By Heather Hansman
Daily Camera
June 17, 2009

BOULDER, Colo. — It started out as a joke. Last year, New Belgium Brewing Co. gave Ryan Van Duzer a 30-pound cruiser in thanks for some videos he had made for the company.

“I jokingly said, ‘I’m going to ride this across America,’” said Van Duzer, of Boulder.

New Belgium took him seriously. Now, with some help from the brewing company and the League of American Bicyclists, he’s riding his “Duzer Cruzer,” with a 50-pound trailer in tow, across the country.

When he sets out from San Diego on Saturday, headed for Washington, D.C. — nearly 3,000 miles away — it’ll be his first time on the bike for a trip longer than 5 miles. He’s expecting the expedition to take two months.

The 1995 Boulder High graduate rode a road bike 4,000 miles from Honduras to Boulder a few years ago after serving with the Peace Corps in the Central American country, and he has been a regular contributor to the Camera as the “Out There Guy.” In 2006, he worked as the city of Boulder’s “Bicycle Ambassador,” promoting biking and teaching safety clinics.

He’s also ridden from Maine to Key West along the entire Eastern Seaboard.

This time, Van Duzer, who has never had a car or even a driver’s license, is raising money for Boulder nonprofit Community Cycles through sponsors who contribute online at www.communitycycles.org. Along the way to Washington, he’s stopping in bike-friendly cities, such as Flagstaff, Ariz., and Columbus, Ohio, to give presentations about biking.

“If I can ride a three-speed cruiser from San Diego to D.C., more people can leave their car behind to go to the grocery store,” he said.

The money he raises will go to Community Cycles’ After School Bike program, which gives kids bikes and teaches them bike safety and maintenance.

“We really appreciate Ryan doing this, and we need it; that’s for sure,” said Rich Points, the organization’s director.

Brian Simpson, New Belgium’s spokesman, said he hopes Van Duzer’s ride, because it is so remarkable, will help get people excited about riding bikes.

“If you can show something grandiose, people rally around it,” he said. “We wanted to highlight his efforts.”

As he slowly pedals his way across the country, Van Duzer said, he’s excited to see as much as he can and to inspire people to get on their bikes.

“My main goal is to have fun. My second main goal is to raise money for Community Cycles,” Van Duzer said. “I’m trying to create a Forrest Gump kind of thing.”