FAQ

What are you doing?  My plan is to do a solo self-supported bicycle ride from the west coast of the USA to the east coast.  Specifically from Union Station in Seattle, Washington to Union Station in Washington D.C.

When are you doing this?  June 29, 2018 to August 4, 2018, which is 37 days total.

How far is that?  I expect to pedal about 3,400 miles, or about 100 miles in the typical day.  The Google map on my home page states the trip is about 3,100 miles but part of Google’s directions include biking on the Interstate, which is insane.

Why are you doing this?  That is a very hard question to answer.  I don’t have a single reason.  As a macroeconomist (see my textbook Business Macroeconomics here) I spend a lot of time thinking about the big picture.  Biking across the USA is a way to get a big picture view of the country’s current state.

Why are you going solo?  No one else I knew who wanted to do this ride could take that much time off from work.

How much gear are you taking?  Details are on the Gear page but I am carrying about 10 pounds.

Where are you sleeping each night?  Hopefully, in a hotel or motel.  Carrying camping gear would have almost doubled my gear weight.

Will the bike have an electric motor?  No.  Having a motor assisting me up the hills defeats the whole purpose of the trip which is to see if I can get from the west coast to the east coast under my own power.

Have you done anything like this before?  About 35 years ago I pedaled from Boston to Portland, Oregon.  That trip covered about 5,000 miles and took most of the summer. I have also pedaled from Boston to Canada three times,  pedaled through Vietnam’s Mekong River Delta and done Rwanda’s Congo Nile Trail.

Economist Advocating for Using Cash