Montgomery County
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thisRiding into better health and a better state of mind
By Gerry Dungan
Photo by Gerry Dungan/Trend
Bill Cotton in his bicycle workshop, gears up for a training
session.
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Bill Cotton once road his bicycle to the ends of the Earth — at least,
that’s what he thought at the time.
“When I was a kid, growing up in St. Petersburg,” he said, recalling his Florida upbringing, “going to the other side of town seemed like the other side of the world.”
To say that he has a passion for cycling would be an understatement.
For his 75th birthday last June, Cotton rode his bike to Norfolk, Va., starting from his home in Cheltenham — a 282-mile journey, and that’s just one way.
His 70th birthday took him from Cheltenham to Ocean City, Md., where he road a total of 340 miles for 40 hours, 19 minutes and without any sleep.
“I always liked the feel of bicycles, riding by myself, under my own power,” he said.
But this feeling was long forgotten, until he was 35 and began teaching his then 11-year-old daughter how to ride.
Soon after, he bought himself a bike, and was happily riding a short distance to work.
Then, a nurse at the company where he worked, recommended that he see a doctor about his rising high blood pressure.
The doctor prescribed medication, however he wanted nothing to do with anything that might pollute his body, and immediately sought the opinion of another physician.
Of course, that doctor agreed with the first, and that’s when Cotton made the bargain to lower his blood pressure through increased cardiovascular exercise, done only through his bicycle. And, it worked.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a bicycle enthusiast,” he said. “I think I’m more of a health enthusiast.”
He said that cycling is an easy and very effective exercise, adding that a simple 10-mile trip a week, working up to a 30-mile trip, would quickly provide dramatic results for anyone interested in staying healthy.
As for Cotton, he trains everyday to maintain an average of one century a month — in bike terms, that means he rides at least 100 miles every four weeks.
“That was my way of doing something,” he said of his post-retirement days.
Cotton retired in 1987, after his career as a machinist in a North Philadelphia factory, and then as a night manager at the U.S. Mint. And, since his wife was still teaching at Logan Elementary School in Philadelphia, Cotton was given the perfect opportunity to really explore his passion.
He would create cue sheets (bicycle-friendly directions) from topographical maps, eventually upgrading to a slew of electronicdevices, including solar-paneled energy cells and a global positioning system (GPS), all of which he mounted on his bike with metal hardware he built himself.
He became associated with various cycling clubs, such as the Major Taylor Club of Newark, N.J., the Suburban Cyclists Unlimited and the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia.
He was asked to lead many of the routes he researched, and his e-mail inbox is often cluttered with requests or letters of gratitude for his cues.
His latest lead took members of the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia on a route from Oaks to Pottstown to Reading, following abandoned toll paths, canals and railroad lines along the scenic Schuylkill River.
He took his longest ride in 1998, when he mapped out a route from Philadelphia to Boston, which was nearly an 800-mile roundtrip voyage, because he wanted to take a slight detour through Long Island, N.Y.
The following year, he was featured in Bicycling Magazine on the recommendation of his peers at the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia. He was also profiled in an article with the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002.
But none of that fanfare really matters with Cotton. He is happiest riding solo at 11 m.p.h, where he can cruise effortlessly.
“It’s like meditation,” he said, smiling.
For his 76th birthday in June, Cotton is currently planning on making a personally unprecedented trip from Maine back to his hometown of St. Petersburg, Fla.
“When I was a kid, growing up in St. Petersburg,” he said, recalling his Florida upbringing, “going to the other side of town seemed like the other side of the world.”
To say that he has a passion for cycling would be an understatement.
For his 75th birthday last June, Cotton rode his bike to Norfolk, Va., starting from his home in Cheltenham — a 282-mile journey, and that’s just one way.
His 70th birthday took him from Cheltenham to Ocean City, Md., where he road a total of 340 miles for 40 hours, 19 minutes and without any sleep.
“I always liked the feel of bicycles, riding by myself, under my own power,” he said.
But this feeling was long forgotten, until he was 35 and began teaching his then 11-year-old daughter how to ride.
Soon after, he bought himself a bike, and was happily riding a short distance to work.
Then, a nurse at the company where he worked, recommended that he see a doctor about his rising high blood pressure.
The doctor prescribed medication, however he wanted nothing to do with anything that might pollute his body, and immediately sought the opinion of another physician.
Of course, that doctor agreed with the first, and that’s when Cotton made the bargain to lower his blood pressure through increased cardiovascular exercise, done only through his bicycle. And, it worked.
“I wouldn’t consider myself a bicycle enthusiast,” he said. “I think I’m more of a health enthusiast.”
He said that cycling is an easy and very effective exercise, adding that a simple 10-mile trip a week, working up to a 30-mile trip, would quickly provide dramatic results for anyone interested in staying healthy.
As for Cotton, he trains everyday to maintain an average of one century a month — in bike terms, that means he rides at least 100 miles every four weeks.
“That was my way of doing something,” he said of his post-retirement days.
Cotton retired in 1987, after his career as a machinist in a North Philadelphia factory, and then as a night manager at the U.S. Mint. And, since his wife was still teaching at Logan Elementary School in Philadelphia, Cotton was given the perfect opportunity to really explore his passion.
He would create cue sheets (bicycle-friendly directions) from topographical maps, eventually upgrading to a slew of electronicdevices, including solar-paneled energy cells and a global positioning system (GPS), all of which he mounted on his bike with metal hardware he built himself.
He became associated with various cycling clubs, such as the Major Taylor Club of Newark, N.J., the Suburban Cyclists Unlimited and the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia.
He was asked to lead many of the routes he researched, and his e-mail inbox is often cluttered with requests or letters of gratitude for his cues.
His latest lead took members of the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia on a route from Oaks to Pottstown to Reading, following abandoned toll paths, canals and railroad lines along the scenic Schuylkill River.
He took his longest ride in 1998, when he mapped out a route from Philadelphia to Boston, which was nearly an 800-mile roundtrip voyage, because he wanted to take a slight detour through Long Island, N.Y.
The following year, he was featured in Bicycling Magazine on the recommendation of his peers at the Bicycle Club of Philadelphia. He was also profiled in an article with the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002.
But none of that fanfare really matters with Cotton. He is happiest riding solo at 11 m.p.h, where he can cruise effortlessly.
“It’s like meditation,” he said, smiling.
For his 76th birthday in June, Cotton is currently planning on making a personally unprecedented trip from Maine back to his hometown of St. Petersburg, Fla.
Details of 76th birthday ride here http://www.billcotton.com/my_76th_birthday_rides.htm
But, for now, he is simply content on riding along the edge of his known
world.
For more
information, visit Cotton's Web site at www.billcotton.com.
