Yet Tim Bright is peddling a Raleigh Chopper for 1,700 miles around the coast of England and Wales, as well as a lengthy detour into Scotland.
The 57-year-old set off from Cromer in April and has already spent more than 100 days in the saddle.
To make his feat even more impressive, he was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia in 2016.
Tim Bright and Sue Bright are cycling the British Coast (Image: Supplied)
Mr Bright, a farm manager, said his bike ride was to show what was still possible.
“I wanted to show people that life goes on,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter how ill you are, time carries on and it doesn’t stop for you.”
He chose the Chopper for his trek after his father discovered his brother’s old bike in a neighbour’s shed.
Although that one was not fit for the long journey, Mr Bright found a similar model in better condition.
“It’s a real talking point,” he said.
“People come up and say they had one when they were younger. The kindness has been incredible.”
However, the Chopper has struggled with the demands placed on it and has required repeated repairs along the way, including rewelding and wheel rebuilds.
The welding of the cracks and some bracing was fixed and added to the bike. (Image: Supplied)
Mr Bright’s own health has also presented problems, requiring occasional trips to hospitals.
He set off travelling clockwise from Cromer and has already completed the east and south coast as well as Wales and north west England.
He had planned to carry on north through Scotland but turned south at Falkirk, due to a combination of health concerns and serious mechanical problems.
Mr Bright said: “The back wheel didn’t feel right, and when it was checked the frame had snapped in seven places.
“If we’d gone further into the Highlands, we might not have been able to get it fixed.
“I’d already been to hospital a couple of times, and the bike just wasn’t right.
“It could have been dangerous to carry on.”
Tim Bright has been tracking his journey. (Image: Supplied)
The physical and mental strain has been constant, particularly in the early days when severe weather nearly ended the challenge.
But there have also been moments of elation, including a rain-soaked stretch in Cornwall.
“I couldn’t see out of my glasses and I was soaked through,” he said. “But I felt so alive. It was incredible.”
Mr Bright is undertaking the trip with wife Sue, an NHS worker, travelling alongside him by car to offer support.
Tim’s wife, Sue, has been driving in a support car (Image: Supplied)
The couple have taken unpaid leave and are funding the trip themselves to raise money for Cancer Research UK.
They have so far raised more than £10,000.
Mrs Bright said: “We are so proud of Tim. The support we’ve had has been heart warming.”
A DESIGN CLASSIC
The Chopper, with its distinctive long banana seat, raised handlebars and outsized rear wheel, was first launched by Nottingham firm Raleigh in 1969.
The design was influenced by ‘chopped’ motorcycles, modified vehicles popularised by films like The Wild One and Easy Rider.
More than one million were sold and the bicycle has become one of the most enduring cultural symbols of the 1970s.