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 latest update is from Friday, May 29. Below this update, you will find his May 14 update.
“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.