- Occupation: Software Developer
- Hobbies: Bicycling and Woodworking
- Age: 52
- Cyclist since: 1972
Remember riding your bike as a kid – the wind in your hair, the sound of tires on a gravel road? Or cruising the neighborhood with no particular place to go?
Terry Bennett remembers, and it’s one part of childhood he refuses to give up.
Terry is the ride leader of the Wausau Wheelers’ “blue group,” which he calls an “unapologetically easy-going and laid-back ride.”
For many club members, this is introduction to group cycling. “We do a 10-to-14-mile ride at speeds not exceeding 10 miles per hour. It’s essentially the neighborhood bike ride you used to do as a kid, but perhaps without the playing cards in your spokes,” adds Terry.
The 52-year-old software developer vividly the time that he and his dad “lifted” his 1974 20″ Columbia Tripper bike by putting a 26″ fork on it.
“I rode that bike everywhere!” says Terry. It’s an experience that has stuck with him all his life.
And it’s one he was determined to pass along to his own family. They joined the Wheelers in 2005 and rode with the Thursday Night Family Group Ride.
“Over the years, we’ve had so many adventures on our bikes,” including the time that he and his (then) five-year-old son rode the Mountain Bay Trail 89 miles from Wausau to Green Bay.
“We did it over three days, camping and buying lots of ice cream along the way!”
His whole family has become involved in cycling in various ways.
“My son converted an old ’70s Nishiki frame into a left-hand-drive fixie (a fixed-gear bike).”
Terry’s daughter, too, caught the cycling bug. “She raced for Wausau United Mountain Bike team, and she continues to help coach the team,” says Terry.
Terry’s wife Janet is no stranger to cycling either. “As a family we’ve done the Pedal Across Lower Michigan (PALM) event,” said Terry. “It’s a great family-friendly event. The daily mileage is relativity short, and the terrain is flat.” The six-day ride, which totals nearly 300 miles, attracts cyclists of all ages.
Janet is looking forward to the day she rides the PALM with her grandkids.
As for Terry, his cycling habit knows few limits. He rides year-round – with a recumbent, gravel bike, a fat bike – whatever suits the season.
“When you own a fat bike, there is never an off-season,” says Terry.
Of the many trails he’s ridden, the Elroy Sparta Trail is his favorite. “It is a trail that can be enjoyed by cyclists of all levels – a great family destination and part of a much larger trail corridor for advanced riders.”
He someday plans to ride the MS150 – a two-day, 150-mile fundraiser for multiple sclerosis. “It’s a great event for a great cause.”
Mission: Blue Group
Terry took a hiatus from the club when life became too busy with other family activities but rejoined in 2017 to lead the Blue Group.
“Cycling is a lifelong activity that promotes physical and mental wellbeing. I have dealt with obesity my whole life. I do not know where I would be if I didn’t have this one form of exercise that I enjoy.
“I never want someone to feel like they must graduate from the Blue Group,” says Terry. Some riders do choose to move up once they’ve built up some confidence. Some people come back and ride with us after a surgery … or while dealing with a chronic health issue.
In fact, it’s those who have survived things like strokes, heart attacks, bike accidents, chronic diseases, and cancer that inspire Terry. “These people all have an excuse to not go out and bike again, but they do.”
An open invitation
If you haven’t tried group cycling, there’s an open invitation to try with the blue group and not feel out of place. “Some people wear full kits, and some people wear just normal street clothes,” says Terry. All are welcome.
“Just go on a ride for the fun of it; it’s good for the soul; it’s good for your heart. If you enjoy it, you will continue doing it. Don’t focus on big distances at first, just try to get out every day and ride a little. And don’t forget the Sunscreen.”
“And,” Terry adds, “if you aren’t smiling, you are doing it wrong!”
