Jeff Bradley knew his retirement last year meant he could finally start preparing for the adventure of a lifetime that will take up most of his summer.

Bradley, 58, of Landisville, will be biking 4200 miles across the country from the West Coast to Yorktown, Virginia. The trip, which will follow the Transamerica Trail, is the culmination of biking trips Bradley has taken of various lengths over the last few years. The former math teacher and department head at Hempfield High School will average 80 miles a day and ride six days per week as he leisurely makes his way from Florence, Oregon across the middle of the country to a finish on the Atlantic Ocean nine weeks later.

"I have to be home by August 1 to prepare for cross-country season, which I help coach," said Bradley. "I have 64 total days on this trip and I hope to ride my bike for 56 of them."

The idea of riding a bike a long distance was not even on Bradley's mind until seven years ago, when the long-time runner noticed his knees were creaking too much and he needed a different pastime.

"I started riding a bike," he explained. "I had friends who rode and we went from Binghamton, N.Y. to Yardley, Pa., a distance of 335 miles, in four and a half days. I kept wanting to try longer races. I knew I would be retiring as a teacher in 2009, and this idea popped into my head about two years ago."

Bradley and his wife Nancy headed out May 23 for a five-day drive to the West Coast. They arrived in Oregon May 27 and took a day to relax before Bradley dipped his rear tire into the Pacific Ocean and then casually rode into Florence, where his journey began today. Nancy will ride along in their 2000 Windstar. They will have breakfast each day before Jeff departs, and they will then meet up later for lunch before Jeff heads out again. "Nancy will then find us a place to stay each night, as we have not prepared any of that in advance," said Jeff, who has loaded his vehicle with extra supplies and an extra bike to prepare for any condition he might encounter.

The Transamerica Route is a trip through America that winds through small towns along the way. The only real cities he will encounter are Eugene, Ore., Pueblo, Colo., and Charlottesville, Va.

Bradley missed the state track meet this weekend. He serves as an assistant coach for Hempfield after retiring as head coach last year. "My guys understood though, as this is my dream trip," he said. "I do not know what these next ten weeks will hold for me and that is the most exciting part. It will be wonderful to see America at 15 miles per hour."

The weather was hot when the couple left Lancaster County, but Bradley said the second day of his ride will be through an area that is still covered in snow. The Cascade Mountains in Oregon are still inundated with snow and the normal pass is closed due to snow until July. Bradley must ride 20 miles to a different pass in order to traverse the mountains. "This part makes me a little nervous as there are some steep climbs with no guardrails," said Bradley, who will then travel down through Idaho and Montana before crossing the Rocky Mountains near Breckenridge, Colo.

The middle of the trip will be 512 miles across the flat midwest before he hits a very tough stretch in Kentucky. "The trip through Appalachia is all hills, going up and down all the way across the state. This is very demanding, but I hope to be in tip-top shape by the 3,000 mile mark," said Bradley, who is riding alone most of the way but knows he will encounter many riders going both ways on the trip.

Bradley's preparation hit a bump when he was stricken with pneumonia a month ago and unable to do any physical exercise. A dose of antibiotics got him back on his feet. He then rode an average of 200 miles a week, though the last two weeks were mostly spent on shorter trips while the couple prepared the house for the long time away.

Bradley said he is unsure what his feelings will be at the end of the 4200 mile trek, as some riders have expressed relief and others sadness and excitement. "I know this will be one of the greatest feelings of my life to complete this, but I think I will also be sad when it is over. I just know it will be a great adventure. One thing that will make it better will be the friends joining me at different stages of the trip."

Bradley's mother-in-law will be riding in the car on much of the western part of the journey. His parents will be there for support throughout Virginia and different individuals who used to be Bradley's athletes or students will be biking alongside him for a few days. Bradley's best friend will be riding with him in Virginia.

One of his former students, Mike Martin, owns a bike shop in Eugene where Bradley purchased the 29-pound steel frame bike he will use for his trip. In addition to his backup bike, he's packing plenty of extra high-performance tires. Martin will also ride with him the first two days.

Bradley's friends, athletes and former students will be able to follow him along his journey at his blog, crazyguyonabike.com/doc/jeffbradley.