My husband Mike and I have always been into bicycling. We loved riding the W&OD trail near our home in Herndon, Virginia, as well as the C&O Canal Trail. While I wasn’t much of a road cyclist, Mike loved riding organized rides, some as long as a week.

So it was only natural that when we decided to sell it all and go full-time RVing in our 2019 Grand Design 385GK fifth wheel and our 2019 Ford F-350 dually that many of our travels would take us to great biking locations. For the first several years, the bikes rode either on the hitch on the back of the fifth wheel or in the back seat of the truck. When I moved from a traditional bike to a pedal assist bike, we knew we needed a better option. My bike, who I’ve affectionately named Ellie the E-bike, weighs 50 pounds and is not always easy to maneuver into the truck.

We upgraded our bike rack to one that is rated for fifth wheel RVs and would allow for more stability on the roads. After a few trips with lots of rain and road spray, we realized we needed a cover that would completely encase the bikes and protect them from the elements. That was when we found the Formosa Bike Cover.

Of course, as with many things in life, circumstances lead us to realize how important exercise, and more importantly for me, cycling is for our physical, emotional, and mental health.

In May 2023 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. We had planned an epic trip out west and had to postpone much of it while I had a bilateral mastectomy with aesthetic flat closure. I had surgery in July 2023, and while I didn’t need chemo or radiation, I had to be off my bike for a couple of months. I couldn’t wait to get back on Ellie and ride the trails in central Ohio. The physical exercise was great, but I think the peace and tranquility of riding did more for me than anything.

Ironically, two weeks before I was diagnosed, we booked a 60-day RV trip through western Canada and Alaska for June and July of 2025. It was to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary but would now also be my 2-year celebration of being cancer-free.

As we drove over 8,000 miles on this Canada/Alaska trip, we knew this would put our Formosa Bike Cover to the test. We traveled across the Alaska Highway, Top of the World Highway, and the Taylor Highway. The Alaska Highway had its share of frost heaves and potholes.

However, the other two were a real test for our Formosa Bike Cover. With over 100 miles of dusty washboard roads between them, our bike cover was completely covered with dust. Our truck and RV were barely recognizable, and the inside of our RV had a layer of dust on every surface. Months later we are still finding bits of dust in the cracks and crevices.

However, when we finally unwrapped our bikes after being closed up for over 60 days, we were amazed by how clean they were! I recorded the unveiling because we were sure there would be 

lots of dust covering our bikes, but that was not the case. The outside of the cover had to be washed several times to get the dust and dirt off, but the inside was virtually dust-free.

As we continue our travels into our seventh year, we have complete confidence that the Formosa Bike Cover will keep Mike’s bike and my Ellie the E-Bike clean and dry.

We live by the motto of “Don’t Wait to enhance, change or even save your life.” You never know where the road will lead you, so get out there while you can. If you want to learn more about our story, go to my author website www.jenniferskinnell.com. Along with our story, Don’t Wait – Our Full-time RV Journey Through Breast Cancer, I have also written a 5-book contemporary romance series and a 2-book cozy mystery series.

If you’d like to read about our epic Alaska adventure or the many places we’ve gone and trails we’ve ridden, check out our travel blog www.theramblingquilter.com

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Travel Blog: The Rambling Quilter – Happy stories from the road

Personal Website: Jennifer Skinnell - Author & Travel Blogger