Erick Cedeño is known for bikepacking around the U.S. He has a passion for history and has biked along historical routes including the Underground Railroad and most recently, Erick traced the footsteps and tire treads of a group of U.S. soldiers known as the Iron Riders.
Erick Cedeño is known for bikepacking around the U.S. He rides through some of the most beautiful parts of the country, but his trips aren’t just about taking in the scenery. Erick has a passion for history and has biked along historical routes including the Underground Railroad and most recently, he traced the footsteps and tire treads of a group of U.S. soldiers known as the Iron Riders.
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Erick Cedeño:
This is not only Black history. This is not just US history. This is outdoor history. This is bike packing history. And how come these men were not celebrated like we celebrate pioneers in the outdoors? And for me, that was the reason that I wanted to do it. I was like, "I want to learn more."
Shelby Stanger:
Erick Cedeño, also known as the Bicycle Nomad, is known for bike packing around the US. He rides through some of the most beautiful parts of the country, but his trips aren't just about taking in the scenery. Erica's biked along historical routes, including some famous ones established by Black Americans at the turn of the 20th century. Before he sets out, Erick does tons of research to learn about the folks who travel these paths before him. When he's on the road, he tries to connect with their stories, the places they visited, and even their descendants. I'm Shelby Stanger, and this is Wild Ideas Worth Living, an REI Co-Op Studios production.
Over the past 15 years, Erick Cedeño has gone on some pretty incredible adventures on his bike. When he first started bike packing, he had a job that gave him two consecutive months off every single year. During those two months, he would pack in as much adventure as he could. He cycled the west coast of the US from Canada to Mexico. He followed the Underground Railroad from New Orleans to Niagara Falls. And most recently, in 2022, he recreated the journey of the 1897 Bicycle Corps of the US Army. Bike packing along these historical routes has allowed Erick to connect his three main passions, history, biking, and cultural immersion. Erick could never have imagined that bike packing would become such a major part of his life. He grew up in Miami, Florida and describes the landscape there as pancake flat. But his mother took him traveling and always encouraged him to keep exploring. Erick Cedeño, welcome to Wild Ideas Worth Living.
Erick Cedeño:
Shelby, thank you.
Shelby Stanger:
You've had so many great wild ideas, bike packing. That is something I've never done, and it just seems like such a beautiful way to travel. How did you get into it?
Erick Cedeño:
Shelby, I've been very curious as a kid, and I am who I am I think because of my mom. When I was 12 years old, she took me to Mexico to see the pyramids and temples of the Mayan and Aztec civilizations, and that changed my world. It sparked my sense of exploration, my love for history. I was living in Miami, commuting by bike. I wanted to go further because I kept seeing the same streets, the same buildings, and I just became bored. And I was wondering if I could go from Miami to Key West. It's about 155 miles by bike, right? And I've never done that kind of distance.
And that trip also changed my world because I got to experience Miami and Southern Florida like never before. Bike packing is the best way to see the landscape of the country, of the world. And you are exposed, meaning that you could use all your senses, right? You could use your eyes, you could smell the grass, you could talk to people. You could eat wonderful food. I never listened to music. I just listened to my thoughts and many thoughts come through. Sometimes I think about my mom, sometimes I think about the way I grew up. And this time I was thinking, "Wow, this is amazing. I wonder if I could go from border to border." So now I wanted to go a little further, and six months later I went from Vancouver, Canada to Tijuana, Mexico.
Shelby Stanger:
It was on this ride down the Pacific Coast Highway in 2009 that Erick biked through the mountains for the first time. Each mountain he came to was an extreme challenge. He wanted to get off his bike and walk, but he persevered and the experience made him the determined, strong cyclist he is. Today for another trip in 2014, Erick decided to combine his passions for cycling with history.
You had one wild idea, which was bike to Key West, and that wild idea then led from Vancouver to San Diego or to Mexico. Then you had another wild idea. You traced the Underground Railroad. How did that come to be?
Erick Cedeño:
Shelby, on that trip, on the Pacific Coast Highway, like climbing mountains, being outside my comfort zone, I was like, "This is pretty hard, but I'm loving it." So when I finished, I was like, "I want to do more." And the following year I went from Miami to New York City. And on that experience, I went through St. Augustine, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, Charleston, through the outer banks of North Carolina, Jamestown, Virginia, DC, Delaware, and I mentioned those places because I kept seeing historical signs. I traveled through history, and when I finished, I learned so much about this country, the landscape, the people, and the history.
So I was like, "Oh, I got it. I should travel through history" because history is my passion and I love bike packing. If I could intertwine them, history becomes my carrot that will carry me to the next place, the next town, the next city.
So right after that, on my trip in 2012, I started researching routes that I wanted to travel, through history. I've always been interested in the history of the Underground Railroad because they traveled through the landscape just following the North Star and wanting freedom. They were explorers. They didn't know how to read and write, but they just followed rivers. They followed mountains, they followed stars. And the Underground Railroad has several routes. But what I did, I followed, there's a spiritual song that they used to sing in plantation called Follow the Drinking Gourd. And what it was, it was a GPS on how to navigate to Canada. So the song says, "Follow Tennessee River to the Ohio River and follow the Big Dipper." And that's what I did. So most of the time I will be on the banks of the Tennessee River, the Ohio River, and I took the same route into Niagara and into Canada.
Shelby Stanger:
Wow. What were the people like that you met?
Erick Cedeño:
That's one of the reasons I love traveling by bike, because you get to meet so many people. And I travel from New Orleans, I went to Mobile, Alabama. From Mobile, Alabama, traveled through Mississippi, through Tennessee, through Kentucky, and this is back country. And that's why I wanted to do this. I've been to all the big cities, right? Chicago, New Orleans, Atlanta, New York. But I was like, "What about those small towns? How do I get to those small towns?"
And to be honest, people were really kind all throughout the trip. I never experienced anything negative. People were very curious. I would stop in the middle of, let's say a town that is 250 people. I would stop and get something like an iced tea or water or potato chips, and people were curious. They would come in, it's like, "Hey, what are you up to? Where are you coming from?" Because they will see my bike full of the bags and the camping gear, and they're like, "Where are you coming from?" "I'm coming from New Orleans". And I might be in Mississippi.
And they're like, "Wow, you came from New Orleans to Mississippi by bike? Where are you going?" I said, "I'm going to Canada." They were just like, "Why? What are you doing?" And just wanted to ask questions and people would be like, "Hey, can you join us for dinner tonight?" Or "Can I buy you dinner or can I buy you lunch? Can I buy you a cup of coffee? Can I pay for your campsite?" People, they just wanted to be a part of the trip. I remember going into this small town and I went to, it was in Alabama, and the campsite was right by the river. And the owner, well, I was paying for the campsite.
That owner of the campsite was like, "Whose bike is this?" And I was like, "It's mine again." He asked me where I was coming from, where I was going, and then I told him that I was retracing a route of the Underground Railroad. And he was like, "Oh, wow." And the first thing he said was like, "You're going to be our guest. I'm not going to charge you for your campsite." And I was like, tears almost came out right, and I'll tell you why. But he said, "I cannot charge you. You are on a spiritual trip, and I cannot profit from that." I mean, even telling you, it's like making me tear up because a lot of people, when I started traveling by bike will be like, "You're going to get killed or you're going to get hurt. Don't do this." It's the opposite. What I experienced is kindness, compassion from people along the way.
Shelby Stanger:
The people that Erick met on this trip were incredibly kind, but the riding was tough. Just getting to and from a historic site could take an entire day of biking. And the 2200-mile journey already felt never ending. But in 2020, Erick surprised himself and he decided to bike the Underground Railroad again. The history lover in him needed to hit all the landmarks that he missed the first time around. He enjoyed the second trip so much that a couple of years later, Erick decided to follow in the footsteps and the tire treads of a group of US soldiers known as the Iron Riders. When we come back, Erick talks about his latest bike packing journey and shares some of his favorite moments from the ride.
Erick Cedeño is a cyclist and explorer who weaves together bike packing with his passion for history. Erick followed the underground railroad by bike twice, once in 2014, and again in 2020. While he was preparing for the 2020 ride, Erick learned about an obscure regiment of the US Army, known as the Bicycle Corps. Around the turn of the century, the military mostly used horses to travel the country. At a certain point, they started exploring the possibility of using bikes instead. They're cheaper to maintain than horses. They don't need food or water, and they're a heck of a lot quieter. To test out the efficiency of bikes, the US Army formed a bicycle corps. This group was made up of a journalist, a lieutenant, a physician, and 20 Black soldiers. Erick couldn't believe he had never heard of the Bicycle Corps before. These men quickly became the inspiration for his next historical ride.
In 2022, you did another wild idea, which was retracing the 1897 expedition of the Bike Corps, which was this all Black group of soldiers, the Buffalo soldiers.
Erick Cedeño:
Yes.
Shelby Stanger:
I think most people only know about the Buffalo Soldiers from music.
Erick Cedeño:
From Bob Marley.
Shelby Stanger:
Yeah.
Erick Cedeño:
Yeah. And he was accurate on that song. So in 2013, when I was researching the Underground Railroad, I started asking myself, "Who were the first people that traveled by bike?" As a historian or as someone that loves history, I was like, "Who were the first people that traveled by bike? Where did they go? And why did they go?"
So as I'm doing my research on the Underground Railroad, I came across photos of this Black regimen on bike, and I was like, wow. 20 Black soldiers in 1897 went from Missoula, Montana to St. Louis, Missouri. And I was like, "Amazing. How come I didn't learn this in middle school or in high school or in college?" I started traveling Shelby by bike when I was 32. I probably would've started as soon as I would've learned about this history because that would've been my motivation. I would've been inspired. When I saw those guys. I was like, wow.
Shelby Stanger:
In the spirit of Erick's passion for research, let's take a moment to learn a little bit more about this regiment, also known as the Iron Riders. For their first expedition in 1896, these men rode single speed bikes with no suspension and wooden wheels. The unit made a few upgrades for this 1897 journey from Montana to Missouri. They switched to steel wheels and added chain guards and clipping pedals. Still, the bikes were pretty elementary.
The Iron Riders rode through forests, up mountains, and across deserts on dirt trails, unpaved roads, and railroad tracks. They endured pretty much every kind of weather you can imagine: snow, hail, heavy rains, and extreme heat. The trip was 1900 miles and took them 41 days. In his research, Erick read the journals of many of the Iron Riders to learn the details of their travels. While he was biking, he would even speak to them out loud as if they were having a conversation.
Erick Cedeño:
I have to tell you that when I start my trips and every historical trip that I've done, I'm talking to the people that traveled through the same routes that I travel. So on the Buffalo Soldiers, I spoke to each of the soldiers. I have the names of all 20 of them, and I spoke to them as I'm riding my bike, I was like, "If someone's filming me, they're probably going to think I'm crazy." But I'm talking to them and I say, "What happened here? I want to know the truth. I want you to walk me through your experience."
And originally I thought, "How cool would it be if I follow them mile by mile, right?" So start on June 14th, 2022. They left on June 14th, 1897 from the same location, which was Fort Missoula. So I went to Fort Missoula at 5:30 in the morning is when they left. So I left at five 30 in the morning and literally follow them mile by mile. Every morning I will get up, have my coffee in the campsite, and I will read their journals of what experience they had that day, what kind of miles they cover, where they camp, where they ate, any experience that they had.
So I wanted to follow that. I literally followed the 1897 expedition mile by mile. I wanted to stay where they stayed, especially military bases. And there's one on my first day from Missoula, Montana to Helena, Montana. There's a fort called Fort Harrison, and I was like, "Oh, I want to stay in Fort Harrison", but because I'm not military, I was not allowed or given permission to stay there. And I called them almost every week for eight months. I tell you that, Shelby, because when I get to Helena, Montana, I went to Fort Harrison and they already told me no for eight months that I couldn't stay there.
I went to the historical museum, the military museum. I wanted to see if they have photos or anything that I don't have on my research, the seven years of research. So I was doing kind of sweeping every town that I went to, I will go to museums, I will go to libraries. I want to know if there's something I don't have. And I went to this historical military museum and there was nothing there, and I was disappointed and I was leaving. And as I was leaving Shelby, there was a lady on top of this building, like three floors up, waving at me and I'm like, "Who is she? Why is she waving at me like that?"
She comes down, told me to wait, comes down and says, "Oh my God, I just saw you on the news. You are the guy that is retracing the Bicycle Corps expedition, and I just wanted to say thank you for paying homage to them and paying homage to military history. What can I do for you?" And I said, "I'd like to stay here. They stayed here and I want to have that experience." She said, "I can make that happen. I am the colonel of this fort." Literally got on the phone, called the people that she had to call, and they said, "Okay, yeah, you are going to stay here tonight. You're our guest."
Now how did that happen? For eight months, I've been calling them and I couldn't get through to anyone that allowed me to stay there. And I always say, because I talk to these guys and I connect with them, they say, "You want to see what happened? You want to know our experience. I'm going to show you my experience."
Shelby Stanger:
This wasn't the only trail magic that Erick experienced along the way. He told me many other stories, like the sheriffs who made sure he was safe as he slept on the local baseball field, and the firefighters who let him spend the night at their station during a storm. In the morning, these guys even biked 20 miles of his route with him. Everywhere he went, Erick met strangers who were fascinated by his trip and who wanted to offer help. He often had to decide between spending time with people he met and sticking to his schedule.
Erick was really trying to follow the Iron Riders' route exactly, riding the same number of miles on the same days. But sometimes the universe had other plans. Erick would get thrown from his schedule, but was able to connect with the Iron Riders in other, deeper ways.
Was there anything else that just surprised you or stuck out from that trip?
Erick Cedeño:
I studied all the photos, but there was one photo in particular that I really loved because I could see their faces, I could see their hats. I could see them talking to the people from the town. Later I discovered that it was Livingston, Montana where that photo was taken. So I said, "When I go to Livingston, Montana, I want to go exactly where that photo was taken", because I could see the buildings and I didn't know if the buildings were the same. This is 1897. This is now 2022. So guess what, when I got to that town, it hasn't changed much. There was a coffee shop there, and I was like, "Oh my God, this is exactly where they took this photo and I want to recreate it, but all I have is my phone and my GoPro."
So I went into this coffee shop and I walked in with my dreadlocks and with my bike, and people were just looking at me. They were almost like the music stopped when I walked in. And I just asked, "Who has a camera that could help me recreate this photo?" And one guy was like, "Oh, three doors down. There's a guy that has a studio. Let me call him." So they called him. The guy came within three minutes and immediately he says, "I know what photo you want to recreate." And I was just like, "How do you know what photo I want to recreate?" He said, "I was the one who digitized the original photo for the museum."
Shelby Stanger:
Wow, that is so crazy.
Erick Cedeño:
What are the chances that in this town, I got to meet the guy who digitized the photo? It was so great because he placed me the exact distance that they took from the building to where they took the photo on the street and he says, "Hey, you're going to have to come back tomorrow to take this photo. I can't take it. There's a shadow in front of you." And I said, "Dude, just take the photo. I just need to", and I explained to him that I'm following the 1897 expedition, mile by mile. They didn't take a day off there. They kept going. If I take a day off, that means that I have to ride another 50 miles. So now I take a day off like this photographer wanted me to do. I'm glad that I did because the photo came out really nice. But the following day, I had to ride a hundred miles to catch up with them in Gillette, Wyoming.
As I'm approaching Gillette, Wyoming, I took some time to get some drinks, get something to eat, and I looked at my Instagram and I had a DM from a historical museum in Gillette, Wyoming. And the person at the museum wanted me to stop at this museum so I could talk to the members about my expedition and the 1897 expedition. And after riding 109 miles, I'm like, "I'm tired. I don't want to do a talk." But I also, before I responded, I had a thought. I said, "This is not my story. This is their story. And why am I doing this? It's because I want everyone to know who these guys were. So I must tell their story regardless of how tired I am." So I responded, "I'll be there around 4:30, and if you could line it up by five o'clock, I could come in and speak to the members of the museum."
I told you that because now the following day, I was really tired mentally, physically. Now I've ridden 109 miles. I spoke at this museum and I was like, I got to take a day off. I'm tired. I'll just catch up with them. So I decided to stay at a hotel because they had wifi, and I'm piecing the route. I needed wifi for my research right? At one o'clock in the afternoon, June 29th, 2022, I look outside the window and there was a hailstorm, big hailstorm.
I'm like, "Oh my God. I'm glad that I did not go because if I would've gone, I would've got hit by those golf ball sized hailstorm." And I get a text from that historian at that museum. He said, "Oh my God, somebody's looking after you." I said, "What do you mean?" He said, "Did you look outside?" I said, "Yeah, that was crazy." He said, "No, I got to share something that I have." So he had a newspaper clip from 1897 from June 29th, 1897 that says on June 29th when the Buffalo Soldier, the Bicycle Corps was coming through Gillette, Wyoming, they were hit by a hailstorm. So you see, I don't know if it's coincidence. I don't know what the right word to say, but it kept happening throughout my trip.
Shelby Stanger:
I love the image of Erick biking the Iron Riders route, having conversations with the ancestors who rode this path before him. As he followed the same roads on the same exact dates that they traveled, he wanted to see what they saw. He wanted to experience the same plants in bloom and the hills they climbed as he biked all the way from Missoula to St. Louis. For Erick, it was important to form spiritual connections with the figures who were guiding his journey.
I'm curious, after the end of this, what happened? Obviously you took with you this really rich experience that you're going to continue to share, and you got to share their legacy, which is huge. But when you finished this, what was it like for you?
Erick Cedeño:
Shelby, for me, they're pioneers of bike packing. And that's what I wanted to tell the story. This is not only Black history. This is not just US history. This is outdoor history. This is bike packing history. And how come these men were not celebrated like we celebrate pioneers in the outdoors? And for me, that was the reason that I wanted to do it, and I want to share why they did it. I want people to know them. I have the names of all 20 riders, and one of the things that became kind of sad to me was when I couldn't put a face with a name.
It wasn't documented that way. And I said, "This is somebody's great-grandparent. And if that was my great-grandfather, I wanted the world to know how awesome it was." So I'm able to put now with the help of some historians, we're able to name nine of those guys. There's 11, I don't know who they are. I got to meet two descendants. All I wanted to do was ride the route. But layers and layers are unveiling. Who these guys are, who their descendants are.
When they arrived, there was over 10,000 people that waited for them in St. Louis and the newspaper in 1897. People were fascinated about it. And I also have to tell you, they experienced some racism along the way, especially in Nebraska and Missouri. But when they finished, they finished as heroes. I have a newspaper article from 1897 from the St. Louis newspaper that says, "This was the greatest cycling achievement ever." Till this day, I still believe that. These guys were superhuman.
Shelby Stanger:
The way that Erick is weaving together his love for history and bike packing is inspiring. By retracing these historical routes, he's teaching us pieces of American history that often go overlooked, and he's getting a lot more people excited about bike packing. Erick made a short film about his journey following the path of the Iron Riders. You can find the link in our show notes or on YouTube, just search Erick Cedeño Truth and Dignity.
For his most recent trip, Erick partnered with REI to bring along his wife, who'd never been bike packing before. You can check out pictures from the trip on his Instagram @Bicycle_Nomad.
Wild Ideas Worth Living is part of the REI Podcast Network. It's hosted by me, Shelby Stanger, produced by Annie Fassler, Sylvia Thomas, and Sam Peers Nitzberg of Puddle Creative. And our senior producer is Jenny Barber. Our executive producers are Paolo Mottola and Joe Crosby. As always, we love it when you follow the show. Take time to rate it, write a review wherever you listen, and send this show to a friend. And remember, some of the best adventures happen when you follow your wildest ideas.