By Allison Perrine
SHREWSBURY – After spending the first several weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic in Siesta Key, Florida, Rumson native Rob Doran decided it was time to return home to the Jersey Shore.
Because Doran thought air travel was a little risky because of the virus, he decided to ditch a quick flight and traded it for a solo bicycle tour along the East Coast, staying at different Airbnbs along the way. It wouldn’t always be easy, but he was training for an Ironman Triathlon and figured this would be a great time to train while stopping in cities he had been wanting to visit.
With the help of his father Scott, the owner of Shrewsbury Bikes, he was able to get the equipment needed to make his 1,700-mile-long trek up the East Coast, ending Saturday at the bike shop.
“It’s been quite a journey for sure,” said Doran.
Before the pandemic struck, the 31-year-old spent time in Asia from November 2019 to February 2020 visiting coffee farms and touring different countries. He’s a huge coffee fan, he said, and was researching the many varieties and flavors. Once the virus hit hard in those areas, he came back to the U.S. and quickly realized that if he were to ride out a pandemic, there’s no better place to do it than under the warm Florida sun.
Doran spent six weeks there until about April 20 when he decided it was time to return to New Jersey and see his family. His business partner was the one to suggest that he bike his way back home.
“That’s how it all started. Literally, in a matter of 24-hours, I talked to my dad and my mom and they were both like ‘That sounds pretty cool,’ ” he said.
It was a good plan, Doran said, but it would be even better if he could help others at the same time. With that in mind, he created the “Cycle for Coffee,” GoFundMe page to raise money for baristas who work at one of his favorite coffee shops, Modcup Coffee in Jersey City, where he currently lives. So far, the fundraiser has received $4,531, $1,000 of which was raised in one day. One of his friends will match the final donation, Doran said.
“Most of these people who work hard to bring us our morning cups of coffee every day have lost their only source of income with the implementation of quarantining and social distancing rules,” Doran wrote on the GoFundMe page. “The goal is to give financial relief to the baristas and roasters in their time of need.”
The journey was certainly a challenge, but not impossible, Doran said. He had been training for endurance sports for some time, so physically he was capable, and was also making the journey at a leisurely pace. He took time to visit places he wanted to see, such as Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia.
“I have all day to do it,” he said. “I’m not going out there biking 30 miles per hour every day killing myself. I’m waking up, getting on the road, biking 20 miles, relaxing for 30 minutes. It is very casual.”
But the biggest adjustments were the variables outside his control throughout his course. Some roads were unpaved. Sometimes he encountered strong winds and bad weather, including a tropical storm in North Carolina. Some rural areas had 40 or 50 miles between gas stations for water or rest stops. Through the storm, his bike endured a bent rear rim and needed to be repaired, which delayed him, he said.
He also faced some issues while in Beaufort, North Carolina, due to the pandemic. At the time, the Outer Banks in North Carolina was not open to non-residents until May 16, so he had to wait in a hotel until he was permitted to enter.
“Not everything’s like the Jersey Shore and Jersey City where I can just have an Uber, call and get food delivered. Rural America is very different,” he said.
To get through it, Doran said it’s vital to have peace of mind. The physical aspect is hard, but being alone on a bike for several hours a day, alone with your thoughts, is a whole other challenge. “The most painful part is just getting used to being alone. You’re alone. Just you and the bike and the road for nine hours every day,” he said.
But it was definitely worth it, he said, and he has seen how his journey has impacted others in positive ways. Some people he knows who are looking to get into shape have purchased bikes. Others have messaged him photos of themselves on their Peloton bikes doing 20 miles with him virtually while he road that same distance.
“It’s cool. Stuff like that, as corny as it sounds, makes me happy. Even if it’s one person, that one person has made this whole trip worth it,” he said.
Now that he has returned home, Doran is ready for his next journey in life – opening a coffee shop in Lincroft. The location is yet to be announced.
The article originally appeared in the May 28 – June 3, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
