Denise St. Pierre’s Bicycle Journey to Cocoa Beach
- Pierre, a retired women’s golf coach from Penn State University, has launched a bicycle journey from Miami to Cape Cod to raise awareness for climate change and sustainable...
- The 49-day trip is designed to promote the East Coast Greenway, an initiative started in the 1990s to create an off-road accessible biking and walking pathway.
- Pierre created the project, titled Cycle Hope, to combine her passion for cycling with environmental stewardship.
Denise St. Pierre, a retired women’s golf coach from Penn State University, has launched a bicycle journey from Miami to Cape Cod to raise awareness for climate change and sustainable transportation. Accompanied by her sister, Barb St. Pierre, the journey began on April 10, 2026, and is scheduled to conclude in Provincetown, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2026.
The 49-day trip is designed to promote the East Coast Greenway, an initiative started in the 1990s to create an off-road accessible biking and walking pathway. St. Pierre aims to draw attention to the Greenway’s progress as the alliance works toward a goal of completing the route by 2030.
Mission and Climate Advocacy
St. Pierre created the project, titled Cycle Hope
, to combine her passion for cycling with environmental stewardship. Her efforts are supported by Third Act, a national organization composed of volunteers over the age of 60 who work to safeguard the planet and advocate for a transition to clean energy.
The primary focus of the advocacy is the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by ending dependency on fossil fuels. St. Pierre advocates for the adoption of clean energy sources, such as wind and solar power, and the increased use of electric vehicles to make sustainable energy affordable and equitable.
To foster community engagement, St. Pierre is organizing Cycle Stops
in various cities along the route. These stops, which are often held at local craft breweries, are intended to bring people together and facilitate conversations regarding climate change and the East Coast Greenway.
Journey Logistics and Support
The sisters are biking between 50 and 60 miles daily to cover the distance of more than 2,000 miles. The journey includes a scheduled stop in Cocoa Beach on April 14, 2026.
The trip is supported by a support vehicle, an electric Volkswagen bus driven by Denise’s wife, Julie Lammel, and another sister, Christine Siena.
St. Pierre’s interest in the East Coast Greenway began years ago when she read a magazine article about the path while traveling with her Penn State team. Due to the demands of her career as a Division I collegiate athletics coach, she postponed the ride until her retirement. Now two years into retirement, she is applying the same mental discipline she taught her athletes—focusing on one shot or one hole at a time—to manage the daily mileage of the trip.
We can make a big impact on our carbon dioxide emissions if we can get more people on board, more electric vehicles on the road and less red tape to get these sources to more people while making them affordable and equitable for all.
Denise St. Pierre