ON 17 JUNE 2013, Michael Tabtabai spread his father’s ashes into the Pacific Ocean, got on his bike, and rode east. With his friend Andrew Hudon by his side, he set out to ride from Seaside, Oregon, to Plymouth, Massachusetts. The cross-country journey was an epic tribute to his dad (who had lost his 11-year battle against colon cancer in 2011), and raised money to fight the disease that killed him. They called that ride Leave It On The Road.
They averaged over 250km a day, reaching many of their nightly destinations guided only by the headlights of their support van.
Standing in the Atlantic Ocean 24 days later, popping bottles of champagne, Tabtabai felt changed. He knew he couldn’t stop.
So he planned a new ride the next year,…