# Tour Across America



## Jaybo (Mar 5, 2002)

My wife and I are considering a ride across America in June. We would have a month so a 100 miles a day would be the plan. Any tips on a route? A safer route? What kind of bike would you use? 

It would be a charity ride for Mercy Corp. How do you guys raise money? 


Thx,

Jay


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## antonlove (Sep 30, 2009)

Jaybo said:


> My wife and I are considering a ride across America in June. We would have a month so a 100 miles a day would be the plan. Any tips on a route? A safer route? What kind of bike would you use?
> 
> It would be a charity ride for Mercy Corp. How do you guys raise money?
> 
> ...


I always find it interesting that people take up the challenge of riding a bike across the country. Good luck, and be safe. My legs hurt for you. 

I have never done this, but there is a lot to consider. You mention that you have about a month to do it. I recommend that you go to blogspot to read about others who have done this before you. They generally write about their training, pre-ride rituals, post lots of pictures, etc. You can probably steal some good ideas from them. Just to get you started, click here and here. 

I also recommend that you create your own blog there, and post about it right here on this forum. Since you have such a tight window, I'm guessing that you are trying to do this on your own, not a tour or a supported ride. If this is true, that means that you will be carrying your gear with you. If so, you probably need to ride a touring bike in order to carry your stuff. Also, will you camp or stay at hotels? That affects your route decisions.

There are some touring companies that offer these types of tours. You can look at their websites for ideas about the route. Try clicking here and here. Also, if you look at some of the blogs, some of the people who previously did a ride like this uploaded their routes to the blog website or posted a link to the website where they store their route info (Garmin Connect, MapMyRide, Strava, etc.). Be sure to look for that. This can be a valuable resource for figuring out your own route.

As for raising money, social media is king these days. Post on facebook, twitter, and anywhere online you can to raise awareness and $$ for your cause. Be sure to emphasize this on your blogspot page if you decide to create one. 

Looking forward to hearing more about your adventure.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

I did a 2,300 mile tour, fully loaded and averaged ~76 miles a day. I think averaging 100 miles a day fully loaded would be tough unless you are super strong. Sag supported or credit card touring might be a different story. Still, you're going to want some rest days and some days just aren't going to work out to ride your target distance.

If you're not comfortable riding back to back centuries right now I'd be slightly concerned about try to keep that pace and have it be enjoyable.

Adventure Cycling Association has some good info on routes and publishes great maps. I've ridden the western portion of the Northern Tier.

Also, check out the Commuting/Touring forum here for plenty of good tips.


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## antonlove (Sep 30, 2009)

Scott B said:


> I did a 2,300 mile tour, fully loaded and averaged ~76 miles a day. I think averaging 100 miles a day fully loaded would be tough unless you are super strong. Sag supported or credit card touring might be a different story. Still, you're going to want some rest days and some days just aren't going to work out to ride your target distance.
> 
> If you're not comfortable riding back to back centuries right now I'd be slightly concerned about try to keep that pace and have it be enjoyable.
> 
> ...


Scott B, I agree. I think averaging 100 miles per day is an ambitious goal. I've read enough of these blogs where the riders are glad to have those rest days. America By Bicycle has a fast ride where the riders do the tour in about a month. I can only imagine how grueling that must be. That tour is supported. Those riders aren't hauling gear.


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## hdbiker (Aug 2, 2010)

*cross country ride*



antonlove said:


> Scott B, I agree. I think averaging 100 miles per day is an ambitious goal. I've read enough of these blogs where the riders are glad to have those rest days. America By Bicycle has a fast ride where the riders do the tour in about a month. I can only imagine how grueling that must be. That tour is supported. Those riders aren't hauling gear.


Two friends and I are planning to cross a modified southern tier route in September. We have a route that was done by two guys who blogged as they rode last year. It appears to be the shortest route possible. If you google map Savannah Ga. to San Diego by bicycle, you'll see that it's less than 2800 miles.
That's good for us, because one friend only has 29 days to do it. 
We have the advantage of a sag vehicle all the way, so it's just us and the bikes. I would have prefered a few rest days, but this ride, with two good friends and a sag is too good to pass up. We're all pretty good riders and will be training with quite a few back to back centuries in preparation.
BTW, I'll be 67 years old, and this could be my last chance to cross it off the bucket list.


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## antonlove (Sep 30, 2009)

hdbiker said:


> Two friends and I are planning to cross a modified southern tier route in September. We have a route that was done by two guys who blogged as they rode last year. It appears to be the shortest route possible. If you google map Savannah Ga. to San Diego by bicycle, you'll see that it's less than 2800 miles.
> That's good for us, because one friend only has 29 days to do it.
> We have the advantage of a sag vehicle all the way, so it's just us and the bikes. I would have prefered a few rest days, but this ride, with two good friends and a sag is too good to pass up. We're all pretty good riders and will be training with quite a few back to back centuries in preparation.
> BTW, I'll be 67 years old, and this could be my last chance to cross it off the bucket list.


You're riding East to West? I thought the majority of these rides went West to East because of the prevailing winds. 

2800 miles in 29 days. You guys are incredible. Good luck.


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

Hd, sag support would make a huge difference. Adding 40 pounds to a bike just slows you down a bit and is harder work all around. It sounds like you're doing good training. I'm just always amazed by the people who set out to tour having ridden nowhere near the mileage they need to do day in day out to keep to their schedule. 

Also, 67 doesn't have to be your last chance. On the Northern Tier I met a group with no one under 65 and the oldest rider was over 80. Good luck with the ride!


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## antonlove (Sep 30, 2009)

I am a Chicago flatlander who can't even wrap my mind around the idea of the climbs you have to do to pass the mountain ranges in this country. That alone scares me. 



Scott B said:


> On the Northern Tier I met a group with no one under 65 and the oldest rider was over 80. Good luck with the ride!


Speaking of endurance riders we've seen on the road...I once saw a group who were riding from Costa Rica to Toronto, Canada. I can't even begin to count the number of miles this trip is. They were fully loaded with much camping gear. They asked me for directions so I rode with them from LSD around the museum of Science and Industry to the Prairie Duneland trail in NW Indiana. Along the way, they astonished me with tales of their trip. I'm still in disbelief. 

If anyone wants to know, the most unbelievable part of their trip was that these guys were going to ride their bikes back to Costa Rica.


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## hdbiker (Aug 2, 2010)

antonlove said:


> You're riding East to West? I thought the majority of these rides went West to East because of the prevailing winds.
> 
> 2800 miles in 29 days. You guys are incredible. Good luck.


In the south, there is just as much east wind as west. I've heard that before, but was sceptical. Now my friend did a study to prove it's true. The wind swirles out of the gulf. Of course there are no sure things, but in addition to studying the prevailing winds, he did a day by day for 2012 in Sept., which is the start of our ride in 2013. It clearly shows slightly more east winds last year.
We are hoping that on a good tailwind day, we can go out 120 miles or so, and then sag back to the motel. The next day we will drive out to that stopping point. That way, at least we might have some easier days.


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## marathon marke (Nov 14, 2011)

You might consider this one. I work for Chris Kegel, owner of Wheel & Sprocket bike shops, who is behind this event. 
http://www.facebook.com/events/265508416898038/


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## Scott B (Dec 1, 2004)

antonlove said:


> I am a Chicago flatlander who can't even wrap my mind around the idea of the climbs you have to do to pass the mountain ranges in this country. That alone scares me.


The passes aren't that terribly hard, just slow. You just have to be patient. If you're willing to sit and spin to go 5 mph you'll make it over anything eventually.


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## Lije Baley (Jun 8, 2012)

Showtime is running "The Ride" on Jan 10th and through February. It's a pretty good documentary that provides a taste of what it's like to ride 100 miles per day across the country from L.A. to N.Y. If you don't have Showtime, YouTube has the trailer at least.


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