Eric Fiala finished reading a memoir of a bicycle quest in February 2007. Two days after closing the book, Fiala committed to a journey that would both challenge his personal endurance and raise awareness for a struggle facing his family.
Fiala’s nephew, Gavin Pope, – a 5th grader at Ardmore Elementary – has autism.
“Gavin is a wonderful, creative kid who’s frustrated by some common interactions,” said Fiala. “He deserves to engage in the world with fluency and grace. I devoted my ride to raising awareness about autism.”
Gwendolyn Pope, Gavin’s mother, recommended Autism Speaks as a way for family and friends to support her brother’s ride. “In addition to my son, Gavin, we have a cousin in California who is profoundly autistic,” said Pope. “Autism Speaks is a national organization promoting awareness and research.”
In June 2007, just four months after committing to ride, Fiala quit his job as a computer programmer and flew to Deadhorse, Alaska – the northern-most road-accessible town in the world. He swam in the 34 degree Arctic Ocean, turned south and headed down the Dalton Highway pedaling toward his ultimate goal of Argentina.
“This was my first bike trip,” said Fiala. “Originally I thought it would be fun to ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles, but the idea expanded.”
“I wanted to get to know the continent I lived on, though I didn’t plan a particular route in advance,” said Fiala. “The most planning involved the first leg, it’s nearly 500 miles from Prudoe Bay to Fairbanks and you need to travel with eight days of food.”
In an average day, Fiala rode 60 miles; a long day covered more than 75 miles. He typically burned 6,000 calories, and consumed 1.5 gallons of water each day.
According to Fiala, cyclists spend a lot of time thinking about food.
“Of course I missed people, but I also missed having a stove, oven and cooking for friends,” said Fiala. “Much of your mental energy is occupied with not knowing where you’ll next find food and water, and being unfamiliar with language and culture.”
Over the course of his journey, Fiala was hit by a car in Honduras, mugged by knife-wielding thugs in Bogota, and hit a tree at the southern end of Carretera Austral. “I was aware of the risks, but didn’t give them any time.”
I never got to the point of quitting,” said Fiala. “There were definitely times where I was mentally low, thinking things were rough. But by the time I got to a place I could quit, my mental commitment had returned.”
When asked what surprised him about the trip, Fiala said, “I didn’t go into this trip with expectations. What surprised me was how little I knew about Central and South America, and the rich collections of civilizations. The agriculture was incredible, seeing produce growing that I’d only seen in stores.”
Fiala’s steadfast companion on the trip was his custom bike, Clementine. “She’s a special bike, and we have a special bond,” said Fiala. After 20,000 miles together, I know every nuance of Clementine.”
Other than three weeks when he was joined by a cyclist friend, Fiala rode alone.
“When you travel alone, there’s no companionship, no compromise. I love company, but I knowingly put myself through things which I wouldn’t want to subject someone else to.”
Nineteen months and 13 days after departing from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, Fiala rode the last 15 miles into Ushuaia, Argentina on Island Tierra del Fuego in February, 2009. After one last night camping, he flew to Buenos Aires, then on to Seattle.
“I wasn’t prepared for it to be over,” said Fiala. “It’s been abrupt and surreal.”
“Eric Fiala is a wonderful example of someone making a difference for the autism community,” said Peter Bell, executive vice president of Autism Speaks. “We are grateful for his incredible accomplishment.”
Fiala has four siblings in the area, and parents who live in Fall City. When asked what ride he’s considering next, he mentions Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine or maybe Europe to Japan.
“But not for 5 years. For now I’d like to plant a garden,” said Fiala.
Marianne Berg Heywood is a freelance writer living in Bellevue.
Read Eric Fiala’s 20,000 mile cycling blog at anticompass.com
The website for Autism Speaks is autismspeaks.org
