By Michal Brichacek
My name is Michal Brichacek, and I am your just your average college student, although some people disagree with me. This summer I bicycled from Alaska to Panama in order to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a distance of over 12000 kilometers in just under 120 days.
What prompted this radical idea? It all began last year when I traveled to China. A thought jumped into my head: "How amazing would it be to bicycle the Great Wall of China?" When I came back home, planning began immediately. Unfortunately such a trip proved to be much more difficult than expected as you need special permission from the Chinese government, which can take years to get. Being as I didn't have such time, I started looking for a different route. And this is precisely how I came upon the idea of bicycling across North America, from Alaska all the way to Panama.
When I first told my parents about my idea they told me there was no way they would let me do it. Undismayed, I kept bringing up the idea and then finally bought a one-way ticket to Alaska. When they realized they couldn't stop me, they now told me that I had to find someone to come with me. As much as I tried to do just that, I wasn't able to find anyone crazy enough to accompany me. Ironically, now that I am back several people tell me that they wish they would have come with me.
And so on the day of May the 3rd I set off for the frigid land of Alaska, just me and my bicycle. The road proved to be much harder than I had anticipated, but being as I am very stubborn I pushed on regardless. I got rained on, hailed on, thunder stormed on, and even snowed on, but I promised myself to never stop for poor weather conditions.
The states and countries kept flying by, although very slowly. The temperatures began to slowly increase from freezing to unbearably hot in the deserts of the Baja peninsula of Mexico. I had begun my trip in snow capped mountains and was now braving scorching deserts. Soon I would be likewise battling hurricane winds as well as monsoon rains. Although I had to spend anywhere from six to eight hours on the bicycle per day, I still managed to meet many interesting people along the way as well as see many beautiful sights.
My trip was not without incident however. Actually, I had three accidents in which I was fortunately not severely injured. I crashed and slid on asphalt near Whistler, British Columbia while going around a hairpin turn at just under 50 km/h. In Mexico I fell into an eight foot deep hole near the road caused by heavy rains. I managed to jump into nearby thorny bushes which made the fall less painful, but it still wasn't exactly enjoyable. Finally in the capital city of Nicaragua I was hit by a car which did not see me while turning.
Miraculously I managed to make it to Panama. I didn't just bicycle the whole way, but I likewise saw many great things which I will remember for the rest of my life. Many people have told me that this was the trip of a lifetime, but I tell them otherwise! It is only one of many great trips that I plan to undertake in the future, the only thing that limits me currently is lack of resources. But alas, that's life!
If you're interested, I kept a daily blog and took thousands of photos through out my trip, all of which can be found at http://www.CyclingForACause.Com. By diving into my journals you too can undertake the trip from Alaska to Panama, all from the comfort of your chair!
