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DetailsRouteStarting in Buenos Aires, I’ll cycle west to the famed universities of Cordoba. Then journey on to the internationally acclaimed wine capitol of Mendoza where I will disembark the bicycle for 3 weeks as I attempt to climb Mt. Aconcagua. Upon my return, I jump back on the bike and pedal north along the foot of the Andes Mountains to vast Chaco desert. Cross the desert to the east and into the humid rainforest. Riding north to see Iguazu Falls. There I will pick up the Uruguay River and follow it south, back to Buenos Aires. see the trip map and daily itinerary on my tracking page 
ProcessEveryday I must eat, take down my tent, re-pack the equipment, fill the water bottles, and start riding. Navigating is easy at an average pace of 15.6 miles per hour. Somewhere around the first 30 miles of each day I will stop and eat again. I will be burring around 4000 to 5000 calories every day. Resting and eating every two hours or so until I finish for the day. Within the last 10 miles of each day, I will buy food for dinner and breakfast. Reaching camp, I will quickly set up the tent, layout equipment and get cleaned up. If daylight permits, a short walk or hike will help me to clear my mind and stretch out the legs. And just before sunset I will make dinner on a small camping stove. Most nights I will be in the open countryside, retiring to the tent to make interview phone calls, blog, and write in my journal. I will be riding solo and unsupported. In the larger cities, I will sleep, eat and work out of a hotel. This is because safety is the number one concern, camping is limited in metropolitan areas, and I need a place to clean up and prepare for any interview or public showing. 
Educational Tours After the trip, I will make stops at schools across America, sharing my adventures, while educating the students about lifing a healthy and active lifestyle. This will be done through an interactive program lasting between 25 and 45 minutes. The heart, nutrition, exercise, travel, adventure, volunteering, and being a professional athlete will all be coverd with time for questions at the end. Child obesity is a growing problem in the U.S., especially amongst inner-city children. It is a combined goal of the American Heart Association and myself to educate this segment of the U.S. population. I will talk about nutrition and an active lifestyle to groups of children at each school district, using myself as an example of this. I hope to inspire the children to follow their dreams, explore their world, and that they can make a difference. 
Political ActionWorking with the American Heart Association, I will stop at city halls, and state capitals to speak with our elected officials. Lobbying for student health, bicycle safety, and environmental initiatives, and by using my example I hope to influence our leaders to create the opportunities for everyone to have a better future. Speaking to state senators and representatives about the growing problem of child obesity; listening to school district officials, principals, and teachers about their students walking to school, P.E. time, and lunch menu; meeting with mayors, city planners, and environmental directors over the growing issues of traffic congestion, pollution, and resource conservation; working with departments of transportation to improve the road ways; asking bicycle and pedestrian coordinators to put in more paths and trails; helping bicycling lobbying groups further their initiatives - are just a few of things I will be doing along the way. 
Bicycle Clubs It's a lot of fun to meet other cyclist and I welcome the opportunity to ride with many cycling clubs. If schedules and timing works out, I will do everything I can to meet any rider on the open road or go to a club meeting. Cycling clubs are the local two-wheel ambassadors - a great way for me to be shown the way into a new city, check out the cycling paths, learn local trivia, and meet a few residents. 
Technology I will blog, communicate, navigate, photograph, and record each day. This will be done using a AT&T 8525 smart phone, connected to an Asus Eee PC 4G laptop. I will be navigating using a Garmin Colorado 400t. I will be shooting photos and video using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5K camera. The blogs, photos, and videos will be uploaded to cycleforheart.org, myspace.com, facebook.com, and youtube.com where viewers can read and track my progress. Equipment I will be riding a 2010 Trek 520 touring bicycle. All of the gear is carried in panniers on a bike rack over the rear tire. The weight of the equipment without food is 32 pounds. The bike weighs 30 pounds. I will have cycling, personal, camping, navigation, and technical equipment including spare parts and tools. for more details, please see my equipment list By the Numbers, Last 4 Trips Combined: Average Speed: 15.1 miles per hour Body Weight Loss: 29 pounds Days on the Road: 230 Distance: 12,748 miles Flat Tires: 31 Longest Day: 136 miles Number of Schools and After School Programs: 75 Time Pedaling: 846 hours & 3 minutes (35 days & 6 hours & 3 minutes) Vertical Climbing: 401,933 feet (76.1 miles) Weight of Bike: 30 pounds Weight of Equipment: 32 pounds The Stone Sentinel - Mt. Aconcagua At 22841 feet, 6962 meters; Cerro Aconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas. It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza. The summit is located about 5 kilometers from San Juan Province and 15 kilometers from the international border with Chile. It lies 112 km (70 mi) west by north of the city of Mendoza. Aconcagua is the highest peak in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres, as well as the highest outside of Asia. It is one of the Seven Summits. Aconcagua is bounded by the Valle de las Vacas to the North and East and the Valle de los Horcones Inferior to the West and South. The mountain and its surroundings are part of the Aconcagua Provincial Park. The mountain has a number of glaciers. The most substantial are the North-Eastern or Polish Glacier and the eastern or English Glacier. The mountain was created by the subduction of the Nazca Plate beneath the South American plate during the geologically recent Andean orogeny; however, it is not a volcano. The origin of the name is contested, it is either from the Arauca Aconca-Hue, which refers to the Aconcagua River and means 'comes from the other side' or the Quechua Ackon Cahuak, meaning 'Sentinel of Stone'. Climbing Route The Polish Glacier (Spanish: Glaciar de los Polacos) is one of the glacial fields of mount Aconcagua in the Andes. It was named after the Polish expedition of 1934. Led by Konstanty Narkiewicz-Jodko, the team paved an alternative route to the peak, named the Polish Route, through the glacier. Stage 1. Starting at Punta de Vacas trailhead at 7627’, I’ll hike 8miles up the west side of the Rio de las Vacas to the Las Lenas shelter at 8858’ Stage 2. Continue hiking up the Rio de Las Vacas, 8.9 miles to the Casa de Piedra shelter at 10,499' Stage 3. After crossing the Rio de Las Vacas, hike 6.9 miles up the steep, narrow Relinchos Valley to the moraine that marks the Plaza Argentina base camp at 13,780'. Stage 4. After 3 days of rest, hike northwest over the moraine of the Relinchos Glacier. After negotiating a traverse through a field of penitentes (ice and snow daggers formed by the sun), and cross a small stream to arrive at the site of Camp I (16,404') Stage 5. After 3 days of rest, from Camp I, climb past the Ameghino Col (17,650 ft.) to Camp II at the base of the Polish Glacier at 19,357 ft. Stage 6. SUMMIT ATTEMPT: Within the next 5 days depending on weather, from the high camp the Polish Glacier runs at about 41 degrees on it’s left (eastern) side. Taking this path is long but much safer then the crevassed middle or the very steep right side. I’ll traverse across the bottom of the glacier towards the ridgeline, and follow it to the summit. If needed, a possible Camp III will be established at 21,400’. It takes 18 to 26 hours to summit and return back to Camp II. Stage 7. Begin the descent back down to Base Camp, to the land of oxygen rich air! Stage 8. Hike down the Vacas Valley, back to the trailhead. Process During the climb, the daily routine will vary only slightly. In the beginning, my pack will weigh over 90 pounds. But after reaching base camp, carries consisting of 55 – 60 lbs will be done to set up higher camps on the mountain. There will be days off in between the caries and the old adage of climb high, sleep low will be followed. Beyond that, daily life will not be much different from any other normal camping trip. Timing A total of 78 days will be spent in Argentina. Climbing Mt. Aconcagua via the Polish Glacier, can take anywhere from 17 to 21 days depending on the weather.
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