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January 18, 2026

Dear Friend,

I heard in a song once, “you gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.”

Friend, I folded. I know you were invested in this trip that I started, this journey of many hundreds of miles that sounded like the trip of a lifetime, but that just wasn’t how it turned out for me. I wasn’t having fun anymore. The nights were long, so long, and lonely – I wish you could’ve been there with me. And nobody tells you how much maintenance a bike needs! You can’t always just hop on and go, as much as I wish that were true. I’m not saying it’s over for me and bikes forever, just the end of this tour.

I folded, and I walked away. I walked because I’m tired of running. I’ve been running for years and it’s time to rest. I don’t know what happens when one stops to rest but I guess I’ll find out. All I know is that it’s time to walk away, not to run.

And, friend, I will walk away not with my tail between my legs, head hung in shame, but with my head held high. I will hold my head high because I know that if I have nothing else, I have hope. And maybe that’s all we really need.

I know you might be worried about me, and I appreciate you more than you will ever know for that. But, truly, I know that I will be alright. I’m not sure what’s next for me, and that’s okay. I am learning more and more that some things just take time, and as much as I try to convince myself otherwise, I have time.

I wonder, friend, what do you hope for?

I hope that you’re well – I think of you often.

Love,

Evan

PS: I made a little playlist for you, it has some songs that have really healed me recently and I hope they can do the same for you:

• Amelie (Gracie Abrams)
• Emily I’m Sorry (boygenius)
• Say It (Maggie Rogers)
• Fleeting (Sarah Kinsley)
• Shoot The Moon (Norah Jones)
• Take Two (Madison Cunningham)

I also wanted to share a couple quotes that have made me think a lot, maybe they’ll make you think too:

“Don’t reach for the moon, we have the stars.”

“This is what I have decided: the very least you can do in your life is figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right under it. Under its roof.”

PPS: Dear friend, if you don’t get the reference, read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. You won’t regret it.