Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race

by Meaghan Marie Hackinen

Meaghan Marie Hackinen's follow-up to her award-nominated debut South Away charts her unforgettable, twenty-five-day journey on the Trans Am Bike Race: a coast-to-coast ride across the entire North American continent from Oregon to Virginia. Without the aid of a support crew, Hackinen must rely entirely on her wits, ingenuity, and sheer determination to finish this extremely challenging feat. A sports story with a unique theme, Hackinen writes about the Trans Am Bike Race as a cultural whole, as she encounters consequences and unforeseen repercussions of an underground, unregulated athletic endeavor. Shifting Gears is another expertly-delivered travelogue and a thrilling glimpse into a world of athletes driven to impossible lengths.

Genres: Audiobook, Adventure, Cycling, Biography, Sports

272 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2023

About the author

Meaghan Hackinen is an ultra-endurance cyclist and writer currently based in Kelowna, BC. Her two-wheeled adventures have taken her from Haida Gwaii to Mexico's high plateaus, across Canada, the US, and Europe. Meaghan’s writing explores relationships, experiences on the road, and encounters with wild places. She is the author of South Away: The Pacific Coast on Two Wheels (NeWest Press, 2019) a travel memoir about the very first time she packed up her panniers and set out into the sunset, as well as Shifting Gears: Coast to Coast on the Trans Am Bike Race|125090104]

You can find her creative non-fiction, poetry, and prose in literary journals, cycling magazines, and anthologies, including Poetry All Over the Floor: Volume 1 and Just Words Volume 3.

Reviews

[Martha☀ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a truly inspiring read. Meaghan is a local favourite in BC and around here on Vanc Island. She has been part of a couple of endurance rides that I have also joined - but I have only had brief glimpses of her rolling away at the Grand Depart start lines.

This book gives an engrossing, day-by-day account of her 25 day Trans America Bike Race in 2017. Following a 6800 km route from West to East, cyclists conduct a self-supported ride through 10 states. Over these 3 weeks, she gains confidence in her ability as a cyclist, in her fitness and aspirations, and in her skill as a writer.

So many long distance athletes find it difficult to share their passion and their drive. It is really hard to put raw emotion into words on a page (believe me - I've tried!). But Hackinen tells the stories beyond the here-and-now of her front tire and the endless crank revolutions. She tells it like an adventure that takes her whole mind, body and history to accomplish.

I am hooked and will be devouring everything she publishes, including following her latest Instagram adventure into the back corners of my island home. I hope to meet her at a start line soon.

[Carol Wray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so much more than a glimpse into the ultra distance cycling world! Meaghan’s skill at writing will take you along for the ride, through 10 states, through tropical storms and sweltering heat, through laughter and tears, through friendship and loss and everything in between. Shifting Gears is a really enjoyable read!

[Matt Heavner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! If you like to bike and like to read, you should read this (and bike)! Just the right focus on the ride, just enough details but not too much, and just right amount about the people. Perfect balance and amazing ride! (It takes balance to ride.. ;)

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun armchair adventure experience, following Meaghan as she competes in the 2017 TransAm, a cycling race across the United States. This has been my genre as an author in the past, and I've admittedly grown fatigued with the genre in recent years. I'd be ashamed to admit how many Tour Divide and other endurance-cycling-focused books I've started and haven't been able to finish. But Meaghan is a compelling writer and the story of her race is simple but engaging. Recommended!

[Angela Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Meaghan's writing style. Her stories are entertaining and heartfelt. Though I don't even remember how to ride a bicycle, I felt like I was right there riding with her, strawberry milk and all. I turned the pages rapidly, following an incredible journey filled with twists, turns, and unexpected grief. It's fascinating to hear the physical and mental processes/turmoil a cyclist goes through before, after and especially during. It's also a joy to read about a time when Meaghan's competitive edge began to grow, knowing the fierce competitor she is today. I highly recommend the book to anyone who loves reading about the human condition, strength and determination to achieve one's goals.

[Keela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book from cover to cover. Tales of adventures, especially cycling adventures, are my favorite. Meaghan Hackinen’s writing is definitely a step above most authors of this genre. I devoured this book as quickly as I could and cannot wait for her next adventure to be written!

[Jeff L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique window into what it takes to a race a bicycle self-supported across America woven into a story of adventure, comradery, sacrifice, perseverance, preparation, and self discovery.

[Mary DeLoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick but satisfying read. Makes me want to jump onto my bike and go for a long ride!

[Hilary Crowley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was blown away by Meaghan's awe-inspiring accomplishments in completing the TransAm Bike Race. Her vivid descriptions and palpable anxiety kept me glued to the page right to the end.

[Linda Doctoroff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading Meaghan Hackinen’s second book, Shifting Gears, is like being on a roller coaster for 25 days. When I finished reading her spirited memoir of cycling in the Trans Am Bike Race, I was exhausted. I couldn’t imagine anyone racing across America, 6,900 kilometres or 4,264 miles in 25 days.

Hackinen had me hooked from Day Zero, when she cycled 202 miles on “Epona”, the name she gave her bike, it means horse goddess. I was with her each day on as she described the terrain in stunning detail while pedalling up to 20 hours a day, stopping only to fuel up with snacks, have a pee and catch a few hours sleep. Then she’d be back in the saddle well before the crack of dawn the next day.

Why was she doing it? Who in their right mind would race across the U.S. like that?

Initially she offered an explanation, “I was racing across America to discover if I could… I wanted to find my limits and test them.”

Okay, I get that.

But why would she go through crippling pain, fatigue, terrible weather including Tropical Storm Cindy, hunger, sleep deprivation and hallucinations? Towards the end of the race the answer comes to her—“This, here. This is it…. To know the sound of horses romping in wet pastures, to learn to manoeuvre one’s fingers without sensation or feeling.”

Pick up Shifting Gears, you’re in for a fast-paced read you’ll find hard to put down.

[Julie Wise · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read that takes you through the extraordinary experience of ultra-cycling. Even if you are an armchair athlete, this book is filled with enough tension, drama and excitement to keep you turning the pages. Seen from the author's perspective, the friendships formed through mountain passes, steep descents and arid plains create the feel of a powerful community supporting each other through challenging times. It's also a fascinating glimpse of the internal mind games a cyclist deals with on an epic unsupported event like the Trans Am Bike Race. Well written with vivid descriptions of the changing terrain as the cyclists move across the United States, Shifting Gears is an eloquent testimony to strength, stamina and determination.

[Zena Ryder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not much of a memoir reader, but I highly recommend this one, which is not only infused with humour and joy, but also made me teary. (No spoilers here, though!)

If you’re into cycling or endurance sports, you’ll love this book. That much is unsurprising. But I enjoyed it even though, for me, endurance is writing a thousand words without pausing for a pee break.

Many of us love how good writing can transport us to different times and places, give us vicarious experiences of war or heartbreak or backstabbing Tudor court politics — but from the safety and comfort of our own couch. And that’s what this book did for me and ultra long-distance cycling.

It goes without saying that, probably like you, I have absolutely zero desire to cycle across the United States. But this book gave me a feel for what that would be like. The pain and other physical hardships, plus the mental and emotional ones too. And also the camaraderie, delight, and moments of triumph.

I’m always fascinated when looking through a window onto any quirky human behaviour — whether it’s spelling bees, growing heirloom chili peppers, or enduring every possible discomfort to ride a bike from Oregon to Virginia.

“Why was I doing this? To find out if I could, I reminded myself. But what type of person cycles through a torrential downpour just to discover if they can. An idiot like me, that’s who.”

Well, I'm glad Meaghan Hackinen is an idiot just like that, and I'm happy she shared her story with the rest of us.

PS I hadn't heard of Shermer's Neck before 😬

[Karen Barrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shifting Gears is a skillfully written memoir of one woman's adventures cycling the arduous Trans Am Bike Race across America. Starting in the charming coastal city of Astoria, Oregon and ending weeks later in historic Yorktown, Virginia, the Trans Am Bike Race has been described as a race "only for the crazies." As the thought of road cycling makes me break out in a sweat, I wasn't sure how I'd deal with descriptions of thigh-burning climbs and breakneck descents. But Hackinen's flowing prose turns the hardship of a gruelling journey covering 4,267 miles through ten states and over several mountain ranges from the Western Cascade to the Appalachians into an immersive and transportive narrative of how she completes the race relatively unscathed and in love.

[Jill Robbertze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I've never been a long distance cyclist or for that matter any sort of competitive sportsperson, I still throughly enjoyed this memoir. Meaghan describes her experiences in this gruelling race one day at a time, through the duration of the race. What was interesting was how multi-layered her story is; She describes the scenery along the way, the amazing friends that she made and her physical challenges, but her mental strength is what really impressed me. I have a new respect for what a human body can physically and mentally endure. I also learned a lot about long distance cycle racing !!
Congratulations, Meagan on an incredible achievement and a well written book.

[Philk81 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, maybe more like 3.5 stars for me.
The author did some impressive miles that's for sure and I'm glad she ultimately met her goal.
Interesting read but I would have liked more technical info - gear details, more about the scenery in different areas and most of all - why not include a map of the route?! It would have been helpful
to refer back to and get a sense of the daily mileage. Dumb.
More about the epic challenge of doing this and the camaraderie among a small group of solo
riders. Different from RAAM and I must admit I'd never heard of the Trans American Bike Race
before reading this book.
Color pictures would have also been appreciated. Black and white? C'mon...

[Keltie Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading the newest true tale of epic endurance cycling and musings on life by Meghan Marie Hackinen, I could barely put it down! Kind of like the literary equivalent of riding 4,264 miles in 25 days, I powered through these 260 pages in 2 days 😁
Highly recommend this read - whether you are a cyclist or not, it's a great story of testing what the human body and mind are capable of. For Meaghan, apparently that's a lot!

[Anna-beth Zulkoskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I live vicariously through Meaghan’s writing of her adventures. We have many friends in common including her coworkers in the nonprofit in Saskatoon though we didn’t work together and I’ve only met her at her book readings.

Meaghan describes her Trans Am Bike Race with vivid colours of the scenery; the brutal climbs, heat, exhaustion and emotion make for a compelling read.

I hope our paths cross again but until then, I’ll follow her adventures through instagram.

[Ella Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meaghan's strength and determination in cycling the grueling ultra-endurance Trans Am bike race were outstanding. Her writing was gripping, keeping me turning the page and wondering what extreme challenge was around the next corner. Her descriptions of bike culture, rugged landscapes, and the changing moods of inclement weather were superb. A unique and fascinating story. Congratulations on writing such a fine book.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! A must read. An incredibly written and honest account of grit, perseverance and courage to live the bold life the author's whole being yearns for. Finishing the Trans Am race was an outstanding accomplishment, writing a beautiful memoir about the account yet another. Looking forward to more work from one of my favorite authors!

[Browning High School Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring, Detailed Read of a Fabulous Ride

Loved the detail and descriptions of the race. Amazing what the mind and body are capable of. Definitely a good book to inspire you to get on your own “Epona” and ride!!

[Mae Durban · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've met Meagan at MEC this summer. We've exchanged thoughts about bikepacking and backpacking. Her experience in this race and her thoughts inspire me to look up Trans am. She's very relatable and very warm in person! And this book, wow!

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, well written - I felt as if I was riding with her.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meaghan writes from the heart and she writes well. Her story about why she rides and how she made it across the country is inspiring. She never says no to a challenge, on or off the bike.