Teaming up with several friends, he took off from the Canadian border to Mexico, cycling up to 70 miles every day, followed by sightseeing, a big dinner, and sleep in a hotel each night.

"It is just such a classical bicycle ride," says Covell, a Los Gatos resident for 30 years. "It's like a pilgrimage. You meet people from all over the world, and it was just a must."

After accomplishing this feat, Covell thought, "What next?" The answer came in cycling from the West Coast to East Coast with friends Dick Cantu of Los Gatos, Ted Herman of Saratoga, Bruce Swenson of Palo Alto, and Jim Theiring of Aptos.

The voyage from west to east was broken down into segments, and has become an annual trek, with the team heading out for two weeks in the spring or fall to tackle several states at a time. So far, the group has covered Oregon to Kansas. Next up will be Kansas to St. Louis, Mo., otherwise known as 600 miles in 14 days.

Continually involved in athletics, Covell was a runner through his 30s, and then a championship mountain biker and Ironman triathlete. As time went on, Covell became less competitive, but still wanted to maintain his fitness level. "It seemed more fun to get on a bike and go through the states," he says. "It's not so competitive, but you still get the conditioning effect. It's been an evolution."

The joys of the ride are far more than just exercise, however. "It's been a great way to experience the country, meet people, enjoy the scenery and explore the countryside," Covell says.

"It's peace and quiet, a time to slow down," says Cantu. "Slow is still going 15 to 22 miles per hour, but you can look out and see animal life and part of the country you would never even see from a car. We stop for every landmark, wildlife, and have funny experiences along the way. People raising camels in the middle of Colorado, ostrich and buffalo farms ... we've seen everything."

Herman, a former geology professor at West Valley College for 33 years, agrees with his cycling friends that the physical aspects are terrific, but even more so, it's the experience of getting out and being on the open road.

"It's a great sense of freedom," he says. "We see a lot of the country. You see the whole sky, and experience the day—you see the sun swing around the sky, the shadows change. But you not only experience the daylight, but the wind, the rise and fall of the road. In that sense, cycling is to some extent tactile. You feel it."

To make up for the hours whipping through the elements—one 100-mile day in Colorado included 70 miles in heavy rain—the group holds nothing back when it comes to having a good time after the daily ride is done.

"It's about finding the best motel, best restaurant, and best bottle of red wine, in that order," Cantu says. "We pollute ourselves—we eat full breakfasts, lunches, dinner and wine at night."

"Once we're off that bike, we're not too disciplined," Covell says. This, along with plotting exact mileage between rest stops, prevents the group from becoming overwhelmed. Locals at each overnight spot also do their fair share in lightening the load.

"Every state has its own attraction, even in the Plains states. And the people are so friendly and accommodating," Covell says, recalling the private tours the group has been privy to, as well as countless rodeos and county fairs they have stumbled upon.

"You give yourself over to the area, and do whatever is there, eat whatever is there," Covell says. "It's the little places that are so refreshing. There is a different level of intimacy."

Their travels have also included many landmarks, as they are using the Centennial Bike Route to cross the U.S., which follows patches of territory from the Pony Express, Mormon trail, and Lewis and Clark expedition.

"After we reach the East Coast, I don't know where we'll go," Cantu says. "But I know that we won't stop there."