Steady breaths. In and out. Feet in continuous circles, fingers gripped tight, head straight forward. A road stretching out to the horizon, endless, and the road behind, full of memories, pain, and the echoes of transformation. This was the event that marked my transition from childhood to adulthood: an eight-hundred mile journey, spanning four states and twenty-one days. And the mode of transformation? Road bike, or in my case, an old mountain bike with road bike tires - a ridiculous frankenstein of a bike for such a serious commitment. Fourteen people and fourteen bicycles, a group appropriately dubbed Bike Across America, and myself included, an individual so very lucky to have been a part of it all.
I signed up for the trip a naive
I signed up for the trip a naive