The 21 stages in the 2023 Tour de France will have bicyclists take off from the Basque Country of northern Spain and ride 3,404 kilometers across five French mountain ranges (including a time trial in the Alps), the scenic Bordeaux wine country, and the fashionable streets of Paris.
The top cyclists from around the world will challenge the course. So will a few guys like Richard Bradley ’61 who joyride onto the closed circuit of the most prestigious of the three Grand Tour professional races.
While those jaunts were years ago, how does this 84-year-old still pedal faster than his peers? He credits his Lehigh preparation.
Life at Lehigh
It was a balancing act of academics, social life, and athletics — not necessarily in that order. My high school didn’t have a football team. We played soccer instead and were consistent state champions. When I got to Lehigh, I played on the freshman team with freshman coach Lehman while Bill Christian was the varsity coach. Bill was prolific at cursing and told us we’d never lose a (bleeping) game by being out of shape. He worked us hard. We played Drexel in the Mid Atlantic Championship. This was before the NCAA had a national championship. Our team was rated #2 in the nation behind Drexel.
I was then recruited for the wrestling team. I was 6’4” and 190 pounds. The coach wanted me to spar (as fodder) with the other guys at the top weight class. I wasn’t that interested in wrestling, but it did get me out of some required ROTC drills and physical education, so I joined. Sadly, a friend who was goofing around tackled me from behind, which wrecked my back and ended my collegiate athletics career.
Socially, I was a member of Sigma Chi. I held a number of leadership positions in the fraternity. I know the guys in the house appreciated my Wall Street Journal subscription that continued to be delivered to them for years after I graduated.
My major was in finance. I created an area that suited my interests in international trade and finance. Soon, the College of Business liked the course path I had made and adopted it for others.
Career trajectory
I was married when I graduated. My wife and I were both from Chatham, New Jersey. My father had a funeral home there, and I entered the business, earning a degree and license in funeral services. I grew the business over the years from one location to five with the help of my son. I liked all aspects of the business and used my accounting, economics, and counseling skills.
That’s what Lehigh does well: prepare people to be hard-working assets no matter where they go or what they do. My son now operates the business, and I am retired, living in Vero Beach, Florida.
Finding bike riding
When my back was feeling better, I began to play basketball, but over time, I tore up my knee. As part of rehabilitation, I could either swim or ride the bike. I tried swimming but biking felt like a better fit for me. I started to ride in town and at our home on the Jersey shore.
Soon a group, the Atlantic Bicycle Club, asked me to ride with them. When they saw that I was fast, they then asked me to race with them, Team Atlantic. I was in the 50+ age bracket back then, but I still did well and had fun. I have raced in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Over the years I have had the good fortune of multiple wins in the New Jersey and Florida State Championships. I had a great time in Italy racing for the first Colavita team where we did very well in all the age categories.
Crashing the Tour de France
I did it twice, once in 1999 and then again in 2000. The roads on the course close over two hours before the race. That’s when riders like me jump on. You pedal along and soon a gendarme blows a whistle and tells you to exit. You don’t. You keep pedaling.
An hour before the racers come through, a caravan comes barreling down the course. It has cars, trucks, and motorcycles filled with advertisements, food, and other items. The motorbike gendarmes with the caravan tell you to exit, NOW! You get out of their way but get back on and keep riding. Finally, the last group of gendarmes catches you. They are right ahead of the cyclists. That’s when you exit. When they threaten to seize your bike and not return it, that’s when you know you’re done.
Then the racers zip past. You wait for the broom wagon to come along. It picks up riders who are hurt or unable to complete that stage. Once the wagon goes past, you jump back on. It doesn’t mean the gendarmes like it.
I spent a week on rides during the tour in two different regions, the Ardenne and Alsace. I did know the U.S. Postal Service team, both the operators and riders. So I knew Lance Armstrong and George Hincapie. While security keeps you away from the teams in France, I got to meet them at other races and rides in the U.S., like when world championships were held in Richmond, Virginia. The access to them is different. They were all very friendly and approachable.
Cool rides
I have been on several cool rides, like Pedal the Peaks in Colorado and Cycle Oregon. I rode with Lance and thousands of others on RAGBRAI, Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. I’ve ridden across Iowa in RAGBRAI 30 times, and that ride is just celebrating its 50th anniversary. Each year there is a new route.
It’s like a big house party at Lehigh spread over seven days. Bicycles. Food. Music. Beer. We average 50-80 miles a day, six and a half days, for 450 to 500 miles. And Iowa is not flat! There are hills and valleys and thunderstorms, floods, and tornadoes.
Back in the saddle
In 2000, I was taken down by another rider during a warmup at a race. I was in the hospital where I got a rod stabilizing my pelvis, and a plate with 14 screws on my clavicle. It has taken a couple years, but I am back on my bike. I have competed in some time trials and road races. There are only two guys in the 80+ age bracket in Florida right now, so I still bring home a few medals. But riding, for me at this point, is great exercise. I have made many good friends and enjoy the freedom of being on the road.