Going Green: 80-year-old Abilenian makes good on promise to cycle 80 miles

Bo Green said he was going to celebrate Saturday afternoon.

Not his 80-mile bike ride but former Abilene Christian University administrator and state representative Bob Hunter's 94th birthday.

Hunter should've celebrated Saturday morning with Green, who, at age 80, rode 80 miles. Because he could.

But, more importantly, to benefit Meals on Wheels.

Before he pedaled from the Taylor Elementary School parking lot at 3 a.m., his effort had raised more than $5,000.

Betty Bradley, Meals on Wheels' longtime leader, said a check came in Friday for another $1,000 and she was told by others that "the check's in the mail."

Green's effort could net $7,000, she said.

"This has been a God-thing from the ground up," she said.

A superhero

"I think I'll stop in the shade," Green said after completing his ride at Meals on Wheels on North 10th Street.

A retired math professor, he was not cutting corners. Though, maybe taking them more slowly.

More on that in a moment.

Green and those who cycled with him toured a roughly 19-mile route four times. They'd call that a "gimme" in a friendly round of golf but Green, by golly, was going to ride 80 miles.

So, he rode 1.8 more miles to Meals on Wheels from the school to make if official.

He joked that some said he was so close to 100, why not go for that?

"I told them, 'When you get to be 80, ask me that again,'" he said, to laughter by those gathered at the finish line to celebrate his accomplishment.

"You're our superhero," Bradley said.

Before the sun came up

Three other men went the distance with Green — Kris Southward, Darren Wilson and Nathan Gibbs. Others rode one, two or three legs.

As for starting at 3 a.m., remember West Texas is baking under a heatwave. the projected high Saturday was to be 104 degrees, making it the 33rd day already at 100 or more.

Recently, the Saturday morning riding group went 60 miles starting at 6 a.m. They were fried by the time they finished.

So, Green and Co. bumped the start to 3 a.m. At the start, there were seven riders, equipped with lights, front and back. Also, Becky Green was following them with her lights bright to illuminate the road, and emergency lights flashing to warn motorists of slow traffic ahead.

She wore a T-shirt imprinted "Giving up is not an option."

Under his cycling jersey, her husband wore the same shirt.

Bad pavement always is a worry but this time, it also was critters on the trek. No one wanted a skunk to dash into their path.

it was 85 degrees at the start. At daybreak, when Green's group returned to Taylor halfway through the ride, it had cooled all the way to 80.

Green was in good spirits at that point, saying the second leg went better than the first. He was warmed up and the wind out of the south had died.

It would pick up later, especially on the fourth leg.

The cyclists twice crossed under Interstate 20 and rode on rural roads south of the Elmdale area.

They turned west and then north onto a smoothly paved portion of Elmdale Road. Green's speed topped 20 mph at points, especially on a nice downhill stretch.

All goes well

There were no mishaps. Which is a blessing when it comes to Green.

For starters, he was supposed to do this in 2021, on the occasion of his 80th birthday. But he lost control of his bike in gravel, crashed and fractured his femur.

Then, getting ready to do the ride as promised this year, he got shingles in March.

"That's no fun," he said.

That delayed his training.

But he trouped on and was ready Saturday.

Green said he depended on Wilson, a youngster in the group at 53 and his cycling buddy. Sort of a third wheel.

Wilson said this was about Green, who consistently does Route 9 for Meals on Wheels. It's a long route, one that takes drivers roughly the same direction as Saturday's ride to Eula. It covers about 60 miles.

That impresses Wilson.

"I want to be like Bo," Wilson said. "He is an inspiration, a model husband, friend and Christian."

It was Southward, Wilson said, who organized a Saturday morning riding group. They log from 20 to 30 miles at a moderate speed.

Wilson said the recent test ride showed they needed to start early to beat the heat.

"It got ugly," he said, laughing.

He was pleased how it turned out.

"This ride could've gone 100 different ways, but we definitely were blessed to have had a good day."

The riders on Leg 3 were delayed at the train crossing in Elmdale. Another rider on Leg 4 sustained a flat tire but two other riders assisted him getting back on the road.

For once, it was smooth sailing for Green.

Not Betty

As the group took photos, it was noted how long Bradley has been involved with Meals on Wheels. It's getting close to 50 years.

But, she said, she is not planning going to be like Bo.

"I'm not planning on doing (this) when I'm 80," she said.

Greg Jaklewicz is editor of the Abilene Reporter-News and general columnist. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com. 

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Going Green: Abilenian, 80, makes good on promise to cycle 80 miles