Rolling along

mileage he put on his bike.

Eves keeps track of his mileage through a small cycling computer as well as the Strava cycling app.

The primary motivation Eves has to keep up his biking in his 70s is to keep his health in check.

“I try to keep active,” he said. “When you get older everything hurts, but you have to move as much as you can — as long as you have your health you should be as active as you can.”

Eves was in his late 30s when he borrowed one of his son’s mountain bikes to take it for a ride. He found it enjoyable and easier on the body than his old exercise regimen.

“I used to jog when I was younger, but it’s hard on the knees,” he said.

He eventually bought himself a bike, and his appreciation for riding began to grow.

“I enjoy biking,” he said. “It’s peaceful.”

Eves also finds biking to be beneficial for his back. .

“I have back troubles and it seems to help my back quite a bit,” he said.

The owner of a truck transportation company, Eves typically fits in rides in between his work schedule. He prefers starting his rides about 1 to 1:30 p.m. during the week and 9 to 9:30 a.m. on weekends.

“I go when there’s no traffic,” he said. “You want to stay off the road when people are going home from work.”

In addition to carving out time for biking, Eves also sets aside plenty of time for travel with his wife. They love skiing on the West Coast as well as abroad.

“I have two trips planned,” he said. “We’re going to Austria and Germany skiing and then a week of skiing in Italy.”

On a trip he has planned to Mazatlan, Mexico, Eves plans to rent a bike to keep up his riding.

When Eves departs on rides from his home, he sticks to back roads for his routes and avoids biking during rush hour.

“I don’t like to ride on main roads,” he said.

While Eves rides yearround, you won’t find him out in the bitter cold, and he’s not particularly fond of high temperatures either, but he grins and bears it.

“The first five miles is the hardest to get moving,” he said. “I’ll sweat a lot.”

As we settle into fall with cooler temperatures, Eves said this weather is ideal for him to do his rides.

“It’s perfect weather to bike right now,” he said. “You throw on a windbreaker and off you go.”

COURTESY OF CHAR EVES Dennis R. Eves often keeps up his biking regimen on his travels.