Visiting all 30 NFL stadiums by bicycle seems a daunting challenge, unless you’ve ridden from the top of Alaska to the bottom of Argentina. Still 11,000 miles ain’t nothin’.
Bond Almand, an ultra-endurance cyclist in the middle of that effort, stopped at Lambeau Field on Aug. 11, a venue that’s notably bicycle friendly.
Extreme Networks, a company that designs, develops and manufactures wired and wireless network infrastructure equipment and software, sponsors Almand’s journey. Extreme works with several NFL teams, including the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, which meant Almand got a decent welcome at Lambeau Field. In some places, the best he could do was wave and take a photo as he rode by, such as at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey, home to the Giants and Jets.
Almand started in Miami, where, as if mocking his intentions, he got a flat tire 20 miles into his 11,000-mile trip. He wound his way across the eastern United States, not always taking the most efficient path, before reaching Green Bay and Lambeau Field on the morning of Aug. 11. For example, he rode from Dallas to Kansas City instead of to Nashville, which would have been quicker, because he liked how the route wound around.
Almand, 22, of Maryville, Tennessee, departed on July 7, a month after graduating from Dartmouth University with degrees in government, climate science and environmental studies, which aren’t much valued in the current political atmosphere, so he allowed himself to be talked into the NFL trip by another Dartmouth grad who now works for Extreme Networks.
“They are kind of the perfect size. They can make stuff happen, but they’re not too big that they’re caught up in all the bureaucracy of it,” he said.
He admits that after a year of school, he wasn’t in the best condition to begin this ride. “I kind of rode myself into shape,” he said.
The plan is to be in Seattle on Sept. 9 for the season-opening game between Super Bowl opponents Seattle and New England.
Ideally, riding west to east would be the better way to travel, given prevailing winds. But Seattle and not New England won Super Bowl LX, so the game ball in the specially made carrier on his bike is headed west, wind or no wind.
Almand rides a specially made Trek bike, which weighs 16 pounds stripped down and about 31 pounds with his full traveling kit, which exists in a smallish bag on his handlebars. “This is everything I need for 65 days, right here in the bag,” he said.
He rode through Waterloo, Wisconsin, on Aug. 10, where Trek is headquartered, to meet the people who built his bike. He aims for eight hours of sleep each night, in hotel rooms provided by Extreme Networks. That and a decent restaurant gets him to the next day.
He averages 17 to 21 miles an hours (up to 60 down some hills), and 200 miles a day, although he faces several 250-mile days on his coming route from Minneapolis to Denver. To keep that going, he consumes about 10,000 calories a day, which requires him to sometimes eat after he can’t take another bite. Not doing so could cause his body to start eating his muscles.
A lot of times, he’s consuming gas station food, for better and worse. He discovered Kwik Trip in Wisconsin, which falls into the ‘for better” category. “Kwik Trip has good, solid food,” he said.
For most of the trip, Almand travels alone, listening to podcasts, music and the occasional audio book, and keeping a sharp eye out for motor vehicles, which could mean a quick end to everything.
“That’s always the biggest concern when I’m biking,” he said. “It’s been really good in Wisconsin. The drivers have been great. It was really scary in Florida, Louisiana and Texas. They just don’t have quiet roads … and in certain regions of the country the drivers are more courteous.”
Other riders join him for short distances at times, and when he crosses the western deserts, he’ll have a chase car with plenty of water. He’s adventurous, not suicidal.
When you ride that far, and every bit of the way on a bicycle, you’re going to have weather. Lots of weather. Almand faced a tornado watch in Oklahoma, a couple of thunderstorms, and was twice pelted with hail. Granted, it was small hail, but when you’re moving at 17 or so miles per hour, it still stings.
He was concerned for a time about the heavy Canadian wildfire smoke in the Midwest. That would have forced him to dismount for days.
This is not his first big trip. He holds the record for the fastest time from Alaska to Argentina on a bicycle, making the trip two years ago in 75 days, 17 hours and 55 minutes.
The bike, painted in Extreme Networks’ purple, will be auctioned at the end of the ride for charity. His travels to every stadium can be followed online at bondextremejourney.com.
Contact Richard Ryman at rryman@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X at @RichRymanPG and on Instagram at @rrymanPG.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Cyclist pedals 11,000 miles to deliver Super Bowl game ball to Seattle
Reporting by Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Richard Ryman, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
