Intro to Dylan

I didn’t get hit by a truck, nor do I have inspirational stories of childhood memories for you – not now anyways – but I figured I ought to post to let our 100000 loyal followers know how I’m doing.

Right now I’m at work, where I sell ice cream. I’ve graduated from UCF, and spend most of my time running this Toppers Creamery and playing basketball with the Spanish speaking trailer park kids down the street. Not that this is a bad situation, but I’m ready for some adventure.  I’ve had a rather sub-par and disappointing time in Orlando over the past few years, and I’m hoping this Magical Quest will be a kick off to the next segment of my life.

Here’s the fun part: my last semester of college I was homeless. Partially due to circumstance, and partially because I’m stubborn and frugal, I lived out of my car and slept around on floors and couches. Apparently, this along with concerns about graduation, taking on the GM role at work, and other catalysts, caused me enough physical and psychological stress that I got as sick as I’ve ever been. I developed GERD, weird stomach things, weird lung problems, and other crap. (Side note – I also SUPER pulled my hamstring early last year and couldn't walk right for about six months, its still not completely right).

I’ve had constant pain in multiple regions of my body for months now, and have been on and off of an assortment of medications. I am about as unhealthy as I have ever been… so naturally it’s time attempt the greatest physical challenge of my life! :D  

I’ve got an appointment for a pair of lovely invasive procedures coming up in February. Hopefully they’ll be able to fix me up real good.  If not, you’ll probably see lots of whiney posts from me in the future about how my tummy hurts when we’re stranded in the woods with nothing to eat but small berries and chipmunk meat.

Oh and let’s not forget I’ve never ridden a road bike more than about two miles. Mountain bike boy since day one, baby.

This should be fun.

Love Dylan

Bikes Vs Cars

Warning: This is a bit of a rant, but I will strive to make a positive point out of it.

I got hit by a pickup truck today. I was on my way to my internship across town. Knowing that I was going to be riding on a short, busy section without bike lanes, I made a point to be aware of each car that was about to pass me. As the truck approached me, I scanned back to realize that his sideview mirror was going to hit me. I was clipped and pushed onto the curb. Thankfully--because of my awareness--I was not hurt aside from a few minor cuts.

It is required by law in Florida that drivers give bicyclists three (3) feet of clearance while passing.

Thanks, Joe Mizereck, for your hard work with this campaign!
Source: http://www.3feetplease.com/

If you can't give me three feet, be patient and wait until you can. The punchline to this awful joke?: The man turned right into a parking lot just about a hundred feet ahead. Did he not see me? Perhaps he thought that the extra second he gained was worth risking my life?

Today was the first time I've ever been hit by a car. However, trust that I have known and understood the inherent risks of riding a bike ever since I learned how to ride one. I wear a helmet. I own and use lights. I have reflective gear. I am aware of my responsibilities on the road. Many of the cyclists I know are responsible in the same ways. It is now the motorists' responsibility to be more aware of bicyclists.

The proliferation of bicycle awareness motivates me to complete and share the experiences of this tour (among other things to be discussed later). I want people to know my biking history, and to know that there is a huge community of cyclists just like me who want to their peers to stop being hit and/or killed by motorists.

I'll conclude this post with a documentary trailer my dad shared earlier this week. The film (aptly titled) is called Bikes Vs Cars, and I am very excited for it to come out. It's entirely relevant to this post, so if you feel compelled to comment, let me know what you think!

Cheers!

- Chris

First Post!

Well isn't this exciting!? I'm very happy to have our blog up and running. This bike tour is something we have been discussing for a long time, and it is finally time to start making serious preparations. Since this is the first post, I'll cover some important details:

Source: www.adventurecycling.org

We plan on leaving sometime in May after I graduate from FSU. Our journey will start in Yorktown, Virginia. 4,232 miles later, we'll be in Astoria, Oregon on the other side of the country! Along the way, we hope to spend a few extra days in certain cities and towns volunteering at various places like co-ops, farms, and non-profits. I plan on finding and contacting such organizations within the next couple months to notify them of our plans and a rough estimate of when we will be there. Our tour will last around three months, and it will be almost entirely self sustained (tents, camping, etc.). As we encounter different experiences, people, and places, we will post pictures, videos, and journal entries on this blog. 

That's it for now. We still have so much work to do, preparations to make, and gear to acquire, but I've been so eager to get the ball rolling so I know we will do well to make it all happen. Updates soon!

- Chris