TOWN OF CEDARBURG, Wis. — Not even an ankle replacement surgery could stop a lifelong Cedarburg resident from celebrating his 95th birthday on the road.
Don Ertl just turned 95, and to this day, he is still averaging 1,800 miles on his bike every single year. From his Cedarburg home, he commonly bikes upwards of 30 miles to neighboring towns like Oostburg and even down to Downtown Milwaukee.
"I bought a real cheap [bike], because I didn't know if I would like it or not," Ertl said. "When you're riding by yourself, you can just start thinking about all kinds of stuff you want to do."
Don spent five decades exploring the country as a truck driver. He didn't regularly ride a bike until the early 1990s. He was inspired to get on the road by a friend, who planned buy a bike for their daughter.
"I do not have an electric bike, ever," Ertl said. "I still pedal!"
A few years ago, Don started feeling pain in some of his joints. He received two surgeries at the nearby Aurora Medical Center in Grafton, a hip replacement and later an ankle replacement.
Watch: 95-year-old Cedarburg biker back on the road following ankle replacement surgery
Dr. Eric Malicky, MD performed the ankle surgery almost one year ago.
"A lot of folks might call it quits. They might sit on a couch the rest of their life, and that wasn't Don — His motivation is an inspiration to us all."
Through Don's determination, he is back to riding his bike at least a few times every week.
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