UW student Josh Barta wants to bike from Nebraska to the east coast before the start of the fall semester.
Josh Barta is always pushing his athletic ability, from crack climbing at Vedawoo to long distance running to playing on the UW rugby team; however, this spring he found himself in need of another extreme endeavor.
Barta, a kinesiology senior, decided to tackle a 1,600-mile, solo bike ride starting in Nebraska and ending in Massachusetts, which he will depart for within a week.
“I talked to a man who had done this himself, and after sharing a couple drinks with him he convinced me it was a pretty rad idea,” Barta said. “I asked myself, ‘Should I do this?’ The more I thought the more tangible and plausible this thing seemed to be, and it developed into more than just an idea.”
Preparing for the trip has not been easy. Barta has had to purchase several expensive necessities for the trip, with just pedals and biking shoes costing over $300, which he equated to two weeks of working at his job as a barista at Starbucks.
Barta intended to save enough money to purchase a tour bike priced at $1,200; however, he said it became clear that was not realistic.
Instead Barta will be riding his mountain bike, lovingly named Dory.
“She’s blue and kind of looks like a fish I think, especially with new handle bars, so I figured why not name her after a cute Pixar character?”
Although Dory is not the expensive tour bike Barta had hoped for, it is apparent he is proud of her. He is revamping the bike to be more durable for the trip; however, he is not opposed to taking her on joy rides in Laramie. Aside from serious training rides, Barta enjoys biking around town on Dory and taking part in his personally created “wheelie Wednesday’s” where he performs wheelies everywhere he goes.
“Dory, she’s a bit ordinary, but that’s OK. I still adore her,” he said.
Through his preparations Barta has received guidance from Phill Cardnell, UW Outdoor Program employee, and Phill’s wife Linda Cardnell, UW graduate assistant. The couple have immersed themselves into the world of biking and completed a 2,200-mile bike trip last summer.
The Cardnell’s are loaning Barta gear, as well as giving him useful tips from learned experience. For example, during a bike trip Linda reached a point of almost “bonking,” where she did not have enough sugars or water in her system, causing her to almost black out. In order to avoid a situation like that, Linda said it is crucial for Barta to have plenty of water and to always be planning ahead, as one cannot count on small town stores always being open.
Barta has set his standards high, with intentions to average 100 miles of biking a day and to return in time for the fall semester.
“I’m pretty decently fit but doing 100 miles a day is pretty unknown to me. I feel like just discovering those limits should be a lot of fun in sort of a masochist way,” he said.
The time constraint and long mileage is certainly an undertaking, Phill said, but he added that Barta is the type of person who can persevere.
Considering Barta is not following an official route he has the opportunity to be more adventurous and to talk with people along the way, Phill said.
“He’s a free spirit and obviously not tied down. He’s got what it takes and being an extrovert helps,” he said. “It’s going to be a life changing event to see the world.”
Although it is tricky to know in advance, Barta said he imagines a typical day will involve waking up at 8 a.m. and cycling for 10 hours. He is planning to keep a blog of his travels, as well.
Supplies Barta is bringing are minimal, which will help him travel faster. He said he intends to bring a couple biking outfits, shoes, pedals, camp stove, tarp, sleeping bag, maintenance gear and of course his bike. Surprisingly, Barta is packing marginal amounts of food, as he plans to find it as he goes, albeit through home cooked meals or convenience store purchases.
Barta is using Warm Showers, an application created for bicyclists who are trying to couch surf, adding that he will resort to a campground or the side of the road if he is unable to find a roof to sleep under.
“I’m pretty optimistic with that since I’ll be traveling alone I won’t be too much of a burden,” Barta said. “I also plan on bringing a razor with me to keep myself presentable.”
Barta is not mainstream when it comes to occupying himself on the road. He has some E-books prepared, but he chuckled when he said his go-to distraction is to think about math problems, as it keeps him “from thinking about being sore.”
Ultimately there is only so much planning that can be done, Barta said, as there are a lot of unknown factors. His end goal for the trip is to complete the journey and fulfill his driving appetite for adventure.
“I maybe go against the grain a little bit and need to do this extreme stuff in order to prove something,” Barta said. “I don’t really know why I need to prove something to myself – it just keeps life exciting.”
Linda said a trip like this could “restore one’s faith in humanity” and help a person learn about him or herself. Phill added it is 80 percent mental and 20 percent physical and Barta has the mental capacity to breeze through the journey.
“He will be changed – you have to after doing something like that,” Phill said.
Biking has not always been Barta’s passion and for a longtime he said he was searching for his niche. Through bouts with an unreliable car he began to rely on his bike, which has quickly developed into a life passion, as he intends to complete future biking treks, as well.
“When you start doing something every day you start to fall in love with it,” Barta said. “I wouldn’t say I’m any bike expert, but I’m super interested – it consumes a lot of my thinking.”
Once he reaches the east coast Barta said he plans to visit some friends and perhaps do some rock climbing in New York. After the intense, two-month journey he will reward himself with a flight back to Wyoming where he will continue school and competing on the rugby team.
“For me it’s just about getting to the east coast and seeing if I can do it,” Barta said. “I don’t really know why I need to prove something to myself, but it just keeps life exciting.”
