World Heritage Biker

The Expedition

During spring 2010 I plan to solo ride my bicycle between San Francisco and New York to visit and document as many as possible of the U.S. natural and cultural sites that can be found on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

On the 30^th of March I’m flying from Copenhagen to San Francisco and the home journey from New York is scheduled for the 11^th of June. The ambition is to visit 12 World Heritage Sites, climb 3 mountain ranges, pass through 21 states and ride nearly 5 000 miles during the 74 days of the expedition. In San Francisco, all the necessary equipment and supplies will be purchased before the cycling towards Yosemite National Park begins. The journey continues over the Sierra Nevada through the Mojave Desert and then go on up to Grand Canyon. After crossing the Colorado Plateau I’ll climb the Rocky Mountains to reach the World Heritage Sites of Mesa Verde, Chaco Culture and Taos Pueblo. From here I set the course south towards the Mexican border and Carlsbad Caverns. I’ll then ride through the Midwest and after crossing the Mississippi River I’ll arrive at Cahokia Mounds outside St. Louis. On my way to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee, I’ll visit Mammoth Cave and after I cross the Appalachian Mountains I’ll arrive to Monticello (the estate of Thomas Jefferson) situated just outside Charlottesville. Before reaching the Statue of Liberty and the finish in New York, I’ll also visit Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Besides the World Heritage Sites above, the trip will hopefully also include a visit to the lowest point of North America in Death Valley, banjo-picking along the Blue Ridge Parkway and buffalos in the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. Overnight will primarily occur in the wilderness and at simple campsites, although the more densely populated eastern parts of the country and metropolitan areas require accommodation in the form of motels, hostels or preferably CouchSurfing. Most of the cooking will be made in my portable stove.

My mission
World Heritage Sites are gifts from past generations to future generations for us to conduct. Therefore, in addition to the overall objectives to perform a transcontinental solo cycling while visiting as many World Heritage Sites as possible, I want to contribute to increase the interest of the unique experiences and learnings that these sites have to offer. An increased interest is of course not only beneficial; many World Heritage Sites is threatened by destruction as a result of mass tourism and exploitation. For example, Great Smoky Mountains National Park with its closer to 10 million visits each year has not only become America’s most visited national park, but also the most polluted. By using the bicycle as my only means of transportation I want to demonstrate that it’s possible to experience and enjoy these unique sites and at the same time preserve them for the future.

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