Resor Rides

Andrew Resor at the beginning of his journey on the Atlantic coast

Resor rides

Resor arrives at his destination on the Pacific coast.

 

From the first push of the pedal in St. Augustine, Florida, Andrew Resor (Finance ’07) set out to do more than test his stamina on a six-week transcontinental solo bike trek that ended in San Diego. Resor, a cycling enthusiast, turned his journey into a bike-related fundraiser.

With its own logo, website, and online store, “Resor Rides” raised $1760.00 for the Boston-based charity Bikes Not Bombs—an organization that has sent more than 37,000 bicycles to Central America, the Caribbean, Africa, and New Orleans in the past 24 years. All of the proceeds from his online store sales are donated to the non-profit.

To keep his own expenses on budget, Resor spent most of his nights in his one-man tent. Occasionally he bunked with friends or members of the low-cost travel network,“couchsurfing.com.”

His bike-friendly route from Florida to California measured nearly 3000 miles and included hard riding through mountains, deserts, and plains. It took him on byways that allowed him a closer view of America off the beaten path.

“When you travel by bicycle, especially alone, you really get to experience what's in between point A and B,” says Resor. “Rolling down the road at 12mph with frequent stops afforded me the opportunity to meet and see what everyone else misses.”

Resor admits that there were a few “bumps in the road,” citing a broken spoke which forced him to hitch a ride from a threatening stranger. “It was the most interesting and scariest 60 minutes of my life,” he relates. “Who would have thought that, after living in Japan alone, and then traveling alone in China, Mongolia, and Russia, the moment I felt in the most danger was outside of Austin, Texas?”

Yet Resor reports that most of the journey brought positive insights.

“Doing something like this allows you to step back and go over what's really important in life,” he says. “I realized that it is easily possible to survive with 40lbs of gear and food, and also enjoy it as well. Before I left I thought I'd miss certain things, like my car, a computer, or a microwave. But the only things I really missed were my family and friends.

“Oh, and a bed I could spread out on,” the 6’- 4” Resor adds with a smile.

The Miami alumnus looks forward to entering the DePaul College of Law in Chicago this coming August, and plans to focus on international and comparative law. His younger brother, Kevin ’10, is currently a marketing major at the Farmer School.

Andrew relates that although he doesn’t know “where or when,” he hopes to embark on more adventure travel in the future. To read the blog of his journey, see photos, and learn more about Bikes Not Bombs, visit www.resorrides.com

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