Seasons in the Saddle by Joe Tarantino is a cycling memoir about his 50x70 goal to bicycle in all fifty states before turning seventy. Tarantino begins in 2018 with fourteen states already behind him and thirty-six still waiting, then builds a series of rides that gradually extends his connected route across the country. His wife, Barbara, becomes part of the undertaking by meeting him along the way before her own cycle enters the story. Their shared retirement develops around the planning required for each new route. Weather repeatedly reshapes those plans. The COVID pandemic changes what travel can look like for a time. Through each season, Tarantino returns to the same larger purpose of seeing America from a bicycle as he continues working toward the number that gave the project its name.

Seasons in the Saddle by Joe Tarantino is a warm cycling memoir whose greatest strength is the way the people met during 50x70 become part of the pleasure of the journey. His conversational style gives those encounters genuine familiarity, creating the sense of sharing the road with someone who notices the character of the people around him. That quality is evident during his stay at a Pennsylvania B&B run by Lin, where the Jungle Room comes decorated with safari gear beside a white macaw that refuses to dance for her. Peggy brings the sense of companionship to the organized Alaska ride, riding beside him through heavy rain near Denali and showing how quickly fellowship can form between cyclists sharing the same road. The book carries a warm, companionable spirit through every mile, and readers drawn to cycling memoirs shaped by travel and human connection are in for a real treat. Very highly recommended.

In Seasons in the Saddle, retired Ohio engineer Joe Tarantino recounts his quixotic quest to cycle through all 50 states before turning 70, a challenge he calls “50x70.” The memoir opens with an ER visit for a blood clot that threatens to end his adventure before it begins. It then follows him over six years, from a 2018 spin down the Great Allegheny Passage to Washington, D.C., to a blizzard in North Dakota. He embarks on a marathon in Boston, gets stranded during the pandemic in Jackson, Mississippi, and faces the sun-blasted ghost towns and headwinds of Route 66. With his wife, Barbara, providing support and occasionally pedaling beside him, Tarantino logs more than 12,000 miles, collects kindnesses and fun in equal measure, and closes stubborn route "gaps" in the Mojave Desert before a group ride across Alaska completes the set, just as a cancer diagnosis opens an unexpected new season.

Joe Tarantino inspires with his adventures, and as I followed him mile by mile, I felt confident I could do some of the things I have dreamed about but haven’t even started. He writes in a conversational voice, and the episodic, trip-by-trip structure, with a haiku introducing each season, keeps the pacing brisk despite the mileage. The author introduces memorable people and encounters filled with humanity. Barbara is the quiet heroine of the adventure, doubling as a logistics chief and a firm believer in Joe. Through his journey, the author offers a compelling meditation on grit, aging, marriage, and an America best met at twelve miles per hour. The author’s Christian faith shines through. While this ride demanded energy and effort from the author, it offers readers a gentle atmosphere with diner coffee, fog lifting off two-lane blacktop, and the desert’s deafening silence. Seasons in the Saddle is a warm, generous ride for cyclists and armchair readers alike.

Seasons in the Saddle: Quirky Encounters and Random Reflections while Bicycling America by Joe Tarantino details his epic cycling challenge to ride all 50 States in the United States before reaching the age of seventy. This substantial journey covers the remaining thirty-six States that he had yet to do. When most men are settling down to a well-earned retirement, with perhaps the odd game of golf to break up their days, this author was pedaling his way up and down hills, through snow, rain, and bitter winds to achieve his goal. Even a worldwide pandemic, a serious medical procedure, no end of flat tires, muddy bicycle tracks, dangerous traffic, and plenty of unplanned detours would not be enough to slow him down. With the loving support and companionship of his wife Barbara, this journey started in the Greater Allegheny Passage, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal trails, before finally coming to an end in Denali National Park, Alaska. In between, the author crossed snow-covered mountains, blazing hot deserts, and the volcanic roads of Hawaii. Although this exercise took several years, it was easily completed well before the author turned seventy.

As a reader who is much the same age as author Joe Tarantino, Seasons in the Saddle is a book that simply makes me say “wow!” and send some earnest respect to the man. If I manage to get my 10K steps in on any given day, I think I deserve to be congratulated, but what he achieved over several years is simply phenomenal. I always thought biking was simply a way to get between two close places quicker than walking, but this author has clearly turned it into an absolute passion. The idea of riding over 100 miles on a given day in appalling weather and actually enjoying it is perhaps the highlight of this story for me. I get the sense of achievement Joe derives from his bicycling, and I can only take my hat off to his dedication. I found it interesting that although he initially believed solo riding was his thing, it wasn’t until Barbara began joining him on his trips that he realized the true joy of sharing the journey with someone you love. I appreciated that the pair always took time off at the end of a day’s ride to visit places of interest and historical importance in the area they were traversing. There is no shortage of amusing anecdotes and fascinating encounters peppered throughout the narrative that will keep readers intrigued, whether you are a bicyclist or not. This is a substantial and thoroughly enjoyable read that I highly recommend.

After a lifetime of achievement in the academic and commercial worlds, retirement provided Joe Tarantino with the ideal opportunity to get on his bicycle and ride. He had developed a fascination with cycling during his formative years and set out to cycle through 50 American states before turning 70. He had already completed one journey that saw him covering 14 states. That left 36 states and 8 years to achieve his goal. He set out in July 2018, planning to tackle the trip in manageable stages, leaving trips to Hawaii and Alaska as a grand finale. He describes what followed in Seasons in the Saddle: Quirky Encounters and Random Reflections while Bicycling America. Wherever he could, he visited places that held family significance, took in those tourist attractions that appealed, but generally chose roads that were less busy and routes where there were established biking trails. He tells tales of quirky people, terrain that varied widely, encounters with animals and birds, and food and accommodation both good and indifferent. The solitude was broken by encounters with other cyclists, hikers, and the locals, while exploring the towns and cities along the way. He rode through wind, rain, cold, snow, and heat. Dodging dogs became a regular feature. Challenges included the logistics of finding food and shelter, repairing flat tires, plus roads closed due to ice and flooding. In between, he ran marathons and went on a cruise with his wife.

Joe Tarantino describes flat sections and rolling hills as they unfolded in front of him while he pedaled along on his epic journey, showing remarkable fortitude. The coronavirus dictated a temporary halt to his progress. His wife Barbara kept track of him and provided valuable support, with pre-arranged meetings during his travels. Seasons in the Saddle is split into sections that mirror the routes, riding conditions, and weather. It also allows the book to be read in manageable stages. The impact of climate change was apparent. A map is included that puts his achievement into perspective, while his various expeditions are summarized in an appendix. There are numerous photographs that add to the account. The book combines local history into a travelogue, while recording the daily struggles with changeable and often extreme weather, road hazards, and physical issues. A medical condition and surgery brought him to a new appreciation of his faith. It also persuaded him to seek different types of adventure and to write about his previous experiences. The result is an entertaining account that is filled with warmth, humor, and observations of the country that elevate it above conventional memoirs.