I’m starting on July 15th in La Push, WA (on the Pacific just west of Seattle) ride home to Richmond, then two more days to the Atlantic at Virginia Beach.  I’m taking the Adventure Cycling Association’s Northern Tier and Atlantic Coast Routes.  While they’re not the shortest, most direct routes – they are designed with bicycle safety as the main priority.  The route will be approximately 5,000 miles.

It depends on terrain and weather. In the mountains I might only go 30-40 miles in a day, but on flatter sections I’ll do 70 to 100+ miles.  I have rest days built into the schedule to recover and manage bike maintenance.

Lodging varies from camping and hotels to staying with generous local hosts. Nutrition is all about high-calorie intake; I eat anything and everything!  I usually have a lot of carbs in the morning, electrolytes and carbs mid-day, and protein for recovery at night. Throw in some coffee and a cold beer here and there.

I’ll start this journey solo and have friends scheduled to join me along the way starting near Chicago. I carry all of my essential gear, including food, water, clothing, tools, first aid, tent and sleeping bag directly on the bike; I won’t have a support vehicle following me.

Getting home safely to my family is my biggest priority. I use a Varia RTL515 rear facing radar connected to my Garmin 1040 that alerts me to oncoming vehicles when they are 150 yards behind me.  I then track them in my mirrors to make sure they’ve noticed me.  I use the Ride With GPS app on my Garmin (RWGPS) for navigating the Adventure Cycling Association’s highly curated routes.  I have several high lumen front and rear lights, and wear high-vis clothing. In the event of a breakdown or severe weather, I carry a comprehensive repair kit and have a contingency plan to seek shelter/transport.