Special Bike Ride in Florida Concludes in Memory of a Special Person
By: Kevin McAllister
Springfield College Faculty Emeritus
The last 55 miles out of Marathon to Key West flew by on Saturday. We crossed 22 bridges that day alone, including the daunting 7-mile bridge. Ben clocked our fastest 5-mile splits of the trip that day, including a satisfying average of 25 mph across the bridge itself. Our pace was fueled by the last of the Fig Newtons (thanks to Siobhan’s advice - another story for another day), a slight breeze at our back, and the fear I would have flat number six on the bridge.
We arrived in Key West well before our room was ready, so we dropped our panniers at the front desk and biked to two important destinations. First, we rode to Route 1’s Mile 0 to celebrate the symbolic end of the ride, then to the southernmost point in the US. We now have pictures at the northern and the southern ends of the US, although we will probably have to bike in Alaska to reach true north. And, yes, it was much easier to bike those last couple of miles without the weight of the panniers on our bikes.
With both the symbolic and literal weight off our bikes, we completed the ride. We had ridden 556 miles with over 45 hours in the saddle, with the sores to prove it. The early April ride came with the stress of minimal outdoor training, a soleus injury and a shoulder strain in the weeks just before the trip, and a new knee that wasn't a year old. Fortunately, Florida is flat. However, riding as close to the coast as we were, we did have some stiff headwinds throughout and a couple of tropical storms around Ft Lauderdale and Miami. Our equipment held up, except for the flats (McAllister -5, Accorsi -2, Taylor-0). Our final bike-related event? Dropping our bikes at a bike shop to be shipped home. We actually walked to the airport to catch our flight home.
Most of our bike trips have ended at my house or somewhere close enough that someone was willing to drive to pick us up. We would have a quick bite to eat and drink, a couple of last pictures, and then return to our families and normal activities. This time was obviously different. We had an extra day to ourselves without worrying about the next 60 miles on the bikes, with plenty of time for reflection about this special trip.
Of course, we reminisced about the crazy, opulent homes along our path, the number of Tesla trucks we passed, the incredible views along the Indian River Lagoon, the Sebastian Inlet, or any view from the top of a bridge we happened to cross. We recounted the variety of wildlife – lizards, iguanas, dolphins, armadillos, and the number of turtles. Ironically, no live gators, and no sharks in Shark Channel. We laughed about the amount of food Joe Cardaropoli prepared for us in Jupiter. He had enough to feed a small army of bikers, and all of it was excellent. Thanks, Joe! And, Bobby A learned about Cuban coffee, although I am not sure it fired him up as much as ice cream did for Kila back home.
We laughed about how Ken would have enjoyed (most of) the trip, particularly the amount of planning and support involved. Our original planning document included our usual information - towns or cities we were biking to, who had hotel responsibilities each night, and each day’s projected mileage. Ben added GPS map routes specific to the East Coast Greenway, along with the exact mileage between hotels. Ben, our risk management expert, included the location of the nearest hospital in each town we stayed. Not sure how Ken would have felt about seeing that information on the Google doc - I was a little disconcerted by it initially. But it was also strangely reassuring to know where to go had there been an emergency. Ken liked planning, but Ben added another layer of planning that he would have appreciated on this trip — especially when there are serious bridges to cross or serious complications to address along the way.
We spent most of our time reflecting on how Ken must have been smiling down on us throughout our ride. His most enduring value (well, one of his many) was persistence in the face of challenge. Each of us perseveres through difficult times to achieve something meaningful. Still, we remind each other that difficult challenges are best faced with friendship, collaboration, and support from those around us. And this wasn’t just about the three of us supporting each other through the biking challenges we faced. We had incredible support from our families and Sonja, Springfield College, and the amazing group (Jackie, Glenn & Lynn, Scott P, Farmer, Ferry, JoBa, Drew, Chris Q, Adam P, and Mike C) who sent us care packages at each of our stops. Colaboración, indeed.
This time, we also expressed our deep gratitude to the 80+ donors who supported the Dr. Kenneth A. Wall, G’73, DPE ’75 International Travel Award. Throughout the lead-up to the ride and, of course, during it, we managed to reconnect with many former students, colleagues, Humanics professors (thank you, President Cooper), and friends to celebrate and, in a small way, embody what Ken represented. This ride had become so much more than the wine-fueled idea that sparked the previous 14. It was truly special, and we couldn’t be more thankful for everyone who made it happen and supported the fund.
Even though it was the end of the ride, it is not the end. We have more rides to do. Why? Because that is what Ken Wall Would Do. More than anything, Ken lived the idea that life was a journey. There are always more places to explore, an East Coast Greenway to complete, more bridges to cross, and more values to live. Future rides probably won’t include alumni events or gift baskets, but there will be more rides. As Brian and Deleney reminded us in a wonderful letter in our room on Saturday, the power of friendship and Ken’s values will fuel our future journey just as they had fueled this one. There’s obviously more to biking than biking, and I can hear Ken asking us, "Where to next?"
