{"id":16765,"date":"2022-08-12T20:13:42","date_gmt":"2022-08-13T03:13:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/?p=16765"},"modified":"2023-10-18T19:58:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T02:58:34","slug":"2029-nbg-mayors-ride-indy-to-dc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2022\/08\/12\/2029-nbg-mayors-ride-indy-to-dc\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a02029 NBG Mayors\u2019 Ride Indy to DC"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Per our General Plan<\/b><\/span><\/a>, instead of waiting until 2027 before we can start recruiting for it, I am going to announce our 2029 ride to Washington, DC\u00a0 <\/span>now. As such, here as we enter 2023, the drum roll begins for a ride from San Francisco to Indianapolis to the Nation\u2019s Capitol on the NBG route.\u00a0 <\/span>We have chosen that year because that will be the 50 year anniversary of my first crossing of America on a bicycle.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What seems to make it even more note worthy, is that I am pretty sure I was \u00a0 <\/span>the second\u00a0 <\/span>solo bike ride across America in the modern era. (after World War II). In fact, it was the second\u00a0 <\/span>since 1935 (Charlie Klutz) and 1884 when Thomas Stevens circumnavigated the globe on a HiWheel bicycle. Former Bicycling editor, John Schubert beat me by two years when he crossed America by himself in 1977.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead of it\u00a0 <\/span>feeling like a triumphant event, the end of a bike ride across America, I almost felt embarrassed for what I had just accomplished.\u00a0 <\/span>2 1\/2 miles from the\u00a0 <\/span>Nations Capital, US 50\u00a0 <\/span>ended at a freeway blocking Arlington Cemetery. In fact the whole of Washington DC was surrounded by freeways. As humiliating as it was, I had to stick my thumb out to get a car ride\u00a0 <\/span>to complete my journey. \u00a0 <\/span>At every on-ramp, signs expressly stated that bikes were not allowed. And all\u00a0 <\/span>the roads that crossed the Potomac River were all a part of this high-speed road network. Already I could see I was not in the sync with the destination I had almost reached The world all around me was teeming with high speed automobiles.<\/span><\/p>\n

This as the day before I had crashed hard on a wet\u00a0 <\/span>down hill, Then refused camping in the\u00a0 <\/span>yard\u00a0 <\/span>next to where I had slid out because\u00a0 <\/span>I was a \u201cstranger\u201d. On my way to the Capitol the next day, I was literally pushed off the road \u00a0 <\/span>by a car bumper.<\/span><\/p>\n

By the time I arrived in Washington DC, I felt like an interloper. Even though it had come about in 1888, like the Natchez Trace Parkway, a wide sweeping motorway in the southeast, the grand Washington Mall, looked like a monument to cars and not human power. Whether by foot or bicycle all of its attractions were a notable distance apart from one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

On its way\u00a0 <\/span>to the capital, two miles away, the Mall seemed to be scaled for horsepower and\u00a0 <\/span>not the human power of two wheel pedal machines. Of which I saw none. The people walking about had all parked their cars on the streets and lots near\u00a0 <\/span>their\u00a0 <\/span>attraction of interest and walked in. Surrounded by wide boulevards it seemed to be welcome turf for the motoring public. They feasted on the free street parking near the sites to see in their cars as they\u00a0 <\/span>often drove from one to the other.<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, my\u00a0 <\/span>bike with soiled ripped and torn saddlebags seemed to make the few people that were there want to ignore me even more. The few tourists walking about acted like they didn\u2019t see me until I asked one of them to take a picture. Obviously inconvenienced, the man I asked, took one shot on my pre-digital 35mm camera, and quickly returned my picture taking device back to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

The drab looking buildings and dreary skies seem to\u00a0 <\/span>further dampen any cause I could have for celebration. I made a promise to myself then and there that I would return to DC in notable fashion. In a way that would benefit cyclists and brain injury survivors everywhere. When, I did not know.<\/span><\/p>\n

Toward the end, I will be on the Eagle <\/b><\/span><\/a>HiWheel bicycle. I also hope to be joined by my now 11 year old son on the ride.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When<\/strong>: September 2029<\/span><\/p>\n

What<\/strong>: NBG Mayors\u2019 Ride\u00a0 <\/span>Indianapolis to Washington DC<\/span><\/p>\n

Why<\/strong>: To promote the Car Free Pittsburgh to DC connection as well as the route the NBG has selected to get to Pittsburgh<\/span><\/p>\n

Who<\/strong>: Cyclists, as many as a dozen, all approved by the National Bicycle Greenway as joined by riders from San Francisco and NBG Anchor Cities up to Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Stops<\/strong>: Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Washington DC<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Per our General Plan, instead of waiting until 2027 before we can start recruiting for it, I am going to… read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3VuuR-4mp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16759,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2022\/08\/12\/nbg-general-plan-draft\/","url_meta":{"origin":16765,"position":0},"title":"NBG General Plan (draft)","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"August 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"2022 Promote\/Flesh out Indianapolis 2022-2023\u00a0 - Flesh\u00a0 out NBG Anchor Cities on SF to DC route - Edit\/publish NBG blueprint\/General plan* - Recruit Vols\u00a0 build anchor city POI database** - Get all Anchor City Biking report cards current *** - Hire Grant Writer \u00a02024 - Contract with consultants to monetize\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-12-at-10.43.16-PM.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16826,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2022\/09\/13\/ride-scouts-needed-post-pandemic-nbg-strategy\/","url_meta":{"origin":16765,"position":1},"title":"Ride Scouts Needed & Post Pandemic NBG Strategy","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"September 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Because of the pandemic, we were forced to reassess our direction. 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Even though I have seen much of this with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NBG Business Plan"","block_context":{"text":"NBG Business Plan","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/nbg-business-plan\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-9.30.30-AM.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-9.30.30-AM.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-9.30.30-AM.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-23-at-9.30.30-AM.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16792,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2022\/08\/25\/nbg-nat-bike-week-2029-announcement\/","url_meta":{"origin":16765,"position":2},"title":"NBG Nat Bike Week 2029 Announcement","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"August 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0In order to demonstrate that the National Bicycle Greenway is for all Americans, we long had needed to do this from a central location. This is why, in 2018, we moved to Indianapolis, the Crossroads of America, the Greenway Capital of the Nation, the real Gateway to the West,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Screen-Shot-2022-08-25-at-11.42.22-AM.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12480,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2017\/02\/06\/davis-nbg-fest-to-launch-2017-nat-mayors-ride-to-dc\/","url_meta":{"origin":16765,"position":3},"title":"Davis NBG Fest to Launch 2017 Nat. Mayors’ Ride to DC","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"February 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 From graphic design magician, Eric Warp, here is the poster for the May 27, 2017 Davis NBG Fest, the symbolic kick-off for our SF\/Oakland to Washington, DC, 15th Mayors' Ride campaign !!! \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Toward this end, Davis Car-Free, bike zealot Mayor,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"NBG Bike Fest 2017 poster","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/NBG-Bike-Fest-2017-poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1289,"url":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/2013\/07\/23\/nbg-sf-to-dc-map-progress-eagle-in-irish-colors\/","url_meta":{"origin":16765,"position":4},"title":"NBG SF to DC Map Progress | Eagle in Irish Colors","author":"awakeagainmartin@gmail.com","date":"July 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Per the overview map below, in synthesizing all the notes our NBG Scouts have compiled since 2002, our National Bicycle Greenway coast-to-coast route will soon be available on line! 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If you are selected, you will get a brand new, free recumbent bicycle to do so.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "NBG Certificate of Accomplishment"","block_context":{"text":"NBG Certificate of Accomplishment","link":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/category\/nbg-certificate-of-accomplishment\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/202545453_2934799076807785_1121841685936663798_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/202545453_2934799076807785_1121841685936663798_n.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/202545453_2934799076807785_1121841685936663798_n.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/202545453_2934799076807785_1121841685936663798_n.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16765"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16768,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16765\/revisions\/16768"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bikeroute.com\/NationalBicycleGreenwayNews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}