Post by kickstandman on Nov 8, 2015 1:42:30 GMT
Too bad he's not riding the Viscount, it'd be sharp in the photos at the webpage. This story is only from October 1, 2015:
Florida man to bike 80 miles for 80th birthday
MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Tell a typical visitor to the Brevard Zoo in Viera to hop on a bicycle and start pedaling north up Interstate 95 — all the way to Daytona International Speedway.
Few could finish this grueling trek. And for those who did? Likely results include thirst ... aching backs ... stabbing pains in the thighs ... sore hands and shaky forearms. And a deep desire to shower, eat and sleep.
Not so for longtime cyclist Joe Grinarml, past president of the Space Coast Freewheelers bicycle club. Saturday morning, the newly minted Merritt Island octogenarian will celebrate his 80th birthday by leading a group of bikers on an 80-mile scenic ride Saturday. That's the equivalent of the zoo-to-racetrack endurance journey.
"Bicycling's been really positive for me, and I'll tell you exactly why. I can eat what I want, whenever I want, and I don't have to worry about putting on a lot of weight. And that's the best thing about bicycling," said Grinarml, an admitted lasagna fan.
Hired in 1962 as a General Dynamics engineer at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Grinarml worked on the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile program for five years before joining NASA's manned space program. He logged time with the Apollo and shuttle programs before retiring in 1995.
The biking bug bit Grinarml back in 1978, during the Jimmy Carter presidency, when he borrowed his daughter's bike and rode to work a couple of times from his north Merritt Island home. Then he bought a used Viscount bicycle for $100 off his friend Irv Hays in Cocoa Beach. Grinarml described Hays as "the heart and soul" of the Space Coast Freewheelers in those days.
After getting "hooked" during a group ride, Grinarml has been a club member for more than 35 years. The group issued a press release announcing his birthday ride: "If you ride a bike in the Space Coast area and you get passed by an energetic senior, it's likely to be Joe Grinarml."
Joe Grinarml, retired NASA engineer, turns 80 on Friday
Joe Grinarml, retired NASA engineer, turns 80 on Friday and on Saturday is going to celebrate with 80 mile bicycle ride. (Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)
In 2004 at age 68, Grinarml and George Manning, 65, of Titusville pedaled from San Diego, California to Brevard County in five and a half weeks. Grinarml has also biked cross-country from Merritt Island to Oregon.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/01/biker-80-miles-birthday/73175080/
Florida man to bike 80 miles for 80th birthday
MELBOURNE, Fla. -- Tell a typical visitor to the Brevard Zoo in Viera to hop on a bicycle and start pedaling north up Interstate 95 — all the way to Daytona International Speedway.
Few could finish this grueling trek. And for those who did? Likely results include thirst ... aching backs ... stabbing pains in the thighs ... sore hands and shaky forearms. And a deep desire to shower, eat and sleep.
Not so for longtime cyclist Joe Grinarml, past president of the Space Coast Freewheelers bicycle club. Saturday morning, the newly minted Merritt Island octogenarian will celebrate his 80th birthday by leading a group of bikers on an 80-mile scenic ride Saturday. That's the equivalent of the zoo-to-racetrack endurance journey.
"Bicycling's been really positive for me, and I'll tell you exactly why. I can eat what I want, whenever I want, and I don't have to worry about putting on a lot of weight. And that's the best thing about bicycling," said Grinarml, an admitted lasagna fan.
Hired in 1962 as a General Dynamics engineer at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Grinarml worked on the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile program for five years before joining NASA's manned space program. He logged time with the Apollo and shuttle programs before retiring in 1995.
The biking bug bit Grinarml back in 1978, during the Jimmy Carter presidency, when he borrowed his daughter's bike and rode to work a couple of times from his north Merritt Island home. Then he bought a used Viscount bicycle for $100 off his friend Irv Hays in Cocoa Beach. Grinarml described Hays as "the heart and soul" of the Space Coast Freewheelers in those days.
After getting "hooked" during a group ride, Grinarml has been a club member for more than 35 years. The group issued a press release announcing his birthday ride: "If you ride a bike in the Space Coast area and you get passed by an energetic senior, it's likely to be Joe Grinarml."
Joe Grinarml, retired NASA engineer, turns 80 on Friday
Joe Grinarml, retired NASA engineer, turns 80 on Friday and on Saturday is going to celebrate with 80 mile bicycle ride. (Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)
In 2004 at age 68, Grinarml and George Manning, 65, of Titusville pedaled from San Diego, California to Brevard County in five and a half weeks. Grinarml has also biked cross-country from Merritt Island to Oregon.
www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/01/biker-80-miles-birthday/73175080/
