Mike Reed Pedals Across America

Program Chair Lion Ed Colby introduced our guest speaker, Mark Reed, who shared with the club his experience of biking across the country. His journey started in Withville, VA on March 18th in 2007 when there was still snow on the ground and concluded on June 8th in triple digit figures when he dipped his wheels in the ocean at San Diego. He went a total of 3,658 miles through 10 states! He averaged about 52 miles a day with a few days as high as 88 miles a day. He had to eat constantly, averaging 52 meals a day, to keep nutrients in his body for energy. Mark allowed himself 1 day a week off to rest his body.
During his trip he stayed at hostels, campgrounds, fire departments, bed and breakfasts, motels and even a museum and an old school house. The surfaces he pedaled on included 2 lanes, dirt roads and a few interstates that allowed bike travel. Obstacles he encountered ranged from flat tires, to larger repairs, to weather conditions, to other vehicles. His advice to motorist is to remember that a cyclist has a legal right to the road and when you pass a cyclist, get completely over in the passing lane. His favorite part of the trip was without a doubt the people he met along the way. One lady drove him 50 miles to a bike part’s shop and 50 miles back and would not take anything for her help. The trip’s total cost was about $5000, but if you would eliminate motels, you could probably do it for around $2000. Mike already has his next trip planned from Withville, VA to the east coast. When asked why he chose to do make this journey Mike spoke about having had the desire to do this since he was a young man and realized that life's interuptions would alway make it difficult to do, but if he continued to put it off until the future, the future may not be there for him.