- 70 days cycling
- 4326 miles cycled
- 130,150 feet of climbing
- 86 days traveling
In the March edition of Changing Gears, we introduced DBC member Mike Adams at the start of his three-month cycling adventure across the USA.
Mike’s transcontinental bike tour was prompted by his recovery from a life-threatening infection in 2020. He set off to pedal his way across the country to attend his 50-year Amherst College reunion, in Amherst, MA on May 28.
The first leg of his journey was supported by Cycle of Life Adventures departing from San Diego bound for Florida, with Mike staying on as far as central Texas. It included every situation cyclists would expect: rain, sleet, snow, wind, dust, fog, and good company. Unfortunately, one rider had to quit the tour.
Just west of Houston after several transitional rest days, Mike’s brother-In-law David joined him, and they toured together as far as St. Louis.
Touring without the professional support team necessitated new creativity for routes, distances, meals, weather forecasting and accommodations. Some days were spent searching for suitable routes. Some of the routes proved passable and others not. The RideWithGPS app depicted many roads as paved with varying accuracy. Mike and David encountered closed or flooded roads where they had to improvise alternate routes. Google Maps for bicycles stepped forward in the worst of times and was sometimes helpful. Some days were simple adventures in creative exercise. On others they chased or dodged early spring storms.
A pause in Oklahoma for a rendezvous with family members provided a nice break.
Between Texas and Pennsylvania, Mike called at bike shops for tire replacements, spoke repair, and work on the cantilever brakes. Re-outfitting for better rain gear occurred in Richmond, Indiana. Although he had acquired the bike in 2002 for a tour then, mechanically the equipment still functioned reliably.
From St. Louis to New Haven, CT Mike traveled solo. The route selections included Rails to Trails, bike lanes, bike paths and highway shoulders. Several well-known rail and canal trails made up much of the second half of the trip, including the Katy rail trail in Missouri, the Ohio to Erie Trail, and the New York State Canalway Trail from Buffalo to Albany, New York.
Route destinations were most often decided each day, within the limitations allowed by available lodging and meal opportunities. Lodging ranged from camping (very little, as the ground seemed harder than it used to be), to Warm Showers, to various motel chains. The WarmShowers app was useful in locating friendly folks willing to accommodate a touring cyclist, a welcome break from the expense and sameness of motels. A wide variety of menu choices met nutritional needs, as the cuisine took on local flavors moving north and east.
In the West and Southwest, the distances were greater between stops and large towns were incidental to trip planning and execution. Once in the Midwest, however, the distances were shorter. Larger towns — Vandalia, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo, Albany or even Amherst — each presented a new set of challenging daily decisions.
When all was complete and Mike made it to the college reunion, he was able to say confidently: “The Journey Was The Goal” … ✔
Thanks to Russ Ewers for writing the initial draft of this article.