Mary Kay Engel
I am 53 years old and I have been cycling for approximately 10 years. In 2008 I rode cross country from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL. Once I did a cross country tour, something gets in your blood and you want to explore everything you can, on a bicycle. My motivation for my rides is my sister Kathy. She suffered a stroke in 2006. I ride to raise money for the benefit of Rocky Mountain Stroke Association. The stroke association provides rehabilitation services, gardening, pool therapy, speech therapy and support to stroke survivor's families. When I am not riding my bike, I like to garden. I grow pumpkins in the summer. I am very active at my gym and I love black cats. My cat Zander, is great company to me. I am currently an un-employed commercial real estate paralegal. I have been out of work since 2009. That gave me plenty of time to train and get ready for this trip. What's next? I am not sure. I would like to ride some more bike tours. However, due to the state of the economy, I am not sure when I will get another opportunity to ride cross country. I love to ride; it's a great way to stay fit and a great way to tour the USA. My website is: www.zandercat.com

Steve Worthy
I met John on the 2010 Ride the East ride. I am a 64-year-old retired marine engineer, with 35 years of working on ships. My first ABB ride was in 2000, and I have done 3 ½ Cross Country rides. I retired to Scottsdale, AZ in 2001, where I do year-round cycling training. I am also learning to play golf. In July, I set an age-group record for running the Grand Canyon R2R2R in 17 hours 18 minutes in the 60+ year old group. My three kids are all married, and I have a very supportive wife of 35 years. In my spare time, I have been remodeling an apartment house.

I am from Woodland Hills, Utah. I'm here with my husband, Mike. In fact, we celebrated our 32nd anniversary while on the Ride the East Tour. We are both actually marathon runners, and got into cycling about four years ago. After riding our first century, we couldn't believe our good fortune at having a sport that combined a great workout with so many feed stations. We have a daughter, a son, and a daughter-in-law. I'm waiting anxiously to become a grandma. I am a veterinarian, and my method for fending off unruly dogs on the road has been to shout in a mean voice, "Do you want to get neutered?" Works like a charm.

Mike Dicou
At age 52, I am the youngest rider on the tour. Can you believe that? I haven't been the youngest at anything for a long time! My favorite part of this trip is riding with my wife Leslie. I have loved riding with her 24/7 for the last (3) weeks. I enjoy seeing the country on a bicycle, and plan to ride other tours in the future. In my real life I am the President of Pier 49 Pizza, Inc. My favorite hobby is running.

Ken Hodges I am from Winston-Salem, NC, and I am 73 years old. I have two daughters and five grandchildren. I am un-retired, the owner of two companies: (1) Sheet Metal Contractor in 26 states and six foreign countries, and (2) Manufacturer Rep. of Material Handling Equipment. My first ABB ride is this East Coast Ride. When I grow up, I want to ride across the country with ABB.

John Clark
I am 68 and live in Ledyard, CT, and have been doing long-distance cycling rides with ABB since 1999. I have completed these ABB tours: Cross Country Challenge, Cross America North, West Coast, Mississippi River, East Coast and Blue Ridge Parkway, for a total of 13,000 miles. My passion has been to use this cycling opportunity to raise money ($184,000 in 12 years) for the Alzheimer's Association. My wife, Donna, is my non-cycling partner in this effort. I do the riding and talking, and she maintains the spreadsheet and helps with the administrative items.

I served in the US Navy for 6 years, and ultimately made several patrols as a reactor operator on a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine. For thirty-one years I taught seventh-grade math at Ledyard Middle School - never once changing classrooms! When I retired in 2002, I had taught almost 4,000 students. Working with twelve-year olds was unpredictable, but very rewarding.

I have two children, Kristen and Jonathan, and five grandchildren in ages from 3 to 17 years old.