It’s getting close.

For the past several months, I’ve been working to turn 4,535 miles, eighty-one days, and one slightly ridiculous bicycle ride across America into my third book.

The manuscript is finished. The cover is done. There are still a few steps between here and publication, and I don’t have an official release date yet, but It’s Just Riding: Just Pete from Sea to Key should be available in the next two weeks.

Many of you followed along in 2021 as I pedaled from Anacortes, Washington, to Key West, Florida. You watched me climb mountains, battle heat and headwinds, fix more flat tires than I care to remember, and occasionally wonder what in the world I had gotten myself into.

Now you’ll get the rest of the story.

I thought the best way to introduce It’s Just Riding was to start at the beginning. So today, for the first time, I’m sharing the Introduction.

Introduction

I hadn’t ridden a bicycle in years when I suddenly decided to cross the country on one. It sounded like a brilliant idea right up until the moment I climbed into the saddle and started pedaling.

Eighty-one grueling days and 4,500 miles later, I rolled up to Mile Marker Zero in Key West.

Along the way, there were countless wrong turns, mechanical failures, highly questionable decisions, and more than a few moments on the shoulder of the highway when quitting would’ve made perfect sense.

Some days went according to plan. Most didn’t. But every now and then, just as things started to unravel, the right person showed up at the right moment to extend a hand and help me keep moving.

I quickly learned that crossing the country on a bicycle had very little to do with cycling experience and a whole lot to do with relentless persistence.

Out on the asphalt, progress isn’t always measured in miles. Sometimes it’s measured by getting back on the bike when you really, desperately don’t want to.

This book won’t offer you a single shred of expert cycling advice, nor will it teach you how to repair a flat tire on the side of the road. But if you’re willing to take the trip with me, it just might convince you to keep pushing forward when life gets heavy.

Let’s go for a bike ride.

I hope you’ll come along for the ride one more time. I can’t wait to finally share it with you.

Pete