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Cycling is a healthy, low-impact activity that people of all ages can enjoy.

Cycling has been proven to improve strength and flexibility, build coordination and balance, reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression, foster social connection, strengthen the immune system, and enhance cardiovascular health.

Human-powered transportation is also fun, cheap, and good for the environment.

For many of us, a bicycle was the first step to freedom. Do you remember the feeling of getting on a bike as a kid, riding into a day filled with unknown adventures?

What if I told you that you could still have those adventures on two wheels, exploring new places and discovering the incredible history of those who came before us?

Welcome to Episode Thirty-Nine of The Nature of Wellness Podcast.

On this episode, we sat down with “The Bicycle Nomad” Erick Cedeño, an accomplished explorer, historian, and storyteller. Born in Panama, Erick has become known for blending long-distance cycling, history, and cultural immersion. He has made life-altering trips from Vancouver, BC, to Tijuana, Mexico, and a 2,220-mile journey from New Orleans to Niagara Falls, retracing a route of The Underground Railroad. His lifelong love for history led him to research those who have traveled long distances on bicycles before him.

In 2022, he honored the 125th anniversary of the Buffalo Soldier Bicycle Corps–the all-Black regiment of U.S. soldiers–who rode 1,900 miles from Montana to Missouri in 1897. Using a journal he discovered, which chronicled details of the trip, Erick retraced the route exactly. He did not stop there, continuing to research these fantastic figures to pay them (and their descendants) the tribute they deserve.

Join us as we talk to Erick about his meaningful mission of “peddling through history,” how “bike-packing” across the country has helped him connect with people and places in surprising ways, and how long-distance trips in nature have helped him “discover himself.”

He shares emotional discoveries he has made in archives and on roads, the humbling experience of joining the Explorer’s Club, and his future trips based on those who came before him.

This conversation with The Bicycle Nomad left us wondering about wandering.

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We appreciate you all.

Be Well

-NOW

Truth and Dignity-Bicycle Nomad Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cla9yDVrW2U

NY Times Article:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/travel/25th-infantry-bicycle-corps.html

Men's Journal Article:
https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/buffalo-soldiers-bike-ride

Underground Railroad Church Video from Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbAHGVPTZUc

* The unbelievable Shawn Bell produces the Nature of Wellness Podcast and makes us all sound so good.

** The NOW theme song was penned, performed, produced, and provided by the dynamic duo of Phil and Niall Monahan.