Bob Kiss ‘79 with family and friends at the finish line of his cross-country bicycle trek in Jersey City, New Jersey. The signs represent a portion of the 26 charities who benefited from Kiss’ fundraising journey.
Bob Kiss ’79 ’08P celebrates milestone birthdays with ambitious treks.
When he turned 30, he ran in the New York City marathon.
When he turned 60 and retired from a three-decade career with JPMorgan, he decided to try something he had always wanted to do: cross the United States, from coast to coast, on a bicycle.
“I didn’t just want to ride across the country. I wanted to have a purpose attached to it,” said Kiss, who earned his Lehigh degree in civil engineering and began his career as a drilling engineer for Exxon.
He started planning his 3,700-mile fundraising journey about a year in advance, asking friends to recommend charities they thought were reputable and did meaningful work. Kiss decided to call the endeavor the “One America Charity Ride” in an effort to highlight the positive impact that many can make when acting toward the goal of improving society. Though he did not have a specific monetary goal, the One America Charity Ride raised $103,000 for 26 charitable organizations.
He used the attention surrounding his ride to spotlight the valuable work being done by the charities for which he was raising funds – such as the Challenged Athletes Foundation, Autism Speaks, and Friends of Kids with Cancer. He frequently posted updates on his Instagram and blog, encouraging followers and readers to learn about these causes and donate.
Kiss started his journey in California on February 11 and headed east, picking up springtime along the way. He set off with fellow Lehigh alum, Stu Ryan ’82, who accompanied him for the first week of riding. Because there’s no specific defined bicycle route from San Diego to Jersey City, Kiss had to stitch together a combination of routes previously vetted by other bicyclists, as well as routes suggested by Google Maps’ beta bicycle route function.
He followed a range of paths, from Historic Route 66 and Interstate 40 in the west to rural gravel roads in Missouri to rolling two-lane roads in the hills of Kentucky. On average, he traversed about 60 miles per day.
Prior to the trip, Kiss didn’t consider himself an athletic cyclist, but rather more of a “weekend warrior.” He had, however, played football during his freshman year at Lehigh and maintained an active lifestyle through his life.
Beyond the physical demands of the journey, Kiss was deeply impacted by the sensory experience of biking across the country.
“You hear things…you hear the traffic, you hear the wind through your ears, you hear the grinding of your tires on the gravel when you’re on a trail,” he said. “You hear birds, horses, cows – all those things that you pass.”
Kiss said pedaling across the nation gave him a heightened awareness of local environments, wildlife, and subtle changes in climate, all of which might be easier to miss if he were in a car. He was also more conscious of unpleasant details like roadkill, debris, and roadside memorial markers. Unexpectedly, one of the biggest challenges Kiss faced was the many stray dogs he encountered on his route.
“When you’re riding a bike and all of the sudden there’s an unleashed dog nipping at your heels, barking – there’s nothing you can do, there’s no reasoning with it,” he said. “You get off the bicycle and become a pedestrian and just keep the bike between you and the dog.”
Help Along the Way
Though there were certainly challenging moments during the ride that forced Kiss to question whether he should continue, he was ultimately able to persevere thanks to his strong base of support. He stayed in touch with family and friends throughout the journey and made new friends and supporters along the way. Sharon, his wife of nearly 40 years, provided vehicle support for much of the ride, except for the Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Louisville, Kentucky, segment where he carried his own gear and rode solo.
“Everyone that I met either at a restaurant or bar or coffee shop was eager to talk to me about my experience…what I’m doing, and why I’m doing it,” he said. “People that were total strangers to me only an hour before were sending a donation through the website to a charity that they chose.”
Kiss, who had served as president of Chi Psi fraternity in college, was particularly grateful for the support of Lehigh alumni, several of whom joined him as companion riders at various points of his journey.
Thomas McClain ’79 heard about Kiss’s trip from Randy Blasdell ’82, who promoted the trip to Chi Psi alumni and Lehigh’s Office of Alumni Engagement. McClain rode with Kiss between Zanesville, Ohio, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Bobby is a gracious, generous gentleman and a hell of an athlete,” McClain said.
Jim Davis ’79, another Chi Psi brother who rode with Kiss on the penultimate leg of the journey – from New Hope, Pennsylvania, to Bernardsville, New Jersey – said it was a great pleasure to participate in and contribute to the success of the charity ride.
“Those of us who know Bob, though amazed by the accomplishment and effort that went into the One America Charity Ride, are not surprised with the overall success and impact that he made on all of the organizations that benefited from his journey across the U.S.,” Davis said. “(He) has always impressed me in an unassuming way with his determination and drive.”
Kiss said he is grateful to Lehigh for giving him the opportunity to forge bonds that continue to be a source of support 40 years later.
“It’s not like I see these guys more than once or twice a year,” he said. “Some of these people I’ve gone a decade without ever seeing. And yet, when something like this came up, they’re like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be there. Why not? Let’s do it.’”
Kiss triumphantly returned to New Jersey on May 6, where his wife had organized a picnic for family and friends in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty – the perfect setting for the underlying theme of unity that inspired the journey. More than 50 people were in attendance.
“I was very fortunate to do this and have so many people support me with their donations and well wishes along the way,” he said.
Kiss said he admired the commitment and sacrifice made by the people who work for the charitable organizations he advocated for during his trip.
“There’s so many people who spend their time donating their time and energy, or people who are working for charities and for non-profits and presumably taking less financial gain than they would in the commercial world,” he said.
Though the cross-country journey is over, Kiss said he’s not done riding. He also hopes to continue his involvement with some of the charitable organizations he worked with along the way.
Chi Psi brothers and family who either rode or met with Bob Kiss on the journey:
Stu Ryan ’82 (San Diego, CA, to Prescott, AZ)
Tom McClain ’79 (Zanesville, OH, to Pittsburgh, PA)
Vince Rogusky ’80 (Lancaster, PA, to New Hope, PA)
Jim Davis ’79 (New Hope, PA, to Bernardsville, NJ)
Mark Melillo ’78 (Lambertville, NJ, to Bernardsville, NJ).
Terry Conklin ’79 and Randy Blasdell ’82 joined him for dinners.
Bob’s son, Jonathan Kiss ’08, flew out to San Diego to see him off.