The (Not So) Secret Life of a Social Work Academic

What do social work academics do in their spare time? Well, they ride a bike across America, of course!

OK, so that’s a bit extreme. But it’s exactly what a colleague of mine has done. And the book he’s written about the adventure has just been published.

Forty Days Across America

In 2015, my colleague Andy Hill rode his bike across America. The challenge he set himself was to cover the 4,000 mile route in 40 days. Yes, that’s a staggering average of 100 miles per day. And he had no support vehicle to jump into if he got tired.

He had been planning the trip for a number of years, carefully plotting the route and checking the satellite view of Google Maps to ensure that the roads were actually roads and not dirt tracks. His planning was meticulous, right down to finding diners, shops and gas stations for refueling, and places to stay along the way.

But he didn’t set out to raise money for charity (which he did) or raise awareness about a particular issue (which he didn’t). He just came up with the idea and proved all his doubters wrong that a middle-aged social work academic can get on his bike and pedal across America.

Seattle to Boston in 40 days

On 4th July 2015 Andy set out from Seattle with his mountaineering friend Tim to ride across America to Boston. They both had lightweight bikes carrying the bare minimum of luggage, with only each other for company. Riding for such a long time without any support is a seriously risky venture. Any significant mechanical problem if miles away from a bike shop could scupper the challenge in an instant. There would also be no rest for sore legs in a cool air-conditioned car. All they had ahead of them was 4,000 miles of hot tarmac and concrete.

Andy’s story of the ride is truly engaging. Forty Days Across America mixes his wry observations about the places he visited and the people he met with engaging insights into the challenge of a long-distance cycle ride.

He provides a cyclist’s perspective of America. In a country where SUVs are big and numerous, and road cyclists are few and far between, he vividly describes the evasive action required to stay alive on America’s roads. Finding quiet roads was not always possible, forcing him to ride on the shoulder of large highways amidst the detritus discarded from passing vehicles. Not a pleasant experience, by the sound of it.

The narrative of Forty Days Across America is infused with the geography and history of the landscapes and settlements he rode through. The great joy of cycling is that you are immersed in the physicality of a location. By cycling up to a mountain pass you have truly earned the breathtaking view at the top. Driving up the same road is just not the same. Andy’s description of the landscapes he rode through is so vivid it’s as if you are riding tandem and experiencing it with him. The snippets of history he provides helps you to appreciate how places have grown up and why some are either avoided or venerated by Americans. But this is much more than a travel book. It’s essentially about survival.

A common thread throughout the book is the search for food. While not exactly performing the role of a hunter-gatherer, a key preoccupation of any long-distance cyclist is to imbibe sufficient calories to fuel the body’s engine to enable you to reach your destination. And if you’re riding up to 150 miles a day, with no support vehicle to feed you energy bars when you’re feeling peckish, you need to find a lot of calories on the open road to keep you going. Andy’s search for second breakfasts, chicken salads and giant steaks, washed down with American IPA, therefore feature prominently throughout his 40 days on the bike.

Andy’s wry sense of humour stays with him right to Boston, helping him to overcome the challenges he encounters along the way. His modesty – or English reserve – is apparent throughout. Not one to boast about his achievements, Andy has written an engaging account of this unique experience. Developed out of his blog (urebank.eu) – where you can find loads of pictures of this and many other long-distance rides he has undertaken – Forty Days Across America reminds us that the seemingly impossible can be achieved with careful planning and plenty of determination. As his mate Tim advised when the going got tough, “just keep pedalling”.

But it very nearly didn’t happen

For five years up to his retirement in 2017 I have had the pleasure of sharing my commute with Andy. As well as having good company to take my mind off the tedium of riding the same roads each day, sharing the time spent on the front (protecting each other from some of the wind) helped the ride to work pass swiftly. This may even have provided him with the idea for bringing an egg timer with him on his ride across America… But I am ashamed to admit that one of these routine rides to work almost scuppered his epic ride before he stepped on the plane to America.

A few weeks before he left, we were riding side by side on a sunny morning on a quiet country lane we both knew well on our way to York. A left turn was approaching but for some reason I missed it. I went straight on and Andy, riding on my right, rode straight into me. It was completely my fault. I missed the turn and rode across his path. He was badly hurt and had to turn around to ride home. Fortunately, he only suffered some bumps and bruises rather than broken bones, and was back on his bike in a few days. But it could have been much worse.

Andy retired last year and I miss his company on my ride to work. But when we do get the chance to go out for a ride together, Andy shouts ‘left turn’ with a wry smile when turning off the road. It’s better to be safe than be sorry…