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Meet the Pedaling Pilgrim

I’m Matt Hager, the rider and writer behind Pedaling Pilgrim; with two friends I’m pedaling 3,700 miles across North America to see the continent at twelve and a half miles an hour. Here you’ll find daily stories, quiet roadside moments, hard climbs, and practical notes in case you consider something like this for yourself. I plan to share my encounters with people and animals, both wild and tame.

I’m 58 years old and reside in Batavia, Illinois – close enough to be included in “Chicagoland”, but far enough west to seem more like eastern Iowa. I’m a 1x grandfather, a Midwest native, a world traveler, a Christian, a type-1 diabetic and a logical-minded engineer. I’ve never been a writer (so pardon my grammatical or stylistic error – I’m talking to you my chief editor sister Ellen). And to Geeto and Lecy (my riding partners), I’m likely a self-centered egotistical stubborn jerk with an unfounded sense of confidence brought on by pure good fortune (an opinion likely shared by their wives).

The usual first question I hear is, “why are you doing this?” To which I usually say, “I’ve been thinking of this since I was 13 years old.” As a near lifelong dream, I’m glad I haven’t previously had the gumption or resources to pull something like this off. In my younger years, I couldn’t appreciate the impact something like this can have on the people we encounter physically and virtually. Now rather than a selfish physiological test, I look at this as a special sociological gift to bring a little more joy to others while challenging myself mentally and physically. At 58 years old and over 4 years of not working daily for a paycheck, I recognize how blessed I am and feel an obligation to spread happiness where I can – hopefully this adventure with two friends and the daily documentation can do that! Like in my adventure kayaking the Mississippi, I don’t yet know how, but I’m confident this biking journey will make me a better person while in some small ways making our world a better place.