At age 40, in the middle of raising venture funding for my second tech start-up, I had a massive heart attack. It’s a long story, but in essence, while I was lying on the cold OT table and wondering why they were trying to freeze me to death, my loved ones were waiting outside desperately hoping and praying that I make it through. Surprise: I did make it through.

In just a few days I will make it all the way through to 50. Bloody impressive, eh! And cycling across America is closest thing to a celebration I could plan. This is kind of a ‘teerth yatra’ (pilgrimage) for an old man. And hopefully along the way I will discover America. Or at least a part of it. Okay, seriously, at the minimum, I will discover if I have the legs and the mindset for long distance cycling.

The Plan - Cycle Across America

I plan to follow the Northern Tier of America cycling route and ride West to East – from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. About 4,240 miles (6,800 kms), according to the Adventure Cycling Association’s website.

If you have ridden the route or are familiar with it and have some advice, insight, suggestion, please feel free to share it with me. Really. I am way out of my league here. Consider, for instance, that I have never camped in bear country and haven’t the faintest clue how to get the food onto a tree, and such. So yeah, feel free to dispense ‘gyan’ (wisdom).

If you live along the Northern Tier route and want to ride part of the way with me, or just catch up for coffee, give me a shout. If you are willing to host me for a night, I will graciously accept your hospitality. I wish I were an amazing Indian cook then I could have offered to cook up a fancy Indian meal for you, unfortunately I can only cook to save my life – Top Ramen is the best I can do. You can leave a comment on this post by scrolling to the bottom of this page or send me a private message here.

Start: Anacortes, Washington - July 17, 2017
End Location: Bar Harbor, Maine* - Aug 25, 2017
Distance: 4,240 miles / 6,800 kms *
*I am told that 5-6 weeks is not enough time to complete this journey, especial solo and self-supported. So the destination is flexible. I’ll end the trip wherever I am around August 25th.

The states I will pass through if I manage to complete the ride:

  1. Washington
  2. Idaho
  3. Montana
  4. North Dakota
  5. Minnesota
  6. Iowa
  7. Illinois
  8. Indiana
  9. Ohio
  10. New York
  11. New Hampshire
  12. Maine

The Route Map

Note: The map below is not the exact Northern Tier cycling route. It is just indicative of the route I might take. Suggestions for alternate route are welcome.

The Northern Tier cycling route
The Northern Tier cycling route

First published on May 29, 2017
#cycling, #adventures#featured, #cycle touring, #cycling, #northern tier cycling

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