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Heidi Across America: One Woman's Journey on a Bicycle Through the Heartland
A memoir of homecoming – Heidi Across America is a gritty story of how opening our hearts to others enables us to open our hearts to ourselves and love what we find there.
In the summer of 2010, Heidi Beierle had just finished her first year of graduate studies in community and regional planning and decided to pedal her bicycle solo from her home on the west coast across rural America to the Preserving the Historic Road conference in Washington, D.C. What started as a research trip turned into an intimately physical and psychological encounter with self and nationhood.
Heidi was 35 at the time and didn’t love much about herself except her ability to endure grueling physical undertakings. She viewed her journey as an opportunity to fix her failures and insufficiencies. There were also some research questions she wanted to Why do people live in small towns and what do they like about it? Did a bicyclist like herself bring economic benefit to the small towns she visited? What could communities do to support or invite cyclists to stay in their towns? What could cyclists do to support the communities?
Along the way, she was surprised by the kindness of strangers and the emotional pinch of traveling through Wyoming where she grew up. Her journey led her through the Plains and into the Ozarks where the heat climbed to agonizing temperatures and every pedal stroke in the heat felt one closer to death. By the time she completed the trip, Heidi discovered a newfound compassion for herself and a growing love for her country. Strangers opened their hearts to her and in turn, she opened her heart to herself.
And her questions began to change and mirror things many Americans are asking themselves How can I be okay in my own skin? What does it mean to be enough? How do I satisfy my desire to travel without harming the planet? What does it mean to love America?
For many young people, it is a rite of passage to light out on an adventure to see the world and expose themselves to new experiences, but we don’t often talk about how Americans seeing America can open us to the diversity, awe, and wonder available right here in our nation. Heidi Across America offers a journey to self-love, empathy, consideration for others, and respect for the spirit of place as pathways to find connection and home.
In the summer of 2010, Heidi Beierle had just finished her first year of graduate studies in community and regional planning and decided to pedal her bicycle solo from her home on the west coast across rural America to the Preserving the Historic Road conference in Washington, D.C. What started as a research trip turned into an intimately physical and psychological encounter with self and nationhood.
Heidi was 35 at the time and didn’t love much about herself except her ability to endure grueling physical undertakings. She viewed her journey as an opportunity to fix her failures and insufficiencies. There were also some research questions she wanted to Why do people live in small towns and what do they like about it? Did a bicyclist like herself bring economic benefit to the small towns she visited? What could communities do to support or invite cyclists to stay in their towns? What could cyclists do to support the communities?
Along the way, she was surprised by the kindness of strangers and the emotional pinch of traveling through Wyoming where she grew up. Her journey led her through the Plains and into the Ozarks where the heat climbed to agonizing temperatures and every pedal stroke in the heat felt one closer to death. By the time she completed the trip, Heidi discovered a newfound compassion for herself and a growing love for her country. Strangers opened their hearts to her and in turn, she opened her heart to herself.
And her questions began to change and mirror things many Americans are asking themselves How can I be okay in my own skin? What does it mean to be enough? How do I satisfy my desire to travel without harming the planet? What does it mean to love America?
For many young people, it is a rite of passage to light out on an adventure to see the world and expose themselves to new experiences, but we don’t often talk about how Americans seeing America can open us to the diversity, awe, and wonder available right here in our nation. Heidi Across America offers a journey to self-love, empathy, consideration for others, and respect for the spirit of place as pathways to find connection and home.
368 pages, Paperback
Published April 30, 2024
5 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 13, 2025
Thinking about solutions for small towns, feels like there’s an opportunity between underused, rural churches and cyclists needing a place to stay. The one the author stayed at in Virginia (???) comes to mind.
February 5, 2024
Rounding up to 3.5 Stars.
Traveling across America on a bike is something I will never do. But I enjoy bike riding on a much smaller scale, so I picked this book up to get the experience vicariously.
To be honest, I almost put this book down early on.. Part 1 was tough to get through. It was then beginning of her journey and she was giving you the back story of her life. She shared TMI from her childhood that wasn't big picture relevant. The biking content was not the focus and that was disappointing because that is what I wanted to read.
I stuck it out and part 2 & 3 gave more of the content I was looking for. You hear the good parts, the bad parts, and all the parts in between. She gives stories of the people she meets along the way and the pacing at that point in the book picked up and kept me reading. There was still some TMI issues, but the TMI gave authenticity. It was in the context of her journey.
This would have been a much higher rated book for me if Part 1 had been edited out and fit in with the rest of the book. The cover promised "Americans seeing America can open us to the diversity, awe, and wonder available right here in our nation". We got stories, but I wish this concept was delved further into. This is the content I felt was lacking in the end.
That being said. I enjoyed the opportunity to travel along with Heidi.
Traveling across America on a bike is something I will never do. But I enjoy bike riding on a much smaller scale, so I picked this book up to get the experience vicariously.
To be honest, I almost put this book down early on.. Part 1 was tough to get through. It was then beginning of her journey and she was giving you the back story of her life. She shared TMI from her childhood that wasn't big picture relevant. The biking content was not the focus and that was disappointing because that is what I wanted to read.
I stuck it out and part 2 & 3 gave more of the content I was looking for. You hear the good parts, the bad parts, and all the parts in between. She gives stories of the people she meets along the way and the pacing at that point in the book picked up and kept me reading. There was still some TMI issues, but the TMI gave authenticity. It was in the context of her journey.
This would have been a much higher rated book for me if Part 1 had been edited out and fit in with the rest of the book. The cover promised "Americans seeing America can open us to the diversity, awe, and wonder available right here in our nation". We got stories, but I wish this concept was delved further into. This is the content I felt was lacking in the end.
That being said. I enjoyed the opportunity to travel along with Heidi.
April 23, 2025
I’m a resident of Portland, Oregon, who likes to bike. Heidi Across America offers an exciting and surprising long distance adventure, and so much more. The author – a confident and friendly writer with a quirky outlook and unusual descriptive powers – describes the challenges she encounters from West to East on the TransAmerica, from raptor attacks, to hotels with moldy carpets, to extreme heat. The high points are glorious: her first 100-mile day, friendship, a cosmopolitan bike camp, and Dutch peach pie.
All along the way, the diverse people that she meets are kind. Her original goal – research on the economic benefits of bike tourism for small towns – turns out to be less demanding and rewarding than her look inside herself: growing up In Wyoming, a dead end in her recent past, and an open question about where her future might take her. Heidi discovers loves old and new. Every hill she overtakes, every problem and solution, is deeply felt and hard won. Her newfound strength, endurance, and satisfaction – and her refreshed sense of self – results not from the achievement of any goal but from the journey.
Crossing the finish line in the end is a triumph, but less spectacular than Heidi's moment-by-moment revelations along the way. The overall message to me was this: transforming our lives doesn’t happen easily. It requires a backward glance at our past, an honest appraisal of how we are feeling right now, and a scraped-up faith in a better tomorrow. A cross-country bike ride, Heidi Beirle proves, might be the ideal set up for the self-reckoning that might be necessary to find our identity, independence and happiness.
All along the way, the diverse people that she meets are kind. Her original goal – research on the economic benefits of bike tourism for small towns – turns out to be less demanding and rewarding than her look inside herself: growing up In Wyoming, a dead end in her recent past, and an open question about where her future might take her. Heidi discovers loves old and new. Every hill she overtakes, every problem and solution, is deeply felt and hard won. Her newfound strength, endurance, and satisfaction – and her refreshed sense of self – results not from the achievement of any goal but from the journey.
Crossing the finish line in the end is a triumph, but less spectacular than Heidi's moment-by-moment revelations along the way. The overall message to me was this: transforming our lives doesn’t happen easily. It requires a backward glance at our past, an honest appraisal of how we are feeling right now, and a scraped-up faith in a better tomorrow. A cross-country bike ride, Heidi Beirle proves, might be the ideal set up for the self-reckoning that might be necessary to find our identity, independence and happiness.
March 10, 2024
From Grit to Grace
I love books that have a strong female lead, and I cannot imagine a stronger female lead than Heidi in Heidi Across America. Holy crap! For real. Not only does she ride her bike across America, but she does it alone! And her bravery extends beyond the riding to the writing. Her writing about the female body brings the descriptors "authentic" and "vulnerable" to a whole new level. We as women have been taught to have so much body shame by our culture. Heidi somehow manages to escape much of it (which might leave many of us feeling triggered as we read), but even she finds herself entangled in body image shame and wrestles with it throughout her journey.
My take away from this memoir, which I have since shared with clients in deep therapeutic ways, is that life is not a matter of mind over body, as we are so often taught. If we live that idea out to the fullest, we will die. In the battle between the mind and the body, the body wins because the body lives in reality, in the now. But as Heidi shows us when body and mind meet in the heart, there is no greater power. I hope this book helps everyone become more comfortable with their body's desires, functions, and appearance. When we know and care for our bodies and all bodies, we heal. It's a message for Heidi, for each of us, and for our country. A message I hope we can all learn from and embrace.
I love books that have a strong female lead, and I cannot imagine a stronger female lead than Heidi in Heidi Across America. Holy crap! For real. Not only does she ride her bike across America, but she does it alone! And her bravery extends beyond the riding to the writing. Her writing about the female body brings the descriptors "authentic" and "vulnerable" to a whole new level. We as women have been taught to have so much body shame by our culture. Heidi somehow manages to escape much of it (which might leave many of us feeling triggered as we read), but even she finds herself entangled in body image shame and wrestles with it throughout her journey.
My take away from this memoir, which I have since shared with clients in deep therapeutic ways, is that life is not a matter of mind over body, as we are so often taught. If we live that idea out to the fullest, we will die. In the battle between the mind and the body, the body wins because the body lives in reality, in the now. But as Heidi shows us when body and mind meet in the heart, there is no greater power. I hope this book helps everyone become more comfortable with their body's desires, functions, and appearance. When we know and care for our bodies and all bodies, we heal. It's a message for Heidi, for each of us, and for our country. A message I hope we can all learn from and embrace.
March 19, 2024
Heidi Beierle writes about her triumphant journey across the country. Her courage and determination outweighs her personal struggles with health and adversity. Heidi Across America celebrates sustainable travel while promoting civic engagement to help others experience bicycling. Slow traveling is a great way to get to know the nature around you and Heidi demonstrates her ability to discover herself and her place in nature. She uses many experiential relationships as examples to stretch her limits. Her encounters with 'true' Americans help people learn about the American bicycle travel culture.
Her personal dilemmas are often referred to as stepping stones. But really they are destinations as a result of her journey. She explores herself and understands her hells to overcome them as she continues her bicycle travels. Using feminine experiences and shedding light on women's suffering, her bicycle is her therapy friend. Daring and bold, the story informs and encourages. People can ride anywhere the road will take them.
Thank you Net Galley and Health Communications Inc. for this Advanced Reader's Copy.
Her personal dilemmas are often referred to as stepping stones. But really they are destinations as a result of her journey. She explores herself and understands her hells to overcome them as she continues her bicycle travels. Using feminine experiences and shedding light on women's suffering, her bicycle is her therapy friend. Daring and bold, the story informs and encourages. People can ride anywhere the road will take them.
Thank you Net Galley and Health Communications Inc. for this Advanced Reader's Copy.
December 29, 2024
This is a cycling travelogue. Heidi wrote about her cycling journey through the different states of America. She was to cycle across the country to Washington where she will be attending a conference.
Cycling through America is not something I have read or watched on TV before. Hence it was intriguing and prompted me to get my hands on this book. Throughout the book, she spoke about the places she visited, the peopled she’s met and how at times the correspondence she would get from home.
I found there are some parts that were dull. So it did take me a rather long time to get through this book. She went through in detail about her childhood and previous experiences. I would have preferred more about the cycling journey and that experience instead of the past. It felt more of a memoir than a travelogue. The second half of the book was much more engaging and I got more into the story after that.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Cycling through America is not something I have read or watched on TV before. Hence it was intriguing and prompted me to get my hands on this book. Throughout the book, she spoke about the places she visited, the peopled she’s met and how at times the correspondence she would get from home.
I found there are some parts that were dull. So it did take me a rather long time to get through this book. She went through in detail about her childhood and previous experiences. I would have preferred more about the cycling journey and that experience instead of the past. It felt more of a memoir than a travelogue. The second half of the book was much more engaging and I got more into the story after that.
I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 7, 2024
What amazes me most about this book is how much it is centered on one woman's quest to ask tough questions about her place in the world and the choices she makes, but also a powerful recognition about how our choices affect the world and the people around us. What begins as a grueling bike ride that stresses the body in every imaginable way, branches beautifully into astute observations about the stunning landscape of the U.S. and its citizenry.
The landscape is both a threat and balm, just like the animals and the people Heidi encounters. As the landscape shifts so does Heidi's perspective on the world, and so does ours. This book makes me want to throw a leg over my own bike and pedal with the same unflinching gaze at the world.
The landscape is both a threat and balm, just like the animals and the people Heidi encounters. As the landscape shifts so does Heidi's perspective on the world, and so does ours. This book makes me want to throw a leg over my own bike and pedal with the same unflinching gaze at the world.
January 25, 2025
I just started reading this book and am already disappointed by the sophomoric writing level. I hoped this would be about a cycling adventure, with splashes of descriptions of weather, interesting scenery and interesting new people, but I was not expecting such drivel as the author's thoughts on her "poor pussy" (pg 8), reminiscing of "occasional film watching and casual sex" with her neighbor (pg 9), nor her evening alone in a hotel with a lubricant and longing to again be with that neighbor and suffering through a "failed orgasm" (pg 9). So far, my overall thoughts of this story is that it's not worth reading.
In the immortal words of Dorothy Parker, "This is not a book to be put down lightly. It should be thrown with great force."
In the immortal words of Dorothy Parker, "This is not a book to be put down lightly. It should be thrown with great force."
December 17, 2025
What amazes me most about this book is how much it is centered on one woman's quest to ask tough questions about her place in the world and the choices she makes, but also a powerful recognition about how our choices affect the world and the people around us. What begins as a grueling bike ride that stresses the body in every imaginable way, branches beautifully into astute observations about the stunning landscape of the U.S. and its citizenry.
The landscape is both a threat and balm, just like the animals and the people Heidi encounters. As the landscape shifts so does Heidi's perspective on the world, and so does ours. This book makes me want to throw a leg over my own bike and pedal with the same unflinching gaze at the world.
The landscape is both a threat and balm, just like the animals and the people Heidi encounters. As the landscape shifts so does Heidi's perspective on the world, and so does ours. This book makes me want to throw a leg over my own bike and pedal with the same unflinching gaze at the world.
July 6, 2024
I’m proud to call Heidi a friend, so my review is not impartial and I don’t care. She’s a great writer and I was pleased to get to learn more about this trip years after following it originally. I wish for her that she could have finished the trip, but honestly, I think it’s a better story that she didn’t bike every inch of the country. Goals don’t have to be all-or-nothing, and she’s no less of a badass for it.
November 25, 2025
I am only a casual, in-town, occasional cyclist. I did learn a lot about cycling that I didn't know. The story is interesting and impressive that it is a true story. It was worth the read, but not especially riveting for me. I think my friends who are more into distance cycling would enjoy it more. It is quite an undertaking, and I was at time very worried for her safety. Sometimes her trusting take of strangers seemed really suspect, but she generally proved me wrong.
April 7, 2024
A travel memoir with so much heart, yours will beat alongside Heidi's as she pedals her way through the diverse terrain of America, making discoveries that eventually lead her to the home inside herself.
July 4, 2024
This book was interesting, but at times not ringing true. Perhaps a bit of literary license was involved. It is a fast read, and enjoyable.
The timeline jumped a bit, buy interjecting things past and future.
The timeline jumped a bit, buy interjecting things past and future.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews