Alex's colossal cross-country cycling odyssey

By Muhammad Bilal Islam

Starting on Sept. 21 of last year, 18-year-old Leo Alex Heegaard-LeGros set out from Minneapolis on a biking expedition that lasted for about 2 1/2 months and passed through the plains, mountains and deserts.

Alex’s expedition crossed five states — Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado and Utah – and lasted until Christmas. “I think I really decided to do it during the college application process,” he said.

He deferred admission to college for a year to do the trek. Levels of support and opposition for his decision varied all around. “There were some friends that were against the idea of deferment, but I don’t think anyone was really against the bike trip,” Alex said.

His family and friends were generally supportive of him, but some — especially his grandfather — were worried that he was “doing it solo.”

One might wonder what possessed the recent high school graduate to embark on such an arduous excursion. Contrary to what the more outdoor-averse of us might think, Alex’s driving force wasn’t insanity.

He has worked at Sunrise Cycles in Uptown Minneapolis for three years, and during the course of his employment, he has heard many a tale of what a rewarding and memorable experience biking trips can be.

His initial planning “was really basic,” he said. All he knew was that he wanted to venture through national parks and desert areas. The specific routes he would traverse — and where he would sleep at night — were determined “on the road.”

Alex set out with about 40 pounds of gear, including a tent, sleeping bag, bike maintenance tools, a camping stove, plus more — and the determination to accomplish his goal.

At first, the trip’s biggest challenge was loneliness. “I am in Granite Falls, (South Dakota) taking a rest day. Yesterday was a tough day, and the lonely factor was getting to me, so I decided to spend a day in town, doing some laundry, hanging at the Hardee’s, and writing to whoever is reading this,” Alex wrote on his blog, alexscommunication.blogspot.com.

Alex said that other people rarely ever gave him trouble on his trip. In fact, a lot of people seemed very willing to help. “I asked a women for directions to a library and she not only gave me directions, but a big piece of delicious chocolate cake,” Alex blogged.

Alex quoted his former history teacher, Patrick O’Connor, to explain: “When you are on a bike, you are extremely vulnerable, and people must sense that.”

A family even let him stay in their house when they went away for a trip over the weekend.

But, as one can imagine, not everything went perfectly. In South Dakota, he was almost bitten by a rattlesnake sunning itself on the side of the highway. “I pulled my feet out of my toe clips and lifted them as high as I could … I watched that snake strike thin air, or maybe the bike, right where my right calf would have been,” Alex blogged.

Arguably even more dangerous than the wildlife encounters, however, was keeping his motivation alive, especially when faced with a warm bed and delicious homemade breakfast. Alex combated this by “putting down mileage” in order to make up for lost time, he said.

The long and hard trip finally came to an end on Dec. 13 of the in St. George, Utah, where Alex caught a Greyhound bus back to Minnesota – or as he calls it, “the dirty dog” — to spend the holidays with his family and friends.

The most memorable part of Alex’s trip was his 4-1/2 hour ride through the Cottonwood Pass in the Rocky Mountains. “At an elevation of more than 12,000 feet (above sea level), the summit is above tree line. The view is literally breathtaking, as there is less oxygen in the air,” Alex blogged.

Alex took another bike tour around France this summer.

To all of those who want to go on a biking odyssey of their own sometime, Alex offers up two pieces of advice: Despite popular belief, trips like these are doable; and don’t over plan. Figure out your general itinerary ahead of time, but pick specific routes on a day-to-day basis.

Another piece of advice that can be inferred from Alex’s experiences: Never give up hope, or at least, not for the first three weeks.