Two Newton men ride bikes on 2,241-mile route used by slaves

THIS STORY RAN IN THE PRINT EDITION OF THE NEWTON KANSAN ON JULY 31, 2008.

Jerry Smith and Curtis Stubbs of Newton recently trekked one of the many routes taken by slaves fleeing the south.

But these two men, both in their 60s, did not tour the Underground Railroad by train or plane or automobile.

They biked the 2,241-mile route unassisted. Well at least, Smith did. Stubbs, 68, could not get away for the six weeks needed to travel the entire route.

“A lot of people do weekend rides. Not very many people tour and stay gone for five to six weeks,” Smith said.

Smith, 69, who is retired from Cummins Diesel, said he has a very understanding wife who rides with him on a tandem bike and is willing to stay home and mow the lawn and tend the garden while he is off touring for a month at a time.

Unassisted bicycle touring means the men, along with a couple of other traveling companions, packed all their gear on their bikes.

No one in a car or other vehicle tracked their progress.

The men bicycled for five to eight hours per day, traveling between 53 and 83 miles per day, depending on terrain.

The group biked almost every day of their trip, taking only two rest days in the first 1,500 miles of the journey. In the evening, they would camp or stay in a motel.

“There is nothing wrong with clean sheets, a cold shower and a place to rest without mosquitoes,” Smith said.

And this was some tough terrain, said Smith, a seasoned bicyclist.

Some of the grades were 12 percent to 14 percent in the heat and humidity.

“There is always times during the trip when you want to throw your bicycle into the river from a high bridge,” Smith said.

Physical conditioning is important, but Smith said much of touring is mental.

“It was a tough ride. You can’t tell your mind what your legs can’t do,” Smith said.

Smith bikes regularly. This is his fourth time to transverse the United States on two wheels. He also made a trip to Alaska via bicycle six years ago.

Months of preparation can go into a long-haul tour, including special detailed maps showing bike routes, riding conditions, climate and elevation.

The group started their ride in Mobile Alabama in May and ended in Toronto right before the Fourth of July.

Even during the spring, temperatures in the south were between 105 and 110.

Smith and Stubbs said some of their favorite riding was along the rails and trails in the northern section of their trip. Sometimes they would see thousands of people on the bike routes that were converted from railroad property.

The men enjoyed meeting people along the route like the locals who would direct them to good eating joints or the musician that gave them a CD or the group from England they had ice cream with.

Smith and Stubbs choose the route because of its historical significance. Along the way, the group stopped at a variety of museums and historical places.

They toured homes that had been built with hiding places for slaves fleeing the south.

“You could still see the fingerprints left by the slaves who hid there,” Smith said.

“The degree these people put their families and lives on the line to assist the fleeing slaves was impressive because they believed that no person should be a slave,” Stubbs said.

Stubbs, a retired counselor, started riding seriously when he began riding the five miles a day to his job at Prairie View.

Smith equipped his bike with lights and rode home from his job at 11 or 12 at night.

“It is a beautiful ride that time of day,” he said.

He, Smith and a group of local riders meet Saturday mornings at the Walgreens parking lot and ride to Walton, Hesston or Park City for breakfast.

Smith started seriously biking when he was 40. He saw it as a way to get exercise that would not injure his feet.

Smith spent much of his childhood in a Shrine hospital because a disability related to his feet.

After being carried most of his childhood, he said nothing will keep him from moving now.

Smith said he is always in the planning stages for another ride.

He hopes soon to tour in Australia, but he’s waiting for the exchange rate to change a little before he books his trip.