Laura Brandon, left, and Jill Bell have been friends for years. Brandon, 66, rode her bicycle 33 miles from her home to Bell's Thursday morning. (T-G Photo by Mary Reeves) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

"I ride the bicycle so I can ride the horse," said the 66-year-old woman.

Although she and her husband, retired trainer Wallace Brandon, live in Franklin, they spend lots of time in Shelbyville. They have some horses in training here, including Hickory Sinatra, a contender for the 3-year-old mare and gelding world championship, training at Rising Star farms.

So when she decided to come over for a visit and a ride, she thought she'd use one mode of transportation to get to the other. On Thursday morning, she rode her bicycle the 33 miles between her home and that of Jill Bell, a long-time friend.

"She's an amazing person," said Jill. "We've known each other a long time. She's my daughter's grandmother."

The original plan was to have Laura bike over last week, but a sudden bout of summer flu attacked.

"When she called and told me she was sick, I thought she was just trying to get out of this," said Jill, laughing.

"No, she was really sick," said Dan Groover, grandson of walking horse trainer Wink Groover, who accompanied her on the ride.

Groover often joins Laura when she's out riding. She likes the company, but not enough to join another bike club.

"I used to belong to club in Franklin," said Laura. "I've been riding horses all my life and never fell off. In the club, I fell off and broke my arm."

Although the bicyclists in Franklin often take long road trips, this is the farthest she has ridden herself. It took three hours and 15 minutes to get to Jill's house, with lots of hills in between. She's been doing what she calls "casual biking" for about 10 years now, a good way to stay in shape for riding horses. When she arrived, she showed no signs of being tired.

'We started at 6 a.m.," said Laura. "It was nice and cool. We stopped twice for short breaks and a couple of times for a drink of water."

As soon as she got off her bike, she made a joke.

"Headline -- famous horse people have to ride bikes because they can't afford gas."

Laura's attitudes reflect the changing lifestyles of senior citizens. She doesn't like the idea of sitting around an "old folks' home" very much.

"Not this old folk," Laura said. "I'm still out looking for new adventures."

She has traveled around the world, and as soon as the Celebration is over, she and Wallace are off to a safari in South Africa. When she isn't judging horse shows (she has been a Celebration judge in the past and worked the Woodbury show last weekend), she's scuba diving, horseback riding -- or biking.

"We won't ride home," she said. Wallace arrived with a truck to carry the bikes -- and the cyclists -- back to Franklin. "It's too hot! We could do it ... but it would be a lot slower."