Once at the top of a very steep hill on a mountainous road, an old Dutch man asked me for directions. He looked to be in his late 60s, early 70s, was riding solo on a bike loaded up with luggage and smoking a cigar. As I was talking to him, I was looking at his bike. It was probably as old as himself, an old single speed with a pedal back brake and no front brake of any description. I asked him how he could ride such a basic bike, fully loaded through a mountain. He replied that he just stood up and pushed a little harder on the sttep parts and rode with a little anticipation incase he needed to stop on the downhill sections. I still have enormous respect for that gentleman. He was doing something I couldn't do, even though I'm thirty years younger.