Freshman bikes across borders on break

By Rachel Rounsville
Collegian Life Editor

Like many Grove City College students, freshman Freddy Adams traveled out of state for Easter break. What makes Adams’ story different, though, was his mode of transportation. He biked from Pennsylvania to North Carolina.
  
“I decided I’d bike down to Raleigh, North Carolina, because my sister was there,” Adams said.

Adams said that he has not “done any competition or anything serious,” but he simply enjoys riding. His love for biking started when he was a kid. He went on bike trips with his family – “not like your bike trips where you ride around the neighborhood,” he said.

Sometimes, the trips took them up to 50 miles. Adams said that “the incentive was the ice cream in the middle [of the trip].” The longest trip Adams has ever taken was from Columbus to Colorado with his older brother – a trip that was about 1,350 miles and took 15 days.

“My aunt lives in Boulder, and I told her I’d come out to see her, [and I] joked about biking,” he said. “My words came back to tempt me, and, eventually, it became more and more unquestionable especially after my brother decided to come with me.”

That trip was a turning point for Adams in his love for biking. Adams, who is also a cross-country runner at Grove City, said that he loves biking “for the same reason I love running. It’s a chance to get out, enjoy the outdoors and clear my mind. Biking is just a faster, swifter form perfect for touring,” he said.

He also sees a spiritual side to his sport. “Long strenuous exercise leaves one gasping for air, crying out for strength, bringing one closest to one’s frail existence and humble place before the Almighty God,” he said. “Touring enforces this vulnerable state because of the uncertainties and dependency that come with it, [including] possible injuries, illness [and] uncertain shelter [and] nourishment.”

Adams began preparing for the trip several months ago. “I had all of my logistics planned out ahead of time,” he said. “I did research and bought an atlas and put my maps together over Christmas break.”

He used different software on the internet and on Google Earth to map his route. He said that bikers are not allowed on interstates and that the most desirable route is the one that is least hilly and most direct. Adams planned the trip to last five days, beginning March 14, in Grove City and ending at his twin sister’s college, North Carolina State University, on March 18. 

He made contacts with several friends along the way to stay overnight with them. He planned to ride alone on Friday and Saturday before his father joined him for the ride on Sunday and Monday. He would then finish the last leg of the trip on Tuesday alone.  

Adams carried some tools with him on the trip in case of an emergency and some snack bars, gel packs and drink mix. He stopped to eat at gas stations and little pubs – just “something along the way,” he said. On March 16, he stayed with his family in a motel in Woodstock, Va., and, on Monday night, they stayed in Lynchburg, Va., with a family friend. 

The time he spent riding in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley was a highlight for him. “Over the whole trip I was within 100 miles of 80 percent of the Civil War,” he said.
  
Adams reached North Carolina State University around 9:30 p.m. March 18 and spent several days with his sister before flying back to Columbus, Ohio, on March 21. All in all, Adams varied between riding 70 to 136 miles per day for a total of 476 miles.
 
“Time alone, time with my parents and time with my sister certainly made for a well-spent Easter break.”