5005 miles...who, what, why, why, how, where and when.

The "who" is the easy part, so I'll start there - me! A charming, good looking, intelligent, funny cyclist...wasn't available, so I said I would do it.

The "what" is a 5005 mile bike ride to promote Brita Climate Ride - a 5 day ride in September that will take 250 enthusiastic riders from the awe that is the Big Apple to the awe-inspiring steps of the U.S. Capitol. My 5005 pedalled miles will come in two parts. First, I'll be spending a couple of months riding through, in, around and between the major cities connecting Boston to Washington. Next, I'll take 8 weeks to ride from San Francisco to New York where I'll arrive in time to join the rest of the Climate Riders for the 300 mile rolling classroom to our nation's capital..

"Why?" Because I like cycling and I like the earth. Duh.

"Why part 2 - why 5005?" Well, best I can guess - never done this before - the total mileage should end up being somewhere around 5000 miles. And since I like bicycles better than tricycles, I decided to go with five thousand and somethin'. Feng Shui dictated that the final digit had to be a 5. It was all really quite obvious, actually.

The "how" has several answers. I'll be riding, camping, couchsurfing and warmshowering while I try to meet as many cyclists, environmentalists, concerned citizens and people with nothing better to do, as possible. I'll be visiting bike shops, attending festivals, speaking at meetings, going on rides, chillin' in parks and anything else I can think of that allows an opportunity to speak with those aforementioned folk. Oh yeah, and hours and hours and hours and hours of sitting in front of my 10" screen trying to find people to contact. Anyone know a good optometrist?

The "where" (or at least as far as I can predict) has been covered and the "when" is...right now - gotta go!