States of Constant Motion: Brenda Mueller
August 31st, 2021 – Story: Jason H.
It’s September 2019, Brenda Mueller, 67, had one of her longest rides this day of 103 miles–luckily with a tailwind. Most days they had been averaging 50 miles. This particular cycling tour was from Wichita, Kansas, to Brandon, Manitoba, 1066 miles. The terrain was not as flat as she thought, with a fair share of hills, but the weather was as expected, sometimes with strong headwinds.
Traversing North through four states-Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota- and she finally crossed the border into Canada.
The Journey: to ride across the United States forming a peace sign the size of America, literally from border to border, and coast to coast. She’s riding to support her friend and what her friend is riding for …Peace.
On this leg of the peace sign, her friend and riding companion happens to be a legend in the cycling community, Lynn Salvo, 70 from Virginia, who has already broken two Guinness Book cycling records. So far, Brenda has accompanied Lynn on three sections of the total mapped-out peace sign Lynn has been riding. They completed this leg of the peace sign in 22 days. In September 2021, they and some friends will rejoin to finish it together!
Brenda, now 69, was born in Mexico, MO, and moved to Wichita, KS, in 1979. She remembers when the Katy Trail was still an active railroad line. She worked as an insurance claims adjuster for 32 years. Shortly after she retired 14 years ago, she took up cycling in 2010. Brenda jokes, “At that time, I didn’t even know there were actual bicycle shops, boy was I green!” She bought a Trek hybrid, and in 2011 did what anyone would do after only riding eight months… enter in the 474-mile Bike Across Kansas BAK tour. “I loved every painful pedal stroke of it!” Brenda was hooked. She got more into riding locally with the bike group known as the Wichita Geezers. “I then bought a Motobecane Gigi Pro… I wanted to go faster!” She rode 267 miles of Katy Trail, The famous C & O Canal Towpath, and the Great Allegheny Passage in 2012.
recumbent | \ ri-‘kəm-bənt \ of a bicycle : having the seat positioned so that the rider’s legs are extended horizontally forward to the pedals and the body is reclined // a recumbent bicycle
Brenda’s desk job of 32 years had gifted her with some upper back and shoulder pain. The pain was exacerbated by the bent-over position on an upright bike. In late 2012 she discovered recumbent bicycles. So she purchased a Terra Trike Tour II (3 wheeler). The reclined seat and design of the recumbent reduced her physical pain significantly. “I can ride recumbent all day.” She explains, “no hassle finding a good saddle fit. No lycra, just throw on some comfortable shorts and a tank top, and I’m good to go!”
For the next few years, Brenda continued to ride with friends, cross country tours, and organize some rides. Traversing down to Lafayette, LA for Cycle Zydeco, to the 326 mile Ohio to Lake Erie. Then the nine-day, 475 mile Natchez Trace Parkway ride. “On the Natchez, I rode with several friends, completely self-contained” (bike-speak: self-contained, carrying ALL gear, including camping gear equipment). “I rode my trike and pulled a Burley trailer.” The ride started in Natchez, MS, and ended up in Franklin, TN. “We crossed paths with an organized ride in progress and stopped at their roadside SAG (Support and Gear). They had an over-abundance of bananas, so I stuffed a big bunch in my Burley and shared them later.” Many enjoy this stretch of paved road, with a speed limited to 50 mph and limits on RVs, no commercial vehicles allowed, and on/off ramps instead of intersections. “The scenery was beautiful, and the fall colors there were gorgeous!”
Tucson, AZ, has 131 miles of paved, multi-use trails around the city. It was recently voted Best Recreational Trail in the Nation by USA Today Readers Choice travel award. It’s the longest public recreation multi-use path in the nation. It’s a multi-use, bi-directional path that proved to be some bad luck for Brenda. “I was riding my green Bacchetta Giro (two-wheeled recumbent) with the Tucson, AZ bike club in February 2015 on The Loop. I was on a declining curve under one of the streets and started to drift left of center (probably going faster than I should) and struck an oncoming cyclist. I think my left pedal grazed his left leg, but I don’t remember the impact. EMS clean and bandaged his wound and sent him on his way. I was so relieved that he wasn’t seriously injured. It was my fault, but luckily, I came out on the worse end of the deal concerning injuries.” Brenda was wearing a helmet but was briefly knocked unconscious. She separated her shoulder’s AC joint, broke her pelvis in two places, and had a significant road rash on all four extremities. She spent six days in the hospital and 21 days in a skilled nursing facility before flying home. Four months later, she was able to start physical therapy. She pushed herself hard, riding her trike to her physical therapy appointments. Later that year, she eventually had surgery and more physical therapy. “Always wear a helmet! My helmet was cracked in several places.”
Having a good dose of physical therapy due to an accident might have, in some way, shaped Brenda’s outlook on one of her Wichita friends. A riding friend, Mike Reichenberger, now 76, suffered a significant brain hemorrhage in 2014. This caused Mike to have limited use of his right side. After almost two years of intense physical therapy, Mike’s goal was to ride a bike again. Brenda and some of her riding friends came up with the idea of providing Mike with a recumbent trike. Brenda coordinated fundraising for the purchase of the trikes. They called it Trike for Mike. Wichita’s Oz bicycle club and associated riders raised enough money for two recumbent trikes for Mike and his wife Sharon so that they could ride together. They had a big surprise party to present the bikes at the Wesley Rehab Hospital Mike had been a patient for over a year. In June 2015, when the group of riders and friends got together to present the surprise, It was a very emotional moment for Mike and everyone in the room. Mike was eager to try out the TerraTrike Rambler bike, so everyone went for a ride. Brenda chuckles, “Mike didn’t want to stop riding. After about a mile and a half, it took some convincing to get him to head back to Wesley.” Today, Mike still has limited use of his right arm and leg. The trike enthusiasm kick-started many recumbent group rides here in Wichita. Brenda, a few years later, organized more rides. You Bet I Can Ride event, for three years–a mini-expo to introduce more people to recumbent bicycles and trikes. “I wanted people to see how much fun these bikes were, and so comfortable!” The expos usually average about 100 people.
“Still is amazing to me how much I’ve gotten to do in the relatively short time that I’ve been cycling. I only started riding in 2010; that’s only 11 years. But I’ve gotten to do so many things, been so many places, and met so many wonderful people through cycling, that I would never have met or done otherwise.” – Brenda
Brenda met Lynn Salvo in September 2015. During a multi-state ride, Ride to Awareness, starting in San Diego, CA, to St Augustine, FL. The purpose of the ride was to call attention to the stigma of mental illness and raise money for that cause. She rode with Lynn to Phoenix, AZ, approximately 700 miles. Brenda had to cut the ride short due to scheduled shoulder surgery. Brenda continued to keep in touch with Lynn, and they became friends. Later in 2016, Brenda rode a few days with her when Lynn set her Guinness cross country record in 2016 as the oldest female to bicycle across the U.S.
Some of Lynn Salvo’s Guinness records:
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2016 Oldest female to ride a bicycle across the U.S. 3,163 miles, (59 days)
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2018 Oldest female to ride a bicycle across Canada, 4110 miles, (70 days)
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2021 another record will most likely be in the making …
In 2017, Brenda and Lynn met up again in New York. “We did the Five Borough ride along with 32,000 other cyclists, which I found pretty amazing.” Brenda and Lynn took a tour through the United Nations building. On one of the walls, there was a display with a digital counter. It depicted how much money was being spent daily on World Military Expenditures. This large yellow circle represented it. To the right, there were three small yellow circles representing spending on other peaceful initiatives such as World Development Assistance, UN Budget for Human Rights, and Non-proliferation organizations. Brenda continues, “I remember this struck a nerve in Lynn. It just hit her that if the size of world spending could be reversed, decreasing the size of the military spending, and increasing the size of the peaceful spending. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful world? It just made such an impression on Lynn.”
Lynn Salvo lost her older brother in Vietnam, John Thomas West. His plane was shot down, and he was never found. When he died, his wife was expecting their first child, so he never got to know his child, and his child never got to know him. It becomes clear some of Lynn’s motivation for starting this peace ride.
So far, Lynn has completed all of the peace sign except the Pacific Coast Highway, roughly 2000 miles to go. The final leg (the map’s blue line) begins at the Peace Arch located at the Canadian and U.S. border. The Peace Arch was constructed to commemorate the end of the war of 1812. It was dedicated on Sep 6th, 1921. The final ride will begin this September 6th, also being the landmark’s 100th anniversary. Additionally, during this ride, Lynn will turn 72 years on September 21st, which also happens to be International Peace Day!
“It was Lynn’s determination that drew me to ride with her. She sets a goal (usually a very lofty goal), figures out a way to accomplish it, and perseveres until she does. She has a passion for peace, which is inspiring. Besides that, she’s a nice gal and fun to be around.” – Brenda
So far, Brenda has ridden with Lynn on the Peace ride, three separate occasions:
- 2016, Sep 18 – 21, (304 miles), Springfield, CO to Wichita, KS
- 2019, Apr 4 – 16, (652 miles), Austin, TX to Wichita, KS
- 2019 Sep 10 – 31, (1066 miles), Wichita, KS to Brandon, Manitoba
TUESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2021
Brenda has been flat-out busy for the last few weeks in preparation for the ride. She’s been getting her house and car ready, saying goodbyes, tying up loose ends, writing her daily journals, and packing. “I’m experiencing a full range of emotions, from excited to scared, and everything in between.” She asks, “send us positive vibes and as much good mojo our way!” Brenda travels by car today, beginning her trip to Blaine, Washington, to join Lynn and a few other friends to start pedaling the final leg of the peace ride, beginning Monday, September 6th, 2021.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2021
FINISH LINE! – Brenda Mueller & Lynn Salvo Peace Ride
Brenda Mueller, and Lynn Salvo, along with some friends, finish the Pacific Coast Highway portion of their historic Peace Ride!
Lynn Salvo, 72, has been the main organizer and cyclist of the road-mapped Peace sign, across the continental United States over the last few years. Salvo’s Brother died in the Vietnam War, so Salvo wanted to focus on peace. She is also a two-time Guinness Book World Record holder, and now possibly has gained a new world record. They began the final portion of the peace sign on Sep 6, 2021. The route spanned from the Peace Arch on the Canadian border to San Diego, Oct 17, 2021, (42 days). Additionally, to meet Guinness record requirements, they road the next day to the Mexico border, as Salvo completed the Oldest Femail to Ride a Bicycle from Canada to Mexico.
Brenda, who has ridden with Lynn Salvo on several previous routes of the mapped-peace sign, proclaimed, “The ride was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that presented many challenges, which all of us overcame, but also brought many new experiences and wonder at the beauty of the West Coast. New friends were made, obstacles were overcome, and memories were seared in our heads. We saw nature in all its splendor and met people who we will never forget.”
We are thankful that the group is back safely. Welcome home!
— Story Jason H.
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