Bicycling America

ROUTE: East to west, or west to east? Either is manageable. West to east seems more popular. If you leave in the spring, you avoid the extreme heat of the Western desert, but may encounter frigid nights and snow in the Rockies.

Then there's the wind. It was not a factor for me anywhere except Kansas. There, it was everything. It can sap your strength and spirit. Although many swear winds from the West are most common, the Adventure Cycling Association says it's a roll of the dice.

I chose to ride from the familiar East to the mysterious West, enhancing the sense of discovery. I wanted the magnificence of the Rockies to be a reward for a journey two-thirds done, not something to leave behind early on.

Then this decision: Which route? Some make their own. Many follow one of three laid out by Adventure Cycling: the 4,248-mile TransAmerica between Yorktown, Va., and Astoria, Ore.; the 4,295-mile Northern Tier between Bar Harbor, Me., and Anacortes, Wash.; or the 3,159-mile Southern Tier between St. Augustine, Fla., and San Diego.

Another popular option uses the 1,579-mile Western Express between San Francisco and Pueblo, Colo. In Pueblo, it hooks up with the TransAm, saving 460 miles, although subjecting the cyclist to extreme conditions in Utah and Nevada.

On my trip - I left Washington in May and arrived in Newport Beach, Calif., in August - I ended up doing major parts of the TransAm to the Mississippi River, then a great ride along the Katy Trail through Missouri and paths of my own the rest of the way. My conceit that I could find a better or more direct road occasionally paid off, but often put me in sticky spots. Adventure Cycling - http://www.adventurecycling.org/ or (800) 755-2453 - knows what it's doing.

The group's maps are indispensable. They lay out services, elevation, phone numbers for accommodations as well as directions on roads that are impossible to follow on a normal road atlas. Its TransAmerica Trail map set sells for $78 for members, $114 for nonmembers, less for maps of segments of the route. The TransAm celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

If making your own route, or planning to ride remote stretches, consider a GPS device.

GEAR: Be obsessive about leaving stuff home. You will feel every ounce. Expensive synthetic clothing pays off in light weight, quick cleaning and durability. Footwear is bulky; anything more than one good pair of biking shoes and a pair of sandals to stave off the campground-shower nasties is an indulgence.

I decided against campground cooking gear; many bring it. My heaviest items were a 4-pound laptop, a 3-pound tent and a 1-pound sleeping bag, along with jeans I mailed back and wish I hadn't.

Choose between panniers (saddlebags) and a trailer. I rode with rear panniers and a handlebar bag. Many bikers add front panniers for better weight distribution and capacity. A trailer might be better for a lot of camping gear.

A hydration pack that holds three liters of water is vital, especially in hot, dry and remote areas.

ACCOMMODATIONS: You can have a roof over your head every night with careful planning. But your flexibility will be reduced, because daily mileage will sometimes be dictated by distance between motels. Most nights, that won't be a problem. But you'll occasionally be stuck with an overpriced motel or truly awful digs. I found many hospitable mom-and-pop motels for $35 or less. If you commit to motels nightly, leave the camping gear home. If you are not sure, bring it and ship it home if you don't use it.

I stayed in motels more than I had planned, in part because campgrounds were not as easy to find and were sometimes nearly as expensive as a motel.

You can always camp for free in the middle of nowhere, and there's a whole lot of nowhere. Some of my best nights were under the stars, which shine with breathtaking brilliance in a heartland, mountain or desert sky.

On a half-dozen nights, the perfect solution for me was tenting for free in small-town parks, an unimaginable option in bigger places. Contact the police to see if that's OK.

TOURS: On organized tours, you ride with a group but carry your own gear. Tour leaders cycle with you, arrange accommodations - usually, camping - and coordinate logistics, while riders share duties like cooking. Available for under $4,000, including food and camping.

Fancier tours - $5,000 to $10,000 - will carry your gear for you and provide food, motels, roadside repairs and even a van for tired riders.

If you're riding alone or with a companion, however, you make the decisions yourself - some in advance, many every day on the road. These logistics can be more challenging than the pedaling. Consider them just one more mountain to climb. It's great fun coming down the other side.

ON THE NET: Directory of bike tours and resources for long trips: http://www.pedaling.com/. Online journals of long-distance cyclists: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com.

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