Burt Darmour is not crazy. His mother had him tested.
The “Big Bang Theory” reference isn’t lost on those who’ve encountered Burt on his latest adventure – riding his bike cross country to join his ‘Berg classmates for his 60th reunion this weekend.
Burt left his Boulder, Colorado, home on May 21 and rolled onto campus Tuesday morning – a little road-weary, hungry and good humor intact. He’s put more miles on his bike than many people have on their cars!
Burt’s journey back to Heidelberg took him on primarily two-lane highways, riding an average of nine hours and 60-80 miles a day. He plotted the trip so he’d stop overnight in towns with hotels – some more comfortable than others – and restaurants on the route. Along the way, he met some lovely, helpful and curious people, many of whom asked him the same three questions: “How far are you riding?” “How old are you?” And, “Are you crazy? “
For the record: He rode 1,300 miles. He is 82 years old. As for the third, “They either asked me that question or just assumed that I was,” he joked.
Assumption or not, you have to admire Burt’s sense of adventure and stamina. This is the fourth time he’s made this trek back to Ohio – for his 25th and 50th Heidelberg reunions and his 50th high school class reunion in Parma.
“All in all, I decided I would soon be entering my senior years and I may not feel like doing this for my 75th reunion,” he said. “Before I get old, I thought it’d be a nice thing to do.”
In all seriousness, though, having a purpose for training is Burt’s motivation. “I suppose it’s the same reason people climb Mount Everest and do all sorts of crazy things. It motivates me to train hard instead of riding just to have fun.”
Burt and his wife, Sylvia, ’59, were married in 1957 soon after he graduated from Heidelberg. He bought her a bike for a wedding gift and purchased one for himself. The couple has been riding ever since.
As distance rides go, this one was fairly uneventful. Two flat tires – including one just 2 miles from his home the morning he departed – and a couple of warnings for riding on a limited-access highway and an interstate (which is not allowed in many states) could not deter him.
The biggest challenge, he said, is avoiding boredom. “It’s important to keep your mind on what you’re doing,” Burt said. “It’s pretty boring riding in Nebraska with 400 miles of cornfields and then in Iowa, with another 300 miles of corn fields.” Paying close attention to traffic, though, helps him maintain his focus. “Ten years ago, I wasn’t worried about people talking on cell phones and texting. … Safety on the road is really important – the cars, the trucks and the potholes.”
Typically, his days began about 7:15 a.m. and ended in the late afternoon. He rode four consecutive days and then took every fifth day off to rest.
Burt travels light. In addition to his bike, his luggage includes a small attached pack with 9 pounds of gear: a radio, an electric razor, toothpaste. “There’s no place to carry food. Some days, I lived on donuts and blueberry muffins,” he said.
Now that he’s reached his destination, it’s time join his ’57 to classmates to celebrate their Heidelberg days and appreciate the additions to the campus since his last visit 10 years ago. Hoernemann Stadium, which opened in 2012, caught his eye as he wheeled into town.
Sylvia flew in on Wednesday to meet up with Burt. The two will fly back to Boulder on Monday.
Burt figures if he biked all the way back home, he’d exceed the 10,000-mile threshold his surgeon gave him when he had both knees replaced a couple years ago!
See the full schedule for Alumni Weekend.