86-Year-Old Bike Rider Herb Hoerman Pedals for His Health

By Don Lowe

Herb Hoerman Fast Facts

Age: 86 years old  

Wife: Carol Lind Hoerman, married 49 years  

Children: Two daughters, Tracy Hoerman-Hall and Heather Hoerman-Barker  

Grandchildren: 2  

Great-Grandchildren: 4        

Hometown: Born in Otterville, Missouri, and lived most of his youth in Lamar, Missouri.  

Current Hometown: Carl Junction, Missouri        

High School Alma Mater/Year Graduated: Carthage High School/1957  

Professional Career: Worked for Atlas Powder in Joplin, Missouri, 33 years.    

Hobbies: Trains and history, mainly things like the Sante Fe Trail, and biking

Most adults in their 70s, 80s and 90s might not think about exercise much. But, 86-year-old Herb Hoerman of Carl Junction, Missouri, isn’t your typical senior citizen when it comes to keeping active.      

Herb is an avid bike rider who isn’t slowing down at his advanced age, and he says, “I really like it a lot. And it helps keep me in good shape. I don’t take any medicine either and, quoting my doctor, he says I’m in perfect health.”      

As his wife, Carol Hoerman sees firsthand her husband’s diligence every day but still finds herself astonished at how Herb keeps on going. She says, “I am amazed daily at the things this man can do at his age.  

“Much to my dismay, he still gets up on our roof to clean the gutters and shovels snow in the winter. I am most fortunate to have him as my husband. I am impressed he keeps on going. Even on days when I can tell he doesn’t feel up to par, he still goes out anyway.”

When Herb first gave biking a try, it wasn’t necessarily for any physical attributes. “I originally bought a Raleigh bike just for fun,” he says. “I rebuilt it and started riding.      

“I decided to purchase a better-quality bike, so I got an REI Randonee bike (designed for long-distance riding). It is heavier than I had anticipated, but I still managed to put 3,000 miles on that bike.”  

Bike riding is an ideal way for him to stay in better physical condition, and he says, “I like to stay fit, and this seemed like a good way to do it. And it has become something I just enjoy so much.”      

While Herb is passionate about cycling now, it wasn’t his favorite thing to do as a young boy in the late 1940s and early 1950s. “I had a bike when I was growing up and had a Kansas City Star paper route.      

“Unfortunately, my grades went down at school and Mom made me quit the paper route. But I wasn’t as interested in biking in my youth as I am now anyway. I liked to fish a lot back then.”  

Although it has never been about racing for Herb, in the early 2000s, he completed an impressive endurance ride. He says, “I have not done anything competitive but when I was in my 60s, I rode from Carl Junction to St. Louis (nearly 300 miles one way) in the middle of August.      

“I had planned to ride back but was just too tired to do it, so I called my wife and asked her to come and get me. I think I lost about five pounds on that trip.”      

Even though Herb might not be interested in races himself, he does have an appreciation for the most rigorous of all endurance competitions and says, “I really love watching the Tour de France. It is the best of the best. I also liked the Tour of Missouri (an event that took place a few years in the latter 2000s).”      

When it comes to the approach Herb takes with his own riding schedule, there’s still quite a bit of time devoted to biking even at an age that might not seem doable. He says, “It varies a lot how far I ride but my average now is probably 30 miles per week.      

“In years past, it used to be quite a bit more. I used to ride from Carl Junction to Carthage (about 15 miles one way) regularly but it got to be too much for me. When I ride now, it is generally for about an hour.”    

Herb has a specific location that appeals to him, and he says, “There is a trail close to home, the Ruby Jack Trail (16-mile multi-use trail, starting in Carthage, Missouri, in the east and finishing at the Kansas state line to the west. Mostly flat, the trail connects the towns of Carthage, Oronogo and Carl Junction).    

“I ride that trail regularly nowadays. I try to stay off the public highways for safety reasons where there’s just so much more traffic and vehicles going way too fast.”      

Bike riding has its demands. “It is difficult at my age. Some days it makes me a lot more tired than others. But all in all, I just think it is a great way for me to spend my time.”      

Herb also gets a great deal of satisfaction tinkering with his ride to make it just right for him. “I’ve added things to it and changed things out such as the seat, handlebars and stem, along with the brakes, gearing and pedals for types that suit me better. I don’t tell my wife how much money I’ve tied up in my bike.”      

As much time as Herb spends biking, that’s not all that keeps him so active. “Although I enjoy biking the most, I also run and workout at our local gym at the community center in Carl Junction.”      

Herb is a firm believer in all the benefits that go along with biking. “It is an all-around good way to exercise. It builds muscle endurance, and lung and heart health, all while you get to enjoy great scenery everywhere you ride.”      

While he isn’t out to serve as someone who provides anyone else a reason to follow in his footsteps, Herb says, “If I can be an inspiration to others, that is great.      

“But I just love biking so much. And I am a believer that it is the best thing for my own personal mental and physical well-being.”    

As for her support, Carol is happy to keep encouraging Herb. “My part in all of this is saying as he wheels his bike out the door – and, yes, that precious bike sleeps in the house – ‘Do you have your phone and water?’ and the ever annoying ‘Please, be careful.’      

“I am just so thrilled he is still able to do this as I know when the day comes that he can’t, he will not be a happy camper.”  

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