You don’t see too many bicycle tourists on the Trans-America Bicycle Route this early in the year. Even if a cyclist can make it through the cold, there’s always the possibility of cold rain, ice, and snow to contend with, and that’s before even thinking about the Rockies, where mountain passes are often blocked by snow well into April or even May.
But as I was passing through Pittsburg, Kansas over the weekend, I stopped in to talk with the folks at Tailwind Cyclists, and there I met Andrew Powell, who’s pushing the envelope a little bit.
Andrew started in Yorktown, Virginia in early February, just in time for some of the largest snowstorms in decades:
Charlottesville, Virginia.
Along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Preparing to cross the Mississippi River from Illinois to Missouri.
Andrew in Pittsburg, Kansas.
By the way, in many of Andrew’s photos you’ll notice his mascot, Grommit (of Wallace and Grommit fame). Andrew says that Grommit has been very popular with the kids along the route.
And helping kids is one of the main reasons Andrew is doing this trip. He’s raising money for Great Ormond Street Charity, which enables Great Ormond Street Hospital to provide world-class care for its young patients and their families, and to pioneer new treatments and cures for childhood illness. The hospital is located in Andrew’s home town of London, England.
You can follow Andrew’s progress, and donate to his cause, by visiting http://www.justgiving.co.uk/Andrew-Powell.
You can also contact Andrew via Facebook, or via his event page on Facebook.
Andrew’s doing this trip self-supported, sleeping in campgrounds and city parks along the way. He’ll be passing through Kansas this week, so if you see him along our highways, stop and say hello and offer him a little hospitality.
Good luck on your journeys, Andrew! Hope Kansas treats you well.
Post tags: Pittsburg
Go Nugget!
Well done Grommit! xx