Joplin Globe Newspaper

Nevada man, 64, planning cross-country bike ride

By Andra Bryan Stefanoni Globe Staff Writer The Joplin Globe Sat Apr 16, 2011, 10:52 PM CDT

Contributed Photo

NEVADA, Mo. — A 64-year-old Nevada man is in training to celebrate his next birthday in a big way.

Frank Briscoe, who refers to himself as the “old guy on a bicycle,” has pledged to ride more than 6,000 miles across the United States.

It’s partly about the physical journey, partly about the emotional and spiritual one, and partly about a dream he had as a Boy Scout some 50 years ago.

“I read a series of articles in Boys Life magazine about a Boy Scout who rode his bike across America,” he said. “The seed was planted way back then when I vowed I would someday do it. I never expected it would take me more than 50 years, but this is the right time and for all of the right reasons.”

Always an outdoorsman, Briscoe began riding a bike about five years ago when other forms of physical recreation started taking their toll. Since then, he’s logged more than 17,000 miles on roads, trails and his indoor spinner.

Inspiration and motivation for a cross-country ride came from “a very wise man who just before he passed at age 77 said to me, ‘Don’t wait until you’re 65 to begin enjoying life. Do it now while you’re healthy and able,’” said Briscoe.

He was further inspired when he took on the challenge of the MS150 bike ride and heard a speaker who was living with multiple sclerosis.

“That touched me very dearly,” he said.

So he pledged to raise $10,000 toward research and a cure, using his planned cross-country ride as an avenue for raising the funds.

“It’s becoming personal for me,” he said. “The Ozark region alone has more than 8,000 MS victims. I’ve come to know many of them over the years and have seen firsthand their courage in coping with this debilitating disease each day. That’s why I am setting my fundraising goal as aggressively as the disease.”

Symbolically, Briscoe had his bike painted red, white and blue. He calls it “Spirit” as a nod to both patriotism and his adventure.

For four months, Briscoe will bike across 16 states, from northwestern Anacortes in Washington state to southeastern Key West in Florida. If all goes well, the first stage of his adventure will bring him through Pittsburg, Kan., on June 26, with the group “Bike the US for MS” that came through last summer.

“I look forward to the panoramic views, the incredible people I will meet along the way and exercising my body, mind and soul,” Briscoe said.

He’ll celebrate his 65th birthday in July while on the ride.

Ahead of the ride

Meanwhile, Frank Briscoe is blogging at www.oldguyonabicycle.com, selling “Say No to MS” athletic socks, and will speak to area clubs and organizations about his journey in hopes of meeting his fundraising goal.

Follow