The cyclists rest in Moab, Utah, June 1992. Clockwise from left,
Gary, Jeff, Dario, Jon, Mike, and Ken.
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Cross Country by Bike
While most of Michael Foley’s peers at CSU, Chico spent
the last summer of their college careers working or just enjoying
the respite from academics, he and five of his friends decided
to see the United States—by bicycle. On June 1, 1992, Foley
(BA, Information and Communication Studies, ’93); fellow
CSU, Chico students Jeff Cantarutti (BS, Business Administration, ’94),
Ken Husband (BA, ICST, ’93; MA, ICST, ’95), and Jon
Wynacht (BA, English, ’93); Butte College student Gary Thompson;
and Marin County resident Dario Frederick set off on a 55-day bike
trip from Chico to Santee, South Carolina.
Along the way, they encountered a storm of grasshoppers in Utah,
lightning and hail in the New Mexico desert, a mosquito attack
in Oklahoma, unfriendly policemen in Tennessee, and a gun-waving
bully in South Carolina. They slept in the same smelly sleeping
bags day after day in all kinds of weather. They faced bike malfunctions,
countless meals of beans and rice, assorted injuries, and plenty
of biting insects.
But the biggest challenge, says Foley, was just getting along. “The
physical challenge, the mental challenge, of course those were
always there,” he says. “But the group dynamics, they
really play a part when you are sharing tent space 24–7—in
the rain and all the adverse conditions.”
The group got through it with only a couple grouchy moments, as
detailed in Foley’s new book, Bicycling Beyond City Limits,
based on his journal entries from the 3,345-mile trip. And in the
end, it strengthened the bonds they established at CSU, Chico and
as part of the Chico cycling community.
Twelve years later, in 2004, the group poses where the 1992 cross-country
tour began. From left, Jeff, Mike, Ken, Gary, Jon, and Dario.
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What they remember most, says Foley, is the overall “kindness
of the American people.” Friendly strangers offered the group
meals and places to sleep for the night. They enjoyed a game at
the local ballpark in Boise City, Oklahoma, and pancakes and bacon
with a family in Milford, Utah. Reflecting on the experience nearly
15 years later, Foley advises fellow travelers to “keep your
eyes, ears, and mind open, and America will find you.”
The group still meets regularly for bike challenges, and they all
come back to Chico each spring for the Wildflower Century 100-mile
bike race. They plan to make another cross-country trip before
they turn 40, within the next several years. The difference? “This
time,” says Foley, who now lives in Orinda, “we are
talking about road bikes, hotels, and credit cards.”
Bicycling Beyond City Limits is available in Chico at Lyon Books,
North Rim Adventure Sports, and Cyclesport and online at www.bicyclingbeyondcitylimits.com.
Anna Harris, Public Affairs and Publications
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