channels including Jerry’s Scenic Indoor Cycling (www.youtube.com/@JerrysScenicCycling) on a Roku/Smart TV which includes GoPro footage of various bicycle routes from across the country specifically recorded for those using indoor stationary exercise bicycles. Playing this footage while bicycling indoors has provided a virtual reality experience that Brainard has utilized to keep himself motivated when outdoor travel is not possible due to cold temperatures or precipitation.
Beyond the health benefits, Brainard and Moses both discussed the social aspect of bicycling with friends and family members from Waukon and neighboring communities joining them on routes in northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. Both have reconnected with old friends and made new friends in their travels in Iowa and Minnesota, another welcome benefit from the many miles they’ve pedaled.
