Nationality American Known for Cycling | Name Ken Kifer Role Bicyclist | |
 | ||
Died September 14, 2003, Alabama, United States | ||
The Trip!
Ken Kifer (October 23, 1945 – September 14, 2003) was an American writer, bicyclist and webmaster. Kifer was a Walden scholar and admirer of Henry David Thoreau, and wrote Analysis and Notes on Walden. His website is still a source of information on bicycling and especially bicycle touring.
Contents
Kifer was killed by a drunk driver in September 2003 while riding his bicycle 6 miles (9.7 km) from his home near Scottsboro, Alabama, USA.
Biography
Kifer was born in Pittsburgh to Paul and Dorothy Kifer and moved to Gadsden, Alabama in 1954. He attended Jacksonville State University and was a fan of caving. A keen cyclist, his first long bicycle trip was from Gadsden to British Columbia, a route of some 2,500 miles (4,000 km) that was mentioned in the local newspaper.
Kifer recounts an anecdote where, when cycling back to Alabama, he met two men in Roanoke, Virginia who admired his courage and fitness. One of the men, aged 43, said "I'd like to do something like that, if I were as young as you are." Kifer revealed that he was 51. Kifer has said "I never lift weights, I never condition my abs, I never stretch, I never diet, I seldom see a doctor, I just walk and ride my bike ... Cycling keeps me lean, fit and healthy, and happy. I know that my own move back to the bike was the best decision I ever made."
Kifer was an admirer of Henry David Thoreau, and was of the opinion that Thoreau "based his philosophy on ageless truths from the past and looked into the future".