Old Dreams. New Blog.

I've daydreamed about long bicycle rides since I was in high school.

My first encounter with a multi-day cycle ride was the Florida AIDS Ride. In May 1997 I wrote in an email:

"You wouldn't believe the incredible day I've had. Today, I volunteered at the closing ceremonies for the Florida AIDS Ride 2. It was so amazing to see all of the riders, just finishing up 275 miles, and all of their friends, and family behind them. And that's neglecting the 2 million dollars for AIDS charities that they raised!
...
I'm not a spiritual person, but if there is a god, I believe that it manifests in unlikely forms like AIDS rides.. Sometimes I think that it is simply a part of anything that happens to be interesting and different. If that is the case, I have such an urgent need to be holy."

I promised to myself that I would ride in the Florida AIDS Ride 3. But the next year, the Florida AIDS Ride shut down.

I forgot about distance cycling until I moved to Boston in 2001. That was when I discovered that one of the last remaining AIDS Rides, the Northeast AIDS Ride, was accepting applications. All I had to do was commit to riding 350 miles (~565 kilometers) in 4 days, and fundraising US$2100 for AIDS Charities! I swallowed.. and signed up.

Over the next 4 months, I logged 1000 miles in training rides and raised US$2320. And it was tough.. but I finished the 350 mile ride on my hybrid Crestview Diamondback. In retrospect, I can say that the Northeast AIDS Ride was one of the most inspiring (and physically demanding) experiences that I've ever had in my life!

That is the story of how I got the cycling bug. During my AIDS Ride training, I fell in love with the solitude.. the panoramic scenery.. the honesty of physical exertion.. the taste of suntan oil mixed with sweat.. and the roadside comeraderie of other eccentrics that harbor the same obsession.

I yearned to bicycle across America. In 2001, I applied for a job as a "road hand" at a cross-country bicycle touring company, America By Bicycle. But my application was (logically) rejected, due to my lack of cycling experience. In 2002, I moved to Europe, and temporarily put my distance cycling dream to rest. But the flame never died.. I would someday.. become a cyclist again.

It's now February 2009, and I'm 30 years old. I'm in decent physical shape (although it takes more effort to maintain then it used to). I just finished my Ph.D. and I have ~3 months of saved vacation. Conclusion: Now is the Time!

This blog will document my Transamerican Bicycle journey... both before and during the actual trip. There will be nitpicky training details. Discussion of logistical preparations. And the unavoidable ruminations and philosophizing.

But this journey, like so many others in my life, defines who I am. And by sharing this journey with me, you are also becoming a part of something... that makes my life worth living.

Melanie