Pan-American bicycle tourist Dominic Gill could put a classified ad in newspapers throughout the Americas:
Wanted: Tandem pilot seeks stoker. Full or part-time. Must be willing to travel.
Gill is an Englishman in the midst of a 20,000-mile journey from Alaska to the tip of South America on a tandem. Cycling the length of North and South America in search of company, Gill says, “What better way to get to know the locals than offering them a seat on your bike.”
According to Gill's “Take a Seat” website, he's bicycled about 6,800 miles so far. He's had a tandem mate for about 2,500 miles; the rest he's slogged on alone towing a Bob trailer.
The last time he updated his journal, Gill was relaxing in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, near the resort of Ixtapa. It sounds like he's become popular with the children along his route who are often begging him for rides and autographs.
Journal
A few weeks ago, he wrote about his constant meanderings and staying at a family's home in Mexico for a few weeks while he waited to make repairs to his bike:
“But now, my bike is fixed, my teaching is done, my worn out shoes have been replaced….I really have no excuse to stay here. The time has come to eject myself from this comfortable and friend filled city, into a sinuous world of motion and fleeting thoughts, taking me towards Guatemala…”
Along the way, Gill is raising money at an online donation site for Hope and Homes for Children, an international charity to provide for children orphaned or abandoned because of war, poverty or AIDS/HIV.
He has almost reached his fund-raising goal.
Equipment
Gill is riding a Thorn Raven Twin rolling on Schwalbe Marathon XR tires, pulling a Bob trailer. His panniers and handlebar bags are made by Carradice Super C. He left Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in June.
His “Take a Seat” website features a photo gallery, film, and a journal. Good luck to Dominic on his journeys and here's hoping he finds plenty of company for the stoker seat.
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