KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Debbie's story was shared with me by a viewer in Belton. If you have a story you'd like share, please reach out. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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A 63-year-old Belton woman is preparing to pedal more than 3,000 miles across the United States to fulfill a lifelong dream.
Debbie Jackson Tucci will join 25 other women her age on a two-month journey that starts this weekend. The group will ride 60 miles each day as they make their way from San Diego to St. Augustine, Florida.
The inspiration for the trip traces back to a book at a library and a 1970's movement.
"They had a movement called Bikecentennial '76 in celebration of our 200th birthday," Jackson Tucci said.
With America approaching its 250th birthday, Jackson Tucci says she has been preparing for the challenge all her life even though her formal training only began about a year ago.
The dream, however, started much earlier. Jackson Tucci says she was going through a difficult time when she felt called to act.
"I just cried out to God, 'I don't know what to do!"' Jackson Tucci said. "The message I got was, 'just ride your bike."'
"It just made no sense because I wasn't a bike rider."
But the message stuck.
"When I got that message, it reminded me of that dream I had when I was a kid," Jackson Tucci said.
To prepare for the grueling daily mileage during the trip, Jackson Tucci says the key has been mental strategy and sticking to a bike riding regimen of 30 miles a day, three days a week.
"You just play games in your head; like it's just a series of 10, 10-mile rides," Jackson Tucci said about when she rode her first 100 miles. "If you can ride 30 miles, you can ride 40, and if you can ride 40, you can ride 50. It's just a mental thing."
For Jackson Tucci, the bicycle carries a deeper meaning.
"The bicycle was like the first time that women had independence to go and travel, change fashion," Jackson Tucci said.
Bicycles symbolized the "New Woman" according the National Women's History Museum during the late 19th century.
"Let me tell you what I think of bicycling." she said. "I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. Women's suffragist leader, Susan B. Anthony, famously said, "I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”
"I think it's very fitting that when women are on bicycles that feeling of freedom is just so precious," Jackson Tucci said.
She is also looking forward to the journey itself, especially during such a monumental year for the country.
"What better way than to see America than at 15-miles-an-hour, right? It's gonna be beautiful," Jackson Tucci said.
Her seven-year-old grandson, Sage, is her biggest supporter and plans to track her progress everyday with a map in their living room
"Starts in San Diego, and she goes all the way to Florida in St. Augustine," Sage said as he showed KSHB 41 News reporter Ryan Gamboa the map plans to use to track his grandmother.
Sage is impressed by what she's taking on.
"Almost nobody has ever done that," Sage said.
He also has a personal mission during the trip, with a sign that reads, "Bikers never give up!"
"I just want to encourage her so she doesn't feel alone," Sage said.
For Jackson Tucci, the journey is about more than the miles. She hopes her story encourages others to pursue their own goals.
"I want to use what I've learned to encourage people to go follow your dreams," she said. It doesn't have to be biking." Definitely, I would hope that he [Sage] would hang onto this and see this as there's no dream too big."
As much as the trip is a personal milestone and a source of inspiration for others, Jackson Tucci says it is also a message for Sage.
"I just want him to be open to adventure," Jackson Tucci said.
As part of the journey, Debbie started a YouTube channel to document her travels.
She is taking along a laminated "Flat Stanley" figure for her grandson's first grade class. She will document Stanley's travel along the way. It's an important symbol that her grandson is not left behind while she's away.
"We put an 'S' there because it stands for my name and Stanley," he said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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