Just days before New Year’s Eve, while many were planning a New Year’s resolution that would not last past February, 70-year-old Ridgeland resident D.I. Smith completed his 2016 goal to bike 1,000 miles a month for the year.
Smith completed his 12,000-mile goal on Dec. 29, just days after he biked 70 miles on December 23 to commemorate his 70th birthday, a yearly tradition for many avid cyclists and a particular milestone that stood out to Smith as a “highlight.”
Even broken down into digestible bites, say 33 miles a day, the feat does not seem any less daunting.
“I just have to give praise and glory to the Lord who has allowed me to have my health and reach this level of fitness to accomplish my goals,” Smith said. “It has been exciting. Cycling opens up so many new friendships that I may have not had otherwise or known existed.”
He added that the hobby-turned-obsession lost him nearly 30 pounds and put him back at the weight he was when he enlisted in the military in 1969.
While Smith did not hop on his bike every day of the week, he knocked out a good portion of his miles during long early morning rides with a handful of cyclists in his neighborhood that includes Mayor Gene McGee.
“We try meet up in the neighborhood around 4:20 every morning and we have between three and seven of us depending on the day,” Smith, who also serves as Ridgeland’s Alderman-at-Large, said.
In the winter months, Smith took specific pride in bundling up and taking his bike into the thick, wet, Mississippi cold.
“One of my objectives early on was to prove it could be done anytime of year, even in cold weather,” Smith said
Smith first bought his bike in 2004 to compete in triathlons.
“Some people I would swim with at the gym said I should give one a try, but quickly found out that no one wants to lend you their bike, even for an afternoon event,” Smith said with a chuckle.
In 2004 and 2005 Smith competed in seven triathlons and fell in love with the disciplined nature of long distance competition.
Smith took a nine-year hiatus from cycling after Hurricane Katrina hit and he had a nasty spill in 2014 that he thought would take him off his bike for good.
“A lot of people thought I would never get back on a bike,” Smith said.
But never the less, he did pick the sport back up and finished 2014 with just under 5,000 miles on the road.
2015 saw him eager to push the limits of what he could accomplish on a bike. He set a goal to ride six or seven thousand miles that year, but blew past that goal getting s closer to 9,000.
Ridgeland is well known as one of the most cycling friendly cities in the state and Smith said he is glad to live and serve in a community that values health and fitness.
“We are so fortunate to have the multi-use trails and Natchez Trace access that we have,” Smith said. “We really do have some first-class shops that sell the necessary equipment and have specific expertise.”
While racing towards his goal Smith made appearances in a variety of local rides and functions and took second in all four cycling events at the Mississippi Senior Olympics which qualified him for the Senior Games in Birmingham in June. Smith said in training for the event he will be concentrating on specific aspects, like managing his weight and muscles, and will likely only put about 9,000 miles on the road in 2017.
