HENRICO COUTY, Va. -- A Henrico cyclist is back in Virginia after completing a cross-country ride to raise money for a local nonprofit.
CBS 6 first told you about Dan Schmitt during Greg McQuade's "I Have a Story" piece in June during the midst of his trek. Now, nearly 4,800 miles later, he has finished.
"It was so exciting to see who the next people were going to be and what the next town looked like," Schmitt said of his ride.
Over 72 days (which included some rest days), Schmitt rode 4,786 miles starting in Anacortes, Washington, and finishing up in Bar Harbor, Maine.
It was a trip that took him across the Midwest, the Great Lakes, and Niagara Falls.
"I started May 21 just when the roads were opening in Washington because of the snow and was able to get over the first several, four mountain passes -- some that had 10 feet of snow on the top. And so, it was pretty incredible to see the snow in the west that I had to get through and then the heat in the east that I had to suffer through," said Schmitt. "A typical day was about six-and-a-half to seven hours on the bike, which is about 75-85 miles. Now that ranged from the low of 30, when I had tremendous headwinds and high temperatures in Minnesota to beautiful tailwinds in North Dakota, where I got 140 miles."
Schmitt also did the trip solo, meaning he carried everything he might need on his bike -- including camping supplies.
"The unsupported, solo nature of it really made it that much more interesting and challenging and enriching, to be honest. Because I was carrying everything -- tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment," said Schmitt. "I was looking for places to camp at night, which is a whole different level. Once the riding ended, the challenge of lodging and camping began. And so, that was always interesting."
Schmitt said he wanted to do the cross-country trip for years and said he was inspired by the Kon-Tiki expedition, where a group of explorers sailed a raft across the Pacific Ocean in the 1940s -- calling his trip the "Kon-Tiki Challenge." He said he retired in December and decided now was the time to do it.
Along with checking off a bucket list item -- Schmitt used the ride to raise money for Sportable, a Richmond nonprofit his wife works for that helps people with disabilities through sport. So far, the ride has raised over $130,000.
"They actually made my ride easier every single day. Because, whenever I thought it was hard I thought of them and then my day just got better," said Schmitt.
Others who helped make his day better were the people he met along the way.
"The ride through America was really, to me, you know, as much of a ride through the heart of humanity. Because, I met such incredible people," added Scmitt.
Among them was a man in Dutton, Montana who Schmitt met late one Sunday as Schmitt rolled into town out of food and all the stores closed.
"Ten minutes later he showed up with an armful of food his wife made me -- sandwiches, brought me fruit drinks, and he sat down and ate with me. And he said, 'You're not going to be hungry in Dutton, Montana tonight.'"
Schmitt said another experience happened during one of his stops at lemonade stands during his ride. He said after explaining why he was riding cross-country to a family outside of Boston, they gave him the $22 they had collected at the stand.
"To me, that was just a remarkable moment of kindness and humanity and giving," said Schmitt. "And I got on my bike and just [grew] stronger and better after that."
If you're thinking that Boston seems out of the way from the path Schmitt was taking, that is because after he reached Maine he then rode another 300 miles to just outside Boston to the factory where his bike was made.
"It was a perfect way to end a very long bike ride," said Schmitt.
Looking back, Schmitt said the ride gave him plenty of time to think about the next stage of his life and wants to help others tackle their own Kon-Tiki challenges.
"What's your big goal, it could be anything," said Schmitt. "I was given so much on this ride by so many people. And it strengthened my resolve to give back to others."
And it is those people he met along the way that Schmitt said made this bike ride become so much more.
"The landscapes and the pictures were great and I'll have those, you know, in photo albums forever. But it's the people that I'll remember forever. It's because that's what this trip turned out to be all about," said Schmitt.
In October, Schmitt will be the guest of honor at a reception at the Virginia War Memorial.
