June 21, 2025
Before we get to the start
Where we are going and other questions about the journey
The start of this year's cycling adventure is less than a week away as I write this. Our bags are mostly packed; our bikes are already in Milwaukee, ready for the road (thanks to Emily at Trek Lakeville for the assist). And we are working through the final preparations to head out the door and on the road.
We are riding from Milwaukee, WI, to Fargo, ND. This is stage four of our cross-country journey. Last year, we rode from the Cleveland suburbs to Milwaukee. In 2022, we rode from Massachusetts to Niagara Falls, and during an abbreviated 2023 trip, we pedaled from Buffalo to Cleveland.
I have had this section of our cross-country journey mapped out for at least two years. So, we've had lots of time to think about some of the destinations along the way. There's a lot to look forward to seeing, including the rolling landscape of Wisconsin's Driftless Region, the Mississippi River and the start of the Great Plains as we cross into North Dakota.
Happily, our route relies heavily on bike paths, almost the entire way from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi and then from Hastings, MN, to within 60 miles of the North Dakota state line. The bike trails will present some challenges—stretches of slow-rolling gravel and long, slow inclines. But also some treats, like the tunnels of the Elroy-Sparta Trail, a former railroad line that opened in 1965 as America's first rail trail. Also, we will log many miles of trails along the banks of the upper Mississippi River.
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We are ready for it, I think. This has been a busy spring, but we made every attempt to get in the necessary training rides. Despite the challenges, we did pretty well, working on progressively longer rides up to a 70-mile loop through Westport and the South Coast.
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Since the end of March, we logged almost 800 miles. Strava, which keeps track of such things, tells me it’s our best training season so far. Which is good. We have some days that go a little beyond 70 miles, but none cracking the 80-mile mark like last year. I'm not sorry about that.
Two more days of work and then we’re off!
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