In 1903, an unknown bicycle racer named George A. Wyman rode a 1.25 horsepower California motorcycle from San Francisco to New York City. He was the first person to cross the country with a motor vehicle – car or motorcycle. After a brief period of fame, he faded from history.
In the summer of 2016, I followed Wyman’s route on a Zero electric motorcycle. I visited many of the towns that Wyman visited and looked for traces of his journey. I was the third person to ride an electric motorcycle self-supported across the country.
In 2017 and 2018, a five part story about my trip appeared in the pages of RoadRUNNER Magazine, the largest motorcycle touring magazine in the country and I have presented Wyman’s story at Americade, the BMW Riders Association Rally, Ireland Bikefest, and RoadRUNNER’s Touring Weekend.
I am currently working on a book. Wyman’s story has been lost to history and my hope is to give him the credit that he deserves as the father of the cross country road trip.
Wyman Posts
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“If any of those who read this ever have ridden in one of the bowls made of slats that are known as cycle whirls, a very fair idea can be formed by them of what bouncing over railroad ties on a cycle is like unto. I have ridden an ordinary bicycle in a cycle whirl…
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Longtime friend Annick Magac is starting a motorcycle podcast – Féroce, which means fierce in French. The podcast is going to be about motorcycles and creativity, which is a cool intersection to discuss. We had a good time catching up and talking about my motorcycle writing and photography, including chatting about George A. Wyman, my…
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“…to tell the whole truth, I went to bed thoroughly disgusted with my bargain. I felt as if I was a fool for attempting to cross the continent on a motor bicycle. I was tired of sand and sagebrush and railroad ties. My back ached, and I fell asleep feeling as if I did not…
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In this chapter of “Following Wyman: An Electric Motorcycle Adventure” I find places to charge in the desert while Wyman struggles. Check it out on Substack: https://followingwyman.substack.com/p/july-15-2016-i-charge-across-nevada?r=2rzwg #Motorcycle, #ev, #electricmotorcycle, #substack, #writing, #Nevada
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Telling this story is truly a labor of love for me. I wrote a 6-part series for RoadRUNNER Magazine, but felt that, even with that, there were photos and stories that didn’t make it to publication. So now, that longer story is online, and I hope that others with a sense of adventure bump into…
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The next chapter of my electric cross-country adventure is now on Substack. I’m still in Nevada, spellbound by it’s rugged beauty and gobsmacked at how George A. Wyman and others before him crossed these vast, inhospitable distances. https://open.substack.com/pub/followingwyman/p/07-across-the-forty-mile-desert?r=2rzwg&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
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I finally leave the safe confines of California – and it’s relative abundance of EV charging stations – for the literal and figurative deserts of Nevada… https://open.substack.com/pub/followingwyman/p/06-into-the-desert
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Have you ever heard an electric motorcycle before? Whaddya think? From my electric cross country roadtrip in 2016. Visit “In the Tire Tracks of George A. Wyman” on Substack for more.
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After a long hiatus, chapter 5 of my Wyman story on Substack is published.
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Chapter 4 of my Wyman story on Substack is here.