But what started out as exercise ended up a hobby. Now VanDenover bikes around 20 miles a day when the weather permits. On Tuesday nights, he joins a group of bikers and rides between 10 and 17 miles. The group ride is open for anyone and has both a fast and slow group. VanDenover's addiction is a healthy one, for mental reasons as well as physical.
Studies show that aerobic exercise does more for depression than chemical treatment.
VanDenover says he finds euphoria in biking. VanDenover's pull toward biking brought him into Rydjor Bike Shop so many times that it was almost natural for him to be asked to work there when an opening occurred. Now VanDenover works two days a week at Rydjor doing sales and mechanical work and cleans up the shop on Fridays. Before VanDenover became interested in biking, he was an employee of Hormel. He spent 35 years working in the packinghouse until he retired in 1986.