The Route So Far - Google Maps


View X-America by Bicycle in a larger map

Why?

We are doing this ride to raise money for Research Autism. We are aiming to raise £20,000.
We are supporting Research Autism because my cousin Jamie is severely affected by the disease, and I have seen its effects not only on him but on the whole family." He is 13yrs old, but cannot yet talk.
Just take a moment to imagine not being able to talk.
Imagine understanding everything going on around you, but not being able to comment.
Imagine having to be dressed every morning in clothes you don't choose, and then hurting your parents as you try to tell them you wanted the blue shirt today.
Imagine being swamped by having to hear everything that everyone is saying around you, and not being able to listen to just one thing at once. Jamie loves being in a swimming pool, just floating, legs held motionless by the weight of the water, while he keeps his ears underwater to just relax, hearing nothing.
He understands everything - he appears to have a photographic memory - but can’t get his thoughts out.
Frustration leads to despair, and anger, which is just one of the many things that his family has to deal with.
He has extremely specific eating requirements and requires round the clock supervision. Jamie is at the severe end of the autistic spectrum, but given that one in 100 people suffer from the disease (with varying severity), and that everyone has some autistic traits, it is shocking that so little is known about it'.
Click here to support our cause and donate to Research Autism.
Read the "Meet Jamie" post - the only post in February, for more information about Jamie, and a poem - painstakingly slow for Jamie to type, but ultimately incredible.

Photo Video - New York to St Louis

June 17, 2010

Nevada - Mountains, Wind, Cold, and nothing.

Day 52 - Majors Junction, NV to Ely, NV 27 miles, 8 waves, 3 burgers Total 5300kms

We were planning on another 30 miles today, but from Ely we have another long stretch with nothing - 78 miles with no services. After a look at the weather forecast, we decided against riding further - it is no fun to camp when it's -2C, windy and raining. Instead we'll take a break and do a longer day tomorrow, when the wind dies down abit.

We took off Alex's cassette (the gear thing on the back) this morning, moved the bungy cord (which had somehow got extremely stuck), and put it all back together, in about 5 minutes - we are getting good at fixing bikes.

The wind is tough to ride against - to put it into perspective: yesterday Alex and I set new top speeds of 54mph, down a 5 mile hill at 6% gradient. Today, we had another 5 mile hill at 6% gradient, but despite pedalling hard, neither of us got above 25mph. The difference - the wind. It is depressing to go down a steep hill using so much energy yet going so slowly. Winds of over 30 mph are happening today - scheduled to go down tomorrow luckily.

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