How one man e-biked to better health

Scott Bourne went from 347 pounds to 257 pounds in one year.

Bourne told the Bulletin his health was not good. He describes his situation, before he starting E-biking, as “keeping the medical professional going.”

In his 70s, Bourne said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had gained weight. But he also had other issues, including a diagnosis of extremely severe osteoarthritis.

“Basically bone on bone. The doctor said he’s never seen worse. I sounded like a squeaky old door when I walked,” Bourne said.

Those weren’t his only ailments, but the osteoarthritis was bad enough to put him into a wheelchair and require a walker.

And then Bourne started e-biking.

“What was left for me to do?” Bourne said.

He said the experience has been transformational. He rides almost every single morning now. The only time he doesn’t ride is if he has a medical appointment that keeps him from it.

“I’m not same person,” Bourne said.

Bourne told the Bulletin he decided he would ride through the pain. Quoting from a movie, Bourne said “get busy living or get busy dying.

“All of us are going to die. I decided to get busy living,” he said.

And a year later, Bourne says, simply, “I feel better.”

He said his osteoarthritis pain has reduced because eating well and exercising can reduce the inflammation.

Bourne, though retired, has turned his experience into a small business. He now has a newsletter, a podcast and has published a book about his experience, called "Buying an E-Bike for Seniors: Your passport to fun, freedom, and fitness at any age." He said he's spent a lot of time researching fitness and e-bikes for seniors and he wants to share his knowledge with others.

Bourne said when he tells people about his weight loss, he is frequently asked if he took weight loss medication. He said he did not.

He says that, for the most part, he stays off streets and designated bike lanes and mostly rides along bike paths in his neighborhood on the east side of Las Cruces. Bourne said riding has not only been good for his physical health, but it’s been good for his mental health as well.

“When I’m riding, people everywhere wave to me. This community is one of the most friendly I’ve ever lived. I’m out there every single day. I run into people, there are families I’ve gotten to know,” Bourne said.

He said that on one ride, he had a flat tire while near a construction site. He said some workers at the site stopped work to offer aid, water and offered to give him and his bike a lift home.

“There is no downside to this,” he said.

Bourne said one of the reasons to ride an e-bike is that a person riding will tend to ride for double the length of time they would on a conventional bike.

He said he’s gotten faster over the course of the past year, but that is not his goal. He said the American Heart Association recommends 20 minutes of exercise six days a week.

“I do that in three days,” Bourne said. “I’m not trying to impress. Comfort is the thing I care about now. I look more for the measure of how far I go. I try to ride an hour a day.”

Bourne said that for seniors, e-bikes are the “best form of exercise.”

He said that for seniors who worry about falling, it’s possible to get an electric trike for adults.

Bourne said he has even gotten a mountain e-bike.

“I’ve been on the bike trails. People look at me funny, but that’s okay,” he said.

Bourne said one of the best aspects of riding every morning is that it enables him to connect better with nature. He said he’s seen a family of quail and road runners sometimes run alongside of him. He said he’s observed a local flower that only comes out after a rainfall.

“I wouldn’t be able to smell that if I were in a car,” he said.