2 pedal their way to positive outlook

It wasn't so much encouragement that Jim Smith offered his co-worker and friend as it was a testimonial.

You've got problems? Get on a bike and ride. There is nothing — not even a brain tumor — that you can't outrun on a bicycle.

Smith, a 64-year-old Gunnison resident, has always found a bit of salvation on a bicycle. Pedaling through the open air had saved him from a lot of things, especially self-pity and surrender to a disease without a cure.

Smith has always enjoyed cycling. But it took on a new purpose for him, as well as those who know him, about 10 years ago.

It started with hearing loss and evolved into a loss of balance.

"I was stumbling; my balance wasn't good, and I couldn't hear out of one ear," Smith said. He began seeing doctors, lots of them, and ended with a specialist at the University of Utah Medical Center.

It took two years to finally reach the diagnosis: acoustic melanoma.

"Brain tumor is a little dramatic," said the constantly smiling Smith. But then he admits, that's pretty much what it is.

"The good news is that it is very slow growing," said Smith. "The bad news is that I will die. But my doctor assured me I will, eventually, die of something."

"It does give you pause," Smith said. "It gives you a chance to ponder some of these things."

One of the things he pondered was what it was he loved most about his life, which now had a very finite feel to it.

"Someone asked him what he wanted to do most," recalls his friend Linda McArthur. "He said he wanted to see every sunset and every sunrise. Then he said he realized he could already do that."

And what better way to see the dawn than breathing the fresh morning air and watching the sun peek over the mountains that grace the Sanpete and Sevier valleys in central Utah?

"I have ridden all over the West, and some of the best riding is right here in Sanpete and Sevier counties. … It's just outstanding," he said.

Smith had gotten away from cycling when he lived in Salt Lake County. He also stayed away because his balance had deteriorated.

"It was kind of tough to find time," he said. "And then one time I was riding and I just fell over. I was riding on 1300 East and about 10400 South. Not a good place to fall."

For five years, he stayed away from his bike. But eventually, he climbed back on and began pedaling — first to work and then to raise money for cancer research.

"I ride because that's just what I do," he said. "I ride because it's the way I look at life. When you ride, you have a goal, which is like life. Sometimes you go up hills and sometimes you're riding down the hill. Sometimes the wind is at your back and sometimes the breeze is in your face. It's just like life. It helps me stay focused and grounded."