Attorney Rebecca Lewis Finishes Bike Tour Through Madagascar

July 2019 – Rebecca Lewis, attorney with Pence and MacMillan, recently finished a road bike tour through Madagascar covering 1,700 miles and 150,000 feet in elevation gain. The trip averaged 65 miles a day over 28 riding days/stages, with 10 days of rest.

It was organized and hosted by a global company that specializes in adventure bike trips.

“It was fantastic,” says Lewis. “We were with a group of 20 riders and 11 staff from all over the world, with a huge range of experience, lifestyles and perspectives.”

The group’s lodging toggled between hotels and primitive camping in the middle of the rainforest, most times camping in areas where there were no facilities or running water. The road surfaces varied, some of the days forcing the riders to compete with a number of difficult conditions.

“A few of the days we biked on roads that were basically sand, for upwards of 40 miles,” says Lewis. “It was so thick, we would basically just fall over.”

As they finished the last leg, Lewis wrote a final excerpt in her riding updates:

DONE with the cycling! I have not added up the miles yet, but it is around 1700. And I rode every one of them. Elevation gain is likely near 150,000′. That number is more significant to me than the miles since the real work is getting up the mountains. It was a good mix of “locals” hotels (think really primitive), city hotels, beach resorts, and bush camping in the middle of nowhere. Food has been good and I managed to find a gin and tonic periodically. I now need to adjust to not eating 4 large meals a day! A really wonderful experience, but I’m ready to get home to hiking, yard work, cooking, baking and some days off the bike.

“We decided this wasn’t really a vacation since vacations are relaxing,” says Lewis. “This was far from that. It was an adventure.”

When she’s not on her bike, Lewis practices in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, in civil litigation, employment law, and insurance law.