Stats for the trip

Miles: 2,976 mi
Climbing: 60,771 ft
Time in the Saddle: 208h 05m
Times we shouted “We are riding our bikes across the country!!”: near infinite

Finally, on our very last day of riding, we earned the ultimate reward: a 9:00 AM start. We had been looking forward to those extra hours of rest for weeks but, as you can imagine, after six weeks of 5:45 AM alarms, “sleeping in” was a lost cause.

The silver lining? Jeff and I filled that quiet morning time with a truly delicious roast from Palatka Coffee, conveniently located right near our hotel. If you’ve been keeping score of our coffee stops and caffeine-fueled conversations across the country, you know that a high-quality cup of Joe is more than a beverage—it’s a gift. It was exactly the fuel we needed to gather with the team one last time.

Speaking of the team: six weeks ago, we met 13 total strangers. Today, we have the privilege of calling those same people lifelong friends.

Defying Mother Nature

Throughout this journey, Mother Nature has dropped in plenty of serious headwinds just to test our will. Our final day was no exception. She sent steady 15 mph winds right into our faces, with gusts screaming up to 30 mph. But there was no way—no how—a little wind was going to stop us from reaching the Atlantic.

With only 34 miles to go, we chose celebration over struggle. Before rolling into the heart of the city, we gathered the entire group and rode into St. Augustine Beach as one. Seeing the team line up and finish together was a moment I’ll never forget.
We Did It!

2,976 miles. San Diego to St. Augustine. The feeling of dipping our wheels into the surf was electric. One wild, wonderful Southern Tier journey: Complete.

We were greeted by a wonderful crowd of family and friends, including Jeff’s wife, Kirsten. Luckily for us, she is a talented photographer and captured the pure joy of the finish line in the photos you see here. Once the crowds thinned and we had a moment to breathe before our final team dinner, Jeff and I stowed our gear and ducked into a Starbucks for one last afternoon cold brew—a quiet moment to sit, caffeinate, and truly take in the magnitude of what we had just accomplished.

Reflections and Gratitude

Our final group dinner was a beautiful, bittersweet farewell. It was a chance to share the highs and lows of the road with our loved ones and say goodbye to our new cycling family.

Tomorrow, for the first time in 45 days, we won’t be riding. Our bikes are already packed and ready for transport. I’m headed down to Fort Lauderdale for a few days of recovery, while Jeff and Kirsten are off to South Carolina to visit family.

In the days ahead, there will be plenty of time to reflect on this adventure. For now, we simply want to express how lucky we feel. From the early training days to the final mile, your response to our goal has been overwhelming.  Not only did you shower us with love and kindness , but you helped us to raise over $52,000 for the American Cancer Society….. and were not done yet.  The campaigns have been extended until May 1st.

There were so many times when we had to dig deep to keep pedaling. In those moments, we thought of you. We thought of how fortunate we are to have our health, and how blessed we are to have the love of such an amazing, generous community.

Thank you for letting us share this dream with you. Every kind word, every prayer, and every gesture of support made this world—and this ride—so much more beautiful.

With love and gratitude,

John & Jeff