Monday, April 30, 2012
The Time Has Come
The time has come for our Big Water Bike adventure to finally begin! After 1 1/2 years of planning it crazy to think that at 9am we will be heading into the great unknown. Please come down to Superior St. in front of the Fitgers Brewhouse in Duluth, MN at 9am to send us on our way around the greatest lakes in the world. Special thanks to all of our fans, sponsors, and donors, we couldn't have gotten to this point without you! Thanks to the Fitgers Inn for putting us up for our final night right where we need to take off from! See you all on the road!
Great Lakes Echo Article
Here is a wonderful article written from Great Lakes Echo. Click the link below to read it:
http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/04/30/duluth-bicyclists-to-circle-all-five-great-lakes/
http://greatlakesecho.org/2012/04/30/duluth-bicyclists-to-circle-all-five-great-lakes/
Sunday, April 22, 2012
The Countdown Has Begun.....
T-Minus 9 days until our big sendoff! We cant believe that a year and a half has passed since we fist started planning for this grand adventure. We are truly honored by all the support we have received from all of our followers, donors, and sponsors. We hope you all can make it down for our big sendoff on May 1st. We will be leaving in front of the Fitgers Brewery on Superior St in Duluth, MN at 9am. Please come down to wish us off or bike us out of town!
New Duluth News Tribune Article
A new Duluth News Tribune article was written by Sam Cook who mentioned us in the article. The title Scratch the Itch and Go, talks about how springtime evokes a need to travel just like migrating animals. Click the link below to read the article.
Duluth News Tribune Article
KUMD 103.3 Radio Interview
Big thanks to our local radio station KUMD 103.3 for helping us spread our trip through the radio. Click the link below to listen to the entire interview. Thanks again for a great first time radio experience!
Oshawa Cycling Club Newsletter
Oshawa
Cycling Club Newsletter wrote a wonderful plug about our trip. Big
thanks to Richard Oldfield and the rest of the club. Click the link
below to read about their club and our story! Cant wait to meet up with them on our ride!
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Our first news interview! Channel 10 WDIO - 4/15/12
A big thanks to Dayna and WDIO News Channel 10! Article below...follow the link to view the video.
VIDEO
Posted at: 04/15/2012 1:07 PM | Updated at: 04/15/2012 10:36 PM
Plenty of folks love to get on their bicycles and ride here and around the Northland, but how about for more than 5,000 miles? That's the goal for two Duluth men as they prepare to trek around the Great Lakes.
Kris McNeal and Zach Chase are about the embark on the biggest trip of their lives. The 2010 UMD graduates are less than three weeks away from traveling around all five of the Great Lakes by bicycle.
They're calling the trip Big Water Bike.
The idea came during a shorter West Coast bike trip in 2007. This time, they said they wanted to take a journey closer to home that brought awareness to the idea of bike touring, high gas prices, and the big blue resource that so many live on.
"Our end goal to create a bond with people living around the Great Lakes, but also with people living away from the Great Lakes," McNeal said.
It's a lofty undertaking that's requiring a ton of planning, training, and securing sponsors. The pair snagged support from local resources like the Brewhouse, Trailfitters and Ski Hut, along with some bigger nods from Keen, O2 Rainwear and Icebreaker.
"Once April hit, it was stopped being, 'It's coming.' It's Oh, it's in three weeks. Are we ready?'" McNeal said, and that's got the nerves setting in.
The more than 5,300 mile trip will take them northward, starting in front of Duluth's Fitger's complex on May 1 with a public send-off at 9:00 a.m. They pair hopes to travel about 60 miles per day and to finish in August.
They'll also be filming the trip as they go to create an educational adventure documentary about the beauty and the livelihood of these freshwater lakes. And they both agree that biking trips aren't for experts only.
"You don't have to be huge into biking, you just have to be big into adventure," Chase said. "We're never going to forget the whole process and we haven't even started yet."
It's a lot of preparation and hear that's left these guys ready to ride. You can follow Big Water Bike on their Facebook blog and get more information on the trip by clicking here.
VIDEO
Duluth Men Prepare for Great Lakes Bike Tour
Posted at: 04/15/2012 1:07 PM | Updated at: 04/15/2012 10:36 PM
By: Dayna Landgrebe
Plenty of folks love to get on their bicycles and ride here and around the Northland, but how about for more than 5,000 miles? That's the goal for two Duluth men as they prepare to trek around the Great Lakes.Kris McNeal and Zach Chase are about the embark on the biggest trip of their lives. The 2010 UMD graduates are less than three weeks away from traveling around all five of the Great Lakes by bicycle.
They're calling the trip Big Water Bike.
The idea came during a shorter West Coast bike trip in 2007. This time, they said they wanted to take a journey closer to home that brought awareness to the idea of bike touring, high gas prices, and the big blue resource that so many live on.
"Our end goal to create a bond with people living around the Great Lakes, but also with people living away from the Great Lakes," McNeal said.
It's a lofty undertaking that's requiring a ton of planning, training, and securing sponsors. The pair snagged support from local resources like the Brewhouse, Trailfitters and Ski Hut, along with some bigger nods from Keen, O2 Rainwear and Icebreaker.
"Once April hit, it was stopped being, 'It's coming.' It's Oh, it's in three weeks. Are we ready?'" McNeal said, and that's got the nerves setting in.
The more than 5,300 mile trip will take them northward, starting in front of Duluth's Fitger's complex on May 1 with a public send-off at 9:00 a.m. They pair hopes to travel about 60 miles per day and to finish in August.
They'll also be filming the trip as they go to create an educational adventure documentary about the beauty and the livelihood of these freshwater lakes. And they both agree that biking trips aren't for experts only.
"You don't have to be huge into biking, you just have to be big into adventure," Chase said. "We're never going to forget the whole process and we haven't even started yet."
It's a lot of preparation and hear that's left these guys ready to ride. You can follow Big Water Bike on their Facebook blog and get more information on the trip by clicking here.
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Sarnia, Ontario - The Observer, Around the Great Lakes
Our first article in a Canadian paper - The Observer from Sarnia, Ontario...please read below!
Minnesota cyclists Zach Chase and Kris McNeal will embark on a three-month bike tour around the Great Lakes starting May 1. They are expected to pass through Sarnia around May 22.
"As they reached the top of a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean, cyclists Kris McNeal and Zach Chase started putting the wheels in motion for their next adventure.
This time, the 20-somethings from Minnesota wanted to do a “more professional” ride closer to home. They were in the midst of crossing three western U.S. states.
“As the days went on, we developed the idea and then one day we agreed on (the thought), 'Let's bike around Lake Superior, heck let's bike around all the Great Lakes,'” McNeal recalled.
Four years later, Chase, now 25, and McNeal, 26, will finally embark on their Great Lakes adventure. They will clock more than 8,500 kilometres on their bikes, starting in Duluth, MN. May 1. They will pass through several Quebec and Ontario cities, including Sarnia around May 22.
While Chase and McNeal will be away from family and work for three months, they have received nothing but support about their journey dubbed Big Water Bike.
“Our families are really excited for us,” McNeal said. “We are doing something that hasn't been done before and it is a huge life goal for both of us...”
The pair are forced to travel light with only trailers attached to their bikes. They plan to camp in many state and national parks and document their journey on video cameras.
Vika Films, based out of Duluth, plans to turn the footage into a feature documentary. However, Chase and McNeal won't be followed by a film crew.
“We thought it would be more personal if we did (filming) all ourselves,” McNeal said. “We wanted to learn how to do this right and make an impact. We would love to do this for a living.”
The pair both work at a Duluth restaurant and studied at the University of Minnesota. Chase also just finished a work term with Conservation Corps Minnesota, while McNeal has developed an events program for Just Take Action Inc.
McNeal believes their active lifestyles will help them on their tour. Both have been training at the gym, while Chase is also an avid climber.
When asked how customs will react when they pull up at the border on bikes, McNeal said they haven't given it much thought.
“I suppose we will look quite weird with all of our equipment and cameras,” he said.
The Big Water Bike tour will wrap up back in Duluth Aug. 5. The public is invited to follow their journey online. Visit bigwaterbike.com for a tracker map of their progress."
barbara.simpson@sunmedia.ca
This time, the 20-somethings from Minnesota wanted to do a “more professional” ride closer to home. They were in the midst of crossing three western U.S. states.
“As the days went on, we developed the idea and then one day we agreed on (the thought), 'Let's bike around Lake Superior, heck let's bike around all the Great Lakes,'” McNeal recalled.
Four years later, Chase, now 25, and McNeal, 26, will finally embark on their Great Lakes adventure. They will clock more than 8,500 kilometres on their bikes, starting in Duluth, MN. May 1. They will pass through several Quebec and Ontario cities, including Sarnia around May 22.
While Chase and McNeal will be away from family and work for three months, they have received nothing but support about their journey dubbed Big Water Bike.
“Our families are really excited for us,” McNeal said. “We are doing something that hasn't been done before and it is a huge life goal for both of us...”
The pair are forced to travel light with only trailers attached to their bikes. They plan to camp in many state and national parks and document their journey on video cameras.
Vika Films, based out of Duluth, plans to turn the footage into a feature documentary. However, Chase and McNeal won't be followed by a film crew.
“We thought it would be more personal if we did (filming) all ourselves,” McNeal said. “We wanted to learn how to do this right and make an impact. We would love to do this for a living.”
The pair both work at a Duluth restaurant and studied at the University of Minnesota. Chase also just finished a work term with Conservation Corps Minnesota, while McNeal has developed an events program for Just Take Action Inc.
McNeal believes their active lifestyles will help them on their tour. Both have been training at the gym, while Chase is also an avid climber.
When asked how customs will react when they pull up at the border on bikes, McNeal said they haven't given it much thought.
“I suppose we will look quite weird with all of our equipment and cameras,” he said.
The Big Water Bike tour will wrap up back in Duluth Aug. 5. The public is invited to follow their journey online. Visit bigwaterbike.com for a tracker map of their progress."
barbara.simpson@sunmedia.ca
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