I Biked the Coast of Oregon for the LGBTQ+ Community — and Here’s What I Learned
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When Mikah Meyer set out to ride the entire coastline of Oregon, he had never done a bike tour before. But the 35-year-old is on a mission: making the outdoors a safe space for members of the LGTBQ+ community, himself included as a gay man.
Earlier this year, Meyer, the creator of a nonprofit called Outside Safe Space, ran across the state of Mississippi to spread his message. So why did he choose to cross the state of Oregon on bike, instead of foot?
“I wanted to mix it up both personally, and I also wanted to reach a new audience with this Outside Safe Space message” Meyer told Bicycling.
Meyer recruited the help of his cyclist friend, Cole Strombeck, and loaded up his Schwinn Fastback Carbon road bike (courtesy of a sponsorship) with an Ortlieb handlebar bag, a 16.5-liter saddle bag, and a frame pack. They set off at the northernmost point on the Oregon coast on May 16 and finished on May 28. Though the Oregon coast is 363 miles long, after some detours and fun side-trips, their bike tour came to just under 510 miles.
As his first bikepacking trip, Meyer learned a lot along the way—insight that he hopes to put to good use on next bike touring adventure. Here’s what he learned.
You need less than you think
As many first-time bikepackers do, Meyer discovered well-into his trip that he had overpacked and could’ve done with less—and that was after narrowing things down. “I packed everything I thought I would need and my buddy Cole was like, ‘You won’t need that, you won’t need that… ’”
Next time, he’ll pare his gear down as much as possible.
Research the weather
Every successful bike tour starts with research, and along with thorough route planning there’s one component you don’t want to forget—the weather. Meyer says he wished he had researched the weather forecast better, since he ended up bringing most of the wrong type of clothes.
Cycling is freedom—and a great workout
One thing that stood out to Meyer, who has more of a running background, is just how far you can go by bike. “I loved the distances I could go with the bike,” he said. “I could cover so many more miles.”
Meyer and Strombeck also rode self-supported and often camped along the way. This, too, was a unique experience for Meyer, and he says he “loved the freedom” of traveling this way. Plus, carrying all of your gear on your bike is a great workout.
One downside, though, is that cyclists really are at the mercy of vehicle drivers. Meyer says he learned a lot about the relationship between bikes and cars on the road. “It made me way more empathetic for bikers as a driver,” he said. “Even a car going by at like 40 mph is so loud.”
Go in without expectations
Meyer says the best approach he had to doing the bike tour was not having any firm expectations. Going into it with an open mind of what he was going to accomplish each day made the trip better, and he found he often surprised himself by what he could do.
“I’m just here on a bike,” Meyer said to himself at one point, as he rode up a relentless climb. “I just have to keep pedaling”
He was amazed at the progress he made on the bike in such a short period of time. “Over the two weeks I had learned how to pace myself, how to shift better,” Meyer said. He also went from being afraid of biking down a hill to hitting 35 mph on a descent towards the end of the trip. In the end, he was really proud of himself.
Just about anyone could do it
Meyer shared his Outside Safe Space message—and a tree pin, which represents a welcome to LGBTQ+ people in the outdoors—with those he met along the way. They met quite a few other bikepackers, and as their trip progressed, Meyer noticed some common themes. The first was that they met no other LGBTQ+ cyclists during the trip. The second was that everyone commented on his bike.
“Without fail, every single person had some Schwinn story,” Meyer said. “It was fascinating to hear how big of a role that brand plays in every person’s life. They were stoked to see that Schwinn had this carbon road bike.”
And lastly, every cyclist they met was out on a bike tour to signify a fresh start of some sort, whether they had just quit their job, gotten out of a relationship, graduated school, moved to a new town, etc. “Everyone seemed to be at some pivot point in their life,” Meyer said.
Which brought him to another realization: that just about anyone could fit a bike tour into their schedule. Anyone could embark on an epic adventure—to celebrate the changing of life’s seasons or to raise awareness for a good cause—just one pedal stroke at a time.
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