Introduction
My trail name is RustyCrank. I'm an artist and college professor from Brooklyn, NY. In the last five years since I set out to cross the United States on the Adventure Cycling Trans American route, I've logged thousands of miles all over this continent and others. I’m back on the Southern Tier route to complete my third and final segment. When I arrive in San Diego, I'll have achieved the Triple Crown of American long-distance cycling.
Because of the intense summer heat and bitter winter cold, the Southern Tier route needs to be cycled in either the spring or fall. As a college professor those months are unavailable to me, so I broke the route into three sections. Starting in 2021 during spring break, I took advantage of online teaching to cycle the first section from St. Augustine, Florida to Biloxi, Mississippi. I was accompanied by my dog Blanka, whom I pulled behind me in a wagon. In 2022, and again at spring break, I hired subs for the extra week and rode solo from Biloxi Mississippi and across Texas to El Paso.
I've become accustomed to adventurous summer cycling plans, and this two week tour is just a warm-up. In August I'll be participating in my first ultra endurance competition, the Silk Road Mountain Race in Kyrgyzstan.
I'm a completist and, in terms of the Southern Tier, I'm resolving unfinished business. All of my coast-to-coast bicycle tours have gone east to west, saving the best part for last.
Comments
Post a Comment