Work to Eat. Eat to live. Live to Bike. Bike to Work.

But for a whole year?  Yup.  In the year 2000, I participated in the world’s first and only 200 person, 35 country, 6 continent, 20,000 mile bicycle tour.  We left Jan 1 from LA kicking off the Rose Bowl Parade.  We rode all the way down to Baja.  Flew to Costa Rica.  Rode through Panama and the canal.  Flew to Chile.  Rode to Buenas Aires.  Flew to Johanesburg.  Rode from JoBurg to Cape Town.  Took some time off for a Safari.  Hiked through Drakensburg Mountain Range where JRR Tolken was inspired for The Misty Mountains in the Hobbit.  That leg took a whole month.  We took several months in Europe.  Norway, Finland and Sweden mere magical.  Back to the states and Canada.  Rode from  Montreal to Quebec City.  Back to Europe and then to The Land Down Under.  We were there for the Sydney Olympics.  Got certified Scuba Diving at The Great Barrier Reef.  China, Japan and Thailand were magnificent.  Back in NY January 2001.  Wow – a lifetime memory.   Usually when I tell someone this story they inevitably ask me how much it cost.  Very few are able to guess.   How much do you think a trip like this cost?  It included 2 meals a day for a year,  all sleeping 60% hotel and 40% camping, a bicycle, a gear truck, a massage therapist, a daily printed itinerary, 18 international flights – and nothing else.  Wanna guess?  Email me your guess!  Get a calculator if you have to.  Email me your guess and who ever is closest gets a prize….  I’ll give you a hint.  It cost a lot.  A lot more then you might guess.  And a lot less then you might think.  More than I had at the time, but less than I have now.  A lot less than the memories they were worth but a lot more than some people earn in a month.  But less than some people pay in taxes and slightly more than the population of some of the countries that we visited.  Certainly less than the …. well you get the picture.  Bottom line – it was worth every penny!