Rusty Crank Coast to Coast Bicycle Tour across the USA on the ACA TransAM Route

My name is Robert Hickman. I'm an artist and college professor from Brooklyn, NY. I make sculptural objects, installations, and public art. My work can be seen on my website at hickmanindustries.com . I've done many transportation related public art projects, the best known being the skylight for the 72nd street subway station on the Upper West Side in Manhattan. I'm recognized for my unicycling and project to cross every single bridge in New York City on a unicycle , currently at 471 bridges crossed. We were the first to traverse the Florida Keys on unicycles . I have crossed 178 bridges in St. Petersburg, Russia on one wheel. I rode my bike around Sardinia in 2007. My girlfriend and I cycled the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany, New York in 2015. I commute everywhere in NYC by bike, often with my dog Blanka . I've always said that I would bicycle across North America after my son graduated from high school. Caleb begins Berklee College of Music in May 2018, and...

• Introduction • Gear List • Shakedown Ride Day #1 • Shakedown Ride Day #2 • The Drive to Yorktown • TransAm Day #1 Yorktown to Glendale, VA - Virginia is spoiling me • TransAm Day #2 Glendale VA to Mineral VA - 82 miles of beautiful riding and I beat the rain • TransAm Day #3 Mineral VA to Charlottesville VA - Here come the hills • TransAm Day #4 Charlottesville VA to Love VA - I've conquered Afton Mountain 💥🎉🚴‍♂️ • TransAm Day #5 Love, VA - Buchanan, VA - The other side of the ridge • TransAm Day #6 Buchanan, VA - Christiansburg, VA - Hot day with steep Virginia grades • TransAm Day #7 Christiansburg, VA - Wytheville, VA - These hills • TransAm Day #8 Wytheville, VA - Damascus, VA - Reunited #TeamR2S conquers Hurricane Mountain • TransAm Day #9 Damascus, VA - Breaks, VA - The Triplets of Belleville • TransAm Day #10 Breaks, VA - Hindman, KY - We caught up with the pack • TransAm Day #11 Hindman, KY - Booneville, KY - Day of the attack dogs • Tr...

WEIGHT • Bike + gear (incl water) 93.4lbs • Bike 34lbs • Gear (incl water) 59.4 lbs • Front left (weather/cards+stickers/power pack) 9.2 lbs • Front right (tools/medical) 9.2 lbs • handlebar bag 4.8 lbs • seat bag 1lb • Rear left (book/clothing)  8.5 lbs • Rear right (maps/clothing/food) 8.5 lbs • Luggage bag (camping) 12.2 lbs • Water/lock 6 lbs EQUIPMENT LIST BIKE • Surly Long Haul Trucker 64cm frame 700mm wheels • DT SWISS TK540 36H 7 rear  rim w/ M99 spokes • modified 11-34 cassette • modified 22-32-44 chain ring • Brooks B67 Saddle • Continental Contact II Reflex Bike Tires • Shimano PD-M324 dual sided pedals • Tubus Cargo Evo Rear Rack • Tubus Tara Front Rack • Planet Bike Cascadia bike fenders - 700mm x 45mm • Bontrager gel cork Handlebar tape • 3 Water Bottle Cages • Lezyne Air pump mount • CatEye - Volt 300 Rechargeable Headlight (mounted to front rack with with hose clamps and 1” wooden dowel) • CatEye ...

Shakedown Ride Day #1 May 7, 2018 Brooklyn to Harriman - 65 Miles Ride Time 6.5 Hours Total 65 Miles details at: http://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180507-1154 I began the ride shortly before noon, after taking Blanka to Charlotte’s House (which should count as an extra 10 miles). Seven hours later, I’m laying in my hammock listening to the birds chirp as I eat granola and apples. The nearest restaurant is 5 miles down an enormous hill. There’s no way I’m going back down there for warm food and beer. I’m exhausted and sore. The end of the ride was frustrating having gotten lost and going an extra 15 miles. I had map problems and gps problems. One of my biggest difficulties is not being able to read the gps because of my crappy vision. The magnifier I bought didn’t work. My reading glasses are tricking putting and off on while riding, and I loathe constantly stopping- which I really need to do, until I get a better solution worked out. There’s nothing more aggrav...

Shakedown Ride Day #2 May 8, 2018 Harriman to Brooklyn - 54 Miles Ride Time 4.21 Hours Total 119 Miles details at: http://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180508-0858 I’m sitting in my bathtub in Brooklyn with full-on epson salts, eating tuna fish and drinking cold beer. My wet camping gear is hanging on the laundry line. I still have to pick up Blanka which will add 10 miles to my day. The shakedown ride was good! I learned that I’m well prepared and that I need many of the things I was unsure of. I’ve planned well, and can definitely handle the TransAm. The birds and wildlife woke me up early. I didn’t have the best night’s sleep. I tried to imagine that I was in my own bed, but the reality fell far short. I got up before 8am and was packed in an hour. I paid for my campsite and bombed it down the hill to Stoney Point. I hung a right on 9W and saw how badly I had screwed up yesterday. My plan today was to stay on 9W all the way to the George Washington bridge. Howeve...

This past week has been a whirlwind. My teaching semester ended last week. Over the weekend I drove my son Caleb up to Maine for his final performance, and then on Tuesday he started college at Berklee School of Music in Boston. My final ACA map arrived on Saturday and all the remaining pieces have fallen into place. Charlotte made me a special birthday celebration when I returned from Boston, and I got to spend a little time with #BlankaTheDog before heading off. Yesterday I had all my hair buzzed off. (Charlotte hates it!) I was definitely influenced by the fantastic cross country cycling blogs by Micheal Riscica, and I distinctly remember his helmet tan. Soon I’ll be sporting one of my own. The rental car pick up and getting out of New York went smoothly. It cost a fortune, this being Memorial Day Weekend. I should have gotten the EZ Pass transponder. I shouldn’t have listened to Waze and stayed on I-95. Whatever. I made it to the hotel in Yorktown with enough time to UPS my bik...

TransAm Day #1 May 26, 2018 Yorktown, VA to Glendale, VA - 64 Miles Ride Time 4.44 Hours Tour Total 64 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180526-0908 I woke up at 6am revved up and raring to go. Steve H and I had arranged to meet at 7:45 in the Yorktown Motel parking lot. I had plenty of time to fidget, fine tune, and make last minute adjustments. It was such a freeing experience shutting that motel door with the key card locked inside. Onward into the unknown! Steve and I pedaled over to the Yorktown Victory Monument where we met Steve G. from Annapolis. The Victory Monument commemorates the signing of the end of the American revolution. It is located where the York river enters the Chesapeake Bay, and is the official TransAm starting point. Steve G and his wife Laura had just arrived when we pulled in. We took photos in front of the monument and then rode down to the beach for our tire dipping ceremony. Cyclists traveling westbound dip the...

TransAm Day #2 May 27, 2018 Glendale, VA to Mineral, VA - 83 Miles Ride Time 6.10 Hours Tour Total 150 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180527-0619 I didn’t sleep well last night on the floor of Willis Methodist Church. I definitely missed my comfortable bed back home. My alarm began clamoring at 5am. The plan was to leave by 6. In a kitchen cabinet dedicated to visiting cyclists, I scored instant oatmeal which I prepared and ate while I packed my gear. Outside, the pavement was wet from last night’s rain. The temperature was cool and it was overcast. It was a perfect day for covering ground. The goal was 80 miles. I’ve been following VA cyclist route 76, and we spent much of the day on two lane country roads. Car traffic was never bad. I literally passed a thousand churches of every form and denomination. I was out on the road hours before Sunday morning services, and the parking lots were still empty. Much of the roadway was tree lined. ...

TransAm Day #3 May 28, 2018 Mineral, VA to Charlottesville, VA - 55 Miles Ride Time 4:06 Hours Tour Total 204 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180528-0600 Last night I slept on a community room banquet table upstairs at the back of Mineral fire station. The large wood paneled room had about 20 large tables and metal folding chairs set up in rows. I was able to organize my gear and string up a laundry line. My extension cord once again came in handy, as I created an work area with a charging station and mobile office set up (this phone). After the church, I couldn’t bear to sleep on another floor. I did a sit test in the table to make sure it wouldn’t collapse like the ones I used to have at Hunter College. It held me fine. Both Steve’s worried I’d roll off in the middle of the night. My Therm-a-rest did created a narrow rounded ridge down the center, but I never rolled off. A ceiling fan whirred above me all night. I didn’t sleep great. I go...

TransAm Day #4 May 29, 2018 Charlottesville, VA -  Love, VA 49 Miles Ride Time 4:50 Hours Tour Total 261 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180529-0637-79403 I have been worried about this day for five months. Today I climbed Afton mountain, which most cyclists say is the most difficult climb heading west on the TransAm. Granted, the Rockies have higher elevations- but the grades are much more gentle. The only comparison I could make to today is Monte Grappa and the Alpini in Northern Italy where I toured in 2008. Today was tough. Serious climbing began 10 miles out of Charlottesville. Steve G had me worried about poison ivy along side the road and I was a little paranoid about it. Approaching White Hall I could start to see the mountains. The big ones were lurking behind the rising fog. It never rained last night and the humidity was near 100%. My jersey was soaked. The locals refer to this as air you can wear. My first stop was Wyant’s S...

TransAm Day #5 May 30, 2018 Love, VA - Buchanan, VA 70 Miles Ride Time 5:16 Hours Tour Total 327 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180530-0855-03634 I regret to write that the #R2S team has come to an impasse. Because of a stomach virus, Steve H is staying behind in Love. Steve G and I are pushing forward without him. There was heavy rain all night long. I finally had a good night’s sleep, probably because of the hot tub soak. I slept right through a bear trying to force it’s way into our cabin, which awoke both Steves. The bear was probably after Steve H’s two turkey sandwiches tucked away in the fridge. Steve H had left his bear spray on his bike out on the front porch. I slept through all the commotion. There was a deluge at 5am reveille, so our 6am departure was pushed back to 8. The three of us shared stories around the breakfast table before #TeamRS headed off. Steve H gave Steve G a Kevlar spoke in case of more rim problems. I’m pickin...

TransAm Day #6 May 31, 2018 Buchanan, VA - Christiansburg, VA  68 Miles Ride Time 5:16 Hours Tour Total 395 Miles details at: https://cyclemeter.com/4b2d99e24f1383f2/Cycle-20180531-0800-57656 Minus Steve H slacker #teamRS got off to an 8am start. We had the worst breakfast so far on the tour, consisting of prepackaged foods and horrible coffee. To make up for it, we made off with a pannier’s worth of granola bars and Cliff bars. It was another hot muggy day. Several times I passed cows standing in streams trying to cool themselves. I rode up through a series of valleys, and it was wild looking up at the surrounding 3000’ peaks knowing that two days ago I was up on an even higher ridge. For much of the day I was on a narrow 20’ wide country road that paralleled and criss-crossed a train line. There really wasn’t a whole lot of room for cars to pass one another, and I  was startled by a woman in a red minivan who came clipping towards me in the middle of the road a l...