By Mike Austin

When most people contemplate a life-altering move they do a little research, check on a company transfer or at the very least consult a recruiter to get that great new job in a new town.

That process is a little too tame for 29-year-old Andrew Lynch, a registered nurse from Baltimore, Maryland who is on his personal, year long Tour de America. Andrew decided he wanted to live somewhere else, so he embarked on a bicycle trip around the U.S.A. last February. He ended up spending a few days in Valemount last week when he was unknowingly recruited in IGA to do some “wwoofing” (willing workers on organic farms) with Jim and Terry Stewart. “I was only planning to be here (Valemount) for a couple of hours before riding up to Tete Jaune, but Jim is a persuasive guy and my legs needed a rest.”

Although not on the official itinerary, Andrew decided on a little side trip into Canada to check us out. “This is not my first time in Canada actually. I was here illegally a few years ago. I was doing research up on the Alaska Yukon border when a grizzly forced our research team further east. We were hunting the same the ground squirrels as the bear and he was not happy about us being there at all. Therefore, we ended up in the Yukon.” Andrew is also a biologist who is an expert on intestinal parasites in small arctic mammals.

Even for an ex-college bicycle racer, long distance cycle touring is not without its hazards. “I ended up with hypothermia on the summit of Crater Lake in Oregon after getting caught in a freak fog storm. I should have known I was in trouble, but it came on fast, and I was lucky to get a ride off the mountain.” Years after hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, it is still a dangerous place. “I was just coming into New Orleans at night, when this truck pulled up beside me. I heard these pops and then felt pain in my shoulder that was so bad it knocked me off my bike. When I checked my arm, my hand came back covered with pink stuff. I told my cycling buddy, ‘I’m hit, I’m hit.’ It turns out it was paintball, but I still have the scars from that one.” He then rolled up his sleeve to reveal the still healing bruises.

Perhaps the biggest hazard of all is to stop riding. “I took a break for two weeks in Seattle and spent the whole time in front of my friend’s refrigerator,” he says. “I gained sixteen pounds.” Sixteen pounds is nothing for a rider who peddles 10 hours a day hours every day. “That weight was gone in less than two weeks, and I was back to losing weight every day.”

Our hero began his 10,000-mile epic trek in the clean-cut Luke Skywalker styleonly to finish as Samson. “I decided I wasn’t going to cut my hair on this trip. I like the Samson thing,” says Andrew. “I feel like I am getting stronger as I go and my hair gets longer. The beard is also good protection from mosquitoes and the chinstrap of the helmet.” The unruly shoulder length hair and the classic jaw-line beard bear witness to his determination.

When asked about mere mortals doing this kind of trip, Andrew has much advice earned the hard way. “It’s more expensive than you would think. Wear and tear on the bike can be significant. I’ve gone through four chains, over 30 tubes, and I’m on my ninth rear tire so far. Also, when you are burning 6,000 calories a day, the food bill adds up quickly.” As well, he notes, “Ibuprofen is your best friend, and get insect repellent that is 100% DEET. It might melt your watch off and age you a bit, but at least the mosquitoes don’t bite.”

Along with travelling companions Captain Canada (mascot) and B.O.B (his trusty Beast Of Burden trailer that has to lug 70 pounds of gear daily), Andrew will still be on the road for another four months in the search of the perfect place to live and work. After a year of research, where does he plan to settle next? “Probably back in Baltimore. I would love to live in Portland, and I would definitely consider nursing in Canada, but …” It seems there is a siren calling him from Baltimore, and unlike Odysseus, he has been smitten.

If you want to follow Andrew’s progress over the next few months and see what he has to say about Valemount, you can check out his blog (web diary) at www.throatbeardandsaddle sores.com