Museums come in all sizes.

For diehard cyclist Michael Ackley, 78, he operates a small museum out of his suburban Hayden home. Items like international cycling race banners, cycling jerseys and several photos of him posing with famous cyclists and cycling commentators, such as Eddy Merckx and Phil Liggett, adorn the interior of a shed behind his house.

“It’s just a little building of memorabilia,” said Sharyl Ackley, Michael’s wife of 22 years.

On Tuesday morning, before explaining how his museum came to be, Michael sat in his living room wearing a bright yellow shirt with the words “Le Tour de France” across its chest. He was energetic, planning to spend the rest of the day watching this year’s Tour de France. 

The traditional “Grand Départ” of the premier international race began July 4 in Barcelona and is slated to end Sunday on the famous Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris.

In true Idaho fashion, Michael is rooting for Boise cyclist Matteo Jorgenson, who began Tuesday’s stage 16 in 30th place out of a total 184 cyclists. 

“He’s doing really well,” he said of Jorgenson.

It took more than six decades of being completely consumed by cycling for Michael to assemble his collection. 

Originally born in Missoula, Mont., the energetic Hayden cycling guru was first turned on to the sport in 1963. With his mother and father out of the picture, a 13-year-old Michael was living in Portland, Ore., and needed an outlet. So, one day, he’d wander into Phil's Bicycle Shop, a historic storefront in the city now long defunct, and spot a 10-speed bike.

Michael worked at a grocery store to save up enough money to buy that bike. And soon, between 1964 and ’65, he began working for the shop as an unskilled laborer of sorts — mostly cleaning the place before developing enough cycling knowledge to be bestowed more responsibilities.

“I’m so glad I got involved,” Michael said. “All I thought about was getting on that bike.”

By 1968, Michael was on the shop’s sponsored cycling team, the Rose City Wheelmen, when he competed with them in the Tour de Mexico, a men’s individual road race part of the Summer Olympics that year. By then, he had also competed in cycling races throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Canada, Washington and Oregon.

“I needed that outlet,” Michael said. “The guys were so supportive.”

Michael’s employment at Phil’s Bicycle Shop lasted five years. Afterward, he worked at an electric company across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Wash. Instead of using any motorized vehicle, he said his commute to work consisted of biking 15 miles there and back, daily, “rain or shine.”

“He still has a tremendous amount of energy,” Sharyl said of her husband.

Michael’s cycling mementos, inevitably, started to accumulate. He keeps a Spanish-language newspaper article of the 1968 Tour de Mexico, with accompanying photos of him there. His old Rose City Wheelman jersey is displayed on a wall next to multiple bikes hanging nearby from a ceiling in his garage.

In addition to his younger years, Michael spent the majority of his adult life owning and operating a painting business. From 1980 up until recently, he’d climb ladders during the day and ride his bike at night.

When he met Sharyl in Portland, she said he got her “really hooked” on cycling. The two, who in 2025 moved to the Coeur d’Alene and Hayden area from Ogden, Utah, for the great biking trails, have since traveled the world visiting international cycling competitions, including the Tour de France. Many of the banners they curate were hastily removed from these competitions before any other visitors could get their hands on them.

“I’m really good at stealing,” Sharyl joked.

Michael also loves visiting races as a spectator because he gets to meet the greats watching from the proverbial sidelines. His favorite cyclist is the iconic Belgian Merckx, nicknamed “The Cannibal” back in the 1960s and ‘70s because “he would just devour everyone.”

“To meet these guys is just unbelievable,” Michael said.

The trips aren’t stopping anytime soon for Michael and Sharyl. The two are currently planning to hop an Amtrak train from Pasco, Wash., to Montréal, Canada, to catch the 2026 UCI Road World Championships, an event set to include many of the racers from this year’s Tour de France.

Before then, however, Michael and Sharyl are spending their time biking. Sometimes, they’re spotted around the Hayden area riding a custom-made Land Shark tandem bicycle, with Michael in the front and Sharyl in back, oftentimes feeding him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or bananas for fuel. 

Meanwhile, Michael, who also currently owns a vintage 1965 ivory green Ford Mustang, often rides a bike to get to where he’s going. Two to three times a week, in fact, he’s pedaling toward his local hardware store.

“It’s only 5 miles round trip,” he said. “I can’t justify starting the car up for that.”

As for his decades of collecting all things cycling?

“You can’t put a price on it,” he said. “I’m so grateful I was able to take that road when I was younger.”

Anyone interested in visiting Michael and Sharyl’s cycling museum is invited to call 801-695-5595 to set up an appointment.

    Michael Ackley points to a wall of his Hayden cycling museum on Tuesday.