Determined bicyclists headed south

By Mary Alice Garrett

This story originally appeared December 18, 2008 in The News Journal of Wilmington, Delaware.

Four area young men hope to change the way Americans view South America, through a 14-month bicycle tour of the continent.

The four, who call their adventure One Road South, left the U.S. on Dec. 2 bound for Argentina.

"Right now, people look at South America as drug cartels and jungles. There's a stereotype. We hope to dispel this," said leader Daniel Lins, 25.

A former chemist, Lins grew up in Millsboro and graduated from the University of Delaware. He will be joined by two fellow UD graduates (Michael Beris, 26, of Wilmington, and Chris Thompson, 24, who grew up in Georgetown and now lives in Newark) and Dan Wallace, 22, of Stroudsburg, Pa.

The trip has been a year in the making. "We all had jobs at the time, and we wanted to do something big," said Lins.

They expect to pedal 18,000 miles and sleep outside in tents 80 percent of the time. "It's going to be really roughing it," Wallace said prior to leaving.

Beris, a former mental health worker, said he looks forward to exploring South America and its cultures on a touring bike, which, he said, is preferable to a tour bus and certainly cheaper.

The four, all of whom speak some Spanish, especially hope to get their message of accessible international travel to schoolchildren throughout South America. To that end, they have aligned themselves with Reach the World, an education nonprofit that connects classrooms to travelers around the world.

Just before leaving, the men spent several days visiting some RTW inner-city schools in New York. They took along one of their touring bikes loaded with camping gear.

The students "were enthralled," said Lins. One girl picked up the bike to see if she might be able to manage it.

"It was cool that the kids got to see us as people," added Beris. Several said 'Can I go with you guys?' 'Can I do this when I get older?' "

Wallace will draw on his experiences teaching in inner-city and reform schools. The recent graduate of East Stroudsburg University has spread the word of the trip to teachers in the Stroudsburg and Quakertown area. Their students will check in weekly to watch videos of the travels. Wallace and his colleagues are traveling with two laptops and a solar charger.

Their other gear includes two tents, a travel stove, sleeping bags, quick-drying clothes, water filter, tools and miscellaneous items -- all loaded onto four bicycles.

The tents and bikes got tested on a November trip to the C&O Canal.

The test was to see if the Eureka tents would repel water and if the bikes could handle the loads. Despite pouring rain, the tents stayed dry. Beris' bike, however, developed a bad bearing. Beris and Wallace wanted to abort the trip and head to a motel. Lins, however, said, "We can do this." Several hours later, they had fashioned a substitute bearing and located a covered picnic area for sleeping.

"It was a success because we were miserable," said Lins who also staged another training run during which three of them didn't eat for a day to test their ability to get along.

"I think we all got along well," said Lins. "There's great potential for strife. We don't yell at each other."

After each training run, Lins asked for feedback about how to relieve tension. "My biggest fear is -- how do we get along," Lins added.

Lins hitchhiked to a wilderness medical course in Utah, where he learned to set bones and diagnose injuries and diseases. He also learned when to seek outside medical help, such as for snake bites.

The crew visited the Bolivian, Chilean and Peruvian embassies in Washington to get visas and information.

The group picked up 14 sponsors, mostly manufacturers of outdoor wear and equipment, which it will test and rate.

"We got a lot of positive feedback once they found out we were not shirking the responsibilities of life," noted Beris who solicited about 150 firms.

Friend Sean Devlin, of Wilmington, created a lively Web site and video "all for a pizza here and there."

Brent Fischer, 24, of Newark, was to be part of the bike tour but had to drop out in May after developing bone cancer. He's still undergoing treatment at Christiana Hospital.

Fischer was replaced by Wallace.

Because of Fischer's illness, the group is soliciting funds for the American Cancer Society.

And what will the four do after February 2010, when they're scheduled to return?

Thompson said he will look for a job in his field, solar electricity. He just received a master's degree in electrical engineering.

Thompson has done multiple peak ascents in the Colorado Rockies, along with extensive sailing and canoeing. "My goal is to finish the trip and experience a lot of different cultures."

Wallace, who at age 19 spent a month as a missionary in Kenya, hopes to teach in an inner-city school in Philadelphia or New York City.

"I hope the trip will point me in a different direction," said Beris who has worked with patients at the Rockford Center. "I might go back to school."

Lins said he definitely will not return to the corporate world. While his job with ExxonMobil "was fun and like 'CSI,' " Lins said he doesn't want the structure again. "The worse part was dress shoes. They're so uncomfortable," he said.

"I'm trying to use the trip as a springboard to something else. I want to see the whole world."

POSTSCRIPT

After returning from their adventure to South America, the four cyclists sat down for another interview.