Free Bicycle Tour ( Party ) Across the Country

My life changed after my first cross country bicycle tour 20+ years ago. After my first tour I started a successful bicycle company, Downtube.com. This summer another generation starts a similar journey. I will take my children 8 & 10 across the country on a bike trip starting just south of San Diego, CA, and ending in Jacksonville, FL. The trip will start on July 14th, and should take about five  weeks (about 3,000 miles). I purchased a brand new Ford Transit van with high roof and extended length to make the trip easier for my family. The van arrived empty.... empty means it has two seats and no flooring, no walls. In other words it needed alot of work. We have installed water tanks, and flooring and seats should be done in two weeks.  Then comes the power inverter, kitchen, shelving, roof racks, bike racks before it is usable for a tour.

 

Recently, I had an epiphany. Why not share our family tour with others? We can support many riders on our family vacation to make it better for everyone. I expect we can support 50 or so with minimal configuration to the van. Therefore we will run a FREE supported cross county bicycle tour ( party ).  A supported tour means we will carry tents sleeping bags & clothes for people in our van, we will have tools ( but no tech ) and we will help organize food. We will also carry riders that are ill or need help. 

I am posting here to get the word out about the free tour. Please tell your friends and family!
 
All interested parties should be mindful of others on the tour. To minimize problems everyone should come in great shape, have a good working bicycle, bring a small tent and small bag of clothes. We welcome everyone to join, if the number of participants grows to a level that we are unable to support with our van, we will support the neediest of the group first. In short there will not be a signup list, but the weakest get priority. Disabled and elderly are encouraged to join; it will change your life

Please understand the tour is free, but food and campsite costs are not free. We plan to follow the Adventure Cycling tour map. I would welcome volunteers that are interested to help the tour run smoothly. 

Help spread the word!