Mark Wheeler got his first real bicycle when he was a 12-year-old boy living in Indianapolis.
“It was a blue-and-white Schwinn with fat tires, and I rode it everywhere. I liked the feeling of freedom, knowing that I could get where I wanted to go.”
Mark still loves biking at age 84. Over the years, he’s come to love everything about the sport. Because of his long experience working part-time at Bath Cycle & Ski and his ability to repair almost any bike, Mark has evolved from being a bike enthusiast to a bike whisperer. Given his generous spirit regarding all things bicycle, he might even be called a “bike angel.” More on that later.
Mark headed east after high school to Princeton where he majored in religion and minored in French literature. Then he earned a medical degree at the Washington University School of Medicine. He began his residency in internal medicine at the University of Oregon before taking a break from his career path to go to Vietnam.
After serving in Vietnam, Mark completed his residency in Portland, Oregon; he then went into practice with some other doctors and eventually set up his own office. He practiced medicine for 30 years, before deciding to move to Woolwich, Maine, in 1996. At one point, he rode his bike from Oregon all the way to Woolwich, thereby proving his endurance as well as his love for the open road.
“Medicine had become less personal and less rewarding. Plus I loved the idea of being in Maine and doing a lot of bike riding.”
Mark served as a volunteer at the Oasis Free Clinics for eight years, where he helped provide no-cost medical care to uninsured adults in the Midcoast.
“It was a challenging clientele, but they were motivated, they were trying.”
Mark minces no words when he talks about the current state of medical care in the United States.
“It’s a business, which is all about numbers and spread sheets and computer screens. Electronic records were designed by business people with no input from doctors. Doctors are just pawns on the chess board.”
In 1998, Mark was riding his bicycle in Bath and his chain broke right near the Bath Cycle & Ski. He was so impressed with their service that he returned later to ask if they could use some help. Davis Carver, the shop’s owner, agreed to bring him on part time, and he’s been working there for the last 24 years.
In 2017, Mark saw a notice in a church bulletin noting that immigrants in Lewiston needed bikes, so he jumped into action. He put out a call in area churches for older bikes, which he planned to fix up and donate to the cause.
That initial venture fueled Mark’s interest in putting his passion for bicycling and knowledge of bicycle repair to work on behalf of those in need of inexpensive transportation. He has repaired and donated over 120 bicycles so far, and he has no plans to stop.
“I was at Wild Oats one day and an African-American woman came up to me and hugged me and thanked me for giving her a bicycle. The bike had made it possible for her to get around, which is difficult at Brunswick Landing. Her response really touched me; that’s why I do this.” Mark was also delighted to be invited to attend a Congolese wedding, which he happily accepted.
“Now people know about me, and they’ll call saying they have an old bike they’re willing to give me to fix up and pass along.”
In addition to giving bikes directly to area folks in need, Mark sometimes gives them to Gear Hub, a nonprofit recycled sporting equipment outfit in Portland. According to its website, “Portland Gear Hub’s nonprofit mission centers around getting more people outside by increasing equitable access to affordable reliable gear and collaborative education.”
After our conversation over lunch at the Galley Restaurant in Bath, Mark invited me to see his repair shop (his “man cave”), which is in the basement of his home. One bike was set up to be worked on and a dozen stood along the wall.
While we were chatting, Mark put his hand lovingly on the bike he was working on.
“The good thing about working on bikes is you know when you’ve done it right. In medicine you never know.”
(Note: If you have a bicycle you’d like to give to Mark — any style or condition or age — please contact me at the email below, and I will get it to him. Thank you.)
David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns. dtreadw575@aol.com.
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