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
Zurich's Limmat River with its glacier-fed blue water. There are moments when life gives you an exceptional gift — when the stars align and a journey you’ve long imagined unfolds even more beautifully than you ever dared to dream. The kind of experience that feels hand-carved by the universe: a blend of awe-inspiring landscapes, good … Continue reading When Life is Perfect: Hiking The Swiss Alps and Biking Rural France
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
To enjoy an extended odyssey on a bike is to love the orange and purples of wispy morning clouds, the splashes of sunlight in the trees and the soft kisses of a breeze on your cheek. There are some journeys in life you know you have to make --- literally and metaphorically --- and the … Continue reading Cycling the Iconic GAP and C&O from Pittsburgh to Washington, DC
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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