I still want to do a transcontinental bikeride.
I do not imagine that there will ever be a better time to do it than between grad school & employment. However, doing it will cost large sums ($3-4k) between bike, lodging, food, tent, etc, that I do not expect to have. Then there’s the opportunity cost of about $3.5k per month that I’m not working.
My original plan was to do it over the course of three months, occasionally staying with friends in places like Boston, Burlington, Zanesville, London KY, Chicago, Denver, etc, etc. On further reflection, I think this idea is probably not a good idea. Not a three month solo trip with little prep and meager finances. I do still feel the pull, but I think it’s something I’ll build up to, rather than jumping in with both feet. For instance, perhaps instead of taking greyhound or amtrak between minneapolis and chicago, I’ll bike. We’ll see how it all goes. I’ve become quite a fan of moving by mail though.
How much more prep would be required for you to feel comfortable doing it? Are you going to have the opportunity for a three-month break after that prep?
It seems to me like the biggest concerns would be physical and environmental. Are you in good enough shape to bike 50-100 miles a day, or more? Is the weather going to be agreeable along your chosen route?
If you’ve got a solid job offer after school, I’d really be favor of just doing it. Credit card it if you have to, but go see the US that you see from side roads. And hopefully make it back out to the left coast for a visit.
Well, I went on a two day bike ride, which I rather enjoyed, despite some horrible pain involved due in part to a poorly fitted bike and in part to my own lack of training. Scaling from two days to three months without any intervening steps (and taking it from a massive-group experience with support vehicles to a truly solo voyage) seems like a jump too big. I think the bike ride from minneapolis to chicago (400+ miles) will be an adequate intermediate. It should take about a week. And if this goes well, I can try out other similar adventures. And if it doesn’t go well, I can chalk it up to an interesting experience.
Minneapolis to Chicago sounds like a good next-step, aside from biking around Minneapolis as much as you can until then.
Would this be on the way to start the new job at GAO-Chicago?
I doubt my tent would make your weight reqs or I’d lend it to you. I do have tons of info on getting cheap tentage, however. Even if you don’t go for the full trip, having one available for multi-day trips does amazing things to your perception of what you can do with a weekend, especially 3-day ones. (Well, there’s this state park about a day away…)
Also, travel looks both more fun and cheaper when you can camp along the way. Hash browns out of a skillet over a camp stove taste amazing and cost a few cents under a dollar, even counting fuel (depending on recipe/stove). Hash browns from a restaurant taste like cheap grease and cost over a dollar. Although they become the epitome of luxury after a week in a tent in bad weather – hash browns and a decent hot shower.
London KY?
Wow, I didn’t know you knew folks in London. My aunt and uncle live there, right behind the Wal-Mart. We spent 3 days there this Christmas. Small world.
I know how you feel, I want to work up to long-distance cycling. My goal is to cycle from Paris to Lorient in Brittany for the International Celtic Festival they have there every August. I’m thinking 2007 or 2008, once I graduate. Of course, it takes dough, as you mentioned. I haven’t figured that part out yet.
Your ride to Chicago sounds like a winner, though! Go for it!
Hey, saw your post…not sure if you’re interested in doing it alone or as a small group but there are a few companies that put on long bike rides….all the way cross country, shorter segment rides or something of the sort. Some are pretty cheap (Adventure Cycling Association), others are expensive but will take care of absolutely everything for you (CrossRoads Cycling Adventures)
That sounds like a lot of fun– I’ve actually wanted to do something simlar for a while now– but, Grad School becons.
~Eric
If you can bike forty miles regularly (3-4 times a week or something) then most likely you can bike across the country. You don’t have to start out at crazy pace. You can do 40-50 miles a day to start, especially if you don’t plot your course through Nevada, where you pretty much have to get to the next town, and that’s 70 miles away. You’ll grow into it.
I think even if you don’t tour all over the country it could easily take 3 months, 2 if you are hurried. Things will come up, you’ll find reasons to take a break, or you’ll have some bike thing to fix.
If you really want to do it solo and know that you can, though I’d do a weekish (maybe 5 day) trip of some kind first.