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Guests: Matt Sturgis, Lance Boucher; Professor Chris Sweet
This is the next episode in our series of great rides around the U.S. for spring and summer 2026. Today, we visit Maine.
Lung diseases affect 35 million people in the U.S. and the American Lung Association is the first stop for advocacy, research, and funding for those people and their families.
Perhaps you know someone or ARE someone who suffers from a lung disease – whether it be asthma, lung cancer, emphysema, or even allergies associated with the environment.
The American Lung Association offers many programs as well as advice and will advocate for everyone needing their help with events like the Trek Across Maine as well as a cohort of delegates who speak directly with members of Congress.
Then, there’s the fun of a large group of riders who are not only supporting the 
fundraising efforts but are enjoying the beauty of the State of Maine with a fully supported 3-day ride.
The 42nd annual Trek Across Maine – yep – 42 years! – has to be one of if not the longest running event of its kind – a fund raiser as well as what you will hear is almost a family reunion with hundreds of folks, for what promises to be a lovely three-day ride around Maine.. And with a Father’s Day weekend date… it’s a great way to celebrate Dad!
My guests are Matt Sturgis, who has held many positions with the American Lung Association in connection with this ride and other offices around the eastern seaboard, and Lance Boucher, who is the voice of the organization in advocacy and public affairs.
While the Trek Across Maine isn’t the only Lung Association ride, it is their biggest. If Father’s Day weekend doesn’t work for you, you can find their other events, along with tons of great information at cycleforair.org.
My second guest today is Professor Chris Sweet. He’s the Information Literacy and Scholarly Communications Librarian at Illinois Wesleyan University. His just published book, a History of Bicycling in Illinois: 160 Years of Booms and Busts, goes all the way back to the late 1800’s, tracing the ups and downs of cycling from manufacturing and racing to how bicycles figured into the wars of the 20th century and beyond.
I didn’t think there was so much to learn about the history of bicycles and cycling in Illinois, and I was wrong!
Professor Chris Sweet, is also an avid cyclist and a historian. His research reached back into the late 1800’s to explain the subtitle of his book, 160 years of booms and busts, and brings it right up to the to effects the 
pandemic had on cycling just a few years ago.
Order your copy from bookshop.org, your local book seller, and of course, your local library! With this in hand, I think we can learn something about our love for the bicycle and the instability of the bike industry at large.