DATE: September 21, 2005

Pete Dukes, the Durwood L. Alkire Endowed Professor of Accounting and associate dean for Undergraduate Programs, has ridden his bicycle cross country, from sea to shining sea, Anacortes, WA, to Rockport, ME. He did it with three cycling friends in segments of consecutive days over the past three summers, peddling the final miles and dipping his wheels into the Atlantic this September 11th.

It was no ride in the park, either. Dukes braved blast furnace heat and buffeting winds across the Great Plains, labored up precipitous mountain passes, suffered Biblical thunderstorms and was chased by overprotective dogs, including a big, black one on a desolate stretch of Idaho that turned out to be, upon closer examination, a bear.

Why would a man go to such lengths? It's the natural progression in the life of a self-described "endorphin junky" who took up cycling when a knee injury prevented him from running 15 years ago. Week-long cycling tours introduce the acquired pleasures of long-distance, multi-stage riding. "It was a great excuse to see the country in a different way," he says, "and get some exercise while we're at it."

That is, if you call 3,688 miles and 121,370 vertical feet in nearly 250 hours of riding over 49 days "exercise." On the tour, Dukes balanced daily rides with his role as his team's de facto directeur sportif, mapping the route, plotting rest stops, booking hotel rooms. He even developed a point system that appraises mileage, altitude gain and conditions to ensure that each day was within the physical capacity of each cyclist.

"I'm kind of a fanatic for figures," Dukes says.

Figures. Accountant, you know.

In the end, though, Dukes got much more than mileage and a good workout. The trip became a human-powered revelation.

"What started out as a kind of macho thing—riding bikes rather aggressively across America—turned into much more of an exploration of the many ways of life of Americans," he says. "We got to know loggers in Washington, ranchers in Montana, Native Americans in Montana and South Dakota, farmers in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana, factory and assembly plant workers in Ohio, resort owners, professors and customs authorities in New York, laid-back and gentle folk in Vermont and New Hampshire and ‘Down Easterners' in Maine. I came to truly appreciate just how diverse are the ways of life, the terrains and environments, and the attitudes that people have across this great country of ours. It was truly a great adventure."