Senior Lecturer Matt Ladhoff Bikes 2,500-Mile Trek

Ladhoff says he and his wife, Sara, had been talking about a cross-country bike ride ever since they first met. On May 5, after classes finished, the couple began the 2,500-mile trek up the East Coast Greenway, which stretches from Key West, Florida, to the Canadian border in Calais, Maine. 

While preparing for the trip, Ladhoff discussed it with his students in the Carlson School’s Impact Lab, where he teaches a class on problem-solving. 

“It made for a fun topic in class this past semester to talk about disaggregating a problem and hypothesizing solutions,” he says. “Students came up with a broad array of different possible issues related to the trip, and we’re definitely better off for all their brainstorming. So, thank you to Carlson students.” 

Even with all that prep, the journey wasn’t easy. “Those first few weeks in Florida, amid a heat wave, were the most challenging days of the trip,” Ladhoff says. “The ride was certainly long and grueling at times, but we found the heat and the bugs to be the most challenging aspect. Specifically, trying to camp when it’s still muggy and 80 degrees at night when you’re trying to fall asleep was brutal.” 

Still, it was worth it. Ladhoff says he learned a lot and feels immense gratitude for his wife and the strangers who helped them along the way. 

The couple bicycled for 67 days, completing the ride on July 10. 

See Ladhoff’s adventures @Biking.theeastcoast on Instagram.

Photos courtesy of Matt Ladhoff

^{Image at the top of the page: Matt Ladhoff, right, and his wife, Sara, started their journey in Key West, Florida.}