A young cyclist with a broad brimmed helmet/sun hat made his way through Longmont on Thursday as part of his 6,200 mile journey across the country.
Ian Randman is roughly a third of the way through his bike ride from the southernmost point of the U.S. to the northernmost point — from Key West, Florida to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.
From New York, the recent college graduate has biked northwest through Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and now Colorado.
The ride is a fundraiser for Tackle Kids Cancer in memory of his cousin, Josh. Randman has raised over $2,000 so far with about 2,500 miles behind him.
Taking a break in the shade at Rough and Ready Park in Longmont, he summarized his trip so far in one word: “Hot.”
“Nineties and hundreds every day,” he said. “Luckily, once I got to Kansas the humidity dropped quite a bit.”
Randman said he averages between 65 and 85 miles a day, biking for up to eight hours.
“It’s a full-day endeavor, especially with the breaks from the heat and the sun,” he said.
By the time he reaches Alaska, he expects it to be mid-October. While he’s not too concerned about the snow up there, his parents are worried about bears so Randman picked up a canister and bear spray in Denver.
He said his journey has had its challenges, from bike troubles to dog chases, a tropical storm and tornadoes in eastern Colorado, but it’s also been an interesting time.
“I slept in a prison one night — willingly,” Randman said. “On the good side of the door.”
As for why biking is his transportation method of choice to get across the country, Randman was pretty practical.
“Biking is efficient. Gas prices are high,” he said. “I’ve been biking since I was young, so I like biking. I like camping. I like suffering. So here I am.”
Randman posts blogs daily and shares a map of his progress on his website, which also has a link to the fundraiser.
