East Coast Greenway

Today’s post will be a bit different than our usual. Not too long ago, I came across a YouTube video called “Not So Scary After All – Biking the East Coast Greenway“, by Regina Yan, a 20-something who is decidedly NOT a Senior Ripper, but who, as you will see in the video, embodies the Senior Ripper spirit of adventure. I was inspired by Regina’s willingness to venture outside her comfort zone, and accomplish an amazing feat or riding the entire East Coast Greenway over 3,000 miles from the northernmost part of Maine to the southernmost tip of Florida. And Regina’s ability to tell her story was captivating.

I reached out to Regina in the hope that she would agree to an interview for Senior Ripper. At first, she was hesitant. She’s not a publicity seeker, and she told me that it was even hard for her to post her video for the world to see. When I explained that it could be in the form of a written Q&A, she, luckily for us, agreed, and as you will see, she took the time to respond thoughtfully. I hope you will enjoy getting to know a bit about Regina, and her journey, and that you will be inspired to venture outside of your comfort zone for an adventure of your own.

Senior Ripper: Regina, thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. Can you tell us a little about your background, where you grew up, where you live now, your job, and your history as an adventure athlete.

Regina Yan: The outdoors is so core to my happiness and identity, but I wasn’t true to it for the longest time. I grew up in Kansas where there weren’t many exciting things to do outside (or, not that I knew of). It wasn’t until I went to college in New Hampshire where my indoors, A/C-loving self was suddenly exposed to the endless opportunities outdoors. I quickly got into rock climbing, camping, hiking, and surfing, and I continue to do these things around Washington, DC where I work as a web designer. I actually didn’t start biking until the pandemic began — I can’t believe it took me that long to discover one of my greatest passions in life — and I initially used it as my form of transportation since I didn’t have a car. Small grocery runs turned into 10-mile rides on the trails, and I guess 10-milers turned into a 3,000 mile bike-packing trip!

SR: How did you get the idea to ride the entire East Coast Greenway? What inspired you to attempt such a daunting feat, especially with your seemingly sparse prior experience?

RY: Lael Wilcox inspired me to want to do something big, and my boyfriend Sheppard inspired me to do this particular trip. Lael is an insanely talented ultra-endurance biker and there’s nothing that makes me get off the couch more than watching strong women crush their goals. Her journey on the Tour Divide – an extremely strenuous mountain bike race from Banff to New Mexico – inspired me to dive into bikepacking. I really do like to push myself and dive right into the deep end of things, and she inspired me to do exactly that. The Tour Divide would be too dangerous to jump into with no experience, but Sheppard, who had biked a portion of the East Coast Greenway, suggested Maine-to-Florida as a safer challenge given its flatter roads and proximity to civilization. Sure, I didn’t have any idea what I was doing, but the inexperience was honestly helpful for getting me to do this trip because I naively thought, hey, biking can’t be that hard, you’re sitting down the whole time and you can even eat snacks while pedaling! Once I had the idea, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and when I found out I could take a month off work, I knew I had to go for it. 

SR: Were you ever afraid on the ride?

RY: Haha, yes, in certain ways. Afraid of cars? All the time. There’s a stretch of the Greenway between Charleston and Savannah that takes you on US-17. There’s little or no shoulder, cars are going quite fast, and drivers aren’t used to seeing cyclists. I was definitely afraid of getting hit, but anytime I had problems, there was always a friendly soul who offered to help — I got a flat tire on that highway (pretty annoyed at myself about that one – I saw the nail and proceeded to run directly over it…) and multiple folks stopped and offered food, water, and even a ride to Savannah. So, even though sometimes there were too many cars, I still appreciated being so close to civilization because I never felt alone. I did also take precautions like sharing my location with friends and family, always saying I was “meeting up with someone” if anyone asked if I was on my own, but in general the only fear came from those speedy cars. Aaaand maybe the rain.

SR: Were you ever tempted to quit before you finished?

RY: Oh never. The plan was to try my very best to finish. I would have been happy with myself if I gave it my all and didn’t make it to the end, but I was never tempted to stop before my 30 days were up… although, I did have my home in DC as a perfect halfway point and sleeping in the comfort of my own bed was almost too comfortable!

SR: Do you have another adventure in the works? 

RY: The Amaury Sport Organization that runs the Tour de France is also starting a women’s version this year — Tour de France Femmes. I would love to (slowly) bikepack that route to challenge myself and celebrate the amazing feat of these strong women. Hoping to make this happen next year!

SR: Would you do this one again?

RY: There are far too many adventures I have on my “bike-it” list that I will probably not come back to this one. If I did, then it would be many years from now (perhaps when I am a true Senior Ripper!). They are continuously building out protected off-road portions, and I imagine this ride will become more and more enjoyable as the years go on.

SR: What will you do differently the next time, either on this ride, or another?

RY: Oh, I would definitely take my time. I was in a bit of a time crunch for this trip due to the amount of days I could take off work, so I had to ride an average of just over 100 miles a day with no rest days. I think I biked around 10-12 miles an hour, so with 8-10 hours spent on the bike there was not much time for sightseeing. Thankfully I really do enjoy the process of biking and don’t feel like I missed out on sightseeing opportunities, but I certainly will reduce the daily mileage for future trips and allow myself a few days off, especially when those storms are rolling in. 

SR: What one piece of advice would you give to someone who has never tried anything like this before?

RY: Be patient with yourself! You’re already jumping into something out of your comfort zone, so take it easy when things don’t go as expected. Maybe this is just me giving advice to myself, but I would get frustrated when I didn’t know how to adjust my derailleurs or did silly things like not use any chamois cream to prevent saddle sores. Learning and growing is part of the experience, so be patient with yourself and enjoy the process!

Thanks so much to Regina for her thoughtful responses. I don’t know about you, but I am inspired to seek out more adventures that aren’t guaranteed successes, but that are guaranteed fun. Maybe type 2 fun, but fun nonetheless.

What adventures are on your bucket list?

Keep moving, stay safe, have fun!