2 min readPublished On: March 1, 2017

Putting the Mettle to the Pedal

WRITER: Gary McKechnie PHOTO: Fred Lopez

How Mike & Lucia Ratrie biked from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

When Mike Ratrie, 62, and his wife Lucia, 56, agreed on an ambitious ride across the United States, making decisions became the norm. In the four-month, 5,885-mile journey, there were hundreds of decisions. Before they left—how to train, where to train, what to pack, what to sleep in, and what to sleep on. On the road—when to start, what to eat, where to eat, how far to ride, and how fast to ride.

Mike rode recumbent bikes and then tricycles due to lower back problems. When they met in 2011, Lucia loved cycling, but was sure she’d never ride a trike.

However, an automobile accident changed everything. Bicycling was on hold during several months of convalescence. After recovery, Lucia looked at trikes differently, and she and Mike began planning a cross-country ride on ICE (Inspired Cycle Engineering) trikes fit for their frames. They added a philanthropic element by raising money for the McLindon Family Foundation, which provides adaptive bikes to special needs children.

For months they created computer spreadsheets detailing distances and elevations. Because Mike has Type 1 diabetes, they set end points near pharmacies. As a failsafe, they pre-packaged boxes of Mike’s diabetic supplies that were shipped by a friend from Mount Dora in care of general delivery along the route.

The planning paid off. Aside from a day in Fairplay, Colorado, when altitude sickness affected Mike, it was smooth cycling from the Pacific Coast to Yorktown, Virginia, on the Atlantic, and then home.

During the ride, they met cyclists from across America and around the world. It was a welcome aspect of the ride that Mike says formed an immediate bond and “absolutely enhanced the whole trip.”

Before embarking on their epic journey, they pedaled to Lake County’s Trimble Park for weekend camping trips to test their trikes, their tent, and their gear. With that, they found a whole new world just miles from home.

“That was incredible,” Mike reflects. “We found you don’t necessarily have to go coast to coast to meet fabulous people. You’ll find them right here.”