Why I Biked Across Country
I biked across the country twice: for a total of nearly 7k miles.
There are some caveats to that, of course — I biked with a group, we had a chaser van that carried our luggage (and there were days that we carried riders). But there are also some additions to that — we stayed with whoever was willing to house a group of ~30 twenty-something smelly riders. That meant sleeping on a lot of hard floors, some nights of camping, and virtually no time alone (which is hard for an introvert). We also helped build houses along with way, fundraising for both our trip’s costs and affordable housing charities. I can tell you, it is much more challenging to hang drywall after biking 80 miles.
The decision to bike across country with Bike & Build came from a Christmas-time after-dinner talk with my cousin, aunt and mom on what I want to do post-college. I had just broken up with my college boyfriend and either needed to find another apartment asap, or move on to something entirely. I was open to moving across the country, but I wasn’t sure how or where.
Initially I wanted to bike solo. I read some books and mustered up the courage to talk to my parents. They said: no. So after talking with my cousin about Bike & Build, it seemed like an acceptable alternative: there’d be a group of riders, it was a known group with several rides under its belt, and I’d end back up in California.
There was much to gain from cycling across country according to my studies in college. Novelty, exercise, new friendships, and awesome sights could help thwart potential depression and boost my happiness. Exposure from new people across the country could build empathy across new perspectives to me. Plus investing in community, financially and physically is also shown to be a happiness booster.
Lastly, I was also keenly aware from my psych courses that an effective way to treat phobias was to face them head on. I had been a cyclist for years, but after getting hit by a car in high school, I would get panic attacks anytime I went cycling with cars around. What better way to face this phobia then to put myself in an inescapable situation with it.
So, one could argue, that my studies in psychology helped convince me to bike across the country the first time. Through it I did gain what I had hoped for: new experiences, killer quads, friendships that I have to this day. In many ways it helped ease my phobia of cycling around cars. I’d say now I have a healthy level that keeps me off busy streets. But it wasn’t always the depression-thwarter I had hoped for on a day-to-day basis.
It was the most challenging experience I’ve ever gone through. Little did I know, on the first trip, I also had giardia (an intestinal parasite) that I carried with me until Utah which certainly depleted my nutrition (a story for another day). I had to learn how to clearly communicate my needs while recognizing my own limits of feeling tired alongside those around me. I had to engage all of my energy, already depleted, in community-style meals with the lovely hosts we stayed with. I had to battle headstrong winds that made us move <9 mph in the most mundane parts of Texas and Kansas. I learned to be okay with me or with the challenges of other people when I just want to get through the day and eat something. I had to keep pushing even when I didn’t want to. I had to face dangerous situations of cycling downhill in the rain, seeking coverage during lightning storms, figuring out how to cross washed-out roads, and worst of all probably was the danger of other humans — people driving that’d get too close in their RVs, that were texting while driving, or that were straight up aggressive towards us.
But through those experiences I’ve become a more aware driver, a more tolerant human even when my energy is low, and incredibly grateful that my body and my mind are so capable. I also learned a lot about the rest of the U.S. and through that experience made the leap to move to the east coast on my own.
psychology courses from college employed: Psychology of sleep, clinical psychology, psychology of happiness, Buddhist psychology
