Now that’s one way to escape the rat race
WHEN Dave Gill woke up to find blood in his eye, he gave up his stressful job — and instead did something that shocked his mum.
A STRESSED out worker knew something had to change when he woke up to find blood in his eye.
26-year-old Dave Gill from Cumbria in the UK threw in his job at a video start-up in Manchester the same day.
He found a ‘rickety old’ bicycle on eBay for $300, and less than a month later (in October, 2012), he packed his bags and his bike, and flew to New York to start a 368-day trip around the US.
The 19,000km journey started and ended in New York (because “it was the cheapest place to fly to”), and involved thousands of hours of solo cycling around the huge country.
“I was doing this on an absolute shoestring and I camped every night so my accommodation costs were virtually zero.
“I basically cycled in a big loop around the country and came back to New York. It was nice to bring it back full circle and also the flights were cheapest back too.
“I saw so many incredible places and I particularly enjoyed Texas and Arizona but I barely slept for about four months while I cycled through the northeast of the country.”
Dave said it wasn’t only the loneliness of solo travelling that he needed to be wary of — there are plenty of dangers on the road.
“There are bears pretty much everywhere and, although the chances of you being attacked by one are pretty slim, you are constantly on edge.”
Dave, who has juggled a job in web design with writing a book since his return, admits his 56-year-old mother Lesley was worried when he told her about the extreme trip.
But, once he got underway, his family soon came onside and Dave insists that the hardest thing to adjust to was the loneliness of travelling solo for so long.
The hard times were worth it though, with Dave feeling like the adventure gave him a “kickstart” to his new life.
“It was my first big cycle like that even though I’ve always been mad about bikes — riding them is among the best memories I had as a kid,” he said. “My mum was pretty anxious at first until she figured out that I actually knew what I was doing and relaxed a bit.
“But my dad Andy instantly understood and was fully behind me.
Dave ran into all kinds of characters in his trip and interviewed them to find out made them tick, from Hollywood producers to a teenage drug dealer.
One was a former criminal served 10 years in prison for assaulting a police officer after being jailed age 16 and spent the 13 years since walking across the US.
Dave described the man, who pitched his tent next to him one night during the trip, as ‘one of the most positive he has ever met’.
Despite the struggles during the journey (in addition to long days on the road alone, he had to put up with more than 40 punctures), Dave admits he struggled getting back into ‘real life’ back home.
“It took me a few months to get used to being around people when I got back. I kept getting headaches for around three months and just wanted to get away people all the time.”
Dave is planning to turn his Stateside escapades into a video documentary titled Vague Direction: A 12,000 mile bicycle ride and the meaning of life.
He released a book by the same name on June 1.
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