Chris Manning has always been up for a challenge.

And knowing this was his class’s year to gather for Reunion Weekend at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, the 1989 SJU graduate saw a way to truly put himself to the test.

Manning – who now resides in Minturn, Colorado – decided to ride his bike to Collegeville, a distance of over 1,082 miles.

“I just like to get out and ride, and I like doing things that are physically and mentally challenging,” said Manning, who has long owned his own business – Tessa Clogs – and also serves as controller of the Antlers at Vail Lodge. “I knew Reunion was coming up, so about a year ago, I asked my wife’s permission to do this. She was on board, so I started planning from there.”

Manning departed his home on June 9 and arrived on the steps of the Abbey Church in Collegeville Monday afternoon (June 17) – well ahead of check-in for Reunion Weekend Thursday night (June 20).

His original route consisted of half-gravel and half-paved roads, but he altered those plans mid-trip.

“What ended up happening in the Sand Hills of Nebraska was that I got so beat up and spanked that I was literally crying on the side of the road sitting behind a storage bin in the middle of ranch country,” he said.

“After that, I decided to bail on the gravel.”

For the first four days on the road, he was accompanied by hometown friends Ryan and Michelle Wolffe, who would drive ahead of him and set up their pop-up camper – providing him shelter for the night.

His fifth night, though, was spent in Spencer, Nebraska, where he had planned to camp in the city park.

“But this is an example of how nice people were,” he said. “I told people what I was doing, and there was a fairgrounds in town (for the Boyd County Fair). The manager came out to talk to me and said it was going to storm. So they opened up one of the buildings and let me sleep inside.”

Manning then made it to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to stay with relatives before spending Sunday night (June 16) under a picnic shelter in a park in Granite Falls. He woke up Monday morning and pushed the rest of the way to Collegeville, arriving well ahead of schedule.

“I’d start out each morning and try to put 30 or 40 miles in before I’d stop and find a local café for breakfast so I could soak up some of the color,” he said. “Here I am – a dude in bike tights – hanging out with guys in Wranglers and cowboy hats sitting at the bar. So there were some stories to be told.

“There were some really incredible moments. It’s a great way to see America at 10 miles an hour.”

Manning – who swam for four years at SJU – has been biking since his days as a student in Collegeville. He belonged to the cycling club on campus, and he and fellow Johnnie classmate Tim Mrozinski undertook a bike trip from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin to Boston and Martha's Vineyard and back following their graduation from SJU in 1989.

“When you want to go from Point A to Point B, a bike is a great way to do it,” he said.

As part of Reunion festivities Saturday morning, Manning will lead a bike ride from the SJU campus to Cold Spring and back – around 20 miles, nothing compared to the ground he’s already covered.

He then plans to fly home when Reunion is over, shipping his bike back to Colorado.

“One way was more than enough,” he said with a laugh.

First, though, he is looking forward to connecting with old friends and classmates – people he rode nearly 1,000 miles to see.

“It’s a chance to get back to a place where I spent four amazing years,” he said. “That time went by so fast, but I made some amazing memories. Now I’m looking forward to seeing all those people again and making more memories this weekend.

“It really is a brotherhood. The old saying ‘Once a Johnnie, always a Johnnie’ is so true.”