USA by Bike: My journey from Washington DC to Washington State
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- On June 5th, 2022, I set out to ride my bike across America. This was my longest bike tour by far and I wasn't even sure I'd make it. Thanks to countless people, including all of my friends, family and co-workers, I accomplished my goal. It took 50 days, including just two days off.
My route was Washington DC to Pittsburgh on the C&O Canal and GAP trails. Then following the Eastern Express Route to Walden, Colorado, where I picked up the Adventure Cycling TransAm route to Missoula. From there, I rode the Lewis & Clark trail to Washington State. [The Eastern Express route has since been added to the Adventure Cycling catalog, but I followed the maps by Frank Moritz]
Some gear highlights include my All City Space Horse bike, Dan Durston X-Mid tent, Feathered Friends Flicker sleeping bag, Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite sleeping pad, Selle Anatomica saddle, Cotopaxi sun hoodie, Castelli padded shorts, Patagonia R1 Air, Ortlieb panniers, Rogue Panda top tube bag, Shimano shoes, SPD pedals and Nuun tablets (especially the caffeinated ones).
00:00 Washington DC
00:13 Maryland
01:23 Pennsylvania
02:37 West Virginia
02:51 Ohio
03:22 Indiana
03:43 Illinois
04:07 Missouri
05:37 Kansas
07:23 Nebraska
09:10 Colorado
11:47 Wyoming
17:43 Montana
21:16 Idaho
22:57 Washington State
The list of people I have to thank is incredibly long, but it includes Jess, Josh, Don, John, Duncan, Kelly, Sarah, Josh, Sam and her family for taking in a dirty, stinky cyclist and letting me stay with them. My mom for encouraging me and tracking me along the way (while wearing a Waldo costume, for some reason). My dad for keeping me safe with a new set of bike lights and reflective vest. Elizabeth for giving me the flexibility at work to do the trip. Marquis, Jeanette and all of my colleagues who covered for me while I was gone. Jenelle for talking me down when I was freaking out, reviewing this video before the world sees it and coming up with the title. Rob and Phil at Bicycle Space for helping get my bike ready. Rick at The Phoenix Cyclery for fixing my tubeless setup on short notice. Diane for letting me park my car at her house. Tran for getting into bike touring with me and riding out with me on the first day. Cyclists I met along the way, like Ben, Vlad, Brent, David, Emily, Alex, Tanner and Munir. My neighbors Catherine, Andrew and Keya for looking after my house. And all of the rest of my friends and family who cheered me on along the way, including Greg, Robin, Dan, Abe, Niki, Lee, Sage, Tari, Sydney, Katie, Lindsey, Aaron, Murray, Sam, Beth, Ody, Kenny, Jenny, Jay and the Darcio Lira Jiu Jitsu crew and everyone else.
#biketour #biketrip #adventure - Розваги
When I was a young man Republicans and democrats could actually express opinions to each other with out being rude or hateful. It's sad that some of you have to be disrespectful to this young man because he used the word Trumpy. Or thought Colorado would be more liberal because of the reputation the state has on a national level. But never expressed his ideas or opinions yet some of you are upset? This is what's wrong with this country today. Regardless of differences we need to work and live together peacefully. I respect you young man. Takes alot of balls to travel across the country on a bicycle. Thank you for sharing your experience. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
Thank you! Well said!
Lefties on Twitter changed that sadly.
Despite your hopes, the Woke, SJW haters are not going away anytime soon. Toxic speech and actions, aided and abetted by a legacy media have divided the nation.
Its irreparable.
@@CoherentChimp It's not an irreparable division. There are times when this country has been extremely divided by politics and times when the two sides have been more civil. Each one of us can help heal the division by treating the other side with compassion. It's fine to disagree and we should be able to discuss our differences in a civil way. Who cares if people are "woke SJW haters" or whatever. You can still try to set the tone for a rational and reasonable discussion. That's what you can do to help heal the divide.
@@bradzerivitz What bubble have you been hiding in for the past 10 years Brad?
No one, not even Liberals, can talk about illegal migrants without being labelled racist.
Talk about anything that the left has nailed it's colors to and the hate and toxic accusations begin. Phobic this, bigoted that, nazi this.
This is not going to be repaired until the over the top rhetoric is abandoned.
@@bradzerivitz It's pretty simple actually you can drink the coolaid and take a side or choose to stand back watch and think for yourself. It's like watching a movie you decide if it sucks or not at the end and move on. People choose to be sheeple on both sides. If you choose to drink the coolaid, choose a side, follow, increased with anger and hatred you no longer have the ability to think for yourself. As simple as it might be It's dangerous. You appear to be a smart young man with the ability to think for yourself and not spread hatred. I thank you for that. And also proud of you. I worry about the future of our country as this disease spreads. Anger and hatred will destroy everything from a relationship between two people to an entire nation. I pray for peace.
I was on a 5 day motorcycle trip. I ran into you at the motel 6 in Washington state……I was browsing UA-cam and ran across this.
No way! I remember you!
Excellent video! Congratulations on accomplishing this amazing achievement. Capturing it in a narrated video will serve you well as you reflect and recall the experience years from now. I completed the TransAm in 2017 and are so glad that I kept a daily blog with photos to experience the adventure over and over again. Thank you! Jim
Congratulations on an absolutely incredible achievement!
Hopefully one day you’ll give Washington State a ride through, as well.
The state’s natural beauty deserves to be experienced by you. :)
Thank you Brad, you did a great job of sharing!
What a trip !!! thank you for your video !
Inspiring trip and nice film, thank you
Loved the video man! I tried to cross on US route 50. Trailed from Pitt to D.C. Took a trail from D.C. to Leesburg VA then across on US50 until i got to Katy Trail. WV was tough but beautiful. Dogs in Kentucky chasing cyclists part had me rollin. I finally figured out to yell "go to bed" to any dog that chased me. It worked haha Thanks for the hard work putting this trip together on video for us. You're trip was very much like mine. All by myself 95% of the time but definitely 1 of the best times of my life. My trip was very meditating. Life changing meditation...
Awesome! I'll keep that in mind next time a dog chases me.
Awesome video; filming, narrations and stunning shots. That was an excellent bicycle journey. Thank you for sharing.
Yay!! So great! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, what an adventure! Enjoy watching your video, thanks 🌻🌻🌹🌹
Great video. I did NY - LA last fall. NYC to St. Louis via part of the Eastern Express route and then Rt 66 west. Dogs in Missouri were absolutely horrendous! You did a super job with the videos. I have a nice daily journal but not very many videos. You really boiled the journey down very succinctly and effectively. Congrats!
Thank you!
I’d enjoy hearing more about your trip , like how long did it take , how many total miles etc:
It took 50 days, including just two days off. I didn't track the total miles, but probably around 3300 would be my guess.
Thank you for sharing your experiences!
Thank you for sharing your adventure. Great scenery.
Nice adventure Brad! Thanks for sharing
Thanks for sharing the video Brad. It is one of the first cycling videos I have seen from the US. In particular, I think Colorado was interesting. You are a cool guy!
Here in Europe it is popular to take the train to a place and cycle in the area and spend the night with a tent.
GREAT video, really enjoyed watching it! Congrats!
Wow. thanks for taking us on the jouney. I hope to bike tour in the near future!
Such a great adventure!
Great adventure! Great video!
All in 25 Mins, excellent video, and trip.
Congratulations 🚴😃.. Great Adventure.. Thanks for Sharing
Great video well narrated and beautiful scenes along the way. Definitely you challenged yourself to as far as it took you and the experience will live in your memory forever. Thank you for the video and greetings from the Oregon state.
Thank you!
Great video....I love it at 3:59 when the puff of dust explodes from the glove!!! Great shot!! DD
Good video Brad. I just randomly found it on Reddit, and then was amazed when I saw that the Ben you rode with was the same Ben I rode with later in California! Small world!
Ha, no way!
Great video! Thanks so much for sharing this. Exactly what I needed this morning with my coffee :).
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
Well done !!
What a great experience, I hope to do this myself someday.
Very beautifully captured, well done 👍🏽. Thanks. Hope I could join you next time 🙂
Great trip. Loved the video.
Great video mate. Wyoming looked amazing!
Very cool video. I do some touring stuff but that was a great trip and more than I'll likely ever do. It was cool seeing you ride trails I've ridden as well (C&O/GAP and Katy Trails). Safe travels to you and maybe I'll see you on a trail since we are in the same area.
Thanks! Hope to see you around!
Thanks for sharing your adventure crossing Undated State, I like the way you have shot the video bing the camara static so in that way the scenery can be appreciated much better.
Really nice photography. Very well put together video. Thanks for taking us on your awesome journey.
Thanks!
Amazing 👍
Exciting adventur
Very nice video. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken a bike tour. I hope to do it again some day.
❤ the video. It's so inspirational.
I loved your video and adventure!
Congratulations on your monumental achievement. Nice video.
That is a great adventure. I'm thinking to do across country some day but right now I'm just doing monthly 3-6 day mini bike tours mostly here in Florida.
Do it!
Hey, Thomas!
September of 2021 on my way back to Charlotte from Portland, my bus went through the hell that IS Kansas, and at night, I saw this gigornimous pro Orange Foolius billboard, and it was lit up like a XXX shop.
Awesome trip, thank you for sharing. You’re the man.
I'll be 53 in January and I've noticed my body slowing down some. Your video was good and up lifting. There's no doubt about it, when one is out on tour there are some days a person does question why they are doing such an activity.
I'm turning 50 in January to ,and planning a tour from Florida to Washington and back next year.
I use a motorized bicycle 🚴💨
I did Florida to California and back last year . Need something even more Epic for 50
Enjoyed your video very much.Greetings from Wales,UK (cyfarchion o Gymru).Have never cycled in a big vast country.But who knows maybe a bike tour somewhere in North America some day.Well done👋👍🚲
Great video: Fascinating vistas, pleasing and interesting narration.
Awesome trip! I live in Nirthern Virginia and just rode the GAP/C&O trail this summer. I want to ride the same route next season!
You should! It's a great ride and it was my first long tour. I'd do it over and over again.
Thanks, Brad. After I retired in 2020, I planned on flying to Amsterdam and riding through parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Then came Covid.
Now, a couple of years later, at 64, I'll be heading over in May for around 6 weeks.
Videos like yours keep me motivated through the winter here in the Midwest.
Many unknowns, but that's part of the excitement/challenge.
Next time, restock the bug repellent!!
You should add Ragbrai to your bucket list. Nothing like it.
Nice to visit my country the Netherlands on your bike.
Hi, I just wanted to write and say that I really enjoyed your vlog. Excellent job of capturing the awesome landscape you had the great fortune of traveling through. Fantastic editing. You really put a lot of effort into making this such a delight to behold. Plus, great to see a space horse out on the road👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼🤙🏼 Thanks again for the time and effort that it took to share with us. ✌🏼 #everyrideisepic
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
really nice love it
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I hope to cross the US by bicycle in the future.
By yourself or with the company?..
Such cool trip, brother. Love the video, great channel. See you on the road. Just Subbed.
I wish he could’ve made this into a series. I’d like to see more of the day to day.
I posted a cross country ride on a motorized bicycle. Florida to California and back 4500 miles in 40 days.
I made a series out of 279 gigs plus shorts for every day and 2 lives from the road .
Going again next year Florida to Washington and back 😊
Great video and inspiring. I live in Arlington, VA and know the trails you shared at the beginning of your trip. Well done, Brad.
Just found your channel and wanna say that your jouney seems to be quiet spectacular for a german guy. Best wishes from Ger,any
Thank you!
Very nice, thank you for sharing. I'm dreaming of doing this trip next year, but in the opposite way. Greetings, Ton from the Netherlands
oh nooo, you stopped before the columbia river! But you made it through Lolo pass. I think that was my favorite pass. I suffered in washington and oregon with heatwave and wildfire smoke. Waking up really early to avoid the heat and staring at the orange of the sunrise in the smoke.
Good job!
Good video
Thanks for the video. I was surprised by how many gravel trails you got to ride in the eastern part of your journey and how much road work you had to do in the west. Thought you'd have more rails-to-trail options in the west. Amazing that it took you so long to have your first flat.
I maybe could have ridden more gravel trails out west if I had taken the Great American Rail Trail, but I decided to stick with the Adventure Cycling route.
@@bradzerivitz Oh ok. Great vistas still and a great accomplishment!
That was a great video, what a small world we live in, we crossed paths at Ashton flag ranch store in Grand teton, i was heading north on the Gdmbr. Wyoming mosquitoes were so aggressive.
Oh no way! I remember meeting someone doing the GDMPR when I was in the Tetons, so that must have been you!
Congrats and Keep Going! OORAH One day I will meet this trip head on!!! OORAH Semper Fi and Can Do
Spectacular
So proud of my son! He is amazing
That was fantastic! Instant Sub.
Have you considered doing a video on your bike setup? I'd love to see it. Would get a tonne of views IMO too. Cheers!
I actually shot a whole gear video, but haven't gotten a chance to edit it yet.
@@bradzerivitz I hope you put that video up on you tube. Thanks.
@@keithc5729 I will as soon as I stop procrastinating on editing it. If you're subscribed to my channel, hopefully you'll see it when I get it done.
Nice footage & trip. I often wonder why people solo bike tour. safe travels & remember bug repellent for next trip 👍🏾
Great video. I live in NJ and rode west in PA across the Susquehanna and dropped down to BWI. Flew to Omaha and followed the Oregon Trail to WY. I picked up your route in WY (Dubois; Moran?) to enter Grand Teton which was my objective. After 3 weeks there. I rode to SLC flew back to BWI and then rode to NJ. My big mistake you appear to have avoided was I carried 3x the stuff you had. Never again. After that, SW came to Philly and I moved a bike to SLC and rode from there for several years and later moved it to Idaho Falls and rode from there. Love the C&O. Want to do the whole route to Pittsburgh next year which I never did in one ride before.
Well made video! You kept it moving with quick edits. Shots were well thought out. The pot plants in Nebraska (now you know why its called ditch weed) go back to the days of hemp for industry, Missouri used to be #1 producer of industrial hemp. Eastern Colorado is right up there with West Texas for the most boring part of the US .
HI Brad. I'm Paul Tuke. We crossed paths just north of Cincinnati at the Corwin Peddlar cafe. I'm glad to see your video. Impressive that you did this in 50 days. I took 77 to cover San Diego to Maine. Next year I plan to do Washington State to Washington DC with a slightly different route. Thanks for taking the time to create the video. Very enjoyable!
If you didn't post it, did it really happen ?🤔
Beautiful place
Uau... astonishing. What an increadible trip.
Looks like a great adventure, thanks for posting. I have done the GAP and Katy trails. Would like to follow your route and do the DC to Washington State one day, but age is not on my side. I’ll be 70 in February. Going to do the Bike Across Kansas next June (an organized event ) and I’ll see how that goes … maybe a cross country is in my future. Thanks for the beautiful video and congratulations.
Go for it Rick.....
Do it! I met a few people your age doing cross country trips and other long rides!
I upgraded my bike for touring,I put a motor on it 🚴💨 best 100 upgrade ever .
More smiles per mile 😊
Great camera shots. Katy trail is on my list, but I haven't even made it through my own state let alone the country. You are on another level.
Incredible journey! A lifetime worth of memories. Thanks for sharing. Great presentation. Happy trails. 😎
Great video! It would be cool if you did a follow up on what equipment to pack and lessons learned to help others who want to give this a shot.
Thanks! I have a gear breakdown, but it’s currently unlisted on my channel. Here’s the link: ua-cam.com/video/qcpr_J9Q8hU/v-deo.htmlsi=UvmAXD62mBb2pqWO
Wise call stopping when you got to WA! I did the TransAm in 2022. I jumped onto the L&C route once I got to Idaho. Growing up in Oregon, I didn't feel the need to cover familiar territory, so instead opted for the shortest route to Astoria. It was late July and the weather was hot. After leaving Lewiston, I did a short ride to Pomeroy (motel), 69 miles to Walla Walla (warmshowers), 88 miles to Crow Butte CG, and 78 miles to The Dalles (warmshowers). I had no problems getting water except for that last day. Fortunately, several Good Samaritans stopped to provide aid. I actually think I was in the early stage of heat stroke. The rest of the ride was much more enjoyable than that stretch in WA!!!
Wow, that sounds scary!
Inspirational, Brad. I'm planning an Oregon-to-Iowa ride one day...this helps a lot.
Enjoyed your video. By the way during WWII when 'Manila Hemp' used to make maritime rope became unavailable, the US Gov't had farmers plant 'hemp' to support the war effort. In 1942, patriotic farmers, at the government's request, added 36,000 acres of seed hemp, and increase of several thousand percent. The goal for 1943 is 50,000 acres of seed hemp. In Kentucky, much of the seed hemp acreage is on river bottom land such as this, along the Kentucky River Gorge.
Feral cannabis, or wild marijuana (often referred to in North America as ditch weed), is wild-growing cannabis generally descended from industrial hemp plants previously cultivated for fiber, with low or negligible amounts of psychoactive tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Thank you
What bike are you riding/gear are you using? Do you have any suggestions or anything that was very useful?
I have that info in the description of my video, but let me know if you have any specific questions.
What capacity Ortlieb panniers on your bike. Are they the back roller plus 40l?
Yes, that's right.
I loved this video! The photography and videography were beautiful, along with the narration. I can't imagine such a grueling trip, and the fact that you had to place cameras, then go back and ride the last several feet again to get the shot.
Great job on the video! Definitely enjoyed the ride you took us on.
Ride Safe Sir
Thank you!
super trip
Do you have a gpx of your trip
Great video Brad! I enjoyed it very much. I rode from Boston to Portland this summer through Michigan’s lower and upper Peninsula. Your video helped remind me the beautiful Grand Tetons and the horrible headwinds in South Dakota. When did you ride?
Nice! My ride was June 5th - July 25th.
Great video of an amazing adventure. I am wondering how you did your route planning/finding. I am contemplating going cross-country and am leaning towards some version of the Rail Trail route to keep away from as much traffic as possible…. but there are big gaps in that route and it would miss some interesting alternatives esp out west.
I found the Eastern Express Route through some Google searches, but it's part of the Adventure Cycling Association route catalogue now. I decided not to take the Great American Rail Trail route for the same reason. Maybe try to cross-reference the Rail Trail map with the Adventure Cycling routes to create your own path?
I would love to know which wheel your spoke broke and if it was on your cassette side. Thanks
Back wheel cassette side!
Great summary video! I am thinking of doing the same next summer but doing the Great American Rail Trail route. And also west to east. Your video provided me with more motivation - thanks!
Brad, a very nice video. I rode the opposite direction this summer from the Oregon Coast to DC (Finished at the Chesapeake Bay to dip my tires in brackish waters of the Atlantic/Bay). When I was planning my trip, videos like your were very helpful. My journey was the completion of a 44 year long dream/goal. One thousand miles of my 3,800 mi trip was on dirt/gravel roads and the same rail trails you rode, just in reverse.
Your videography, editing, music, along with your narration, was really nice. While I brought a GoPro, 99% of my documentation of my trip was on my iPhone. I wish I'd taken more videos, as you did.
On a side note, I am old enough to explain the "weed" on the sides of the road in Nebraska. I grew up in Omaha, but now live in Portland, OR. The "wild marijuana" is actually hemp. It was grown by farmers during the WWII to be turned into rope for the war efforts. At least that's what my father told me, who was born a couple of years prior to the US entering the war.
Thanks for sharing your Journey. It looks like you had a great time. Cheers to your accomplishment.
Awesome! Maybe we crossed paths at some point. Glad you liked the video! I also watched similar videos before my trip and hoped to make one that would inspire others. And thanks for the explanation of the hemp plants along the road.
@@bradzerivitz On June 5th we were in Grand Teton NP, on the Katy Trail from June 24th - June 26th, through Columbus, OH on July 5th and hit the GAP on July 9th. I'm sure we definitely crossed paths.
@@elephantprotector Thanks! It took 50 days, including two days off. I liked going west because I was looking forward to Wyoming and Montana.
@@elephantprotector I’d recommend leaving in mid-May.
Brad, Absolutely awesome narration & scenery....Thank you for sharing with us!
Friends cycled frum coast to coast in early 80s which brought memories & appreciate all you shared....KEEP CRUISIN....
Well done, from a fellow DC area rider. Any chance you have a RIdewithGPS route of the trip you'd be willing to share? Cheers.
Thanks! I didn't make this map, but it's pretty close to the route I took. ridewithgps.com/routes/38423565
@@bradzerivitz thanks, I appreciate the share! Will look forward to your gear video and maybe we'll run into each other out on the C&O. Cheers.
Eastern half of Washington State is pretty flat and dry. The Western part and the coast are spectacular. What was your total mileage?
I'm not exactly sure, but maybe around 3,300?
So ❤️ amazing ❤️ 👏 😍 ✨️ brother
Hi Brad. Congratulations on the accomplishment and great video. Inspiring. Do you happen to have you route recorded somewhere in gpx file or something similar? Very helpful to help in our planning. Thank you much!
Thanks! I'd recommend buying the Adventure Cycling Association maps. This Ride with GPS route is close to my route, but not exactly the same. ridewithgps.com/routes/38423565
@@bradzerivitz thank you!
Nice Story. Short video clips with great narration. Sometimes these epic bike trips on UA-cam get way to long and detailed. I enjoyed your trip via video thanks.
Thank you!
Incredible 😮. Very nice
hey, love the video. where did the video of your whole setup and bag contents go? was trying to see what rack you have on your space horse.
Here you go: ua-cam.com/video/qcpr_J9Q8hU/v-deo.html
It's just a cheap Ibera brand rack, but it's held up great for years.
@@bradzerivitz Sweet, thanks man, if you ever need a space horse buddy I'm local to you in bethesda.
There’s already so much that divides us. Cycling is one thing that unites. While we used to be able to discuss our differences politely, a 3 second comment in a cycling video doesn’t offer the kind of opportunity for a meaningful and necessary exchange. Now a day together on riding the Withlacoochee State Trail - that would just about do it.
That's so true. Honestly I didn't realize that line of voiceover would cause so much drama. I was just relaying my experience of the trip. The Withlacoochee State trail looks fun! I grew up in Orlando, but have never heard of it before!
I blame public schools 😢 and Disney world
That was super. I live in Japan but I'm thinking of doing America coast to coast in 2024, Your route was lovely apart from the mosquitoes. How many days did it take?
You should do it! It took me 50 days, including two days off.