Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 2, 1995 TAG: 9508020030
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-6 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Every year hundreds of bicyclers come through Christiansburg on the bicentennial bike path going east or west as they travel across the country.
This year, three members of the Radford University Cross Country team - two coaches and a former runner with the team - decided they would try to pedal cross country.
Their goal? To do it in 30 days.
Tom Morris, Mick Stewart and Joey Turner are experienced runners and bikers. But this is the first time they tried to take on a trip like this. Morris coaches the women at Radford, Stewart coaches the men. Turner ran under Stewart several years ago.
The three men decided to go west to east to take advantage of the trailing winds, and to get the Rockies behind them at the beginning
"We had a great time," Turner said. "I don't think the pace was too fast. But, if I was going to do it again I would like to spend more time in Idaho and Montana. They were awesome.
On June 13 they walked their bikes to the Pacific, took a couple of pictures and headed for the East Coast. Listed below are some of the factors that made their trip.
The ROUTE: Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Ocean City, N.J., was the final destination.
DAILY MILEAGE: They averaged 114 miles a day, with a speed of 14.57 mph. Their best day was their 26th day on the road, traveling from Plymouth to Sandusky, Ohio. They covered 171 miles.
FLATS: They had five flats the first day, Morris had three, Stewart had two. During the trip Morris had a total of seven flats, followed by Stewart with five. Turner went the entire way with only one. Morris also had the honor of having both tires go flat at the same time. By the end of the trip they could change flats in less than 10 minutes.
COSTS: The cost per night ranged from $25 in the Kozy Motel in Velva, N.D., to $110 a night at the Century Inn, in Scenery Hill, Pa. The Century was a bed and breakfast tavern that had been in continuous operation since 1794. All told, the average cost was around $50 a night, $17 per person. The cost of having a hot shower and a good bed was worth the money, they said.
FOOD: Usually they had three meals a day and took two to five snack breaks. By the end of the trip, they probably had stopped at a majority of the Dairy Queens in the country, they said.
DAILY SCHEDULE: On most days they would eat breakfast by 7 a.m. and be on the road no later than 7:30. Normally they pedaled eight or nine hours a day.
ANIMALS: In Oregon they saw white-tail deer and osprey. In Idaho they saw elk and moose. In Montana, they saw rams. Ducks and geese were a common sight along the way.
by CNB