Touring - dipping of the wheel ceremony

I'm reading more and more this forum and crazyguyonabike and I'm thinking to start touring maybe by the end of this summer (probably 2 or 3 days)

What I'm curious about is where does the dipping of the wheel ceremony comes from. How did it started? I couldn't find any information about it. Does it has any meaning at all? Or is it something that many people do before starting a tour just because it became popular for some reason.

The dipping of the wheel thing is only done (as far as I know) on cross country tours. The idea is that you dip your rear wheel into the ocean on one side of whatever country you're crossing ... and then you dip your front wheel into the ocean on the other side of the country once you've finished crossing. It's sort of a symbolic thing indicating that your bicycle spanned from ocean to ocean ... or some such thing.

I've never heard of it done on any tours other than cross country tours.

Do you ride with the Winnipeg Cycletouring Club?

I seen it on the RAGBRAI website. They ride through Iowa only and they do that ceremony. I thought it might have some sort of mystique meaning or be related to some kind historic event.

I joined the WCC two weeks ago and yesterday was my second group ride ever!!!! I'm sooooo happy I joined them. It's such a different way and I'm learning so much. The first ride was a disaster. I have an old road bike, the tires were very old too the chain wasn't good too. But for the second ride I tune it up and no problem at all. I couldn't even believe I could ride so fast and far!! Of course I'm considering 25 km in total and probably 20 km/h average fast and far:)

Tomorrow I'll go with one of the ladies from velodonas to have a test ride and see if I'm fit enough to join them on their Sunday morning ride. I'm very exited about this ride and a little bit nervous too.

We did it on the RAGBRAI. We started at the Missouri, and ended at the Mississippi. It seemed like a good idea. Multitudes of others were doing it and it seemed like fun, and the RAGBRAI is all about fun. It made for a couple of good pictures.


That's the only time I did it. I've never toured cross country. If I did and it was convenient I'd probably do the wheel dipping for the pictures, but I wouldn't obsess about it. I've read lots of journal entries where people had a hard time finding a suitable stretch of beach access, or got their bikes all sandy, or got their bike shoes soaked, etc. I wouldn't ride too far out of my way to do it. I think I'd take off my shoes, empty my panniers, and carry my bike to the picture spot. That seems like a lot of trouble, but if you're having fun, who cares?

What I'm curious about is where does the dipping of the wheel ceremony comes from. How did it started? I couldn't find any information about it. Does it has any meaning at all? Or is it something that many people do before starting a tour just because it became popular for some reason.

When my wife and I rode from Los Angeles to Washington DC in 1977 we brought a vial of Pacific Ocean water to dump into the Atlantic. We made it to DC and then took a train to Boston, but I guess the trip is still unfinished bcause I can't find the vial. :o

I seen it on the RAGBRAI website. They ride through Iowa only and they do that ceremony. I thought it might have some sort of mystique meaning or be related to some kind historic event.

I joined the WCC two weeks ago and yesterday was my second group ride ever!!!! I'm sooooo happy I joined them. It's such a different way and I'm learning so much. The first ride was a disaster. I have an old road bike, the tires were very old too the chain wasn't good too. But for the second ride I tune it up and no problem at all. I couldn't even believe I could ride so fast and far!! Of course I'm considering 25 km in total and probably 20 km/h average fast and far:)

Tomorrow I'll go with one of the ladies from velodonas to have a test ride and see if I'm fit enough to join them on their Sunday morning ride. I'm very exited about this ride and a little bit nervous too.

It's just a symbolic thing indicating a crossing ... no mystique meaning or anything. And I suspect that the historic aspect was just that someone had the idea and someone else liked it and it took off.

I rode with WCC for a couple years when I was in Winnipeg, and enjoyed it. I didn't get out to as many of the rides as I would have liked because a lot of them started outside Winnipeg and I didn't have a car, but I enjoyed the rides I did get out to. I like cycletouring clubs ... they tend to ride at a more relaxed pace.

So the Velodonnas are still riding? I rode with them a few times during my last year in Winnipeg. Back then they had an "A" and a "B" ride for faster and slower riders. I ended up riding somewhere in between. I tried to get onto their website a year or so ago, but it was gone, so I thought maybe they were gone too. I hope you enjoy your ride with them. :)

I prefer my wheels dipped in sun dried tomato vinaigrette.

Jerry

It pretty conclusively means you went coast to coast, not even shortchanging the height of the beach, otherwise pretty meaningless.

I wouldn't dump water from one waterway in another. That may not mater with Atlantic Pacific, have no idea, but there are lots of really bad things from whirling disease to invasive species that might make the hop also. Just a bad idea in a world where they want you to bleach your waders.

It pretty conclusively means you went coast to coast, not even shortchanging the height of the beach, otherwise pretty meaningless.

I wouldn't dump water from one waterway in another. That may not mater with Atlantic Pacific, have no idea, but there are lots of really bad things from whirling disease to invasive species that might make the hop also. Just a bad idea in a world where they want you to bleach your waders.

I could be wrong, but I think by the time you've gone coast-to-coast (or even Missouri River to Mississippi River), water (and any related organisms therein) from the one coast would have washed away and would not affect the other coast ;)

So the Velodonnas are still riding?

Yes they are... but they are too fast for me!!! http://www.velodonnas.com/

So I went to a test ride yesterday, and my own conclusion is that I have to ride and ride and ride. We will go for another test ride at the end of June. If that doesn't work either... I'll keep riding and riding and again test at the end of July. Probably by the end of summer I might be able to ride with them. At least I have a goal now and won't probably give up so soon when I ride alone:)

I doesn't make any sense unless you are going coast to coast. Don't know whay they would do it on RAGBRAI.

I'm so doing that when i do Journey of Hope, i've always wanted to go to the beach and what better beach than in cali. although, i'm not sure how i'll find some ocean for where i'm going in DC.

i like this idea, it's kinda cool even if it doesn't have any crazy symbology or anything

I doesn't make any sense unless you are going coast to coast. Don't know whay they would do it on RAGBRAI.

Missouri River in the West/Mississippi River in the East. The West and East borders of Iowa. Now you got it.

I think it just proves that your bike really did make it "all the way" and not just "almost all the way". If you do it, I'd follow these guidelines.

(1) Take off the panniers to reduce weight.
(2) Take off your shoes and socks to keep them from getting wet.
(3) Find someone to take the picture because the self-timer cannot judge the waves. Make sure the photographer is aware of the plan.
(4) Carry your bike across the beach to avoid getting sand into the chain and all over everything.
(5) Stand at the high end of the wet sand.
(6) Pick a wave that looks like it will come up far enough to touch the wheel but not so far as to soak your chain and signal your photographer.
(7) As the wave hits you feet, set the bike down and have the photographer snap the picture (can be a timing problem with most digital cameras as they often have a time lag--it may take a few tries to get it right so you need a patient photographer).
(8) Pick your bike up and carry it back across the beach.

If you don't do this, you may find the need to clean your bike and relube your chain before you can take off.

All in all, it sounds like it might be more trouble than it's worth. Best bet would be to find a boat ramp or something similar. I have seen people remove just one wheel from the bike and dip that to simplify the process, but that seems to dilute the symbolic meaning a lot--you might as well just go dip your feet.