Bill Cline: Cycle Across America

Lots of cyclists have ridden across the country.  The tour organizers say thousands.  So maybe it is not such a big country after all.  I feel a sense of accomplishment for being in that club but I must say that my trip this summer was rather plush compared to those early adventurers who set out with panniers stocked with bare essentials and a map.  It would be a very big country for those folks.  I rode 4088 miles in 52 days (50 days on the bike) but I don't consider that an extreme accomplishment.  Any of you could do it with training and the right state of mind.  Huge breakfast, ride, huge dinner, sleep, repeat 50 times.  Can't think of a better way to spend a summer vacation. 

I rode with America By Bicycle (ABB), a middle of the road company in terms of miles per day, length of route, "luxury" and cost.  This was a fully supported tour.  We stayed in modest motels, they transported our luggage, and provided a mechanic and SAG support.  They paid for breakfast and dinner and provided SAG type snacks on the road.  There were 4 support staff for 40 riders.  We were expected to do normal routine bicycle maintenance including fixing flats but they provided a very good mechanic for anything major.  Bicycle parts, such as chains, tires, cables, etc, were offered at very low cost and they had a few extra wheels should one of the big guys catch a pot hole and ruin a wheel - several did.  Staff was outstanding with just the right amount of group management, encouragement and motherly consolation.  

The route took us through California - San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge, to Sacramento, over the Sierra Nevada Mountains via Donner Pass to Lake Tahoe; Nevada - Reno across the 40 mile desert and badlands to Wendover; Utah - across the Salt Flats to Salt Lake City over the Wasatch Mountains via Spanish Fork Canyon to Green River; Colorado - Grand Junction, over Monarch Pass to Pueblo; Kansas - Garden City to McPherson then north-east to Topeka (one of the prettiest sections - I may be biased since I grew up in Nebraska) and over the Missouri River; Missouri - St. Joseph over a gazillion rolling hills to Kirksville and across the Mississippi River; Illinois - Quincy to Springfield to Champaign; Indiana - Crawsfordsville through Indianapolis to Richmond; Ohio - Marysville to Niles; Pennsylvania - along lake Erie; New York - Hamburg along the northern tips of the Finger Lakes to Troy; Vermont - Bennington through the Green Mountain National Forest to Brattleboro; and New Hampshire - Keene through Manchester to Rye Beach just south of Portsmouth.

The roads varied from bicycle trails to Interstate Highways depending on what was available.  Most days we rode on 2 lane blacktop secondary roads with light traffic.  Our most stressful days were in Nevada and Utah when we rode for 6 days straight on the shoulder of I-80.  The noise and wind generated from semi trucks is incredible and rumble strips seem to come and go without reason and appear when least expected.  Flats were nearly a daily occurrence for everyone when riding on the Interstate mostly from wires from exploded truck tires which were everywhere.  I had 7 flats during the tour.  6 while on the Interstate.The group of riders was quite varied - a little older than I expected based on my experience with other shorter tours.  I would guess that the average age was between 50 and 55.  Of the riders who did the entire trip, the oldest was a 68 year old high school guidance counselor and youngest was a 23 year old unemployed college grad.  There were 4 husband and wife teams.  Two of the couples had ridden together for years and were quite comfortable riding together.  The other two were less synchronized.  In those two couples,  the women were the stronger and more experienced riders and their male partners seemed to occasionally find themselves in uncomfortable situations of not being in control (quite entertaining).  There were representatives from 9 foreign countries (including Trinidad and Tobago) as well as from all over the US.  My room-mate was from Tasmania.  2 riders had to abandon due to injuries (I saw first hand, again, why we all wear helmets on every ride), one gave up about half way and went home and three left for a couple of weeks mid ride due to family or business issues and come back to finish the ride.  Many had self doubts the first few days but those early tour anxieties develop into mental toughness as the days passed. 

Within a couple of days the group of 40 broke up into smaller groups based on ability and riding style.  A few rode solo.  Some stopped at every road side attraction or scenic overlook.  Others blasted through the day with hardly a stop.  Most fell somewhere in between.  I think almost everyone developed extremely close friendships with riding partners or room mates and no, I don't know of any romantic liaisons.  I get asked that frequently.  

Would I do it again?  Absolutely!  I plan to.  It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.  Life passes very quickly and the routine has a way of forcing us to put off those adventures we dream about.  Family and work are very important and should not be neglected for selfish pursuits but we all deserve to do something big, just for ourselves.  I strongly recommend you start planning that adventure you have been dreaming about now.  One caution.  It will change you. Returning to the real world will be difficult.

I love to talk about this so call or email or grab me on a ride if you want to chat. 

Bill Cline

PS,  Thanks Jerry Lydon for getting me into this.  Good luck in 2010!