Fat Guy Across America
07-26-15, 07:51 PM
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Fat Guy Across America
600-Pound Man Bikes Coast-to-Coast to Save Marriage, Lose Weight - NBC News
Keeping a blog called "Fat Guy Across America," Hites started pedaling the second week of June from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and hopes to make it to the Orange County, California coast by the end of the year.
Hites has a trailer attached to his bike that carries all his trip essentials, including the tent he uses to sleep in each night.
The Indiana man hit a bump in the road last week when both rims on his bike bent.
Stuck in Newport, Rhode Island he had the chance to talk with strangers about his journey and add to his newest book that he hopes to complete after his trip.
"It's been awesome," Hites told NBC News. "I get to meet so many cool people and have lots of cool conversations."
After being gifted a new ride by Newport Bicycle, Hites was back on the road with time to think and to continue shedding the pounds.
Keeping a blog called "Fat Guy Across America," Hites started pedaling the second week of June from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and hopes to make it to the Orange County, California coast by the end of the year.
Hites has a trailer attached to his bike that carries all his trip essentials, including the tent he uses to sleep in each night.
The Indiana man hit a bump in the road last week when both rims on his bike bent.
Stuck in Newport, Rhode Island he had the chance to talk with strangers about his journey and add to his newest book that he hopes to complete after his trip.
"It's been awesome," Hites told NBC News. "I get to meet so many cool people and have lots of cool conversations."
After being gifted a new ride by Newport Bicycle, Hites was back on the road with time to think and to continue shedding the pounds.
07-26-15, 09:07 PM
#2
Interocitor Command
Cool. Hopefully along the way he'll meet someone that is worth being married to also. Good luck to him.
07-27-15, 12:53 AM
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Wow. Can't wait to see what he looks like if he finishes the trip.
07-27-15, 05:56 AM
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I hope he can finish. The bike looks like a Walmart mongoose MTB. He needs something way beefier. I'm not into crowd funding, but id put up a few bucks for that.
07-27-15, 06:14 AM
#5
aka Timi
Fat Guy Across America
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Last edited by imi; 08-24-15 at 10:12 PM.
07-27-15, 07:13 AM
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This dude just passed through where I live, Fargo, ND I think! Tough thing to do when you're 150 lbs, gotta be near impossible at 600.
07-27-15, 07:32 AM
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Big kudos for the dedication and drive!
07-27-15, 11:03 AM
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He's accepting donations here:
Support the Ride ? Fat Guy Across America
08-22-15, 08:54 AM
#9
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[h=5]Mystic Cycle Centre shared WTEN's post.
[/h]10 mins ·
Hello fellow bikers! Today this courageous man will be riding his bike from Westerly to Mystic on rout 1. It would be great if anyone would like to show their support and ride with him over the Rhode Island/ CT border around 2 p.m. today!
WTEN added 2 new photos.
A 560-pound man is biking across the country to lose weight. However, he's stranded in Rhode Island because he's bent his back wheel. That's why a bike shop the...re is giving him a new one. So far he’s lost 60 lbs. in two weeks.
MORE: https://wp.me/p5hgNl-YGO
PHOTOS: Marcia Pobzeznik Daily News
[/h]10 mins ·
Hello fellow bikers! Today this courageous man will be riding his bike from Westerly to Mystic on rout 1. It would be great if anyone would like to show their support and ride with him over the Rhode Island/ CT border around 2 p.m. today!
WTEN added 2 new photos.
A 560-pound man is biking across the country to lose weight. However, he's stranded in Rhode Island because he's bent his back wheel. That's why a bike shop the...re is giving him a new one. So far he’s lost 60 lbs. in two weeks.
MORE: https://wp.me/p5hgNl-YGO
PHOTOS: Marcia Pobzeznik Daily News
08-22-15, 01:50 PM
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The pic with the busted rim was from a July 22 post. Here is the August 20 blog entry:
The aftermath ? Fat Guy Across America
He got his new bike:
I waited for the delivery of the bike from Newport Bicycle and it is a great bike, it's a GT with downhill rims and street tires.
Things must be going better with his wife - the whole purpose of the ride was to win her back. She flew over to join him on the ride:
So after a week of doing that I flew my wife in and got her a bicycle and geared up then rode around Newport RI to get her ready
New article about our brave couple crossing the RI-CT border:
?Fat Guy Across America? ready to cross RI-Conn. border Saturday | The Westerly Sun - Covering local news in Westerly, Richmond, Hopkinton, and Charlestown, R.I., and Stonington, North Stonington, Pawcatuck, Groton, New London and Mystic, CT
The aftermath ? Fat Guy Across America
He got his new bike:
I waited for the delivery of the bike from Newport Bicycle and it is a great bike, it's a GT with downhill rims and street tires.
Things must be going better with his wife - the whole purpose of the ride was to win her back. She flew over to join him on the ride:
So after a week of doing that I flew my wife in and got her a bicycle and geared up then rode around Newport RI to get her ready
New article about our brave couple crossing the RI-CT border:
?Fat Guy Across America? ready to cross RI-Conn. border Saturday | The Westerly Sun - Covering local news in Westerly, Richmond, Hopkinton, and Charlestown, R.I., and Stonington, North Stonington, Pawcatuck, Groton, New London and Mystic, CT
08-22-15, 02:18 PM
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Glad to see him in a new location.
08-22-15, 07:32 PM
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08-22-15, 07:35 PM
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We had a thread about this earlier, but it was closed, but it is nice seeing some sort of progress from him! I wish him well on his epic adventure!
08-22-15, 07:55 PM
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maybe not that but what he does do, I have noticed, is contact a newspaper or other news outlet to do a story frequently where he goes. the purpose of that is to keep the trip going on his gofundme account. if you get media attention, you get money. simple as that, whether its this guy or Kim Kardashian. if you can get in shape and make money at the same time, I'd say he finally had a pretty good idea. and of course the lady wants in on the action. and it will take at least a year, but like I say, as long as they keep the media hanging around, they will keep the funding coming, so its just an ideal situation.
08-23-15, 09:53 AM
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Interesting comments from linked article, I'd hold off on sending them money:
Jennifer, I applaud your resolve to not judge and to be kind, but there's a lot more to the story thanthe media is covering and that Eric and Angie themselves won't answer (when questioned). Their journey was stalled for almost two months while they ate out and went to karaoke, so people were understandably concerned and questioning what was going on. And yes - when Eric originally began asking for donation it was very much about his weight and his health.
08-23-15, 12:05 PM
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Thanks for the last post, I was wondering why it took so long to get out of one of the smallest states in the Union. At the pace he's going, I was also wondering how he planned to get out of the Northeast before it snows.
08-23-15, 12:40 PM
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I am happy to see he is doing something. He looks better, and has lost about 75 lbs I think. But....Rhode island is about one third the size of Los Angeles county and it took him about 5 weeks to get through it.. and it's all flat.
He is only riding about once every 3-4 days. He is probably hurting and needs recovery time. He will not make it.
Yes, could be the next Subway spokes-person.....I hear they have a kiddy meal now.
He is only riding about once every 3-4 days. He is probably hurting and needs recovery time. He will not make it.
Yes, could be the next Subway spokes-person.....I hear they have a kiddy meal now.
08-23-15, 01:14 PM
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For those wondering about the pace, the final blog entry says Eric and Angie rode 9 miles on their first day riding together. 12 miles the following day, with 2 more riders joining them. He's realizing he can increase his pace by ditching the trailer. It's the last entry because he switched his blog to Facebook afterwards.
The aftermath ? Fat Guy Across America
This article has video of them riding with racks and panniers instead of a trailer:
'Fat Guy Across America' leaves RI for CT - News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England
I don't have a problem with them using a combination of GoFundMe, Facebook, etc. to manufacture a reality show and the financial support that comes with it. They're basically jobless at this point. For whatever reasons, he's struggled all his adult life to maintain a steady income. There are worse "scams" than this in the world. I think its unrealistic to expect him or his wife to be a saint - but at the same time they don't look like criminals either.
It's obvious they're not going to meet Eric's original goal of being in California by the fall, but it's interesting to see how far they actually do go.
The aftermath ? Fat Guy Across America
This article has video of them riding with racks and panniers instead of a trailer:
'Fat Guy Across America' leaves RI for CT - News, Weather and Classifieds for Southern New England
I don't have a problem with them using a combination of GoFundMe, Facebook, etc. to manufacture a reality show and the financial support that comes with it. They're basically jobless at this point. For whatever reasons, he's struggled all his adult life to maintain a steady income. There are worse "scams" than this in the world. I think its unrealistic to expect him or his wife to be a saint - but at the same time they don't look like criminals either.
It's obvious they're not going to meet Eric's original goal of being in California by the fall, but it's interesting to see how far they actually do go.
Last edited by GovernorSilver; 08-23-15 at 01:20 PM.