I for one don't give a rip whether Ryan's misrepresented himself, or has solicited funds for seeming excess, or has hitched a ride part way. He's still a young college grad who's doing something on a whim that most of us can only look back wistfully and wonder what-if. I have nothing invested in the guy. Don't know him, never will. I'm not the least bit concerned that he might not make it, though I will feel some disappointment for him, however self-inflicted his loss may be.

What I'm trying to understand are the reactions of those who seem to be upset. For a moment let's assume the worst: that Ryan is deceitful and is looking for personal gain or acclimation. OK, but he wouldn't be the first. <shrug> Perhaps he ends up at the inauguration, perhaps with some media acclaim. Does anyone think no one before Ryan has ever been accorded more than he deserved?

I'm not looking to lionize him or befriend him, so I have no stake in it. And I'm wondering what stake some of us are putting in him. Are we upset that we've done far more and get no recognition? Are we afraid he'll be falsely set up as an ambassador for cycling? Are we afraid he'll make it when we never have? Are we seething that some upstart gets all the glamor? And this has never happened to you before?

Once more, it matters not that he legitimately reaches some goal. He's just a kid out riding a bike. Even if just a part of what he "promised", it's still a long ways. I suspect that at the end he'll be far more "one of us" than before he began. What's more impressive to me is how he's energized us. Some have been fortunate enough to be in a position to ride with him. Most of us are just living vicariously through him while weather, work, family, and life all keep us at home.

Despite what anyone has written here, I suspect that every last one of us would love to take tomorrow off and ride with him. We, too, just want to be some kid on a bike just riding along across the southern US. He's trying. Let him.

If it were 35 days I would say it was unlikely he would succeed, but I still wouldn't call it foolhardy. Since it is more like 50 days I definitely wouldn't. December is not that unusual of a time to do the Southern Tier. Adventure Cycling says " The Southern Tier Route can be ridden between early fall and late spring. In September and May, there still might be some very hot weather to contend with at either end of the route. Note that snow can occur at any time in the higher elevations in the Southwest during the winter, and the highest pass in New Mexico is over 8,000 feet. If you are doing a winter trip, remember that you will have short daylight hours."

The Atlantic Coast below DC is not that unreasonable of a ride in winter either. He will hit some cold weather, but he won't be far from towns most of the way and it is likely that he will have daytime highs well above freezing most of the way. Really cold weather is only likely the last couple days and will occur when he is in a developed area.

I reread all of his posts and didn't see anything like you are describing. Was a post removed by the moderators? In any case given the abuse he was taking I could forgive him getting huffy and maybe exhibiting poor judgment in his wording as a result.

I was critical of his fund raising myself, but it is his choice. I think that he learned as he went and toned down the talk of $4500 cameras and sat phones. He took advice and adjusted as he went. I find his trip and behavior admirable even though I still find donation supported rides generally distasteful.

Is he taking calls while riding? Or do we need to call in the evening? I normally wouldn't call unless I thought I could help him in some tangible way, but I may call to wish him a merry Christmas and a safe completion of his trip.

I already offered him a place to stay but my location isn't ideal (I could pick him up and drop him back in DC but I am maybe 50 miles north of DC) so I doubt he will take me up on it. I hope he gets plenty of offers in Virginia and DC as it is most likely to be cold when he passes through there. Those of you on his route please consider the hospitality you have received on tour and pay it forward. It is a win win. He gets some help and conversation and you get to be a part of his trip. I really encourage folks to just do this on a general basis, not just in Ryan's case.

Perhaps I will try to ride with him at some point if our respective schedules allow.

He's riding with a bluetooth ear piece and has told me actually enjoys getting calls during the day while he is riding. He is riding with people today though and trying to make Houston for Christmas Eve and Cristmas Day.. The e-mail he listed in the same post also goes to his phone so recieves them in near real time but usually doesn't reply until the evening with e-mail.

He should arrive in Houston relatively early I would think.

I think the farther he goes, and the more people he meets, he is becoming a tourer. His appreciation for the people and places is genuine, and I know he wishes he had more time to enjoy the stops and discoveries.

whew... I just read all 400+ posts.
So this 20 something has no clue what he's doing or how to do it, and he's pounding out 100+ mile days while blue-toothing down the road?
I think I hate this goofy little noob...

Seriously, the way this seems to read, he's been able to figure it out within a very short period of time.
He jumped right into this with wheels rolling, with some wonderful assistance from many of you.
Hats off to you all!

+ 1000

None of that bothers me one iota. I don't think most of us ride for recognition, but if Ryan gets some I see that as good. It can't help but be good for cycling as a whole to have a idealistic young man in the news for riding a bicycle across the country. Look at the interviews, he is an excellent ambassador for his cause and cycling as well. Really, it must be hard to not like him; it seems like you would have to work at it.

Wow, I go on vacation and log in after days away from the net, and people are still going on about this. (He accepted a ride, raised funds, etc.) Whatever. He's doing it!

Go Ryan!

From the original thread begun by Ryan:

Original equipment list that Ryan wanted the public to pay for:

1. Touriing bike $1000
2. Canon 5D Mark III camera and equipment, $4500
3. Bike accessories, upkeep/unexpected expenses, $1000
4. Clothing/Apparel to keep me warm in the winter weather, $300.
5. Hotel fees, nourishment: $2000
6. Web design and maintenance $1500
7. Apparel, supporting T-Shirts, buttons, stickers: $1500
8. Satellite phone: $500

staehpj1, are you perhaps being blinded by Ryan singling you out for praise?

Hi,

I'm one of the folks who expressed some skepticism of Ryan at the beginning. I was bothered *not* because Ryan was asking for support (lots of people do that; we're all free *not* to help). I was a little bothered because it appeared to me at the beginning that Ryan had put his effort into building a website for PR, assembling a very pricey equipment list, and doing (very little) research on the bike trip itself before suddenly popping up and saying "help me." I'm always a little more impressed if someone shows they have put in at least *some* research before asking for help.

Honestly I figured he'd either (a) never start or (b) ride for 2 or 3 days and stop. And I was actually hoping that he would (c) modify his plans and attempt something a bit less ambitious (say, cycle from New Orleans to DC, as some recommended).

Well, he's proven me completely wrong.

He's already accomplished a lot. It appears to me that he has gotten some help but certainly didn't get his "wish list." (He admitted the list needed reworking in any case). He appeared to gather what he needed, and took off - clearly he wasn't just try to get donations to buy stuff, or he never would have left.

I'm *extremely* impressed by what he has done, and I am guessing he has learned a lot, too.

He made a couple of pretty tart comments along the way. Seems to me they were duly noted and criticized in this thread already. I'm over it.


Best,
BB

Ryan made many early mistakes, and has many more mistakes to make yet, but I am impressed that he actually does learn from his mistakes. That's exactly what a young man is supposed to be doing at this stage of his life. He puts himself out there, and the more you do that, the more your mistakes are visible, and the more criticism you receive.

I am quite impressed with the progress Ryan has made, and have always hoped he would make it, but doubted he would. He did (as I recall) start out earlier than he initially expected, so some of the forums skepticism was probably helpful...

My doubt is shrinking.

I believe I read somewhere in the past week poking through Ryan's site and background, that he played college football, so I think even though the muscular demands are different, the discipline of college football is paying off for Ryan and part of what is making this work for a relatively inexperienced cyclist.

Ride Ryan, Ride!!!

First... I didn't think those comments were all that out of line considering the nature of some of the posts he was replying to. Did he step over the line a bit, probably. Was he provoked, yes. There was some less than perfect manners shown on both sides. Big deal.

On whether I am "perhaps being blinded by Ryan singling you out for praise"...
No cut him some slack from the get go. I offered encouragement in posts 7 and 8 of the original thread. I offered him a place to stay in post 10 of the original thread. I did criticize the exorbitant requests for sponsoring expensive luxury items. I also criticized his proposed timetable and at various times gave other criticism. I also said that I didn't care for funding a tour with donations. I didn't criticize his ideals or his politics at any point though.

OTOH: When I did criticize, I did it in a more civil manner than some here. I applauded his ambition and idealism. Ryan said he was "a naïve young man with a dream" and maybe I am just a sucker for that, but I also remember what it was like to be young and a bit naive. I also remember the folks who were kind to me on the the road.

To Ryan's credit I think he is a quick learner and is willing to take advice. I believe he saw that the list of luxury items were a mistake and removed the list from the site. He saw that the time table was unreasonable and moved up the start.

I am happy to see that more and more folks are giving him some credit. Folks with the gumption to pull this off given the shaky start he had are rare. Young men who listen to advice and learn from it without abandoning their goals are also rare.

Personally I think these have been among the most interesting threads in as long as I can remember.

I met and rode with Ryan and Josh today.
30 pics and text comming soon.

Describes me as well.
I sincerely doubted that he would actually embark on the journey, or get past Arizona at the best. He's proven me wrong. Now I'm rooting for him and hope he can make it on time without having to get another ride. It's looking less likely, but you never know....he could put in a few 150 mile days between now and then.

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...56#post8073556

https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/496901-riding-ryan-day-22-two.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...49#post8073849

Thanks for the update 10 wheels. Wish I could have been there.

Come down Friday AM and ride with Ryan to Baton Rouge. He wants me to go with him.
I am still thinking about it.

I have a full day to convince my better half it's a good idea. Problem is part of the convincing is that she will need to play solo host to guests for the next few days.

I do have the next week and a half off though..........

You can be: A Go For It Guy..

Many thanks to the Texas folks for the excellent pictures and narrative. Have you noticed that in every picture Ryan's the one who seems to be having a blast? The guy's irrepressible! It's encouraging to see this far into his journey that he still has his initial enthusiasm. That, and not conditioning, is what will let him pull this off. It's the intangible part we don't always take into account when declaring what's possible. Not that he isn't physically up to the task. The guy looks ripped!

Ryan, when you have time to read this, here's to you and your journey. Don't stop!

Merry Christmas to all!

Do it!

Ryan made some irresponsible remarks, and in at least one instance a racist one. I thought the criticisms of him were fair, and I still do. The discussion wasn't helped by knee-jerk responses from certain posters; after seeing the extended misuse of the word "hate" I no longer have any expectations of literacy in folks on the Left.

That said, Ryan seems to have learned quite a bit for a man who was setting out to change others.

What on earth does it have to do with "the Left"?

No hatin' here Historian. You seem to be confounded by what has become a common internet slang expression.

Speedo