A 75-year-old Scottsdale man realized a life-long dream by bicycling across the country just one year after his anterior hip replacement surgery. We’ll show you more about Mountz’s incredible journey.
TED SIMONS: A Scottsdale native didn't let a hip replacement get in the way of his dream of riding a bicycle across the country. Producer Allyson Cummings and photographer Langston Fields have the story.
ALLYSON CUMMINGS: Riding a bicycle across the country was at the top of 75 year old Bob Mountze's bucket list.
BOB MOUNTZ: Well I've always wanted to engage in what I thought would be an epic bicycle ride and across the country is about as epic as you can get. And so there is a group of bike enthusiasts who have done these kinds of things and it was -- it was something that I aspired to do a long time ago and never had the time until I was fully retired.
ALLYSON CUMMINGS: Starting in California, Bob rode 3,400 miles from the pacific ocean to the Atlantic. He left on mother's day of this year and finished on the 26th of June.
BOB MOUNTZ: This is first day, Manhattan Beach, see the pier sticking out into the Pacific Ocean. Our custom was with groups like this was to put your back wheel in the water, and then start the ride, and then when you get to the other end you put your front wheel in the water in the Atlantic Ocean and we did that at revere beach on the 26th of June.
ALLYSON CUMMINGS: In order to achieve this goal, there was one obstacle that Bob needed to face. Due to arthritis in his left hip, he had to undergo a hip replacement surgery.
BOB MOUNTZ: Doctor Ott did a replacement hip for me, full replacement on the left side about 15 months before I did the ride and it was perfect. It worked without -- it was a non-issue. I didn't even know it was there. In fact, I knew it was there because my left hip worked better. I had arthritis in my left hip and it actually threw off my cycle rhythm because it threw my knee out further.
ALLYSON CUMMINGS: Doctor David Ott who was Bob's orthopedic surgeon replaced his hip with the direct interior approach.
DAVID OTT: Which is a newer approach that's something that we adopted here almost a decade ago and it allows us to do the operation without damaging or hopefully, without damaging any of the muscles and by not damaging the muscles, it allows them to regain their normal function and be painless.
ALLYSON CUMMINGS: This new procedure was an advantage to Bob because the older hip replacement method would have potentially caused him to lose his range of motion. According to Dr. Ott, Bob was ready to ride again in just two weeks.
DAVID OTT: As you know, Bob's a special guy and he's very motivated and he's what we do this for, to be able to give someone their life back, to give them their abilities back. That's what it's all about for me. And Bob is the epitome of that and he's been a wonderful patient.
TED SIMONS: Bob Mountz says he's already making plans to travel across the country again.
