Finegan is no stranger to challenging trails. A recent bike ride across the state of Nebraska, primarily on gravel roads, was one of Robb Finegan’s latest feats, testing out a new cycling route that will take people through seldom seen parts of the state.
Finegan, who grew up in Lakeside and graduated from Alliance High School, was glad to see Alliance featured on this route. He explained that some of his friends have been working on mapping a large bike route from the Mexican border in Texas, near El Paso, to the Canadian border in North Dakota. Finegan offered to test out the Nebraska leg of the journey as a summer challenge.
“I brought on Three Pillars Media, they are out of Lincoln, and they are documenting and filming as I’m going along. We’ll have a video out later this fall. The video is going to show the route, but it’s also going to highlight different things that the state has to offer, like Carhenge.”
Finegan said that he has had a lot of experience with running, qualifying for the 1996 Olympic trials in the marathon, but in the past 15 years, injuries have arisen, which have led him to get back on the bike.
“In 2018, my wife passed away from cancer, and cycling has just kind of become therapy for me,” said Finegan. “I actually was able to retire about a year and a half ago, so I’m definitely on the bike full time, doing different types of events like this.”
At the time of the interview, Finegan had ridden just over 14,000 miles this year. He explained that along this new Nebraska route, he encountered new roads just past York. He was able to see beautiful scenery, such as Potter’s Canyon, near North Platte.
“Getting back into the Sandhills, roads are tough, but it’s just so awesome to see how green the hills and everything are,” said Finegan. “I grew up in the Sandhills, so I love riding out here. So many people, they think of Nebraska as I-80, and flat, cornfields, and they are going to get a rude awakening. There are some steep climbs and there are some beautiful canyon areas.”
Finegan said the route will hopefully be completed this fall, though it will not likely be publicized until next year.
“It will be very accessible to the public,” Finegan said. “Bikepacking, especially in the U.S., has become more and more popular.”
Betty Blakey and Steve Blakey, Finegan’s parents, met with Finegan during his stop at Carhenge. She expressed how excited she was about her son’s journey.
“I’m proud of him,” said Betty. “It started on the Kansas border, south of Beatrice, and he’s riding to the South Dakota border. When he’s determined to do something, he follows through and does whatever it is.”
Steve explained that this journey is not out of the ordinary for Finegan.
“He’s rode thousands and thousands miles,” Steve said. “He rides 100 miles a day, plus. He’s done a lot of professional racing. They’ve camped out overnight in cars and in the ditch. It’s nothing different. It’s kind of special because (Betty’s) family and my family have been here for over 100 and some years, so it was kind of neat that he could come through this area and incorporate it into the ride. We live in Lakeside, and we’ve been there since 1898. It’s local history. He’s rode many of these roads before today.”