NAPLES, Fla. — A Florida man recently celebrated his 90th birthday and his active lifestyle, riding his bicycle 90 miles in a 24-hour period.

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“I was kind of really sick for six months. I couldn’t eat,” Tom Schoeneck told WBBH-TV. He said he had been sick for the past six months, but the thought of riding 90 miles perked him up.

“Gee whiz,” Tom Schoeneck told the television station. “I came back alive!”

Schoeneck, who turned 90 on Jan. 25, hopped onto his bicycle at his home in Naples in early February and set out to do what he achieved on his other milestone birthdays. Of course, riding 60 miles on your 60th birthday is much easier than pedaling the additional 30 miles for birthday No. 90.

He began alone, but he was later joined by his daughter, Stacy Clark, who lives nearby, according to WBBH.

“Makes me feel good and proud of myself,” Schoeneck told the television station.

The Missouri native, who grew up in St. Joseph, said he began cycling 48 years ago when he stopped drinking.

“I’ve been exercising every day since then,” Schoeneck said.

That included running and swimming in addition to cycling.

“That’s what keeps me going,” he said.

Schoeneck and his wife, Dolores, celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary on Saturday, according to Missouri online marriage records. Tom Schoneck said the secret to his long marriage is “to do what you’re told.”

Now that he has cycled 90 miles, Schoeneck has other goals to consider. He is considering a 91-mile ride next year, WBBH reported.

“I’ve thought about it,” he said with a laugh.

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