By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Chris Willis is saddling up to trek 4,200-plus miles on his bike – a journey that brings together his love of cycling and his devotion to public education.
On June 7, he’ll head out from Anacortes, Washington, traveling across the United States where he’s scheduled to arrive in Bar Harbor, Maine, 57 days later on Aug. 2.
Willis, an associate professor in the College of Education and Human Development, is using the trip as the focal point for a fundraiser for public education. His goal is to raise $51,000 through a Fundly account. That’s $1,000 for each school district he’ll sleep in along the way, including Bowling Green.
Willis been bicycling since his youth. He had the opportunity to travel across country with some friends, but he had to pass on that. Over the years cycling took a back seat to establishing a career and raising a family. He’s father of four.
About five years ago, he started getting serious again. As he’s gotten back to cycling the idea of a cross country venture persisted. Rather than just riding across the country as a way to tick something off his bucket list, he decided he wanted it to be a way of saying thanks to public education.
“It’s that kind of constant commitment to what they do that I want to say thanks for,” he said. “It isn’t just the kids they’re serving. It is the families, the communities.”
Education, he said, is for him “the family business.” He had two great aunts who lived on the family farm in central Indiana who had 92 years of teaching experience between them. Willis has siblings, in-laws, and nieces who teach. Together that’s almost three centuries of service in schools.
He started his career as a high school math teacher before moving into higher education. He joined the BGSU faculty eight years ago.
He said he’s looking forward to writing those $1,000 checks at the end of the trip. The school districts will be able to use the money for anything they want, he said.
Willis is shouldering all the costs of the trip himself.
He’ll be accompanied by his youngest son, George, 19. He will drive the support vehicle to minimize what his father has to carry on the bike.
Most of the nights will be spent camping, so making sure the bed pad is inflated will be an important responsibility.
Willis said his son was looking forward to seeing the country in 80-90 mile intervals, so different from cruising through several hundred miles a day on the interstate.
A violinist who studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder, he’s looking forward to learning the mandolin over the summer.
“He’s excited to see places he’s never seen and see it in this slow way,” Willis said.
On the rest days, about one a week, they will stay in a motel.
Willis will average 80-90 miles a day, though that will vary depending on the terrain.
Willis selected the Northern Tier Route by the Adventure Cycling Association because it promised the most favorable weather and temperatures, though with some seriously challenging terrain. It also comes right through Bowling Green, so he’ll get to sleep a couple nights in his own bed.
It also passes through his home state of Indiana, and near his sister’s home in Wisconsin. The trip takes him through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont New Hampshire and Maine.
He’s pedaled over 2,000 miles this year, both indoors and outdoors, on his Trek Domane SL6. The bike is fitted out for the trip including GPS to keep track of the data on the trip and from a heart monitor he’ll be wearing. The computer will also help send out the signals so other can keep track of his progress, as long as he has cell service.
He credits Cycle Werks with helping him gear up for the trip.
Willis is confident he’s done what he can to prepare for the trip “so my concerns have diminished,” he said. All that’s worrying him are the weather and the other factors he can’t control.
