WAYNE AND Pat Ludema ride down Route 531 in Conneaut during a trip from northwestern Indiana to Albany, N.Y., Sunday afternoon. WARREN DILLAWAY
Published September 14, 2008 10:56 pm - Deciding to pump up their lives, an Indiana couple are riding recumbent tricycles from suburban Chicago to Albany, N.Y.
Couple trikes from Indiana to NY
By WARREN DILLAWAY - Staff Writer Star Beacon
CONNEAUT — Deciding to pump up their lives, an Indiana couple are riding recumbent tricycles from suburban Chicago to Albany, N.Y.
“We’ve been up to our neck in dying,” said Pat Ludeman, while taking a break along Lake Road in Conneaut Sunday afternoon.
The couple make quite a picture, laid pack on their bikes, packed full of all their needed supplies.
Wayne Ludeman spent about five years with his dying mother and the couple decided they needed to do something to celebrate life and challenge themselves.
The couple bought the bikes in February and began training in March. “We went about 1,800 miles in training,” Wayne said.
While the trip has had its up and downs, the couple are having a great time and hope to ride again next year.
Weather can provide challenges for the bikers. “We spent the last two days getting drowned in Cleveland,” she said.
While making the trip, the couple are blogging on their experiences and taking pictures of people along the way.
The Website is www.crazyguyonabike.com and provides details of the trip and many interesting experiences along the way.
Picking the right tricycle was the first order of business. After some heavy-duty bargain shopping, the couple settled on two tricycles at a total cost of $2,800.
“We lived on a fixed income and just weren’t comfortable with the idea of spending $2,000 to $4,000 (each) on something as frivolous as recumbent trikes until we were absolutely sure that we actually would enjoy triking,” Wayne states on his blog.
The couple have been surprised at the warm greetings from motorists, truckers and pedestrians along the way. “Small children stare in unabashed wonder,” he states.
Pat and Wayne Ludeman are already planning their trip from Indiana to Oregon next summer.
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