iconicflux

December 31st, 2012 marks the 20th anniversary of my starting remission from NHL (non-hodgkins lymphoma). I've been considering doing a cross-country ride late spring or early summer 2013 to celebrate my being cancer free for so long. Then it struck me that it would be a lot of fun to do it with other clydes/athenas from BF--or really anyone from BF.

Anyone here interested in putting together our own cross-country charity ride?

Cheers,

PhotoJoe 

Congrats on 20 years! I am at 5 months...and looking forward to my 20 years! I would LOVE to do a cross-country trip. That sounds like a blast...but there is NO WAY I could get that much time off work. Someday when I win the lotto!

Beachgrad05

Ditto for me on both the congrats and needing to win the lottery to do something this epic!

fly7hotel

Perhaps a relay is in order. Hand iconicflux off along his trip

CalPastor

Congrats to the 20 year and 5 mos anniversaries!

I would love to be a part of a ride like that!

downtube42

Relay sounds interesting. Pick a route and have a sign-up for segments.

contango 

Could be fun, but assuming "cross-country" means across America it's the wrong side of the Atlantic for me.

PhotoJoe 

I would venture a guess that if you start on the East Coast and work to the West, the SoCal C/A community would put together a pretty epic finish for you!

iconicflux

I'm considering going from Baltimore to SoCal and then up to Seattle to visit my brother that's going through treatments (Interferon! ack!) for an aggressive melanoma (one doctor says stage 3.. one says early stage 5) and then doing the STP back down to Portland if I can time it right. (Used to do the STP in one day when I was a kid so it would be fun to do that again.)

I have an app that I've been working on sometimes to track the progress of riders in a group and plot them on a google map. Unlike most gps apps it only turns on the location finding every 5 minutes so it uses very little battery as compared to others. That should allow people from BF to find me if we do it as a relay.

The biggest problem that I forsee is going light so that I take minimal gear. That and planning the food well enough that I can obtain groceries on the way for cooking. (I cook a lot of Thai food and prefer to eat food that isn't fast food. Plus it's waaaay cheaper.)

If we had enough people going then we could take turns driving a sag van like the 4k for Cancer people do.

Speaking of which... I actually considered the 4k for Cancer but got rejected because I'm too old. Their website says that most riders are 18-25 but what they mean is that riders MUST be between 18 and 25.
The other problem with 4k for Cancer (and the reason that I'd already decided not to ride with them) is that the bikes you're required to use would never hold up to a super clyde. They're generally around an $800 bike with 700x25 wheels that appear to be 24 spoke. They're generally something like the Felt Z-100 which has Shimano Sora. I feel sort of bad being a bike snob but I don't know that I'd trust a bike with such cheap wheels and components when I'm going cross county. I'm thinking 4k4c does it because it allows them to standardize on a cheap bike and replace broken parts since everyone has the same bike but seriously.. I think I'd crush their wheels plus I prefer the ones I built because I have a dynohub.

grueling

depending on the time of year, you may want to consider going from west to east. The prevailing winds will be helping instead of hurting. I would love to be part of a relay. I bet there are clydes in every part of the country that would join for parts of the journey.

Sayre Kulp 

I'd love to be able to join for at least a portion if scheduling allows.

Pamestique 

Seriously...connect with the Livestrong Foundation to see if they will assist in setting something up or partner with you. If you do get something tgether let us know. I am in Orange COunty, CA and if yu need someplace to crash you are welcome at my dump...uh, home. At least there is a roof to shelter you!

I am 5 years cancer free and counting...and would love to ride with you when you make it to the west side of the country...

Homeyba

I've crossed the country 4 times and what you are planning will be the trip of your life time. Even if you have to do it alone, with others or with some relay partners do it! Generally the winds are better going from west to east but don't let that discourage you from going the other way. You're going to have head winds, side winds, tailwinds and whatever winds no matter what you do. It is much easier if you have a support van. then you don't have to haul all your gear too. If you have to haul everything, you'll definitely need a sturdy bike.

RichardGlover

Sounds fun!

BeachBum63

If you get the chance, and are interested, check out a book called "The Heart of America" by Mike Trout. He and a friend did a cross-country ride, and it is an awesome story of the interactions along the way. I would love to do it, but, like so many others, I can't take the time off. I will definitely participate in a relay component when you read the west!

Neil_B

Congratulations on your milestone.

How will you handle fundraising? How will you keep the donations separate from your personal accounts? I ask because a lot of people think paying for their cycling vacation is the charitable cause. Every year on the Touring Forum there's some newbie posting that they are crossing the country on a noble quest, but need money - and they will share it with the charity after expenses. I am not saying you are trying to get your vacation paid for ala "Biking for Obama" (see the archives and that rider's 'need' for 4k in photographic equipment) but you need to think about such things.

Neil_B

The gear you take for a week would serve for crossing the country.

Depending on your route, you might find services few and far between in the middle of the country. Also, your calorie intake is going to be enormous. On my 2008 and 2009 tours in PA, MD, and DE I ate and drank constantly and still lost weight. If you have special dietary requirements you might need to carry a few days worth of food with you.

mwchandler21

Second. West to East. Also if you start early enough in the year you can get through the southwest before it gets insanely hot. Once you get your route post it and I bet we can find people along the way for you.

indyfabz

I have done over 11,000 miles of self-contained, fully-loaded touring in the U.S. and southern Spain. A few things....

1. Anecdotal evidence tends to show that taking a trip like this with strangers usually doesn't work out. I crosed the country with a small (13 people), organized tour. Had it been just me and a few of the group members, I would have parted with them early on. You need to find people who are very compatible in terms of riding capability and other aspects such as willingness to ride in the rain. If you budget based on the assumption that you are going to camp most of the time and share food expenses and your companion is going to leave you for a motel and a restaurant every time it rains or it's buggy, you are going to have to deal with that. Be prepared, both psychologically and practically, to end up by yourself. And by practically, I mean don't plan to share gear like a tent or cooking equipment unless you are will and able to obtain your own if things don't work out.

2. Going south to north along the Pacific coast in summer will likely wear you down to the eraser. Strong winds are usually out of the NW. Also, heading south there are vastly more stretches with shoulders since the overhwelming trend for riders is N-S.

3. Look into Adventure Cycling Association maps. They have several cross country routes and offshoots. The maps show the locations of numerous different services, including campgrounds, grocery stores, motels and bike shops. Takes care of a lot of the planning. Their Northern Tier route runs from Maine to WA, where you can pick up their Pacific Coast route down to SoCal. It passes just to the east of Seattle. You can catch a ferry from Bremmerton into town.

4. Unless you are in really remote places like on American's Lonelest Highway, finding food and water is usually not a problem. Even little towns tend to have at least a cafe and maybe even a small grocery store.

5. Late spring is a good time to go E-W because you don't end up riding through the heat belt at the hight of summer. W-E starting in late spring could pose weather/pass problems depending on your route and how this winter goes.

6. Any donations you collect will not be deductible by the donor unless they are given directly to a charitable organization. If you intend to fund your trip with donations (something I personalyl would never do), make that crystal clear.

7. While you can tour on the cheap, you will likely end up spending more than you plan to unless your budget is unrealistically high to start with. (That happens. In Spain I sepnt about half of what I thought I would.) Budget for things like replacement tires and other bike repairs as well as the "I just don't feel like camping tonight" motel expenditures. I am usually skeptical of the people who claim they eat a bowl of oat meal for breakfast, a PB&J sandwich, a banana and some nuts for lunch and rice and beans for dinner, thereby spending $7/day on food. What are these people doing? Riding 30 flat miles/day? As Neil notes, and as I can attest to, you food intake is going to be high. It's going to be even higher in hilly/mountainous terrain. Even the lighter eaters among our x-country group realized that cereal was thing you ate in the morning to get you to the cafe 15 miles down the road where you had a second breakfast of pancakes or an omelet. Riding day after day after day will likely boost your metabolism a good amount.

vesteroid

no touring experience but plenty of 100 plus mile hiking weeks.

I am a gram weenie on my hiking gear. Even though I have to wear an xl in most clothing, I can typically keep my base weight in the high teens. I am leaving for a week on the jmt in a few weeks and even carrying all my food for the entire week, I wont get my pack over 27 lbs or so.

I assure you, you are going to be eating everything in sight by the second week. My last trip, I started dreaming of pizza on the 4th night out. I lost 11 lbs in a week.

the second thing outside of the physical demands, are the mental demands. most people never plan for these. When you are outside, and not able to "just go home" life changes a bit. if its cold and rainy...well you deal with it...if you get all your clothes wet, and its cold and rainy...well, you get the picture.

Before I set off on a cross country anything, I would get in a few weekend trips, then a few week trips. I would intentionally go out in foul weather on a week trip.

I havent participated in the touring forum here, so I have no idea if there is the battle between the UL guys, and the traditional guys that there is in hiking, but all I can tell you, is there is an amazing variety of truly light weight gear avaiable these days, that is a durable, and safe as anything you can buy, at twice the weight.

Of course it comes a a premium price.

planning is key, but a bit of practice will also really show you if you are ready for an epic adventure.

Beachgrad05

I followed an English guy that did a coast to coast ride from Venice Beach CA to Time Square in NY. He had no real experience cycling. He got a Surly Cross Check from West River Cycles in Long Beach and gear. It took him 86 days and he made it to Time Square on July 18. He was raising money for a couple charities but not sure how he funded the ride itself.

https://www.backpacktobikerack.com/bi...er-side-story/

https://westrivercycles.com/alex-crok...-to-bike-rack/

Homeyba

+1 on this. I live on said coast and he is absolutely correct about the winds along the coast. They are strong and relatively consistent. An option would be to ride inland where the winds aren't as much of an issue. Unfortunately, you'd miss the great coastal scenery. If you choose to ride South to North along the coast plan on getting up early in the morning and getting your days riding in before noon. The winds usually start picking up after 11am-12noon.

Beachgrad05

Recently I followed a dude on FB who was from England who had never done anything like this and decided to ride from the west coast to east. His FB page was called "from backpack to bike rack". He had been traveling around the world hence the backpack.

He got his bike (Surly Long Haul Trucker he got thru West River Cycles in Long Beach). He started in Venice Beach and made it to Times Square (July 18) in 86 days.

Not sure how he funded his expenses but he was raising money for a few charities

CommuteCommando

Just get one of these

Almost four years since cardio cath for me, I could ride with on a So Cal portion.

iconicflux

My wife has offered to drive a sag wagon with the kids if I wait 5 years to do it. At that point she wont be working. We may have another kid and that would put her being about 1 month along were I to start the ride next June. That may not be so great for our relationship. 5 years from now (25th anniversary of being cancer free) my daughter would be 11 and able to do some days with me.

My wife did agree to drive sag wagon for other long rides next summer though so I can at least do a ride from Frederick, MD to Chapel Hill, NC and possibly down to our family farm in GA. I suppose if I have 5 years to plan my XC trip and do other 300-600 mile trips until then I'll know what I need by the time that I go. I should have plenty of time to figure out which route has the most 3g/4g cell coverage. :-P

As for funding...

I wouldn't mind doing it with a charity as I've done fundraising for charities before; however, I don't think that Team in Training does any events that go across the country. The trouble I foresee with doing it as a charity thing is that people may have different opinions about what charity to do and I'm way picky about how much charities receive from donations after expenses. TNT gives 90%+ to LLS (iirc) but some others are much less. Unfortunately, too many charities pay their executives far too much and this dilutes the amount that is given to the causes they're supposed to support.

To be honest, I'm planning on paying for it on my own except for what I can get for free. If I were to start a charity for it then it would be mostly to try to get food donations. I wouldn't mind monetary donations but I have an issue using them to support myself (or my eating) unless it's part of an organized thing and it's planned ahead of time so I'm able to tell people details about where the money would go or at least what percentage would go towards the chosen charity.

As for the route...

I grew up in Tacoma, WA and lived for about 8 years in Santa Cruz, CA so I do know that y'all are right about the winds. Given that, I'm thinking that what I'll do is go from Baltimore, MD to Anacortes, WA for the wheel dip, catch a ferry to friday harbor for an overnighter, then catch another to port angeles and ride around the olympic peninsula down to Hoquiam, WA where I have some family then go back to Tacoma/Seattle for the STP.

The other option would be to RV it to WA, go to the San Juan islands (I love Friday Harbor if you can't tell) then ride back to Seattle to do the STP and continue going south to SoCal and then go east.

Thanks for the tips everyone!