Discovering America on the less traveled path

Due to logistical issues and to the difficulty of the endeavor, no cyclist has ever attempted to ride across the United States, connecting the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, riding exclusively on dirt tracks, trails and gravel roads. My eventual goal in the American Dirt Project is to establish the first transcontinental bicycling route across the United States that is entirely on single-track, dirt trail and gravel and fire roads, and to ride this first-ever route in a cross-country race fashion like the famous RAAM race. The true challenge of this undertaking is to mandate that any forward progress on asphalt or concrete road be forbade!   

                              The 2011 American Dirt Prologue

My TransCan Backroads 09' trip and my TransUSA Backroads 10' trip were "intro classes" so to speak where I could learn about the demands, rigors and logistical issues of transcontinental cycling. The lessons learned from those two treks have prepared me for the challenge of organizing an adventure that has considerably more logistical and preparational issues. In 2011 I will attempt to do a self-supported "test" ride on a route I've created that will hopefully consist of 50-75% soft surfaces. Whether I can make this trip a full continental crossing on such a route will depend on time/money/fitness. I'm calling this test ride the American Dirt Prologue. Hopefully this test ride will prepare me to take the next step in trying to organize and accomplish a full soft-surface crossing at race pace. 

With this large an undertaking, I've now come to accept the fact that this project will likely take several years to accomplish. The route recon work as well as many grueling days of riding on soft surfaces will make this years Prologue quite possibly one of the hardest US bicycle crossings yet attempted. And to take it one step further by doing absolutely everything on soft surfaces and by doing it at race pace, well, that would have to rank as the hardest endurance event in North America. But for now it's one step at a time. So for 2011 I must find out just HOW difficult this endeavor really is by having a basic route in place, by riding as much as that route as possible, and by producing still and video work for marketing projects.  

                            The 2012-2013 American Dirt Project

The parameters for the American Dirt Project are: 1) Establish the first ever route across the United States that is completely on soft surfaces and on completely legal right-of-ways 2) Setting a time constraint on the crossing such that it be done at race pace, thereby setting up a scenario where other riders would want to take up the challenge of setting a better time. 

Local and national print and television media are being targeted - from the planning stages of the project back in late 2010, through my prologue ride this year, up to the start of the event in 2012 or 2013. In addition to getting press in local and national medias, the American Dirt Project will be publicized via Facebook, Twitter, on an American Dirt website, at running and cycling events, at presentations, and through the production of a series of American Dirt route maps for each of the states involved in the project. 

In order to even begin such a project we will need light weight carbon fiber 29er mountain bikes with plenty of spare equipment, a support team and at least one if not two support vehicles, special nutritional needs, digital HD still-photo and video camera equipment, a videographer/movie maker, and on and on and on. It's a high stakes chess game to even get off the starting line with an event such as this. Ultimately the goal is to produce a 30 minute to one hour documentary that will be shown at national film festivals. 

I are currently seeking sponsorship on several different levels. If you are interested in participating in the American Dirt Project as a sponsor or donor please contact me at pjgladd@aol.com/330-655-9350.