Purdue’s Todd Wetzel will bicycle 4,500 miles on TransAmerica Trail

On Saturday (May 16), Todd Wetzel, assistant vice provost for student life and executive director of Purdue Convocations and Elliott Hall of Music/Hall of Music Productions, will rise on the East Coast, hop on his bicycle and head west — more than 4,500 miles west — for three months.

He’ll be following a path called the TransAmerica Trail, a cross-country cycling route established in 1976 that weaves through the Blue Ridge Mountains, cuts across the Great Plains, climbs up the Rockies and eventually descends into the Pacific Northwest, stretching across 10 states between its endpoints in Virginia and Oregon.

Wetzel is charmed by the history of the route, which was mapped and developed by a team of volunteer cyclists in celebration of the U.S. bicentennial. With this year marking the 50th anniversary of the trail and the 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, along with a milestone birthday of his own, he views the challenge as his own special way of celebrating. He’s pedaled a few multistate crossings before, but a tour of this length is a first for Wetzel.

“I gifted myself a marathon for my 50th birthday and just have been continuing to do bigger things, so that’s part of the fun of it for me at a personal level,” Wetzel says. “I’m just really looking forward to the idea of being in touch with the kindness of strangers and what this country has to offer — that’s really the beautiful spirit behind it.”

He’s spent the last six months preparing for the self-supported journey, gradually increasing his bike’s payload and getting his body accustomed to fighting the uphill battle he’ll face in the mountainous terrain. It’s difficult to train for that kind of elevation in a state as flat as Indiana, but he’s done his best, spending hours biking repetitious hill climbs on and around Happy Hollow Road in West Lafayette.

When he sets off, Wetzel will be accompanied by his West Lafayette friend Kurt Watt through the Appalachian leg of the trail, but once Watt peels off near the 1,200-mile mark, Wetzel will be solo the remainder of the trip.

He’ll ride through wind, rain and heat as he covers an average distance of 65 miles each day, stopping each evening to utilize the cottage economy that’s emerged along the path: rural churches and town halls whose members are eager to open their doors to the flurry of “TransAmers” who pass through each summer.

Wetzel is looking forward to the challenge itself, but he’s also fascinated by the spirit of community that’s defined the trail. He’s read many stories about acts of kindness along its path, like local drivers flagging down touring cyclists to let them know their next meal is covered at the diner up ahead.

“With cycling, you get to interact with people in ways that you can’t in the sealed world of your car,” Wetzel says. “I really like that sort of social dimension — the social impetus — of what that creates.”

Though the adventure is his most ambitious yet, Wetzel doesn’t view this undertaking as extraordinary in the grand scheme of things. To him, the TransAmerica Trail is a path well-traveled by the cycling community, including other Boilermakers who have followed its course. He’s just excited to witness firsthand the grandeur of the country’s places and people as he makes his way toward the Pacific Coast, where his family will be waiting to welcome him at the figurative finish line.

And now that he’s packed and prepared for the road ahead, all that’s left to do is begin.

“I’ve spent half a year working on this, so I’m ready to be done with the planning and start doing the doing,” Wetzel says. “There’ll be days that are really hard, but I’m ready to go do it.”

Those interested in learning more about Wetzel’s trip can visit his blog site, which he plans to update most evenings with photos and stories from his journey.