The final day of RAGBRAI 2025 began not with sunlight, but with silence. At 4:30 a.m., I climbed on my bike at the edge of the Pork Belly Ventures encampment in Oelwein, Iowa and began the 64-mile ride east to the banks of the Mississippi River --- the terminus of my weeklong 421-mile cycling adventure across … Continue reading RAGBRAI 2025: The Trials and Triumphs of Riding Across Iowa
After twelve years and thousands of miles riding smooth pavement in multiple states and part of Europe, I thought I knew cycling. I'd seen mountains roll by, chased glorious tailwinds through farm country, and battled angry headwinds along the coastlines. My tires had glided over smooth pavement in nearly every setting imaginable. But on this … Continue reading The Chiricahua Mountains of the American Southwest — Gravel Cycling at Its Best
Riding down my hometown's Main Street brought back a flood of memories from my youth. In May 2024, three of my siblings and I returned to our small hometown of St. Marys, West Virginia for the county’s beloved annual high school Alumni Weekend festivities. It’s a decades-old tradition that draws former St. Marys High School … Continue reading Cycling Through Time: A Return to My Hometown
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