June 11, 2026
by Tom Ewing
Lea Brooks was a senior at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo when she rode across the country as part of a Bikecentennial group. She documented her trip in a series of articles published by the Telegram-Tribune, from her departure in July to her arrival in Williamsburg in August.
Prior to her trip, Brooks was the focus of a feature story on May 1, 1976 connected her commitment to cycling to a broader awareness of the harmful effects of cars: “When you start riding your bike, you really see how dependent people are on cars…It seems like the whole thing about driving is going from Point A to Point B in the fastest amount of time–and running over anyone it takes to get there the quickest.”
The Bikecentennial connected her love of cycling with her passion for history: “I want to talk to old farmers, talk to people. I want to see the country…feel it…be a part of it…I guess what I really want to do is see all the good things before they are gone…With bike riding you can see each flower, feel the sun on your face, be a part of the environment. It’s really seeing the country. It’s really neat.”
Brooks regularly rode her bicycle more than 1000 miles a month, in addition to caring for her two horses, working at her father’s furniture store, and taking a full schedule of college classes.
Brooks began recording her trip in late July, when she left Oregon, and continued to document the ride across the country in several more articles. In her final report, published September 18, 1976, Brooks contrasted eastern Kentucky, a nightmare due to coal trucks, with Virginia, “like rising into paradise…a challenging, beautiful ride.” Virginia’s “mountains and agricultural fields are full of history,” including civil war campaigns, plantations, and leaders of the revolutionary war. After Brooks reached Williamsburg, she offered this reflection: “When people ask if I’m all ‘bicycled out,’ I have to tell them no.”
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