2,400 Miles By Bike

Sixty-three-year-old Robert Downes paused along the side of the road during his bicycle trek from Seattle to Traverse City to talk about his ambitious, 2,400 mile journey.

He's been peddling 60 miles a day since departing Washington, and is now in Missoula, Montana, where he was a guest speaker at the Montana Bicycle Celebration, one of the largest gathering of bike enthusiasts in the world. He discussed his book, “Biking Northern Michigan,” attempting to entice avid cyclists to the roads and trails he knows so well.

“People are looking for places to ride bikes. You know, these are the people who do the heavy touring all over the world,” Downes says during a break on a roadside. “I think northern Michigan is about the best cycling in the world from what I’ve seen so far.”

Downes, the former co-owner and editor of Northern Express, has ridden bicycles all over the world. He’s toured Europe numerous times. One of the reasons he embarked on a cross-country bike ride this summer is because he realized he never really explored the U.S. on a bike.

“I’m kind of addicted to travel so I couldn’t resist this idea to see America for a change,” Downes says.

He's having an adventure. He writes on Facebook: “Saw a wolf loping across a field in western Montana yesterday and three elk leapt across the road right in front of my bike the day before that. Beauties!"

At another point, Downes says he "got pounded by eight hours of heavy rain at a lonely spot up in the Bitteroot mountain range. My micro tent held up.”

Downes left Seattle on June 28 and gave himself 14 days to cover the 700 miles to Missoula. To do that he needed to cycle 50 miles a day. During the first week he averaged 60 miles per day in the first week, even through challenging mountains. He’s following the Northern Tier route designated by the Adventure Cycling Association.

Missoula marks a six-day rest for Downes, who's been staying at a hostel. As he prepares to depart Montana, he'll continue his trip back to Traverse City, reaching Michigan by ferry from Wisconsin. The whole trip is around 2,400 miles.

While on the road Downes camps each night, at campgrounds if he can find them, or will find a place to hide himself if he can’t.

“You know, it’s a big country,” he says. “I really haven’t had to do that yet, but if I need to, I’ll just camp wherever I can find a spot.”

He has a stove to make coffee in the morning and he eats from grocery store delis. He sleeps in an ultralight tent that weighs three pounds and is barely bigger than his body. Each day’s ride makes Downes so exhausted that he typically falls asleep as soon as he sets up camp each night. It’s exhausting but fun.

“I’m having a really good time,” he says. “I’m seeing some gorgeous scenery here.”

On the road, Downes has taken measures to make sure drivers can see him. He wears a florescent yellow jersey and he’s attached an orange flag and a safety triangle to the back of his bike. He’s got yellow rain covers over his panniers.

“I make sure people can see me from a mile away,” he says.

Downes said the Rocky Mountain climbs have been tough so far. He's riding a 30-pound touring bike and he’s carrying 40 pounds of gear, which makes going up hills hard. He says he’s had to tell himself to ease off a bit to make sure he doesn’t over-exert himself.

“You could get so exhausted you could just fall right off your bike if you don’t watch out,” he says.

Downes hopes to be back in Traverse City (and back with his understanding wife Jeanette) six weeks from the day he left.