I just retired. Now what? I know! I’ll take a coast-to-coast trip on my bicycle

Can I really do this?

I have been on a road bike most of my adult life. I got into bicycle racing during college and spent about 10 years dedicated to the sport. My last race was 27 years (and 30 pounds) ago, in Colorado. I laid off it when my boys were very young, but over the past fifteen years I have used the bike to fight back the “dad-bod” to moderate success. As I approached retirement, I began to dream something big. Ultimately, I found “Cycle of Life Adventures”, a bicycle tour company out of North Carolina that hosts multiple tours, including their “epic” tour called the “Southern Tier”. It follows a route from San Diego, California to St. Augustine, Florida - the shortest road distance from the Pacific to the Atlantic. I will join a dozen other cyclists (including a husband and wife on a tandem) for the departure on Sunday March 3, 2024.

I signed up for this in late August. At that time, 60 miles in one day at an average pace of 16 mph was no problem for me. I could do a complete “century” (100 miles) and get up and ride the next day without complaint. I was ready! Then - Winter. I am now 13 days from departure and I have been trying to remain faithful to my indoor trainer. The anticipation - and anxiety - is building.

I will dip my rear wheel in the Pacific at Ocean Beach Park, San Diego with the plan of dipping my front wheel in the Atlantic by the pier at the beach in St. Augustine. We will average about 80 miles per day, with the longest day being on my 65th birthday - 119 miles from Sanderson, TX to Del Rio, TX. I have included several pictures of my equipment.