From March 19–22, 2026, Bob Mina and Brian Gatens of The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast will bicycle 400 miles from West Chester, Pennsylvania to The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.
At first glance, it’s a fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, but it’s also something more personal.
For years, Bob has carried a simple tradition: baking cookies for his daughter Katie. It’s one of those quiet family rituals — flour on the counter, oven humming, something made by hand and delivered with care.
This March as winter turns to spring, Bob will bake a fresh batch and carry them south on the bike.
Four hundred miles.
St. Jude — where families facing childhood cancer and catastrophic illness never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food. Where research saves lives. Where care is given without financial burden.
The symbolism is simple.
A father brings cookies to his daughter.
A hospital community brings support to families who need it.
No one is entirely sure whether 400 miles in four days is attainable. But no true adventure begins with certainty. It begins with commitment — and with purpose.
The Team
- Bob Mina — carrying the cookies.
- Brian Gatens — riding alongside.
- Greg Bassett — piloting the support vehicle.
- Jack Gatens — filmmaker and Brian’s son, documenting the journey and sharing the story along the way.
Four days.
Four hundred miles.
One batch of cookies.
One cause worth riding for.
Follow along. Support the mission. Help turn pedal strokes into hope.
Please consider supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Every dollar raised goes straight to St. Jude.
Brian and Bob are personally covering the full cost of the ride — travel, logistics, and support — so your contribution directly supports the mission of helping families facing childhood cancer and catastrophic illness.
Sponsors are welcome.
If you or your company would like to support the ride by making a donation of $250 or more to St. Jude and being recognized as an official supporter, please reach out to Brian at brian@ardarkzone.com.
We would be proud to feature your name, company, or team in our social media posts, ride updates, and coverage along the 400-mile journey. Special thank you to Mark Harris of Enabled Tracking for donating our tracker and tracking page.
Thank you for your support.
See Bob’s Facebook update from February 9th:
“How far is William and Mary by bike?”
October 11, 2025, around 10:12PM, is when Brian Gatens sent me that seemingly innocent text message. I replied with my estimates, “Probably about 320 miles, driving is 290. For you, a day.”
I knew it straight away right then and there, he was cooking up something really, really dumb. When Brian texts something like that, it’s not the beginning of an idea – it’s the initial targeting of something he’s been marinating on for weeks.
And then he sold it: “We should cycle a package of cookies to her.”
Five months later, welcome to the official launch of the first ever Katie Cookie Ride to benefit St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Donation Link: Here
Starting on Thursday, March 19th, Brian and I will leave my home in West Chester, PA, and head South. It will take four days to arrive at William and Mary in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. We’re going to cover just over 100 miles per day; the total planned route has us covering 401.1 miles, with roughly 17,000 feet of elevation.
The Ride Map:
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/53044957
Day one is West Chester to Shrewsbury, PA.
Day two is Shrewsbury, PA to Washington, DC.
Day three is Washington, DC to Caroline County, VA
Day four is Caroline County to Williamsburg, VA
We will be GPS-enabled so you can follow along in real-time.
Our goal is to raise $10,000 for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. Today is the start of the fundraiser – the donation link is below. You can donate a flat amount, or donate based on what you think is a decent price per mile (like 10 cents).
If you take the per-mile option it’s like this: If we cover 401 miles, you’d end up donating $40.10. If we get really off-course and ride 451 (entirely plausible), it’d be $45.10.
The entire thing is a reach. Right now the entire Mid-Atlantic is encased in ice. We haven’t been able to ride outdoors once in 2026. I have no idea what Mother Nature has in store for us.
But we’re going to try it. I’ll be carrying a batch of homemade cookies in a backpack, and we shall be delivering those to Katie Mina on March 22 if this plan works.
Place your bets. The last time I rode this far was 1993 (and that was over 8 days in France). The last time I rode 400 miles in 4 days was never. So I’m trying something new at age 54 – a week prior to my 55th birthday.
As Brian always tells me, “Life is better on the wire.”
See you out there.
The Dark Zone: An Adventure Racing Podcast 