hen 16-year-old Michael Tint reached the pier in Santa Monica in August, he and his cycling mates took off their front tires and dipped them in the Pacific Ocean. They had completed a coast-to-coast biking adventure that started by dipping their rear tires in the Atlantic six weeks earlier.
"It's hard to express the pride and accomplishment I felt at that moment," says Michael, a junior at Menlo School.
The Atherton resident had joined seven other teens -- five boys and two girls -- plus two guides, for the 3,166-mile "American Challenge" trek, organized by a company called Overland Adventures, based in Massachusetts. It cost $4,200 per rider, plus bike, equipment and supplies. Michael was the only rider from the West Coast.
Starting in Savannah, Georgia, on June 26, the cyclists traveled through southern states, with the ultimate destination being the Santa Monica Pier by August 3.
Each day entailed a grueling, 85-mile bike ride.
"When we calculated the physics, it was actually more physically challenging than the Tour de France," says Michael. "When you factor in the mileage, terrain, weight (each biker carried 85 pounds in supplies) and weather, it was a grueling experience."
In fact, he says, the temperature was over 100 degrees for 40 of the 42 riding days during one of the hottest summers on record in the South. In order to keep up their strength, the riders consumed an average of 6,000 calories a day and gallons of water. While traveling through the Mojave Desert, each cyclist drank six gallons of water a day, he says.
Most nights, they camped under the stars.
"Some days consisted of just riding, eating, setting up camp and going to sleep," says Michael. "What really amazed me was how nice the people were all over the country."
While the group was traveling through Mississippi, Michael became ill due to dehydration. An "awesome couple" took them in, made them a barbecue, and allowed Michael to sleep in a real bed and out of the heat until he recovered.
"The Southern hospitality was great", he says.
Another nice surprise was a visit from his dad Larry, who drove four hours from Dallas, where he was on business, to Oklahoma.
So, what motivated him to take on this challenge? "My dad gave me this brochure about Overland and, after reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it," says Michael. "I just knew I had to do it."
Prior to taking the trip, Michael was involved with karate and martial arts but had not done any serious cycling. To train for the cross-country challenge, he took four, 50-mile rides.
Says his mom Elaine: "He was never athletic in that way. It's really remarkable."
Overland Adventures offers hiking, bicycle touring and mountain bike trips in New England, the American West and Europe to boys and girls ages 13-18. No previous bicycle touring experience is required. Tom Costley, founder of Overland Adventures, says all that is needed is "enthusiasm, teamwork and the will to succeed." The company's Web site is at www.overlandadventures.com.
Would Michael do it again? "Absolutely," he says. "I made some great friends and I proved to myself that I could achieve this goal. Now I feel I can do just about anything."
