Prelude to Pedaling

My brother Pete has dreamed of traveling around the US to raise funds and awareness for cerebral palsy soon after his dream to bicycle at all became reality. That came in the form of a hefty red three wheeler with custom controls especially suited to respond to Pete's persistent will that overcame the herky jerky movements his cerebral palsy brought on.

And just when his sheer delight in being as mobile as anyone else on a bike had fully hooked me on cycling too, Pete's cycling passion ended in 1999 on GOBA with an awful crash that robbed him of even his herky jerky movement and his surprising strength. But it did not quench his passion to further CP awareness nor for raising funds for research through the Pedal-with-Pete bike rides. Pedal-with-Pete, which he founded and fueled, has raised $400,000 for CP research the past 15 years.

And now a part of Pete's dream has become my own. While the cost, logistics and stamina for circumventing the US perimeter has gotten beyond me, I could realistically still hope to traverse the US. With Marcia, my supportive wife urging me to go for it, I registered for the ride of my life last week with plans for a June 6 departure.

I am now well over twice the age I was at my last grand (motor)cycling adventure which I embarked on with my buddy and brother-in-law Les. That trip involved hauling a tent, sleeping bags, cooking gear, spare parts and many other necessities for 6 months on the road. And Consequently, I am quite ready for the luxury of sleeping indoors, following a route someone else has charted and not having to weigh every ounce of gear I take since it will be loaded on a truck each morning. Doing an organized trip will focus the energy I still have on moving me and my Cannondale an average of 80 miles eastward each day and promoting Pedal-with-Pete to the other riders and to those I encounter along the way.

In recent years, I have dreamed, discussed, thought about and researched the possibilities, the cost, the timing , the route, and others' adventures. Last week the day came to put up or shut up, as the saying goes. June 6, 2009 is Day zero when our America by Bicycle group meets in San Francisco. The following day, June 7th, the biking caravan is scheduled to push off from the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge and begin wending its way eastward to the Portsmouth NH Atlantic ocean terminus 52 days and 3850 miles later. The time for preparing body and bike has begun.