Two Men, Two Bikes, One Epic Ride Across America: An Update from Grahame and Tim

You may remember, that just over a month ago, we shared the intended cycling journey across America of two local men, Grahame Russell and Tim Howse to raise money for The Greenaway Foundation. The pair set off from Santa Monica Beach, CA with their destination pinned as Boston, MA, totalling an impressive 3,800 miles. 

Today, they have hit the 14-day mark and have shared an update on their progress as they arrive in Flagstaff, AZ. Read the update, below:

“So, we are back in the saddle after our day off yesterday necessitated by the high winds. The open road was calling us back. As a few of you have suggested, it was actually a good thing – the rest day was very welcome. We are planning a rest day very 10 days so we have now taken our first one.”

“Point to point, our day was 80 miles. We set off at 7am after an early breakfast. We find it incredible that the temperature this morning was 2 degrees and was below zero overnight. (sorry any Fahrenheit lovers). Only a few days ago we had crazy 30-degree temperatures night and day. In addition in the space of a few thousand pedal revolutions and three days, we’ve gone from an arid desert to green forests. Sherwood Forest? Also, witness the snow-capped mountains.”

“Our first stop was for a quick coffee. A couple of people engaged with us there. They wanted to know our destination today. ‘Flagstaff’ we said…. ‘oooh’ the first one said. ‘Really?’ said the second. We knew we were climbing from 5000 feet to 7000 today but we were hoping for just a bit more encouragement. It was a grind but I think we are getting used to it. By the way, sorry Steve Ody, if I was disrespecting mayors globally.”

“After the big climb, we arrived in the attractive town of Williams for lunch. Williams is popular for visitors to the Grand Canyon. Apologies for the food photo but we were excited to get some pasta rather fast food. Great for long rides. That really set us up for the afternoon. Always a worry leaving the bikes – but we got seated with the bikes right outside our window. As we left we got more good wishes for our trip. It’s still causing a lot of shock when we say where we’re from!”

“Tim opened his first ‘500 mile landmark’ message envelope from Becky, Abi and partners. The message shall remain private! Flagstaff seems nice. Very busy on the roads. It has good facilities and we do need a quick visit to the bike shop in the morning.”

What an amazing achievement so far and I am sure everyone back here in Sussex is so proud of Grahame and Tim! Keep it up, guys!

If you would like to follow the boys’ updates on Polar Steps, along with pictures and a live map, click here! And to show your support, you can donate directly to Grahame’s JustGiving page here, with all funds going directly to The Greenaway Foundation.