No Kid Hungry Ride: Days 50–57
Flat Tires, New Friends, Ohio Trails, Appalachian Hills, and a Milestone Worth Celebrating
One of the great joys of this ride has been the people who unexpectedly become part of the story.
Day 50 began with exactly that kind of opportunity. My friend Jim Schroeder flew in from Atlanta to join me for a couple of days on the bike. Having a riding partner after nearly seven weeks on the road was extremely welcome.
The day started routinely enough. We rolled out of Dublin, Ohio, took a few photos, and headed down a typical Ohio farm road. About 12 miles into the ride, I glanced down and noticed some white sealant bubbling from my front tire. A few pedal strokes later, I asked Jim, “Is my back tire flat?”
“Yep”
2 flats at the same time. How lucky can you get.
Fortunately, Scott and the support RV were nearby. Rather than spend time repairing or switching tires, we simply switched bikes and I climbed aboard the gravel bike.
As luck would have it, another cyclist appeared just as we were making the swap. His name was Jim Weber, a local rider from Richmond, Ohio. He asked if he could tag along for a while.
That “while” turned into another memorable encounter that seem to happen on this ride.
Jim knew every back road in the area and guided us through the countryside while sharing stories about his family, his cycling adventures, and life in Richmond. We stopped for lunch at The Brick Rhod Bistro where homemade ciabatta bread turned a simple turkey sandwich into something special. While Jim Schroeder took a business call outside in the sunshine, Jim Weber and I sat talking about kids, sports, cycling, and life.
Eventually our paths diverged, but if anyone around Richmond sees Jim sporting a No Kid Hungry Ride T-Shirt he earned it, not only did he guide, suggest the lunch spot but pointed Scott to a good bike shop for our tire replacement.
The second half of the day took us onto Ohio's impressive trail network. Much of the ride was removed from traffic, winding through parks and green spaces. Since we had finished early and the weather was cooperating, we decided to bank some extra miles to make the following day easier. We pushed another ten miles before meeting Scott at a park filled with youth baseball games and families enjoying a summer evening.
Another important stop.
There is only one Buc-ee's in Ohio, and Scott had been lobbying hard for a brisket visit. Jim had never experienced Buc-ee's before, and watching his reaction was almost as entertaining as the brisket was good. By the end of dinner he was already planning future Buc-ee's visits with his kids back in Georgia.
The day ended with another reunion as Karen returned from California and our friend Lauren Klein joined the crew. Suddenly the original team was back together—with reinforcements.
Day 51 continued through Ohio's remarkable trail system.
Much of the day was spent riding what felt like a ribbon of asphalt stretching endlessly through forests, parks, and small towns. In many places the trail was sheltered from both traffic and wind, making for some of the most enjoyable riding of the trip.
Of course, Mother Nature wasn't entirely cooperative.
Dark clouds eventually caught us and delivered a steady rain that soaked shoes and socks for about forty minutes. Fortunately, the rain eventually moved on, the sun returned, and we dried out while rolling into small Ohio towns that seemed built around cyclists and trail users.
One memorable lunch stop introduced me to something called "Trash Browns"—a hearty mixture of hash browns, eggs, ham, peppers, and assorted goodness. It wasn't health food, but after thousands of miles on a bicycle, I wasn't complaining.
The ride eventually carried us into Columbus where Jim's brother’s family met us. Having a riding companion for two days made a tremendous difference. The miles passed more quickly, the conversations were meaningful, and it reminded me how much of cycling is about riding with your mates.
Thank you, Jim.
Day 52 was a well-earned rest day in Columbus.
Karen, Lauren, and I spent part of the day exploring the city with Lauren's niece, Eliza, a PhD student at Ohio State. She gave us cooks tour of Columbus and helped us local color.
The day also included replacing my Smith cycling glasses, which had met their demise after weeks on the road and years of service. While I couldn't find an exact replacement, I ended up with a new pair of Oakley cycling glasses that kinda make me look a little like an astronaunt.
Most importantly, the rest day provided an opportunity to catch up on fundraising, logistics, emails, and the thousand little details that accumulate during a cross-country ride.
A special thank-you to Lauren Klein for making the trip to join us and experience life on the road. It was wonderful having her along.
Day 53 reminded me exactly why we're doing this ride.
The morning began not with a media interview about the ride, but with an interview of our own. We spent time speaking with Shannon Amos from the Children's Hunger Alliance, a long-time partner organization supported by No Kid Hungry.
Over the past decade, No Kid Hungry has provided approximately $2.8 million in support to the Children's Hunger Alliance, helping expand breakfast and summer meal programs that have reached tens of thousands of children across Ohio.
When you hear those stories, the miles take on a different meaning. It isn’t about the miles, it is about children having breakfast before school. It's about meals during the summer when school cafeterias are closed. It's about giving kids the chance to learn, grow, and thrive.
Days 54 and 55 marked a dramatic change.
Ohio stopped being flat.
The endless farm fields gave way to rolling hills, then steeper hills, and eventually something much closer to Appalachian climbing.
Day 54 introduced the transition. Road construction, molar rattling pavement, and increasingly frequent rollers hinted at what was coming. Twice I encountered closed roads where construction crews could easily have sent me miles out of the way.
Instead, after hearing our story, they stopped equipment, paused operations, and personally escorted both me and the RV through the work zones.
Karen and Scott discovered an Amish sandwich stand and an outstanding peanut butter pie that provided critical fuel for the miles ahead.
Day 55 was a beast. Roughly 5,600 feet of climbing over about 65 miles.
Unlike previous climbs during the ride, many of these grades regularly hit 10%, 11%, 12%, and even 13%. Add loose gravel climbs and rough descents with a death grip on the handlebars, road closures, bike swaps, and constant up-and-down terrain, it became one of the most demanding days of the entire journey.
There were moments when every motivation technique I know came into play. I listened to Billy Shore's Add Passion and Stir podcast to remind myself why this ride matters. I replayed Rocky movie quotes in my head. “One step, One punch, One round at a time.” And when that wasn't enough, I simply started talking to myself and not sure this is the appropriate venue to repeat some of my admonitions.
By day's end everything hurt. My legs hurt. My feet hurt. My back hurt. Even My backside hurt. I was beat.Yet the day still had surprises waiting.
That evening in Wheeling, West Virginia, I put on my best happy face and participated in a television interview with the local ABC affiliate. Dinner was still in the offing and Scott’s friend Sally had recommended a local , her family used to frequent called Figaretti's.
What happened next emblematic of our experience throughout the journey.
The owner, Dino Figaretti, stuck his head in the RV, introduced himself, inquired about the ride, and immediately embraced what we were doing. His family has operated the restaurant for 70+ years and remarkably, Figaretti's had just been selected as a James Beard Award winner in the category of America's Classic Restaurants. Dino couldn't have been more gracious. He took photos with us, comped our dinner, loaded the RV with homemade pasta and sauce, and wished us well. Another example generosity from someone we had met only minutes before.
The day ended with one final challenge when we discovered our hotel reservation had accidentally been booked for the previous night. Somehow, despite a sold-out hotel, a resourceful front desk employee found two rooms and rescued us from what could have been a very long evening.
Day 56 carried us from Wheeling toward Pittsburgh.
Rain chased us for much of the day. A closed bridge forced an early reroute, and repeated storms eventually forced us to prioritize safety over stubbornness.
After dodging thunderstorms, lightning, and heavy rain, we finally arrived in Pittsburgh only to discover the hotel had no power because a transformer had been struck during the storm. Fortunately, the lights returned shortly after check-in. Sometimes timing is everything.
Day 57 was a rest day in Pittsburgh.
We toured the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and learned about their partnership with No Kid Hungry to help meet the challenges involved in feeding children and families facing food insecurity in the Pittsburgh area.
The biggest news of the day, however, was something we have been working toward for a long time. We crossed the $600,000 fundraising milestone thanks to a generous gift from Bill Townsend. Seeing the number on the side of the RV change from $500,000 to $600,000 was incredibly rewarding.
It's an important milestone. But it is not the finish line. There are still miles to ride. There are still children to help. There is still work to do.
As I write this, we are 2761 miles into the journey and preparing to begin the Great Allegheny Passage and continue our push toward Washington, D.C., and eventually Rehoboth Beach. The finish line is getting closer. The mission remains the same. And every day, this ride continues to prove a simple truth: When people learn that you're riding to help feed children, they want to help. Whether it's a cyclist on a country road, a road crew stopping construction, a restaurant owner sharing dinner, or a donor making a contribution, people consistently choose kindness.
And that's what keeps this ride moving forward.
Help Us Reach the Finish Line
The No Kid Hungry Ride is now over 3,000 miles into a 3,400-mile journey across America with one goal: helping end childhood hunger.
Today, one in five children in America lives in a household struggling with food insecurity. Through school meals, summer meal programs, advocacy, and community partnerships, No Kid Hungry is working to ensure that every child has access to the food they need to learn, grow, and succeed.
Thanks to your generosity, we've now surpassed $600,000 toward our $1 million fundraising goal.
Every donation helps provide meals and hope to children who need it most.
If you've been following the ride and would like to help us finish strong, please consider making a contribution or sharing the mission with friends, family, and colleagues.
Together, we can help ensure that no child in America goes hungry.
Thank you for riding along with us.
