LCF Man Crisscrosses Country on a Bicycle

La Cañada Flintridge resident Joel Robinson has ridden his custom-made touring bike all over the United States, covering literally hundreds of miles of open country on solo excursions since 2003.

"Frankly, I still like going fast. When I see new country, walking's too slow, I don't want to do it in the car, and a motorcycle is still too mechanical for me; you're too dependent on the machine," said Robinson, 65, who has lived in LCF since 1978.

"When you're on your own you've got to be resourceful, you've got to be patient, you've got to be cautious—those are things that define this trip."  

On why he chooses the solo route as opposed to riding in packs or even with one other cyclist, the retired Unocal engineering and environmental consultant said the odds are stacked against him in terms of finding "somebody with the interest, the ability, the time, the money was impossible."

Robinson estimated he covered an average of 50 miles per day through states such as California, Montana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Arkansas and Arizona.

Logging trucks in Montana posed the most notable potential threat to his roadside self, according to Robinson.

"People say 'aren't you worried about your safety?' Not from other humans, only if there's something stupid I do or a truck, bad traffic sense. I never felt really threatened by anybody even though I was out there alone."

Robinson, a bicycle enthusiast for 60 years who relies on his Bob Jackson bike built to order in 1985, has never had a crash on any of his journeys, though he did mention troubles in the form of a few flat tires and "mechanical crises" that forced him to put his improvisational skills to use.

"I was going through Arkansas, through the Ozarks, and I said 'gosh, it's not shifting very well," Robinson recalled. "I stopped and when I pulled the rear wheel off, the cluster dropped off and all the bearings fell out."

Finding himself without grease or proper tools, this required a "MacGyver moment," Robinson said, involving ChapStick and thread that apparently did the trick, enabling him to ride another 100 miles until he reached a bicycle shop.

For novice bicyclists, Robinson's advice was "start slowly, and then explore new places," he said. "L.A. is almost a perfect place to ride. Traffic can be bad on some of the streets, but it's got good weather, it's relatively flat, there are some very safe places to ride."

He recommended Los Angeles River routes as choice local riding spots.

On Wednesday Robinson spoke about long-distance cycling at the LCF Kiwanis Club, which meets weekly at . Fellow LCF resident and avid bike rider Tom Gilfoy was in attendance.

"My reason [for cycling] is probably different than most," said Gilfoy, who has done his share of long-distance bike touring as well, including a trip to the Andes Mountains in South America in addition to being hit by a car in Myrtle Beach, SC.

"[At age 51] I had a heart attack and bypass surgery, and my cardiologist was a cyclist. So he suggested I ride bikes and do more than what I had been doing. I took it perhaps a little more serious than he had intended."