You might have seen in the Portland Press Herald or on News Center Maine’s 207 that Dean Bingham, of Dean’s Sweets, is biking across the country. At 79, Dean hopes to become the oldest person to do this unsupported ride. He also has a goal of raising $80,000-an amount symbolic of his approaching 80th birthday, for the MS Society.
Longtime Portland Wheelers volunteer, Tom Roeber (no stranger to long rides in support of the MS Society), is mirroring Dean’s ride. They will be riding near each other while making sure that Dean rides unsupported. This means that Dean has to carry his own gear, repair his own bike, and complete the journey without assistance. Tom has graciously agreed to provide us with updates from the road so we can live vicariously through their travels. Tom’s first update is from Thursday, May 14.
“Dean and I started on May 1st in Astoria, Oregon, and tonight we are in Missoula, Montana.
We rode up to the south edge of Seattle so Dean could visit an old friend. From there, we headed east over Snoqualmie Pass and into the high desert of eastern Washington. Big change in climate from the lush western region. We have followed I90 up through Spokane and Coeur d’Alene, riding side roads when we can but also on I90 itself. The interstate highway is noisy but has nice, wide shoulders most of the time. The scariest part was climbing 4th of July Pass just east of Coeur d’Alene, where construction had the road down to one lane each way, and our path was about one foot between the white line and the Jersey barriers. People were pretty good about squeezing over to give us room, but it took a lot of focus. Climbing the passes is a steady pull, but the multi-mile downhill runs are amazing.