Northfield Woman Bikes Across the Country Three Times

When Lin Bruce turned 60, she gave herself the gift of adventure.

The Northfield resident celebrated her birthday by bicycling across the United States. That was 13 years ago.

And since her first ride, Lin has completed two more cross-country trips.

“It’s a big adventure,” said Lin.

Lin came up with the idea for a cross-country bike trip when a magazine ad for distance cycling caught her eye. With the help of a commercial company and 26 fellow cyclists, she rode from California to Florida. The group covered 3,000 miles in 60 days.

“It’s very satisfying to complete each day,” said Lin.

In 2000, Lin embarked on a second cross-country journey, this time pedaling from Virginia to Oregon. In 2010, she rode from coastal Washington to Fargo, ND, and in 2011, she picked up where she left off, cycling from Fargo to Bar Harbor, MA.

Lin reflected that seeing the country from coast to coast has made her aware of the vastness and variety of America. However, that doesn’t mean she’s unwilling to go across the pond. Lin has cycled through England, Scotland and Ireland, as well.

Lin arrived at her 50th high school reunion in style, riding all the way from Northfield to Cheyenne, WY. Her husband, Bob, accompanied her, cycling for 200 miles, and driving alongside for the rest of the 900-mile ride.

“It was wonderful,” said Bob, who noted that their son has said Lin sees things with greater possibility since taking up distance cycling.

On Thursday, community members will have the opportunity to gain insight into how Lin arrived at her sense of possibility. She will present “Lin Bruce: Extraordinary Bike Rides of an Ordinary Person!”—a  about her experiences with distance cycling— at 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the .

“I think it’s fascinating,” said Leesa Wisdorf, who is the library’s reference and youth services manager and organizer for the talk. “I just found the story very inspirational.”