Bicycle from Sea to Shining Sea
3 Cross Country Bike Tours-USA
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Jeff Schlieper from Vashon Island, Washington had taken on the challenge to resurrect the American Lung Association’s Big Ride Across America. He had been part of the Big Ride in previous years, and he wanted to resurrect it. He requested to the American Lung Association of Washington that he do so. They said, “No!” He met with them again and proposed how he would operate and direct it. They said, “No!”
Jeff’s professional career had been as regional financial executive with responsibilities for managing multi-billion dollar operations for AT&T, Lucent Technologies. Jeff drew up spreadsheets with many details of how he would operate the Big Ride and how it would make a profit. He would limit the event to thirty cyclists. Much of the tent space would be in community parks, fair grounds, middle schools, or elementary schools. This way the communities could support the Lung Association without actually having to contribute dollars. That eliminated the expensive tent-site fees at commercial campgrounds.
There would be no expensive shower trucks and catering services. His detailed, financial spreadsheet accounted for vehicle rentals, vehicle insurance, event insurance, food, staff, maintenance, and miscellaneous cycling, tenting, and food storage and preparation needs. Costs would be kept to a minimum by having peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Jeff argued that many cyclists and racers fuel by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches rather than the more pricey energy snack bars. Many dinners would be cooked by the cyclists in kettles heated on propane-powered camp burners carried in the luggage truck. Evening meals would consist of lots of rice and pasta. The cyclists would prepare breakfast consisting of cereal, oatmeal, and bananas.
This would be a budget coast-to-coast tour. Each cyclist would have to raise a minimum of $5,000 to be permitted to participate. Jeff’s detailed budget showed that expenses would be approximately $2,500 per cyclist. Jeff proposed that he could revive the Big Ride
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