Out of all the questions I'm asked after I mention I plan to bike 5,000 miles across the country, the most common one is: "wait, you're doing it ALONE?"
I feel like this is a great question to address at the onset of this blawgh.
First, consider the logistics of biking across the country. It's a three (or more) month endeavor. This means you'd have to quit your job (or skip a semester of school), find someone to sublet your apartment, purchase a touring bike and all of the camping gear, train for months, and then save up a sizable chunk of change to pay for it all. If you have kids, pets, car payments, or if you aren't positive you'll be able to quickly find employment upon your return it's an even more serious undertaking to consider.
But, let's say that your boss will let you take a sabbatical, your friend will sublet your place, you have funds for the gear, and you've got a nice savings account. The time and monetary commitment is taken care of. Now, you'll need to consider whether or not you're physically and emotionally capable of embarking on a trip like this. Remember: this isn't a road trip in a car. You won't be sitting in an air conditioned cabin blasting your favorite tunes watching the scenery fly by at 80mph. You'll be pedaling a bike with maybe 30-40lbs of gear on it for around eight hours a day, six days a week. Your average speed will be likely be between ten and thirteen miles an hour. You'll cover, in a day, what a car covers in an hour. And, you'll be doing this in the heat of summer. This makes me sound like a maniac, and maybe I am, but I'm just trying to stress that this isn't something people are chomping at the bit to do. This isn't the kind of trip I can send an invite out for and get ten people to RSVP for by the end of the day. In fact, while I love my friends dearly, I don't think I know anyone who would want to realistically join me. And I am absolutely alright with that - I didn't expect I'd find a riding partner when I decided to do this.
Now, with all of this said, I don't want to imply I'm ignorant to the potential benefits of doing a ride like this with someone. Riding with a partner means you'd have someone to talk with, someone to help you in case of injury, and someone to share the experience with. During the days when you're tired and down they'd be there to encourage you, and vice versa. But, on the flip side - you're basically inseparable from this person for three months. What if one person wants to ride faster than the other? What if you just can't stand the person after spending two weeks together? There's more to a riding partner than a warm body within fifty feet of you. Unless I met a soul as crazed as myself (both physically and personality-wise), I'm planning on doing the ride alone and I am completely at peace with that.
And, remember, while this is a big country - it's not as if civilization stops fifty miles east of San Francisco. I hear people live in every state these days! It's not as if I'm beginning a polar expedition on my own!
