Cycling Across America

[Roger]

I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
appreciate any advice on routes and timing

Regards

Roger

[Michael Tordoff]

Take a look at http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/ and the maps available from
http://www.adventurecycling.org/


"Roger" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
> year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
> appreciate any advice on routes and timing
>
> Regards
>
> Roger
>

[trailgalore]

"Roger" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
> year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
> appreciate any advice on routes and timing

When to when? I'm 68 and retired

[Don Wiss]

On 1 Jul 2006 20:17:13 -0700, "Roger" > wrote:

>I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
>year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
>appreciate any advice on routes and timing

With the prevailing winds from the west, some think it is easier to bike
from west to east.

I know two women that have done it. In trying to find a web page that one
may have put up I came across this outfit:
http://www.crossroadscycling.com/Pages/Tours/CrossCountry/CrossCountryTour.htm
Expensive! But the site gives a suggested route, and if you click on Route
Map, and then each state, you can see exactly what it is.

They also seem to like mid-May through June. I guess because it isn't so
hot then, and the days are long.

Don <www.donwiss.com/joyrides> (e-mail link at page bottom).

[Roger]

I was thinking about early August, from the West Coast to the East
Coast.

Regards,,
Roegr
trailgalore wrote:
> "Roger" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> >I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
> > year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
> > appreciate any advice on routes and timing
>
> When to when? I'm 68 and retired

[Elisa Francesca Roselli]

Roger wrote:
> I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
> year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
> appreciate any advice on routes and timing
>
> Regards
>
> Roger
>
Womantours does a great 58-day San Diego to St Augustine for ladies over
50 that I've been fantasizing about
(http://www.womantours.com/wt.southerntier.html), but I gather you're
the wrong gender.

Oh well, some other time.

EFR
Ile de France

[frkrygow@gmail.com]

Roger wrote:
> I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
> year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
> appreciate any advice on routes and timing

My family and I did that, East to West, a couple years ago.

Regarding E-W vs. W-E, the most knowledgeable cycling tourist I know
told me he thought the winds were a tossup, and he favored E-W. He's
done both directions (and talked to countless others). I don't know if
it's reliable or not, but on our E-W trip, we were helped more than we
were hurt by the winds, overall. The major exception was the final few
hundred miles west along the Columbia River, where most of the year,
the winds are very strong out of the west. (Strong enough to cause the
invention of windsurfing, IIRC.)

Still, most people ride W-E. That direction does have the benefit of
giving you the gentle grades of the Rockies (with their more modern
roads) before you hit the steep, choppy grades of the Appalachians. As
many others have said, the Appalachians really are tougher, even though
not nearly as high.

I think the best resource for routes is the Adventure Cycling
Association, http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/index.cfm
This organization exists to help people like you. Their maps are
wonderful. (Well, except we found some heartbreaking inaccuracies in
the route profiles on the newish Lewis & Clark route).

We used Adventure Cycling maps part of the way, and made our own route
part of the way. In addition to selling you excellent maps, A.C. can
give you an annual magazine/catalog called The Cyclists' Yellow Pages.
It has state-by-state info on bike maps, contact people, etc. You can
use this info to stitch together a route.

Speaking of contact people, the Warm Showers LIst is another good
resource. http://www.warmshowers.org/welcome
We were treated very kindly by many Warm Showers volunteers (as well as
many other people). In return, we've promised to do the same for
others. If your route passes though our area, give us a call!

Oh, you asked about timing. I advising timing your ride to catch the
good weather. If you figure out how to do that, please let me know!

- Frank Krygowski

[Stephen Harding]

"Roger" > wrote in message

> I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
> year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would also
> appreciate any advice on routes and timing

I took Adventure Cycling's "Northern Tier" route [about half way]
across the country from Seattle, WA to Provincetown, Cape Cod [MA]
back in 1997. Great experience and I heartily recommend it.

As others have said, Adventure Cycling is the source for all sorts
of bike-centric route maps across and around the US. I strongly
recommend you use their route maps for at least an initial planning
of such a ride.

I left the northern tier route after arriving in Minnesota, opting
to cross Ontario Canada coming back in the US at Buffalo and going
across NY state into MA.

I used regular car-centric maps obtained at tourist info centers
upon entering a new state. Such maps should be used with a lot
of caution as they are...made for cars! While most of my own chosen
route was without problems, there were a few sections that were
really not enjoyable as I was just a little too intimate with
automobiles being driven by people who weren't too friendly towards
bicycles. These locations typically centered around the suburbs of
larger population centers where cars run rampant and no one can
walk anywhere even if they wanted to.

As far as company, if you use one of the three main Adventure
Cycling routes (northern tier, trans-America or southern tier), you'll
likely come upon other riders doing what you're doing! I rode with
a young fellow right out of college just before he started his first
job as a teacher. We rode together across Idaho and most of Montana
until his bike failed. You may be able to find someone on the road
although your timing is late for most of the traffic doing these
rides.

My 1997 X-country ride web page is
http://dandenong.cs.umass.edu/~harding/bike/.

I hope to do it again via another route again some day.


SMH

[Bill Sornson]

Stephen Harding wrote:
> "Roger" > wrote in message
>
>> I am a 61 old Australian thinking about cycling across America this
>> year. I am looking for a cycling companion for this trip. I would
>> also appreciate any advice on routes and timing

> I took Adventure Cycling's "Northern Tier" route [about half way]
> across the country from Seattle, WA to Provincetown, Cape Cod [MA]
> back in 1997. Great experience and I heartily recommend it.
>
> As others have said, Adventure Cycling is the source for all sorts
> of bike-centric route maps across and around the US. I strongly
> recommend you use their route maps for at least an initial planning
> of such a ride.
>
> I left the northern tier route after arriving in Minnesota, opting
> to cross Ontario Canada coming back in the US at Buffalo and going
> across NY state into MA.
>
> I used regular car-centric maps obtained at tourist info centers
> upon entering a new state. Such maps should be used with a lot
> of caution as they are...made for cars! While most of my own chosen
> route was without problems, there were a few sections that were
> really not enjoyable as I was just a little too intimate with
> automobiles being driven by people who weren't too friendly towards
> bicycles. These locations typically centered around the suburbs of
> larger population centers where cars run rampant and no one can
> walk anywhere even if they wanted to.
>
> As far as company, if you use one of the three main Adventure
> Cycling routes (northern tier, trans-America or southern tier), you'll
> likely come upon other riders doing what you're doing! I rode with
> a young fellow right out of college just before he started his first
> job as a teacher. We rode together across Idaho and most of Montana
> until his bike failed. You may be able to find someone on the road
> although your timing is late for most of the traffic doing these
> rides.
>
> My 1997 X-country ride web page is
> http://dandenong.cs.umass.edu/~harding/bike/.
>
> I hope to do it again via another route again some day.

White socks and sandals? <eg>

[frkrygow@gmail.com]

Stephen Harding wrote:
>
>
> I used regular car-centric maps obtained at tourist info centers
> upon entering a new state. Such maps should be used with a lot
> of caution as they are...made for cars!

The Cyclist's Yellow Pages (from Adventure Cycling) lists sources for
bike maps, from those states that have them. You'll need the contact
information early, though, to allow them time to be mailed. Some of
the ones we wanted arrived after we'd left.

> While most of my own chosen
> route was without problems, there were a few sections that were
> really not enjoyable as I was just a little too intimate with
> automobiles being driven by people who weren't too friendly towards
> bicycles. These locations typically centered around the suburbs of
> larger population centers where cars run rampant and no one can
> walk anywhere even if they wanted to.

Agreed! While we had a great time overall, there were some cities that
were difficult to get into and leave. Suburban America often has roads
filled to capacity with impatient drivers. Inner cities are much more
pleasant, to me. Ditto country roads. Entering a city at commuter
time (4 PM - 6 PM) can be a hassle.

>
> As far as company, if you use one of the three main Adventure
> Cycling routes (northern tier, trans-America or southern tier), you'll
> likely come upon other riders doing what you're doing! I rode with
> a young fellow right out of college just before he started his first
> job as a teacher.

Hmm. In our entire 4000 miles, we almost never synched up with a
same-way bike tourist! We passed several going the opposite way,
though. I always figured it's because most cycletourists ride about
the same speed, so unless you stop for lunch while the other rides by,
you stay separated all day.

Adventure Cycling has bulletin boards for those seeking companions,
IIRC.

- Frank Krygowski

[Stephen Harding]

Bill Sornson wrote:

>>I hope to do it again via another route again some day.
>
> White socks and sandals? <eg>

Couldn't find my wingtips amongst all the junk.


SMH

[Stephen Harding]

wrote:

> Hmm. In our entire 4000 miles, we almost never synched up with a
> same-way bike tourist! We passed several going the opposite way,
> though. I always figured it's because most cycletourists ride about
> the same speed, so unless you stop for lunch while the other rides by,
> you stay separated all day.

That's probably true.

For about a week we kept hearing about a tour group ahead of
us when we stopped for something. Each day, we got closer and
closer to them until we were "just a few hours" away from the
last reported sighting of them.

Then nothing!

They must have stopped for lunch as we pedaled by, un-noticed.


SMH