Detours didn’t keep Arlington cyclist from riding across the U.S.
Published 10:34 pm Thursday, May 22, 2008
ARLINGTON — Rob Putnam recently completed the last leg of a cross-country bicycle ride and he’s already thinking about his next journey.
Putnam, the 56-year-old manager of the Arlington Municipal Airport, regularly rides his bike to work from his home in Arlington.
An Arlington native, Putnam remembers as a kid riding his bicycle to Pilchuck Creek to go swimming, but he didn’t get serious about bike riding until about a dozen years ago.
The cross-country ride from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla., originally was supposed to happen in a several-month trek in early 2002. But the journey ended prematurely in Phoenix, when his riding partner, former Arlington Police Chief Steve Robinson, had to return home for a family matter.
Putnam decided to resume the ride in stages over the next several years. In 2003, Putnam set off from Phoenix and made it to El Paso, Texas. In 2004, he rode from El Paso to Austin. It was a tough ride across Texas, he said, and so he decided to take the following year off.
Avid bicycle enthusiasts Don and Marcia Hazen, friends from Arlington, met him for the journey in 2006 from Austin to St. Francisville, La. The three rode recumbent bikes, and that’s the bike he took back to St. Francisville in 2007 for what he thought would be the finish of the ride.
In Cottondale, Fla., with 422 miles to go, he was side-swiped by the driver of pickup.
The accident fractured Putnam’s back. With the help of strangers he was able to meet up with his wife, Denise, and get home. His doctor advised him to take time off from bike riding, but that didn’t last long.
Last month, Robinson rejoined Putnam for the last leg of the cross-country trip. A Florida bicycle club offered their hospitality to make it happen.
Putnam’s memories of the six-year odyssey include stories about the wind, the scenery and the wonderful people he met along the way.
“It felt good to get it done,” Putnam said. “The high point of the trip was crossing the Mississippi River on a ferry.”
As he has for the last 10 years, Putnam rides to work for the exercise and said he encourages others to do so.
“At the end of the day, by the time I get down to the end of 59th Street, I’m not thinking about work anymore and that’s of great benefit to me,” he said.
Putnam said he plans to ride his bike for as long as he is able and he’s already looking at a ride along the Pacific Coast.
“We’ll see,” he said.
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
