Foxy's History

Riding with Foxy Grandpa

Reprinted from the October 2003 Changing Gears
Written by Linton Brown, Red Bluff

I was in the chair at the O.K. Barbershop, opposite the Post Office in Red Bluff, when a grey-haired guy burst in. “Whose bicycle is that out there?” he demanded. I thought, “Oh no, this old coot ran over my wheel!” That’s how I met Ed Delano, who was to become a legend as Foxy Grandpa. Turned out he was just getting back into cycling at age 58, after a 30-odd-year layoff, and he was looking for a riding companion. He claimed to have been an active rider in his younger days in Massachusetts. Since I did not know CPR, I was a bit reluctant, but agreed to meet Ed the following Saturday, June 8, 1963, for a ride up Highway 36 East, toward Lassen Park.

Ed showed up at the appointed rendezvous with a fancy new Gitane and his son Ed Jr. (who, believe it or not, was riding a Huffy). At this early point in his second cycling career, Foxy had not yet been drawn into the fashion whirl. His riding uniform consisted of khaki shorts, a cotton tee-shirt and some well-worn suede Wellington pull-on boots that soon showed a wear pattern from his toe clips.

We set our sight  on Canyon View Lodge, a roadside cafe some 32 miles away and 3,500 feet above our starting point. Once we got into the hills, I found I had to hold back to stay with this puffing old man, 31 years my senior. Those were the days before water bottle holders, but any serious rider carried a supply in a seat bag or jersey pouch. But, to my amazement, Foxy Grandpa didn’t carry water; instead he called halts at the roadside bars at Dales Station and Paynes Creek to dash in for a beer.

No speed records fell, but we made it to Canyon View Lodge in good shape. Ed was old friends with the proprietor and we had a jolly lunch (plus another beer or two for Ed) before we turned homeward. It was a 64-mile day for me, but the two Eds came from the Delano estate west of town, so they logged about 84 miles. Before we even got back, Foxy was planning another trip, to which I signed on.

So, how did Ed Delano come to be called “Foxy Grandpa?" He was using the nickname at or soon after our 1963 meeting. And, I had the distinct impression the sobriquet was self-bestowed. Ed certainly was active in promoting the “Foxy Grandpa” thing.

Two weeks later, on June 22, 1963, I joined Ed and his son Ed. Jr. on a second ride that was a mirror image of the first. This time we headed toward the coast from Red Bluff on Highway 36 West. Our objective was the Platina store, about 50 miles west of town. The route involves a lot of little ups and downs, and ends in an 1,100-foot climb via about 3 miles of 7 percent grade. There, I found a major disadvantage of riding with Foxy Grandpa, who was then Superintendent of the Division of Highways’ Red Bluff Maintenance Station. When I’d say, “It looks like we’re almost to the top,” he’d answer with disdain, “Nope, there’s still 1.7 miles of 7 percent grade, then 0.4 miles of 5 percent.” There were no bars between Red Bluff and Platina, so Ed was forced to drink water for much of this trip. But unlike on our ride two weeks earlier, I did not have to hold back for Foxy Grandpa this time.  On our very few future rides, he would have to hold back for me (which he refused to do; I would straggle along and rejoin him at rest stops).

The accompanying photo shows the two Eds sailing along on a downgrade on the way home from Platina. It shows one of Foxy’s foxy moves--the only purpose for the rolled-up plastic tarp in his rear rack is to make him appear wider so that motorists would give him a little more space.  I was often behind Foxy and can attest to the trick’s effectiveness.

I recall my amazement at one of Foxy’s characteristics in those days. Here was a guy who lived, ate, and breathed bicycles, but he wouldn’t work on one. He would load up his bike and drive to see Spence Wolfe at Cupertino Bike Shop (a little name-dropping there) to get a loose spoke tightened.

Foxy Grandpa was a fascinating guy – as long as you wanted to talk bicycles. Bringing up any other subject was like turning off a light switch. But it was indeed an honor to have ridden with him before he became a legend. Ed Jr. has gone on to become a legend of his own, but he currently rides with the rival Sacramento Wheelmen.