ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WFRV) – Most people prefer to take a road trip via car, but for one couple in Ashwaubenon, biking is the way to go.

Peter and Tracy Flucke have loved riding the wheels together since their daughter were young, often biking laps around their neighborhood after work. Soon they realized they wanted to take their journey even further.

“Slowly but surely, we were like ‘I wonder what’s down that road.’ When we discovered that we liked to ride as a tandem, it became more about I wonder if we can ride our bike here,” Peter says.

Since then, the Fluckes’ have biked 3 cross-country trips. Their most recent trip in 2016 was along the historic highway Route 66, and it is the subject of their new book “Bicycling Historic Route 66: Our Adventure Crossing the USA on a Bicycle Built for Two“.

The trip one way took 49 days, was more than 2,000 miles long, and they ended in Santa Monica, California.

A lot of preparation goes into their trips including training 6 months in advanced, planning their route, and gearing up their supplies to make the trek.

Tracy says, “We have to depend on each other out there. It’s just the two of us and it’s strengthened our relationship.”

The Fluckes’ hope their love of biking and exploring can motivate others to pedal on.

When asked what she hopes people will gain from the book Tracy says, “If they read it for the adventure of it and do their own little adventure whatever it happens to be, just to encourage them to get out and get moving.”

Peter says he was surprised by the number of people supporting he and his wife but says, “The single best comment that we have got from readers is them saying ‘I felt like I was on the bike with you.’ It was sort of a drop-the-mic moment. That’s what we were trying to do.”

The Fluckes’ are currently planning a trip for next spring to tackle some of the 20 states they have yet to travel through.

They also have a consulting business, We Bike ETC, to educate others on everything biking.