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Am I Supposed to be Training for This?

How I’m both ready and not ready for a Cross-America Bike Ride On June 15, (less than two months from today), I’ll be on…

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littlemissbiketour

A solo girl's spin on travel by bicycle.
TransAmerica route 2019.
#Golden150 Cross-Colorado route in 2026.

It’s been seven(!) years since I launched this Ins

It’s been seven(!) years since I launched this Instagram account to document my TransAmerica bike trip across the USA.

So much life has happened since 2019. I got a big-girl job. The pandemic hit, and then my oldest sister Gina died. I met Nathan, we moved in together, and we got married. I got an even-bigger-girl job. I turned 40. I lost my younger brother, Tom, and I continue caregiving for my youngest brother, Phil, as his disability intensifies.

Through all the highs and lows, travel by bicycle has remained a constant for me — my most direct route to solace, adventure, and joy.

This year, I find myself at a career crossroads, with the gift of time to organize my #Golden150 Cross-Colorado bike ride in August. Am I qualified for this ambitious project? I'll answer that with a “resume” of my bike travel experience since 2019.

#Bicycletravel #Bikepacking #AdventureCycling #Coloradobybicycle

Join me in August to cross Colorado by bicycle! D

Join me in August to cross Colorado by bicycle!

Drop-in cyclists WELCOME to join my three-week bikepacking adventure to celebrate Colorado’s 150th birthday @am250co150

The Golden 150 is my three-week bike ride across Colorado from border to border, east to west. The route follows the Colorado section (Section 3) of @adventurecycling's newly-launched Golden Gravel Trail.

Join for all or any of the three weeks, divided into three distinct geographical vibes:
Week 1: Colorado's Eastern Plains
Week 2: Colorado's Mountain Heights
Week 3: Colorado's Western Slope

See the link in bio for trip specs, day-by-day itinerary details, and an interest form.

#Am250CO150 #Colorado150 #AdventureCycling #GoldenGravelTrail #Bikepacking

We've been scheming and dreaming up this three-day

We've been scheming and dreaming up this three-day MTB adventure on the White Rim Roads for years!

It was really a dream come true. We were lucky to have vehicle support from good friends who joined us at the Shafer and Murphy campgrounds in @canyonlandsnps

Despite all the planning and support, there were still a few things I was not prepared for:

- The high winds! Day, evening, and night. Day two was especially gusty
- The difficulty of the ride. I'm not a mountain biker, so I rented a full suspension bike in Moab and spent plenty of time hike-a-biking
- The remote and wild desert beauty of it. Permits are so scarce that we hardly saw anyone else out there

#whiterimtrail #whiterimroad #canyonlandsnationalpark #moab #utah

Highlights from the Northern Highlands of Vietnam

Highlights from the Northern Highlands of Vietnam bike tour

Highlands of Northern Vietnam bike tour gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Highlands of Northern Vietnam bike tour gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For this one, we joined a group through @muchbetteradventures. What a ride! If you're up for the physical challenge, the Ha Giang loop (like so many places) is best enjoyed on the two wheels of a bicycle 🚲

Vietnam is a motorbike nation, which actually worked in our favor. We took many narrow motorbike-sized backroads through the big ups and downs of the rural highlands. It almost felt like dedicated bikeways -- until the occasional wide-load motorbike scooted by 🏍️

By the numbers:
192 miles
19,784 feet of climb
14 amazing cyclists from 4 different countries
7 days on the bikes, 3 days off the bikes
3 local tour guides and 3 support vehicles
1 overlook view into China (we were very far north!)
Countless snacks, beers, and cups of homebrew sportsdrink

This annual bike tour overseas will be hard to beat. Where should we go next??

Tour of the Canyons 2025! Grand Junction CO ➡️ Gat

Tour of the Canyons 2025!
Grand Junction CO ➡️ Gateway CO ➡️ Paradox CO ➡️ Moab UT
3 days of cycling, 158 miles, 8785 ft of climb, and 8 cyclists in the @sanjuanhuts

I did this route in 2020 with a different group and some unlucky snowy weather, but the same amazing views and mix of paved, gravel, and advanced-gravel terrain.

Couldn't have asked for clearer weather, a more fun group, or better bike trip vibes. Maybe I'll revisit this route in another 5 years. 2030, anyone?

Photo dump from summer '25 cycling highlights - M

Photo dump from summer '25 cycling highlights

- Memorial day bikepacking to Victor via Phantom Canyon and (misty) Shelf Road, route compliments of @gravelbikeadventures

- Super-spicey Far Out Grvl ride from Boulder to Ned and back with @thankgravelitsfriday

- A visit to friends in Milwaukee and a humid self-guided bike tour of the Oak Leaf Trail

- 4th of July camping trip to Steamboat Springs with a gravel adventure from the campground

- Several practice rides leading up to the @triplebypassride, my biggest and toughest-ever day on a bike!

- A fundraising effort in memory of my brother Tom on the @globaldownsyndrome Dare to Ride team of the Courage Classic

- A sleepaway camp/weekend workshop for women with gravel bikes through @rarfrontrange

I've got a few more autumn rides in the pipeline while the warm weather holds. But first -- a little vacay to the Bolivian Andes for some trekking ⛰️🥾

Finally posting some highlights from our early Mar

Finally posting some highlights from our early March gravel bike tour in Girona, Spain 🇪🇸

Our cameras caught beautiful scenery, big smiles, the quiet dirt backroads, and some great food. What the photos don't show is the rainier parts - the weather was unusually wet that week.

The photos also don't show the clouds of grief that hung over the trip. This was the week after my brother Tom died unexpectedly. I decided to go ahead and travel, go ahead and pedal for days, go do the thing that has always brought me so much solace and joy.

And it helped! I had time in the saddle to think about the eulogy I would write and reflect on Tom's life, outside my day-to-day grind. I am a believer in pedal therapy 🌥️🌤️☀️

I'm riding the Courage Classic next weekend as a memorial to Tom and as a fundraiser for Down syndrome clinical research at @childrenscolo and @globaldownsyndrome

Huge thanks to everyone who has already donated; I'm blown away by your generosity.
Fundraising link and details in bio

Friends, I'm pedaling again this July to raise fun

Friends, I'm pedaling again this July to raise funds for longer, healthier lives for people with Down syndrome. Can I count on you to help me reach my goal?

I've cycled the Courage Classic to benefit @givechildrensco before, on the Dare to Ride team to benefit the Sie Center for Down syndrome research @globaldownsyndrome . This year is extra meaningful as we remember my brother Tom and grieve his unexpected death this past March.

If you'd like to help me honor Tom's memory, please contribute on my fundraising page (link in bio) and here:
http://support.childrenscoloradofoundation.org/goto/in_memory_of_Thomas_Ord
I recommend a $35 donation to celebrate all 35 years of Tom's life 🤍

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Latest Posts

Golden 150: Cross-Colorado Bike Ride
April 28, 2026
My Bike Travel Resume
April 25, 2026
This Bikepacking Ride Is All About M.E.
September 1, 2020

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It’s been seven(!) years since I launched this Ins

It’s been seven(!) years since I launched this Instagram account to document my TransAmerica bike trip across the USA.

So much life has happened since 2019. I got a big-girl job. The pandemic hit, and then my oldest sister Gina died. I met Nathan, we moved in together, and we got married. I got an even-bigger-girl job. I turned 40. I lost my younger brother, Tom, and I continue caregiving for my youngest brother, Phil, as his disability intensifies.

Through all the highs and lows, travel by bicycle has remained a constant for me — my most direct route to solace, adventure, and joy.

This year, I find myself at a career crossroads, with the gift of time to organize my #Golden150 Cross-Colorado bike ride in August. Am I qualified for this ambitious project? I'll answer that with a “resume” of my bike travel experience since 2019.

#Bicycletravel #Bikepacking #AdventureCycling #Coloradobybicycle

Join me in August to cross Colorado by bicycle! D

Join me in August to cross Colorado by bicycle!

Drop-in cyclists WELCOME to join my three-week bikepacking adventure to celebrate Colorado’s 150th birthday @am250co150

The Golden 150 is my three-week bike ride across Colorado from border to border, east to west. The route follows the Colorado section (Section 3) of @adventurecycling's newly-launched Golden Gravel Trail.

Join for all or any of the three weeks, divided into three distinct geographical vibes:
Week 1: Colorado's Eastern Plains
Week 2: Colorado's Mountain Heights
Week 3: Colorado's Western Slope

See the link in bio for trip specs, day-by-day itinerary details, and an interest form.

#Am250CO150 #Colorado150 #AdventureCycling #GoldenGravelTrail #Bikepacking

We've been scheming and dreaming up this three-day

We've been scheming and dreaming up this three-day MTB adventure on the White Rim Roads for years!

It was really a dream come true. We were lucky to have vehicle support from good friends who joined us at the Shafer and Murphy campgrounds in @canyonlandsnps

Despite all the planning and support, there were still a few things I was not prepared for:

- The high winds! Day, evening, and night. Day two was especially gusty
- The difficulty of the ride. I'm not a mountain biker, so I rented a full suspension bike in Moab and spent plenty of time hike-a-biking
- The remote and wild desert beauty of it. Permits are so scarce that we hardly saw anyone else out there

#whiterimtrail #whiterimroad #canyonlandsnationalpark #moab #utah

Highlights from the Northern Highlands of Vietnam

Highlights from the Northern Highlands of Vietnam bike tour

Highlands of Northern Vietnam bike tour gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Highlands of Northern Vietnam bike tour gets ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

For this one, we joined a group through @muchbetteradventures. What a ride! If you're up for the physical challenge, the Ha Giang loop (like so many places) is best enjoyed on the two wheels of a bicycle 🚲

Vietnam is a motorbike nation, which actually worked in our favor. We took many narrow motorbike-sized backroads through the big ups and downs of the rural highlands. It almost felt like dedicated bikeways -- until the occasional wide-load motorbike scooted by 🏍️

By the numbers:
192 miles
19,784 feet of climb
14 amazing cyclists from 4 different countries
7 days on the bikes, 3 days off the bikes
3 local tour guides and 3 support vehicles
1 overlook view into China (we were very far north!)
Countless snacks, beers, and cups of homebrew sportsdrink

This annual bike tour overseas will be hard to beat. Where should we go next??

Tour of the Canyons 2025! Grand Junction CO ➡️ Gat

Tour of the Canyons 2025!
Grand Junction CO ➡️ Gateway CO ➡️ Paradox CO ➡️ Moab UT
3 days of cycling, 158 miles, 8785 ft of climb, and 8 cyclists in the @sanjuanhuts

I did this route in 2020 with a different group and some unlucky snowy weather, but the same amazing views and mix of paved, gravel, and advanced-gravel terrain.

Couldn't have asked for clearer weather, a more fun group, or better bike trip vibes. Maybe I'll revisit this route in another 5 years. 2030, anyone?

Follow on Instagram