Cross-country bicyclists ride in Kane area

October 24, 2010

Photo by Ted Lutz – These three California men rode through the Kane area Saturday during a 15,000-mile journey that will cross 49 states. The bicyclists include, left to right: Matt Schiff, Aaron Viducich and his brother, Tommy Viducich. The ride—known as “bike49”—promotes bicycle travel and encourages youngsters to spend more time enjoying the outdoors.

Action speaks louder than words.
This is the message carried by brothers Aaron and Tommy Viducich, and their friend Matt Schiff.
The three bicyclists from California are in the midst of a 15,000-mile crusade to encourage youngsters to spend more time outdoors.
“We’re talking to the next generation about getting outside and having some adventures,” Aaron Viducich said as the bicyclists took a break Saturday near Kane. “There’s a whole world to explore; get out there and grab it.”
The bicyclists are young men themselves. Aaron and Matt are 28; Tommy is 25.
The three began their cross-country odyssey in May in Eureka, Calif. They plan to travel by bike in every state, except Hawaii, and return home by next June. Their website—bike49.org—says the bicyclists are “pedaling towards a sustainable future.”
Carrying camping gear and food on their heavily-laden bicycles, the three passed through Kane, Mt. Jewett and Hazel Hurst via Route 66 and Route 6. They hope to reach Maine before the snow flies and then head south along the East Coast.
“After we go to Maine, we’ll head straight down the coast to escape the snow,” Viducich said.
The bicyclists travel between 50 and 80 miles a day and generally take off one day a week for rest.
“We ride slow and never push it,” Viducich said.
The riders most often camp along the way, but sometimes receive invitations to stay with families and eat a home-cooked meal.
“The hospitality is just amazing,” Viducich said. “A lot of people have opened their homes to us. We’ve met some great families.”
As part of the cross-country tour, the bicyclists stop to speak to school children about the virtues of the “great outdoors.”
The bicyclists so far have made presentations before 3,000 students in 26 schools. Some programs have involved assemblies for students in elementary and middle schools. Other presentations have taken place in individual classrooms in the schools.
“These presentations are about inspiring students to dream big and create goals that test their strengths, challenge their bodies and fill their lives with adventure and fun,” Sara Dykman said in a report on the bicycle journey.
Dykman was the fourth original member of “bike49.” She suffered a broken ankle in a non-biking “recreational” incident in Nebraska and required surgery that ended her trip.
The bicyclists are financing the 14-month cross-country trip themselves. However, they have received donations from the public and from food and gear sponsors.
Since meals are eaten at campsites or at homes along the way, the bicyclists don’t often need to spend money dining out.
Tommy Viducich, however, doesn’t mind an occasional restaurant stop.
He has a personal goal to eat pizza in all 49 states on the trek.