16/04/2026
❤️
"On my first day, .1 miles into my ride, I had a panic attack. I couldn't see my family anymore and in that moment I realized I was alone in Kentucky as a black woman. I pulled over to catch my breath. I was hyperventilating. A stranger pulled over and asked if I was okay. After giving him my best thumbs up and a scraggly smile that I was still hyperventilating through, I pedaled on. Just 10 miles that first day, to shake the nerves.
My first campsite was in Point Lick, Kentucky. When I rolled in, I was immediately met with so much kindness I thought they were paid actors, like The Truman Show. Their kindness did wonders for my anxiety, and they even gathered on the road and cheered me on as I left for my next destination. I totally cried.
What came later was months of incredible kindness and hard work that I wouldn't trade for anything."
— Margurite 📍 TransAm | Berea, KY → Florence, OR | Surly Long Haul Trucker | October 11, 2021
Margurite's story and photo are part of Adventure Cycling's 40-plus-year storytelling project called The National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection. This year, Adventure Cycling is digitizing the entire collection.
