Brighton cyclist to cross continent with just a ‘bag for life’

A Brighton adventurer is gearing up for a gruelling 3000 mile bike ride across the USA, crossing deserts and braving temperatures of over 40 degrees celsius.

Armed with a lightweight bicycle and kit so minimal it will fit in a supermarket-style ‘bag for life’, Matt Garman will ride 3,048 miles coast to coast, traversing the entire North American continent from California to Florida.

Garman will leave Mission Beach, San Diego on Sunday, September 14 and plans to complete the self-made challenge in five weeks, reaching the beach-side fort Castillo San Marcos in St Augustine on Monday October 27th.

“There’s no option except to finish as we’ve booked flights back for the 27th of October. I’ll be travelling light, just one set of clothes, my mobile and a credit card. All of my kit can fit into one shopping bag.”

During his marathon ride, 54-year-old Garman and his lifelong friend David Cox, 56, will cross the baking hot Colorado and Yuha deserts.

“The deserts will be the toughest parts but also the most beautiful. The ride will be tough and I’ll probably have a very sore bum by the end of it.”

To make the journey on time the duo will need to cycle for eight to nine hours per day covering often distances over 100 miles a day.

“My biggest worry is a crash or getting hit by a car or a truck. Other than that I am just really looking forward to seeing the vastness of the deserts and to meeting all sorts of people. It’s a major adventure with a dear friend which has been 16 months in the planning.

“There are also 14 days in our planned route where we have to cover over 100 miles and our very longest day will be 127 miles. I’ve only cycled over 100 miles twice before.”

The serial adventurer is raising money for Rockinghorse Children’s Charity which supports children with life-limiting conditions and their families.

For his trip across the US, Garman will be riding a brand new carbon Giant Defy bicycle with Di2 electronic gearing.

It won’t be his first endurance test. Garman has previously rowed across the Atlantic, swum the English Channel and completed the notorious Ironman triathlon. Cox is also an adventurer who has also swum the channel, competed in Iron Man and the gruelling Marathon de Sables.

“I have always set challenges for myself. I have a never ending need to demonstrate what I am capable of,” says Garman.

“I left school at 16 with no qualifications and did a lot of low paid jobs before finally running my own businesses. This was a very different route to that of my brothers, who were all high flyers academically and went to university. So a lot of this admittedly comes down to insecurity, I think.”

Off the road, Garman is a leadership expert and keynote speaker, having addressed organisations including NatWest, Lloyds Bank and Vistage.

His latest book, An Unconventional Journey into Leadership, was published earlier this year.

“There are many paths to greatness and most of them are very unconventional. I hope my ride helps to inspire people to embark on their own challenges.”