By Sophie Johnson, Sports Editor
It started as routine rides with friends. Then came longer trips to the beach. And a goal to bike 100 miles. And then 200…
“It’s really mental more than physical,” freshman Sean Stultz said. “It’s more mental to keep going for 170 miles.”
Stultz’s passion for biking began two summers ago when he and his friend made the journey to Walmart. Eventually, he began biking 10 to 15 miles from his house to the beach.
“Day by day we were getting around 40 (miles), maybe 45,” he said. “We’d go all over. At first I just did it to hang out with friends.”
For many, 45 miles is more than enough to bike. But it wasn’t enough for Stultz. He and his friend, eighth-grader Riley Stokes, decided to bike 100 miles.
“The first attempt we brought a lot of stuff with us and we didn’t do it because we ran into some friends,” Stultz said.
They weren’t discouraged by their first attempt. The next time, they decided to try again starting at 7 a.m.
“He lasted 64 miles, which is pretty good because he had to be home at 4:30 and he was super tired,” Stultz said. “We actually stopped to jump into the sound to wake us up. I finished the rest of it and got home at 11 or so.”
When the goal of biking 100 miles was reached, Stultz did not stop there. He decided to bike 200 miles, but this time he was solo – with his parents following close behind.
“I started from my house at 4:30 in the morning and when I got to the Nags Head sign I texted my mom because she wanted to be behind me. By the time we met up, we were close to the bridge,” he said.
Stultz’s plan was to bike to the end of Hatteras, then head north toward the end of Corolla and back to his house to make the round trip of 200 miles. However, the wind was blowing too hard on the way back so he hopped in the car with his parents and drove to the end of Corolla.
“From there, I biked to the bridge again, which is 150 miles,” Stultz said.
After about 22 hours, he ended the trip at 171 miles. But falling short of his 200-mile goal didn’t discourage him, it only made him more determined.
“I thought I could do it, but I didn’t really train much because now that school is starting it’s harder to bike as much,” he said.
Stultz is already planning to make more trips this summer: “He wants to get to 200 before his 18th birthday,” Sean’s brother Skylar said.
There doesn’t appear to be a finish line in sight for Stultz’s cycling ambition.
“I’m gonna try for the 200 again and once I get that I’m gonna keep going up to 250, 300 hopefully,” Stultz said with a smile. “Hopefully get higher than that, that’d be crazy.”
Junior Sophie Johnson can be reached at johnsonso0628@daretolearn.org.
