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 final update is from Tuesday, July 21. Below this update, you will find his previous updates.
“I made it home! After Erie, it was a couple of days to Buffalo, where we hopped on the Empire State/Erie Canal Trail. This made for easier riding since we were mostly on the trail and off the road. Dean and I continued together to Syracuse, where we met up with his wife Kristen. I stayed there for a day to leave my bike at a bike shop for a tune-up, while Dean and Kristen rode east together for a couple of days before Kristen had to go home. Dean continued on and finished on July 2nd, just two days off from his original estimate of 2 months. I flew from Syracuse to Boston and then to Ireland for another bike trip, this one with a couple of my brothers. We spent time in Dublin, then rode across to Galway. After Galway, we used the trains to travel to Limerick and Cork so that we could spend more time seeing the cities instead of all the time on the road getting there. I flew back on July 11, spent a day in Boston cycling with a friend, and then flew back to Syracuse to continue. I followed the Empire State Trail to Amsterdam, NY, then headed north through Glens Falls to Rutland and Killington, then down through Sunapee and home. A few friends, including Dean, met me on Sunday, July 19th, on the East Coast Greenway in Scarborough to ride to the East End beach to dip my tires in the Atlantic, then the last few miles to home in Yarmouth. It felt a little surreal to be home after almost three months on the road, but it also felt good.”
From June 20 –
“We are in Erie, PA, tonight. The riding has been easier now that we are in the (mostly) flat Midwest. We have been off the interstate since South Dakota. There are more side roads now, so we don’t need to ride interstates, but it is also illegal starting in Minnesota and east. In eastern Minnesota, we hopped on the Root River rail trail, a lovely paved trail about 45 miles long. After crossing into Wisconsin at Lacrosse we got on the Sparta Elroy trail for another 80 miles. Heading toward Milwaukee, we stopped at the Trek factory for a tour. At the headquarters, they mostly do the high-end custom bikes at $8000 to $25000. Beautiful but not for me.
In Milwaukee, we took the fast ferry across Lake Michigan to Muskegon, then south and east to Toledo. There we had dinner with a classmate of Dean’s, still practicing architecture at 80 years old. Now we are following Lake Erie to Buffalo, where we will get on the Erie Canal Trail across New York.
Dean and I will part in Syracuse,
where I have to leave my bike and head to Ireland for a family trip. I will return in a couple of weeks and finish then.
Take care, Tom”
From May 29 –
“After we left Missoula, we had a fast ride to Deer Lodge with a nice tailwind and good weather. Then our luck ran out. The next day was cold rain (38 deg), and we were pretty miserable. I had all my layers on and was just staying okay. After a couple of hours, we came to a wayside stop where some wonderful VFW volunteers were serving coffee and cookies. We spent about an hour warming and drying off, and after that, the rain had stopped, and it was just spitting a little snow. Still cold but drier. After passing through Butte, we climbed Homestake Pass, the Continental Divide, at 6393 feet, then it was a 6% downhill most of the way to Whitehall. The next couple of days were cold with some north wind, but no rain.
Our next adventure started in Hardin, MT. We decided to stay on I-90 through Wyoming and South Dakota because there were more hotels available on that route. We left Hardin late, and I will share a couple of texts I sent to a friend, one near the end of the ride, and one when we made it to the hotel:
(About 8 PM) Long day. Started just after noon and rode in the rain for a couple of hours before I got a flat tire. I changed tubes, then Dean got a flat. After that, the rain stopped, but the hills started. Long rollers with more uphill than down. Our average speed has been about 7 mph, and we still have 12 miles to go. I am worried about running out of daylight. We both have blinkies, but aren’t really set up for night riding.
(Later) Well, that was more adventure than we bargained for. After my last text, the road flattened out, and we were making good time, racing the twilight. Then construction. Our side was closed, so the traffic was diverted to the other side with 2 way traffic and a narrow shoulder on our side. We were still keeping our speed pretty well, with Dean in front so my headlight illuminated him, when he hit some rumble strips and lost control.
He went flying into the construction ditch and crashed in the mud.
He didn’t seem to be hurt, but getting the mud off him and his bike was tough. Thickest clay mud I have seen. We finally got back on the road, and it was fully dark now. There was no shoulder to ride because it was only 18 inches wide with a 12-inch wide rumble strip. People were careful passing us. Probably thought we were crazy. Then, just when we could see the end of the construction zone, I got another flat tire. I walked the rest of the way, and Dean was waiting under a streetlight. Just then, the sheriff pulled up with his flashers on. He protected us with his car, and the headlight helped with the tire change. Finally got to the hotel at 10:15. Whew!
Riding through Wyoming was uneventful but pretty. When we crossed into South Dakota, the headwind started. From Sturgis down to Rapid City, we had a 17 mph headwind. For the last three days, we have had south or southeast winds of 20 to 25 mph. We are doing shorter days, mileage-wise, but spending the same time on the road. Even a crosswind can slow you way down when it is 20 mph, and there are no windbreaks.
In spite of some slow days recently, we are about on track for a 2-month ride. We crossed into a new time zone today. A halfway point!
Regards, Tom”
From 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.