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Changing Cadence: Meditations on Life, Family and Country from a Leather Bicycle Seat
When the company where he worked was acquired in the midst of one of the country's most severe recessions, Mike Dillon found himself without a job. It’s a story common to many, but Dillon's response was far from expected. Instead of searching for new employment, he bought a bicycle, loaded it with camping gear and pedaled alone across the United States. Changing Cadence recounts the story of Dillon's travels through the farming and fishing communities of the South; the ranch lands and Bible Belt of Texas; the lonely deserts of New Mexico and Arizona; and finally up the coast of California. Along the way, he crosses paths with others who share his need for the brokenhearted woman from London exploring the West alone on a motorcycle; the pair of college students walking across the country in support of the Tea Party; the woman hiking the circumference of the country on a prosthetic leg (along with her three-legged dog); and fellow cyclists like Don, a middle-aged, yarn-spinning, former Marine with a grey ponytail and a penchant for McDonald’s Egg McMuffins.Over the course of more than 3,500 miles, Dillon rediscovers himself, his family and his country, and learns that it’s never too late for a little adventure.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 8, 2014
16 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Michael Dillon
2 books6 followersMike Dillon is a peripatetic soul who, until recently, was trapped in the body of middle-aged Silicon Valley attorney. He now devotes his time to travel, writing, reading and family. He and his wife live in Los Gatos, California along with their dog, Lucy, and a cat whose name he can never remember.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
December 17, 2021
I’ve read several accounts of cross-country or long distance bike trips (most recently, William Spencer’s Far Sweeter than Honey). There are common, uplifting themes — reflection, slowing down, opening yourself to other ways of living and being, and, of course, the challenge.
It’s never about the bike. It’s about what happens to you. The simplifying — it’s you, the effort, the machine, the road, the wind. Everyday life is a vector space of cares, obligations, enjoyments, relationships, and events — the course we take is somehow calculated from their product. Here it’s so much simpler. For a while.
Michael Dillon was the chief legal officer for Sun Microsystems, in Silicon Valley, as it was being acquired by Oracle. An all consuming job during such a transaction. And when it was over, so was his job. So he had time and money, and he had a willing family — willing to support his idea of just going out for a ride that would take months and that would take him away from everything and everyone for a while.
On the road, he was a touring cyclist, not a lawyer, or even a husband and a father, not really anything but a cyclist on the road. The road is like a stage set for everything that happens — who he meets, what he accomplishes, what he thinks, who, in that constrained world, he is.
And it’s a great leveler. The people he meets are, for the most part, not the people he spends his “normal” life around — he rides through the deep south, he rides through the desert, he rides through west Texas. He talks with Tea Partiers, with drop-outs, with retirees, with eccentrics . . . and they are all on the same plane. It’s as if he has no identity to deal from.
When it’s over, he’s going “back.” It’s not like returning from a vacation. He’s opened his perspective. I would really love to know more about what re-entry was like. Dillon writes a short epilogue, but it’s not enough to understand how he’s changed.
I’m a lifelong cyclist, but not a touring cyclist. The idea of loading down a beautiful machine with camping gear makes me shudder. So I’m going to get this experience second-hand, and it’s still an experience. Dimmer than Dillon’s own, but still an experience.
It’s never about the bike. It’s about what happens to you. The simplifying — it’s you, the effort, the machine, the road, the wind. Everyday life is a vector space of cares, obligations, enjoyments, relationships, and events — the course we take is somehow calculated from their product. Here it’s so much simpler. For a while.
Michael Dillon was the chief legal officer for Sun Microsystems, in Silicon Valley, as it was being acquired by Oracle. An all consuming job during such a transaction. And when it was over, so was his job. So he had time and money, and he had a willing family — willing to support his idea of just going out for a ride that would take months and that would take him away from everything and everyone for a while.
On the road, he was a touring cyclist, not a lawyer, or even a husband and a father, not really anything but a cyclist on the road. The road is like a stage set for everything that happens — who he meets, what he accomplishes, what he thinks, who, in that constrained world, he is.
And it’s a great leveler. The people he meets are, for the most part, not the people he spends his “normal” life around — he rides through the deep south, he rides through the desert, he rides through west Texas. He talks with Tea Partiers, with drop-outs, with retirees, with eccentrics . . . and they are all on the same plane. It’s as if he has no identity to deal from.
When it’s over, he’s going “back.” It’s not like returning from a vacation. He’s opened his perspective. I would really love to know more about what re-entry was like. Dillon writes a short epilogue, but it’s not enough to understand how he’s changed.
I’m a lifelong cyclist, but not a touring cyclist. The idea of loading down a beautiful machine with camping gear makes me shudder. So I’m going to get this experience second-hand, and it’s still an experience. Dimmer than Dillon’s own, but still an experience.
June 25, 2018
Dillon rides his bike from Florida to Los Gatos, CA my former hometown. The book is filled with the type of things you want to know: what was the road like, the towns, the weather, the motels, the campgrounds--and it's not all good. In fact I keep thinking it would have been easier with just one other rider, but I understand his desire to ride it alone too. I most enjoyed the people he met, both locals and bikers on the road. Descriptions of scenery were outstanding and really what I wanted to hear too.
This is a cross country ride I have always wanted to take, and reading Mike's book made me feel that I could be one step closer. I like his description of the "Wall of No" that he received when others heard of his plan. This along with stories from Adventure Cycling journal will get me out there. Thanks, Mike!!
This is a cross country ride I have always wanted to take, and reading Mike's book made me feel that I could be one step closer. I like his description of the "Wall of No" that he received when others heard of his plan. This along with stories from Adventure Cycling journal will get me out there. Thanks, Mike!!
March 22, 2018
A refreshing quick read. Provides a short little account of a cross country bike tour from Florida to California by a middle-aged white upper middle classed gentleman. Reminded me of a bike tour I did while in my early twenties. His descriptive writing of landscapes brought back many from my ride as well.
This is a great little read while stuck in the house watching a Nor’ Easter through the window and longing for warm days and spinning the pedals.
This is a great little read while stuck in the house watching a Nor’ Easter through the window and longing for warm days and spinning the pedals.
May 31, 2021
Our intrepid author is a middle aged man between jobs, who decides to cycle from FL to CA without much training. The book details people he met along the way and some of the places he saw. It was a fine read, but did not get me excited about doing anything similar, nor did he seem to come to any life changing conclusions. It was like hearing a neighbor talk about a trip they took.
June 2, 2025
Interesting read, something I would love to do but not sure I’m capable. I was reading the book in London and left it in my hotel room so I had to order a second one. I found the stories entertaining, funny at times. Some of it is hard to picture but I am sure this adventure was something else.
Physical book, 25 book, NF
Physical book, 25 book, NF
July 31, 2020
Stellar story will keep you reading
I give 5 stars to any book that I can't put down. Dillon writes beautifully. I felt almost as if I were riding besides him..Out of a dozen or so bicyclists travelogues I have enjoyed I think I liked this one most.
I give 5 stars to any book that I can't put down. Dillon writes beautifully. I felt almost as if I were riding besides him..Out of a dozen or so bicyclists travelogues I have enjoyed I think I liked this one most.
February 5, 2018
Thank you
I was looking for inspiration to start touring and Michael's word's and reflections on his experiences have pushed me in the right direction. A worthy read.
I was looking for inspiration to start touring and Michael's word's and reflections on his experiences have pushed me in the right direction. A worthy read.
June 20, 2018
Hilarious adventure and vulnerability.
February 19, 2017
Loved this book. Accountant between jobs writes beautifully about his cycle adventure across the southern route.
July 1, 2017
Quotable:
As I traveled across the country, this was a concern that I heard from others as well, be they fishermen, ranchers, or farmers. It wasn’t described with politically charged phrases like “global warming” or “climate change,” instead people in almost every community acknowledged that the weather had been getting strange and unpredictable over the last few decades and was now casting uncertainty on their lives and livelihoods. A conversation with any septuagenarian farmer always seemed to include a description of how the regular rhythm of the seasons had disappeared since his youth. These people didn’t care about measurements of CO2 parts per million or whether the climate variation was caused by man or due to normal cyclical patterns. Instead, they were focused on something more immediate – would the weather that season allow them to support their families?
I was reluctant to fully enjoy the long descent because I knew from experience that it would be followed by a climb. To be candid, I was not built for climbing. I have many cycling friends who are, and they all look like whippets with gaunt faces and long limbs. I was better characterized as a Clydesdale.
As I traveled across the country, this was a concern that I heard from others as well, be they fishermen, ranchers, or farmers. It wasn’t described with politically charged phrases like “global warming” or “climate change,” instead people in almost every community acknowledged that the weather had been getting strange and unpredictable over the last few decades and was now casting uncertainty on their lives and livelihoods. A conversation with any septuagenarian farmer always seemed to include a description of how the regular rhythm of the seasons had disappeared since his youth. These people didn’t care about measurements of CO2 parts per million or whether the climate variation was caused by man or due to normal cyclical patterns. Instead, they were focused on something more immediate – would the weather that season allow them to support their families?
I was reluctant to fully enjoy the long descent because I knew from experience that it would be followed by a climb. To be candid, I was not built for climbing. I have many cycling friends who are, and they all look like whippets with gaunt faces and long limbs. I was better characterized as a Clydesdale.
October 4, 2016
What a great book from an average guy. Michael Dillon is open and honest in his story of his travels across the country of a bicycle. He has a wonderful way of bring you on the way as he tell you about his trip from Jacksonville, Fl. to San Francisco, Ca. The back roads of America are opened up to those of us who are riding along in his adventure. The people he meets to the dogs that hound him along his path are all brought to life. He allows you to share his thoughts, his thirst, and sometimes his fears of the road in which he rides. I have to admit that I too have started thinking about once again cranking the old peddles of the dreams to ride again. What a great way to see the countryside we so often speed by in this fast paced world in order to get to somewhere else to speed away from as well. Thank you Michael for sharing your stories. I look forward to reading about your next adventure on the rode from your 2 wheeler.
May 24, 2014
One of my favorite writers—who happens to be a travel writer—is Bill Bryson; he has an incredible ability to shift seamlessly from laugh-out-loud funny to thought-provoking sincerity. In Changing Cadence, Dillon demonstrates the same ability. His adventures are peppered with laugh-out-loud moments and meditations on modern America (particularly the South) that challenge the reader and make you think.
But my favorite part of the book, which outshines even the humor, is the conclusion. The endings of travel memoirs are usually a letdown for me. As they say: it's about the journey, not the destination. But for Dillon, a big part of this journey was the destination: a long, winding route back home. Alpha becomes Omega and all that. It's an accomplishment when any writer can manage to close a memoir as poignantly as Dillon does here.
But my favorite part of the book, which outshines even the humor, is the conclusion. The endings of travel memoirs are usually a letdown for me. As they say: it's about the journey, not the destination. But for Dillon, a big part of this journey was the destination: a long, winding route back home. Alpha becomes Omega and all that. It's an accomplishment when any writer can manage to close a memoir as poignantly as Dillon does here.
January 26, 2015
This was an amazing book! Michael Dillon took us all with him on his amazing cross country journey on his bicycle. I felt like I was there, struggling on those climbs with a terrible head wind - and I experienced the joy of a long, clear descent. Not only does Dillon take us on a physical journey, but a mental one as well. I hope to take a lot of perspective from this book into my daily life. This book was funny, stressful, and encouraging! Now to get out there and ride!
December 18, 2014
Good read of the solo travels of a cyclist riding from Florida to California
The author has done numerous adventures throughout life, but nothing as daunting as a solo, cross-country cycling trip. Losing his job after a corporate buyout, the author used some free time to travel across the southern United States. As a fellow cyclist, I have to commend the author. It takes incredible inner strength as well as physical strength to embark on a trip such as this.
The author has done numerous adventures throughout life, but nothing as daunting as a solo, cross-country cycling trip. Losing his job after a corporate buyout, the author used some free time to travel across the southern United States. As a fellow cyclist, I have to commend the author. It takes incredible inner strength as well as physical strength to embark on a trip such as this.
June 24, 2014
Just a quick spin...
Have you ever pedaled a 100 miles? Imagine doing 36 of them in a row! I thoroughly enjoyed Changing Cadence. He pulled you into his trip with his story telling style and sense of humor. I kept anticipating - what will the next day bring? Now the question is, when will...
Have you ever pedaled a 100 miles? Imagine doing 36 of them in a row! I thoroughly enjoyed Changing Cadence. He pulled you into his trip with his story telling style and sense of humor. I kept anticipating - what will the next day bring? Now the question is, when will...
April 3, 2023
Great book. Michael is a gifted writer and provides an engaging account of his ride across the USA. Over the past year I have purchased numerous books by authors undertaking ambitious rides and this is by far the best. Highly recommended.
November 29, 2014
Hats off
I commend the rider. It takes courage to not only start but finish such a journey. I thought the actual writing left something to be desired.
I commend the rider. It takes courage to not only start but finish such a journey. I thought the actual writing left something to be desired.
January 12, 2015
A great book about biking experience
Interesting to see how others experience on a bike trek are different and similar to the experience that I had for my cross country ride.
Interesting to see how others experience on a bike trek are different and similar to the experience that I had for my cross country ride.
August 27, 2015
A good read for anyone who either bikes, or likes/wants to travel, or wants to get out of his comfort zone, or simply wants to get a different perspective.
May 28, 2016
Loved this book! It was inspiring, funny and tells a great story. If you cycle, you'll enjoy this!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews