In 2018, Eric Lederer decided it was time to “stop being a shithead and drinking so much with my friends on weekends.”
Running seemed like a wholesome idea.
The 2013 Staples High School graduate — by then an Indiana University Kelley Business School graduate, and a New York investment banker — found a Central Park running group.
Be careful what you wish for.
Lederer’s casual foray into un-shitheadedness led to half marathons, full marathons, then Ironmans.
He met Dick Traum, the first amputee to finish the New York Marathon, and founder of Achilles International. The non-profit transforms the lives of people with disabilities through athletic programs and social connection. Since 1983, over 150,000 athletes of all ages and ability levels have participated in endurance events around the globe.
Which is why Lederer is halfway through a 5-month, 7,000-mile bike ride across North America. His goal is to raise $50,000 for athletes with disabilities.
Eric Lederer, and his bike.
His competitive drive was honed on the Staples football team. It was his first experience where “greatness was expected.” A self-described “mediocre athlete,” Lederer says he “worked hard, and liked hitting people to compensate for my lack of athleticism.”
Staples — especially English teacher Anne Fernandez, who sparked his interest in writing — prepared him well for IU.
In July 2019 — a couple of years after starting his Wall Street career — Lederer took an 18-month sabbatical. Figuring he’d never get the chance again, he booked a 1-way flight to Russia, and rode the Trans-Siberian train to Mongolia and China.
He traveled through Japan, then Antarctica, before returning home because of COVID (and studying for the GMAT).
The “seminal trip” taught Lederer “the value of stepping off the corporate hamster wheel.”
Global travel inspired him to learn more about his own country — slowly and thoughtfully. He wanted to meet a cross-section of Americans; to take the pulse of the nation; to do something with a purpose, for himself and for others.
“I’d like to settle down soon,” Lederer says. “But I haven’t gotten there yet.
“So why not have experiences in my 20s that will set the foundation for the life I aspire to achieve, if I am lucky enough to be alive? I want a life that is philanthropic, adventurous, sustainable and unique.”
It hardly mattered that he had never done a bike tour — or had no idea how to change a flat tire. He trusted his Ironman training for fitness.
“Ready. Fire. Aim,” Lederer explains. “If I over-analyzed the logistics, the trip would not have happened.
“Too many things could go wrong: insurance policies, forest fires, mechanical problems, routing issues — the list goes on. Better to go directly into the unknown, and trust it will work out.
“So far, so good.”
Lederer started April 9, in Los Angeles. His Staples friend Harry Birch saw him off.
Staples friend Harry Birch (far right) saw Eric Lederer (yellow) off, at the start (by an appropriate sign). They were joined by (from left) Alex Plonsker and Eric’s brother Adam.
He hopes to end at the Fish Market — his friends’ favorite New York dive bar — the first week of September. “It will be an epic party,” he promises. “If I arrive.”
(Hence the name of his tour: Operation Fish Market.)
Lederer has already clocked more than 3,000 miles. He’s riding 50 to 60 miles a day, with 80 pounds of gear. resting once a week.
Pausing at a familiar landmark.
His route takes him up the Pacific Coast, through Yellowstone and the Tetons, Glacier National Park, the Badlands and RAGBRAI (“a weeklong festival across Iowa, like Coachella for bike nerds”).
There are too many highlights and surprises to list in detail here. (If you click here you’ll read many great ones from his website.)
For example, he shared 6 days in Washington state with his Staples friend Jack Roof.
Jack Roof (left) joined Eric for an invigorating 6 days.
“People and circumstances create joy and memories,” Lederer notes.
“Warmshowers — like Coachsurfing.com for bike tourers — is the greatest discovery I found. The stories shared and connections made are incredible.”
He stayed with a woman in Crescent City, California who has hosted over 2,500 bike tourers since 2013. All she asks is a hug.
“The kindness of strangers through this platform and the open road cannot help but leave you optimistic for the future of humanity,” Lederer says.
When Eric had a flat tire in Yakima, Washington, Juan, Rey and Raul rode (or at least rose) the rescue. A language barrier was no issue.
The biggest obstacles are raw wilderness routing issues. He’s gotten lost on unpaved back roads, with no choice but to “find a way out, patch up any wounds, and forge ahead.”
Route planning is key. Headwinds of 20 miles an hour riding a fully loaded touring bike are “unfathomably challenging.”
While sabbaticals seem like “the ultimate short-term, YOLO act,” Lederer views them through the lens of a long-term investment.
Meeting Pia and Zach and their 3 (soon to be 4) kids was inspirational. “Almost all my time these days is spent with folks between 30-60,” Eric says. “That youth got me excited about my own prospects of being a parent someday.”
Taking time off to explore one’s identity — at short-term financial cost — via a bike tour or other means helps “repel long-term burnout. We get more comfortable in our own skin, farther from the comfort of the known.
“We are forced to consider more deliberately what matters to us. We cannot cling to the certainty of a promotion of other concrete stepping stone.
“As my peers advance their careers and settle down, it’s easy to be overcome by feelings of envy or existential angsty. But I trust, deep down, that I am playing the long game, and that it will all work out in the end.”
Marcelle met Eric, and invited him to join her and her 96-year-old father — a Korean War veteran — for breakfast.
That early September Fish Market finish seems like a hard stop. Lederer plans to enter the University of Chicago’s MBA program this fall. (He will fly, not ride there.)
He hopes to combine his finance background with his personal interests, to find career synergy.
“I’m lucky to have the privilege to continue the search, and recognize it may never end.”
And for the athletes with disabilities who will benefit from the $50,000 Eric Lederer hopes to raise: They’re lucky to be part of his journey too.
(To donate to Eric Lederer’s Operation Fish Market, click here.)
Somewhere in America.
(Staples High School graduates do amazing things. “06880” is proud to report on their varied accomplishments. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Another amazing story by Dan. Thank you. The Staples graduates have a long history of accomplishing amazing contributions to society. One of my crazy thoughts is what would I have done if I went to Staples
Richard, I’m sure you would have accomplished — I’m speaking real accomplishments that people will recite at your memorial — the same if you had gone to Staples as you did with the high school you attended.
The difference is that if you had Westport parents, you’d have the financial security to take time off and to do lots of fun stuff (some of it charitable as well) that would not be possible had you hailed from an ordinary middle class home.
Not trying to be snarky here, but I do think it’s worthwhile to remind Westport kids just how fortunate they are, in addition to celebrating the interesting things they do.
Eric is a remarkable young man. Biking the 3,000 miles from coast to coast is incredible, but adding another 3,000 along the way seems almost unimaginable to me. Just an incredible journey in every sense of the word. Happy to donate to Achilles International. Keep up the amazing work, Eric.
As a recovered shithead I can only say “Welcome Aboard!!!”
Bravo E! You’re an inspiration to all. Continue to live life to the fullest. Looking forward to hearing all about the adventure.
Ride on young man, the future is oh so bright.