Sarah Laskow of Atlas Obscura just shared the great story of George Wyman, a motorcyclist who rode from San Francisco to New York over fifty days in 1903. It was grueling – he had to pedal the last 150 miles because the engine quit, but he made it! And here’s what most people don’t know – he was the first person to go across the country in a motorized vehicle! Two other gentleman (and a dog) crossed the country, taking 63 days and arriving 20 days after Wyman finished. Chalk up another victory for two wheelers!
This story is back in the news because an organization called the George A. Wyman Memorial Project has been plotting Wyman’s original route with the hope that you can now recreate the 3,800 mile journey yourself:
from http://wymanmemorialproject.blogspot.com/p/pooints-along-way.html
From the article:
On his way east, Wyman spent so many miles jittering along on railroad ties that his lower back started to ache, but when he tried the roads, his bike would get stuck in the sand or mud. He started writing of the “hoodoo” that haunted his journey and threw away a vest to try to rid himself of his bad luck. In the Rockies, he forded cold mountain streams. In Wyoming he only found his way over a mountain by following a trail of hoof prints that then-President Teddy Roosevelt and his entourage had left there the day before.
This Memorial Day weekend, several riders will attempt to replicate the route – and the Iron Butt Association has even opened up a certification for it if you do it during the date range that Wyman himself rode (May 16 – July 6).
Click here to read the article, and click here for details on the route!
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Steve Z!