Dedicated cyclist. When presented with this description, many people picture a guy in his 20s with spandex pants and a sleek black helmet. In this case, the dedicated cyclist breaks the mold — he is 64 years old.

"Last week, I finished a 62-mile ride here in Kansas," said Roger Allerheiligen, the 64-year-old cyclist. "A lot of kids bike on campus or in town, but it's kind of a deep thing to say you rode 60 miles. It's an accomplishment."

In addition to being above the expected age range for an avid bicyclist, Allerheiligen snaps the stereotype of the decked-out daredevil — he is scared of bike shoes.

"I'm still not quite comfortable with the bicycle shoes that have the clips on them," he admitted. "They seem a little claustrophobic."

Despite his fear of specialized footwear, Allerheiligen has gone far — literally. He usually travels 20-30 miles per ride, and last summer he biked 150 miles in 5 days to Frisco, Colo.

"Generally, a rider that can perform at that level is a very advanced rider," said Aaron Apel, co-owner and head mechanic at Big Poppi Bicycle Co., a Manhattan bicycle shop. "Most people don't get into biking near that much. It would take a well-conditioned person who is dedicated to what they do. He must have a passion for it, especially to be riding up into his 60s."

Though Allerheiligen is passionate about biking now, he wasn't always interested in the sport. Just four years ago, he didn't even own a bicycle.

"My brother's always been an active person — played a lot of racquetball — so when I upgraded my solo bike, I said, ‘Hey, why don't you buy my bike?'" said Dennis Allerheiligen, Roger's brother. "I think I kind of pushed him into it."

The next weekend, Dennis took Roger on his first major ride — from Council Grove to Cottonwood Falls and back, which is about 50 miles. From then on, Roger was hooked.

"He called me the other day and said, ‘I'm halfway to Hanover!' and I was like, ‘You've got to be kidding me!'" Dennis said. "He just decided last week that he was going to ride his bike from Manhattan to Hanover. He's a real strong rider, and he seems to enjoy it."

Roger's next goal is to ride 100 miles.

"I haven't done that yet, but I imagine it would be quite a thrill," he said.