A Dutch tavern owner is rolling across Missouri this week on his quest to finish a cross-country bicycle tour that was interrupted 34 years ago when he was struck by a car.
Frank van Dijk, 58, called home last Friday to report that he and Ron, a friend who is trailing in a camper, expect to arrive in Eureka, Kansas, by this weekend. That's a week to 10 days ahead of schedule.
The cross-country journey started for Frank in 1976, the year that BikeCentennial (now Adventure Cycling Association) put thousands of bicycle travelers on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail to celebrate the nation's 200th birthday.
Dutch Apple
Frank was a member of the Dutch Apples touring group, comprised of 179 cyclists from The Netherlands. They departed from Oregon bound for Yorktown, Virginia, but Frank was struck by an elderly motorist in Eureka. He was hospitalized with a coma and several fractures and was unable to finish the bicycle tour.
That early conclusion for the bike trip has always nagged at Frank, so he made plans to fly to the US this fall and ride the remaining 1,800 miles of the TransAmerica trail from Yorktown to Eureka.
He's also using the ride as a fund-raiser for the Dutch charity KiKa (Kinderen Kankervrij), which translates to Children Cancerfree. He wears a bright yellow shirt with the KiKa logo and a slogan that reads “Tour de Frank: 1976 – 2010”.
Translated adventures
According to Dutch-to-English software translations of the Tour de Frank website , Frank and Ron flew to Washington DC, picked up the camper and made their way to Yorktown where Frank started bicycling.
As best as I can tell from the translations, everything has gone smoothly. A few interesting observations:
— They don't encounter cars they know from the movies, but mostly Japanese cars and luxurious pickup trucks;
— Signposting in Kentucky is incomplete and the infrastructure is bad; Frank was seriously slowed down by the mountains, but his condition improved as time went on.
— While they were in Kentucky, they couldn't find fried chicken. They found many McDonald's, however, where the milkshakes were sweeter and the meat tastier than at the McDonald's back home.
— They aren't always able to find a campground, but have been able to overnight at supermarkets and beside a church. Campgrounds with full utilities are easier to locate along their route in Missouri.
— They've had trouble with foreign currency at some of the smaller banks.
Unfinished business
Frank and Ron got a big send-off when the left the town of Laren, where Frank is the proprietor of T' Bonte Paard (The Spotted Horse). I'm sure they'll get a sweet return.
It's a great feeling to finish up something that's been left undone for too long, imagine how Frank's going to feel finishing this bicycle tour.
You can read more about the trip at: “Dutch cyclist returns to US to finish 1976 TransAmerica bike tour.”
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