Erika and Joe Kahlenbeck pose with the Key West buoy, after completing their trip. Photo courtesy of Erika Kahlenbeck
A father and daughter from Columbus recently returned to Columbus after completing a bike trip from Canada to Key West.
Erika Kahlenbeck and her father Joe Kahlenbeck said the 42-day trip was done unsupported, with just their bikes, equipment, and the road. But unsupported doesn’t mean unprepared, as there were two years of planning prior to the trip that began in late May, with a flight to Prince Edward Island in Canada.
“The way we did it, unsupported, takes a lot,” said Joe. When averaging around 80 miles a day, dealing with terrain changes, and weather changes, the two had to be prepared. Making sure they had the correct gear, storage, and bike were only a piece of the picture. Planning went down to the smallest details, even the way gear was placed on the bike.
“We rode a lot on the weekends, we would do long rides with weight,” said Erika, about the conditioning that took place before the trip.
Joe, owner of Columbus Cycling and Fitness, had ridden cross country before, meaning a lengthy trip wasn’t unfamiliar territory. The trip from Canada to Key West has actually been Erika’s idea, who had been cycling for around 10 years.
“I wanted to do something different,” she said.
Erika said a highlight of the trip for her was the Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia.
“It was beautiful up there,” she said. She described it as woods and mountains with ocean, and a tourist season that had yet to begin.
“People were amazed that we did it, because it’s a really hard trail,” she said.
Joe pointed to the weather throughout the ride being a bit of a challenge. It wasn’t necessarily the cold weather, or the hot weather, but the changes in the weather.
“That kind of played a toll on my body,” said Joe. One moment, it would be 70 degrees, but quickly drop to 50 from wind. Or the temperature would be neutral, but cold rain would start coming down. Throughout the trip, they’d have to stop and change into gear appropriate for the weather changes.
“You get so hot climbing, but then if you didn’t keep colder weather stuff on going down the hills, muscles would freeze up,” said Erika.
On the trip, there was also an instance where they both crashed. It was minor, with only a few scratches to show for it, and they were able to ride 60 more miles that day. But, it made the fact that they were riding unsupported a bit more obvious.
“We couldn’t plan anything. It was pretty rural,” said Erika.
They’d plan lodging for each night around lunchtime. Planning ahead for meals and places to stay was unrealistic, due to the nature of the trip. For many meals, they’d eat grocery store rotisserie chicken.
“The problem with set plans, is it puts a lot of stress on the ride,” said Joe. There was one instance where they’d planned to ride around 80 miles in a day, but a road being closed caused them to take a detour. The day ended up being almost 110 miles.
“We had no choice, we had to do it,” said Joe. Although the added distance is much more impactful on a bike than in a car, the change was no problem since they weren’t sticking to an itinerary anyways. Erika and Joe both agreed that while it was challenging, that added to the excitement of the trip, and allowed them to stay in the moment.
Throughout their trip, they also met a lot of new people.
“We would talk to people and they could tell us like where would be a good place to stay, or something that we should see while we’re in the area,” said Erika. Erika said she enjoyed meeting so many different people, and seeing so many different things.
“The further you go on a ride like that, the more helpful people seem to be,” said Joe. People down the coast were eager to hear about their trip, and even a little shocked when they found out their reason for such a long trip was simply because they enjoy it.
“I didn’t want it to end, because it was so fun,” said Erika.
“The ending was like, ‘Ok, we’re done,’” Joe said, agreeing.
The crowd of tourists visiting Key West’s iconic buoy cheered for them as they arrived, accompanied by a police escort that Erika’s mom had arranged for them for the last five miles.
“You see so much more than when you’re traveling in a car. Nothing goes past you,” she said.
