"Pennsylvania: Making 35 Miles Feel Like 100"



 "Pennsylvania: Making 35 Miles Feel Like 100"

June 13, 2026

Even with the headache, the heat, and thinking Pennsylvania was a lot hillier than it should be, it didn't really matter. The feeling of freedom you get when you start a bike ride is like nothing else in the world for me. The only thing I can compare it to is the deep breath before you plunge into a pool and take your first lap. There is a sense that nothing else really matters — there are two wheels between you and the road and it is total, complete freedom. Over the course of any ride, that freedom starts to melt away your worries, your anger, and any feelings of loss you might be holding onto. All that really matters is moving forward. Seeing where the road takes you. Last Saturday it took me to the 7th state I have done a bike ride in. It took me up and down in some serious heat. It tested me mentally and physically, which is what we do it for, I guess. In the end, nothing else seemed to matter — just me and the road in Pennsylvania.

The route was nice but challenging. It was challenging for me anyway. It was as you would expect Pennsylvania to be. There were hills, farms, and you can't forget the cows. Rides that I have done generally take you into the country. I have yet to do one that keeps you in town. I like that about the rides. You really get out into nature and can enjoy the green grass, the trees, and the animals. There were a lot of old buildings and silos on the ride. Not missile silos, but grain silos.

The day was FUBAR from start to finish. I think driving 10 hours the day before, and not properly fueling my body, really did a number on me and made the ride much less enjoyable than it should have been. Then it was hot outside. I mean it was really hot. I totally hit the wall at mile 20. I just bonked. A combination of heat and bad fueling will do that. You don't get that stuff right and you are going to have a bad time. However, I think the biggest challenge I had to overcome was downloading the wrong bike route into my Garmin. I don't know if I somehow downloaded last year's route by accident, but everywhere I rode, the Garmin told me to do a U-turn. The Garmin is lucky it is not in many pieces in some ditch alongside the green grass and cows of Hershey. When you are having a bad day, it doesn't help to have something telling you every minute to turn around. Even having a bad day, I kept on going till it was time to stop.

What did we learn from Pennsylvania? First, don't drive over five hours and then try to ride. I am working to change plans and departure dates for Wisconsin. I would like to go up early, get up there, take a nice 10–15-minute walk, and spend the next day getting acclimated. Second, I am packing food — my food for the road. I didn't eat hardly at all on the way to Pennsylvania. I didn't drink any water. So, eating and drinking will have to change. This is not something I don't know. It is just something I sort of didn't do. I really want to enjoy my Wisconsin ride, so I am going to go into it like my weekly rides and do the same things on the days before out-of-town rides that I do in town. That is what I learned from my ride in Pennsylvania.

Well, I learned that and maybe to not be such a grouchy bear. I have had a lot of things sucking my energy out lately — work, a girl, other stuff, the future, you name it. It has plagued me. I wear my emotions on my sleeve and, well, I can't be grouchy. I must look around at the wonderful support system I have built and appreciate it and appreciate what I have done to transform my body and mind. I also must give a shout out to David because he constantly tolerates my mood swings on rides. I promise one day I am going to be in a good headspace and not a little nag. Thank you as always for being a good friend. So, two important things we learned: 1) nutrition, 2) mindset. Let's bring my joy back to me. I think I have the headspace cleared up. It is time to be proud of what I have done and be happy.

So, now we have done 7 of 50. We are getting there. If anyone knows of a good bike route, let me know. I would love to go out and try it — whether it is here in Bloomington or in some other state!






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