You may be wondering how the cross-country bike training is going.
Same.
If you’re imagining me crushing hill repeats at sunrise, fueled by oat milk and purpose, please adjust your expectations. I don’t even have the bike yet. The only thing I’ve been riding is a wave of indecision about tire widths and frame materials. I’m currently stuck in a deeply committed relationship with my “Research” phase.
But what I have been doing is reading.
So far, I’ve logged more literary miles than physical ones. While most cyclists are obsessing over cadence, I’m over here highlighting passages like I’m prepping for a book club hosted by REI. In the last few weeks, I’ve devoured a stack of cycling memoirs, and I can now confidently say: if reading counted as training, I’d be ready to summit the Rockies. Twice.
Here’s what’s been on the (literal) ride-along bookshelf:
📚 One Ride at a Time: Life Lessons Learned on a Cross-Country Bicycle Ride – Rob Leachman
At 60, Rob and his wife Bev embarked on a 3,000-mile journey from San Diego to Florida. Their story is a testament to pushing boundaries and finding joy in challenging circumstances.
📚 Miles from Nowhere – Barbara Savage
The OG of cycling memoirs. Barbara and her husband rode around the world before smartphones, GPS, or breathable fabrics. Spoiler: they survived, but just barely. It’s part inspiration, part cautionary tale.
📚 Dividing the Great – John Metcalfe
A bikepacking journey with a buddy along the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Gritty, honest, and full of quiet insights about endurance, being British, and what happens when you leave comfort behind (on purpose).
📚 The Buddha and the Bee – Cory Mortensen
Hilarious and oddly profound, like if Kerouac had a midlife crisis and a Walmart bike. A deeply lovable mess of a journey, and possibly the closest to what mine might actually look like.
📚 You Are My Sunshine – Sean Dietrich
A love story disguised as a bike ride. Sean rides The Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath trail to fulfill a promise to his wife—and ends up unpacking grief, healing, and why we do the big hard things.
📚 50 Shades of the USA – Anna McNuff
Yes, it’s cheeky. No, it’s not about what you think. Anna bikes all 50 states with infectious energy, British sarcasm, and legs of steel. I finished this one and briefly considered riding through Mississippi on purpose.
📚 Nala’s World – Dean Nicholson
This one’s a bit of a curveball—more cat, less cadence—but it’s a beautiful story of a man who finds a stray kitten while cycling the globe. Heartwarming. Slightly fur-covered.
I could pretend this was all part of the plan—“mental training” or “route inspiration”—but really, it’s just me circling the edge of a commitment I want to make, while distracting myself with other people’s endings.
That said, these books are helping me build something: not muscle, maybe, but mindset. They remind me that no one starts a journey fully ready. Everyone begins with a patchwork of fear, curiosity, and really bad gear choices. So I’m counting this as progress.
If you’re thinking of doing something similar—riding across the country, through all 50 states, or just out of your comfort zone—I recommend starting here. Not with the bike. Not with the gear. With the stories.
The saddle sores will come later.