I enjoyed riding my two-speed bike as a kid and continued riding into my twenties and thirties doing several century rides (100 miles) along the way. But life got in the way, and I didn’t do much riding until about 10 years ago when I joined my company team (RGA) in the Pedal The Cause bike ride to fight cancer. This charity ride got me back into cycling.
When I made the decision to retire from my career as an actuary in 2024, many of my co-workers and friends would ask me “What are you going to do in retirement?”. I started answering that question with “I’m going to ride my bike across the US.” I would always get a lot of questions and/or disbelief from others. After telling over 100 people that I was going to do that, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have to do it!
I chose the Southern Tier tour with Adventure Cycling for a few reasons:
- Adventure Cycling is a non-profit organization that encourages bike-packing and has been around for 50 years.
- The Southern Tier is the shortest ride across the US. However, it’s still 3080 miles and 86,800 feet of elevation gain!
- The trip is van-supported so I don’t have to carry my gear on my bike.
- This trip averages about 60 miles a day which I felt was within my ability.
Here is a map of the expected route. The X’s mark each nights stay.
Tom's Excellent Adventure 