Leaving It on the Road

At nineteen, author R.E. Wagner had it all: a devoted family, great friends, a college he loved, and dreams of becoming a famous writer who mattered. Somewhere along the way, those dreams, and his seemingly secure place in the world, started unraveling. Too ashamed to ask for help, Wagner began a frightening descent into poor choices, numbing solutions, and locked doors.

One morning, after no longer recognizing the face in the mirror staring back at him, he picked up the phone and admitted to his family he was lost and needed help. When his father offered to take him on a cross-country journey of a lifetime, Wagner believed that somewhere amidst the mountains, deserts, highways, and plains he would finally find the answers to his life. But what he discovered after pedaling his bicycle 3,400 miles from ocean to ocean wasn’t at all what he expected. And what he left on the roads of America changed his life forever.

Leaving It on the Road shares not only Wagner’s thirty-three-day bicycle journey with his father across the United States, it tells the story of his life and how he took the first steps to get it back again. Written with unwavering honesty, Leaving It on the Road will leave you with one simple question … what is YOUR “it”?

R.E. Wagner graduated from James Madison University with a degree in journalism and creative writing. Passionate about fitness and writing, he is currently a spin instructor, certified personal fitness trainer, and blogger dedicated to unlocking each client’s physical and mental potential. This is his debut book.