Fat Guy Across America

@creadinger 120878 wrote:

Otherwise, it’s unfortunate that sometimes people have to hit rock bottom to decide to make a change in their lives, but it’s pretty awesome that he’s doing it. I’m looking forward to seeing the man that arrives on the Pacific coast in a few months, because he will likely be very different than the guy in Rhode Island now.

Agreed. I also wish it was more commonplace for people in general to go [bike] touring. It’s probably not something that occurs to that many people, or if it does it’s viewed as more extreme. (That said, I’ve never done any touring – one day, though!)

@Steve O 120901 wrote:

You & me, Will. Let’s go. I’ve only done a single, one-night, overnight trip in my whole life.

Rockford and I did three days and two nights last week, and I’m already looking at how we can take three months off to go coast to coast. It may not happen till we’re retired (or unceremoniously and simultaneously fired from our jobs), but I’m already planning.

On a more realistic note, it would be possible for several of us on the forum to find a weekend and do a trip together, like riding out a short distance Friday night, and then on through Saturday, returning Sunday. We could get along with each other that long, couldn’t we? We might even be able to stand each other for a long weekend and make it four days.

as someone who doesn’t camp so much as ‘glamp’ now that i have two little kids, I’d be happy to let someone borrow one of my lightweight backpacking tents. Can’t stand the thought of selling them.

@dkel 120905 wrote:

. We could get along with each other that long, couldn’t we? We might even be able to stand each other for a long weekend and make it four days.

Have you not seen some of our threads?

It’s good that he is being active, but I have to wonder about the stress on his heart. It can be quite a shock to the system, going from no activity in decades, to a cross-country bike trip with no real training. I do hope he doesn’t suffer any ill effects. Completely being serious here.

But that is still 8 or 10 hours of moderate stress. It’s not so much the actual speed as the relative stress on a person and how well they are prepared for that stress. While 10 miles might seem simple for many people here, that could be quite a hurdle for this guy, especially with the excess weight. (Not intended as an insult here.) The body recognizes duration and intensity, not mileage. Stress for 8 hours is stress for 8 hours, no matter the exact speed. For a Tour de France rider, an easy 8-hr ride wouldn’t wipe them out. But doing that day after day, month after month, could start to get a little challenging. And those are among the fittest endurance athletes on the planet.

Then to do that on a daily basis for someone who is so out of shape? Well, that’s what gets me worried. That’s simply a lot of exertion for someone who is severely overweight and with almost no real endurance or fitness base. Then to try that on a regular basis, for months on end. It just doesn’t sound like a good plan to me.

People can build up to great feats, but everyone has to start off gradually. Even the best cyclists in the world weren’t riding 100 miles at the age of 2. Everything about this sends off loud warning bells to me, based on everything I’ve read, thought or experienced about fitness and health over the past several years.

If he is only doing ten miles a day at best then it is gonna take him a long, long time to get across the U.S. His funds are likely to run out first. While I commend him for doing this, his blog entries indicate that he really didn’t prepare well for this trip well at all, neither physically, planning, or logistics wise. He has already had a lot of mechanical issues with his bike and tent.