M O I NG C E B E M E R AN F A
At the end of last year, after 30 years in finance and banking, I decided to make a change because I knew I wanted to do something different. On the top of my bucket list was riding a bicycle across the United States. I had just had right knee replacement so a ride would help with rehab. I have been a biker for a long time, doing shorter trips through the years, often with Culver classmates with whom I still keep close ties. I had never done a ride over 85 miles in a day though, let alone successively over a month, so I knew I had a significant challenge ahead of me. Over January and February, I built up a bike, bought all the necessary gear, planned the route and trained.
Editor’s Note: Freeman Wood ’82 was not happy. After a 30-year career in finance, he was given the opportunity to take a cross-country bike trip. Using an old steel frame, he customized a bike for a 41-day trip across the southern states, which included stops to see some of his old Culver friends. After his trip, classmate Elizabeth Bernstein included his experience in an article “How to Find Your Passion” for the Wall Street Journal. Now, Wood shares a small part of his story with us. “I am not going to make it.” Every part of my 54-year old body ached, from my eight-month-old artificial knee all the way up through my spasming back. I was exhausted and still had a huge hill to climb. I had already ridden 47 miles and climbed more than 4,000 feet from the Pacific Ocean with almost 40 pounds of gear on my overloaded bike. Now I was lying in the grass by the road fueling up with everything from energy drinks to M&Ms trying to get enough energy to make the final push. My daughters and Culver friends were messaging me words of encouragement, my wife let them all know I was in trouble
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SUMMER 2019
and it was just the first day of a 41-day, solo unsupported ride across America. As the hills got steep though, I subconsciously started to rely on lessons learned at Culver and more importantly, friendships that are as strong today as they were 35 years ago. Over the course of the next month the ride would not only train my body, but also my mind, helping to re-discover a mindset for achieving difficult objectives and helping me re-learn about myself and remember the things I truly value.
I would be following the Southern Tier route from Carlsbad, California, to St. Augustine, Florida. I estimated averaging 80 miles a day and planned the route to see friends along the way. That included Culver friends in Austin; Lafayette, Louisiana; and New Orleans. Unfortunately, because of the knee surgery, my training time was cut short and I knew the first few weeks would be tough until I got into better shape.