Monday March 6, 2023 (TransAm 2023 Planning)
With a certain amount of luck, I will be starting the TransAm Bicycle Route on May 5th. Needless to say, I’m very excited. It’s been four years since I rode across the country and this second tour is way over due. In 2019 I rode the Southern Tier route. This time I’m going to follow the classic TransAm route. This route was established in 1976 for the “Bicentennial.” Below are some pertinent facts. I’m planning to ride east to west. I’ll be blogging the adventure here, just like I did for the Southern Tier.
Mileage (Route Order)
| State | Miles(1) | Total Miles |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 577 | 577 |
| Kentucky | 506 | 1,083 |
| Illinois | 134 | 1,217 |
| Missouri | 304 | 1,521 |
| Kansas | 531 | 2,052 |
| Colorado | 431 | 2,483 |
| Wyoming | 462 | 2,945 |
| Montana | 335 | 3,280 |
| Idaho | 347 | 3,627 |
| Oregon | 482 | 4,109 |
(1) Another “Virginia Surprise.” This is the state that presents the longest crossing of all the states on the itinerary.
Mileage (Average)
| State | Mileage (Average/Day)(2) |
|---|---|
| Kansas | 59 |
| Wyoming | 58 |
| Idaho | 58 |
| Kentucky | 56 |
| Montana | 56 |
| Oregon | 54 |
| Missouri | 51 |
| Virginia | 48 |
| Colorado | 48 |
| Illinois | 34 |
(2) Elapsed time to cross, 78 days total (not counting rest days).
Elevation (Total)
| Elevation | Elevation (Total) (3) |
|---|---|
| Virginia | 26,500 |
| Oregon | 20,100 |
| Kentucky | 17,200 |
| Colorado | 16,500 |
| Missouri | 14,600 |
| Wyoming | 14,300 |
| Montana | 12,000 |
| Idaho | 8,400 |
| Kansas | 8,200 |
| Illinois | 5,900 |
(3) The total elevation is equivalent to 5 times the height of Mt. Everest - without the oxygen deprivation.
Elevation (Per Mile)
| State | Elevation (Feet/Mile)(4) |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 48 |
| Virginia | 46 |
| Illinois | 44 |
| Oregon | 42 |
| Colorado | 38 |
| Montana | 36 |
| Kentucky | 34 |
| Wyoming | 31 |
| Idaho | 24 |
| Kansas | 15 |
(4) The way I look at this one is, how much of your time in the saddle will be spent climbing… not necessarily how difficult the climbing. To gauge the overall difficulty I don’t really have much to go on. I am pretty sure that Kansas will be the flattest. Note: It is scientifically proven to be “flatter than a pancake.” See: Is Kansas Flatter than a Pancake.
Probably the big surprise in these numbers is how much elevation Virginia dishes out. Before I dug into these numbers, I was planning to ride west to east. I changed my mind based on prevailing weather patterns around my anticipated May start date. I was also worried that it might not be a good idea for an old man to start the ride in a state that requires a lot of climbing. Well, now I know that Virginia will be kicking ass to the same degree that Oregon does, if not more.