Fort Madison man takes tour of country on Cycle America bicycle ride

FORT MADISON — Bruce Huddleson was looking for a special way to not only celebrate his upcoming 70th birthday on Jan. 1, but also to do something in the memory of his late wife, Dianne, who died in 2021 from complications from COVID-19.

Huddleson is a Fort Madison resident who loves to ride bicycles, so he figured what better way to accomplish both than by riding across the United States this summer?

So Huddleson hooked up with Cycle America in mid-June and flew to Marysville, Washington, to begin a trip that took two months to cover over 3,100 miles, ending Aug. 20 in Glouchester, Massachusetts.

For Huddleson, it was one of the most fulfilling adventures of his life.

"It was a great time. I met a lot of neat people and got to see a lot of great scenery," Huddleson said. "It's like the old saying goes, 'Everything you want in life is on the other side of fear.' I decided to put my fear aside and do it this year. I'm glad I did."

For Huddleson, the cross-country tour began with a drive to Cannon Falls, Minnesota, where he met up with team members. The team packed up all the gear in a van, while Huddleson hopped an airplane for Seattle to meet up with the rest of the Cycle America members.

"We were allowed two bags each. One was a camping bags the other was for extra bicycle equipment," Huddleson said. "I stayed up in Seattle with Andy Rump for a couple days. He is stationed there in the Navy. He picked me up at the airport and drove me to Marysville for the start of the trip."

Huddleson said all the planning was done by Cycle America organizers, leaving the cyclists free to ride and enjoy the scenery along the way.

"All the food was paid for — breakfast, lunch and dinner," Huddleson said. "At most stops we stayed the night in schools which allowed us to stay there. We could either sleep in the school or sleep outside under the stars, depending on the weather. We rode six days and took Sundays off."

Huddleson said the group rode between 80-82 miles per day, but that tapered to 70-75 miles per day the final week.

"I think the longest day was in Montana when we did 100 miles," Huddleson said. "It was 108 degrees one day when we rode through South Dakota and it was 41 degrees one night in New York and I had to wear long sleeves."

Huddleson said the scenery along the route was breathtaking. He visited numerous states and sites he had never dreamed of seeing until the Cycle America ride.

"There were a lot of hills along the way," Huddleson said. "On the west side of Jackson, Wyoming, I had to walk the last three-quarters of a mile because the hill was so steep," Huddleson said. "When we crossed the continental divide we were at 9.600 feet and the highest elevation. We had to take some breaks on those hills. And in New York there were some hills. They were pretty steep, but not as long as the ones out west."

Huddleson said they got to visit Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Canada, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts.

Huddleson said the most enjoyable part of the two-month trip was meeting new people from all walks of life and hearing their stories. He said he met people from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and England.

"I met an 83-year-old guy who was doing his third Cycle America trip to celebrate his birthday. He had family members from the Netherlands come over to surprise him and help him celebrate," Huddleson said. "The guy who created the first-down line for the NFL on TV was on the ride. He was born in Pella and his father was from Trinidad and Tobago.

"Something interesting was we went through Northfield, Minnesota, site of the famous Jesse James Gang bank heist. My dad's grandmother actually fed the James' and Younger's on their way to Northfield. It was pretty neat seeing that."

Matt Levins is a sports reporter for the USA Today Network in Burlington, Iowa, who has covered local sports for 31 years at The Hawk Eye. Reach him at mlevins@thehawkeye.com.

This article originally appeared on The Hawk Eye: Fort Madison man celebrates 70th birthday, honors late wife with ride