The youngest person to bicycle across the United States

In 1973, 11-year-old Becky Gorton bicycled from Olympia, Washington to Boston, Massachusetts in 47 days. She was accompanied by her entire family. Though her dad (who was attorney general of Washington) got hit by a car en route, so he had to complete part of the journey in a car.

Becky Gorton and her family at the end of their trip.

Longview Daily News - July 21, 1973

The feat earned her a place in the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest person ever to bicycle coast-to-coast. But since then Guinness seems to have stopped tracking this record. Probably because it didn't want to encourage ever younger children to attempt the feat.

However, younger people definitely have subsequently biked across the country. Though it's difficult to say who's officially the current record holder.

In 2014, 9-year-old C.J. Burford got some publicity for biking cross-country. But I don't think he set the record because in 1995 8-year-old Starr Moss was reported as having biked across the country with his 13-year-old brother.

The SF Chronicle article about their feat never mentioned that Starr set a record. So perhaps there's someone even younger who managed to do it.

If this is the same Starr Moss, he's now, appropriately, working as a "Bike Share Planner" for Lyft.

Posted By: Alex - Thu Aug 01, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, World Records, 1970s

Dali’s Ovocipede

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jul 06, 2024 - Comments (1)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Surrealism, 1960s

Jean-Yves Blondeau, Rollerman

His Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Nov 22, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Daredevils, Stuntpeople and Thrillseekers, Europe, Mental Health and Insanity

The Roller Skate Craze

Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 21, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Fads, Humor, 1900s

Cycle Ball

Call me a Sports Dummy, but I had never previously heard of Cycle Ball.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Aug 10, 2023 - Comments (0)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Eccentrics, Sports

Maco Toys Firefly Safety Helmet

What do you think? Would this have earned envy or disdain from fellow kids? Cool or uncool?

The maker's Wikipedia page.

Posted By: Paul - Thu Apr 27, 2023 - Comments (4)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Geeks, Nerds and Pointdexters, Toys, Self-protection, Defenses, and Safeguards, Twentieth Century

Follies of the Madmen #556

The 1970s. You had to be there.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 15, 2023 - Comments (9)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Fashion, Travel, Nudism and Nudists, 1970s, Double Entendres and Nudge-Nudge, Wink-Wink

Goat-mobile

Not only bucks, but bleats! The inventor's predilection for a goat figure definitely NOT Satanic!

Full patent here.

Posted By: Paul - Sat Oct 22, 2022 - Comments (3)
Category: Animals, Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Inventions, Patents, Toys, Nineteenth Century

The Ross Unicycle

The birth of the Monowheel? See videos below.

The patent is here.





From SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN:

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 04, 2022 - Comments (0)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, Inventions, Nineteenth Century

Around the world on a unicycle

From All Hands: The Bureau of Naval Personnel Career Publication - July 1969:

Posted By: Alex - Sun Feb 27, 2022 - Comments (5)
Category: Bicycles and Other Human-powered Vehicles, World Records