News

National Music Tour by Bicycle Will Highlight U.S. Bicycle Route System and More

Musician Ben Sollee to raise awareness of national efforts aimed at making America more bicycle-friendly; cycling advocates invited to get involved.

August 16, 2010

Missoula, Montana — On August 18, 2010, musician Ben Sollee will launch his Ditch the Van Tour 2010 in San Diego, CA, officially kicking off what is likely the first-ever coast-to-coast music tour by bicycle.

Linking together four regional tours to create a transcontinental itinerary, Sollee will perform and engage with local cycling advocacy along the way, as well as raise awareness about national efforts to improve cycling in America, including Adventure Cycling Association's work on the emerging U.S. Bicycle Route System and the League of American Bicyclists' Bicycle Friendly America program.

"We've teamed up with the Adventure Cycling Association to promote improved bicycling infrastructure in communities and on the roads that connect them," said Sollee. "Safe, clean bike lanes and pedestrian ways help communities to be more livable. We can see and feel the difference from our saddles and the stage. Communities that support livability initiatives also tend to support the arts and the people come out to the shows."

The Ditch the Van Tour is a reaction to the massive carbon footprint that many music tours leave behind — imagine a long caravan of semi-trailers toting enormous stages and huge amounts of gear — but for Sollee, it is also an effort to slow down to the pace of life, which he described as a "beautiful limitation" in a recent National Geographic interview:

"It's about pace of life and re-localizing. I've spent nearly ten years on the road now and the expectations of the industry are enormous. When you get a call the night before to play late-night TV the next day on the other side of the country, you do it. If there's a good money gig but it's 300 miles the other way, you do it. But not if you're on a bicycle. It's a beautiful limitation, because all the reasons you once thought of to avoid these small towns go out the window, and the communities become really valuable to us."

In 2009 Sollee embarked on two regional pedal-powered music tours, trucking all gear, luggage, merchandise, and camera equipment on utility and touring bikes. From those tours Sollee and his team gained a passion for bicycle advocacy on both the community and national levels.

What's the 2010 itinerary? From San Diego, Sollee and his road crew will ride up the Pacific Coast, with performances scheduled in Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Salinas, and San Francisco. Then, in early September, they will board a train for Denver and perform at Tour de Fat in Fort Collins, CO. A three-days drive (there are only 4 days of driving on the entire 3-month tour schedule) will then shuttle the group to Maryland to launch a month of shows that include dates in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. At the end of September, a quick 1-day van shuttle to Louisville, Kentucky, will land Sollee back in home territory for the national tour's final weeks. His Kentucky dates also include a September 30 speaking engagement at the 10th annual Idea Festival on "Beautiful Limitations: Bicycles, Music, and Community-Based Touring."

Cycling advocates are invited to get involved through cross-promotional efforts such as tabling at shows, joining the Sollee crew on a group ride through town, membership drive incentives, and more. For information on how to get involved, contact Katie Benson of Fits Productions, at katieb@iftheshoe.com.

"We also hope to pedal with all the enthusiasts and fans we can along the way," added Sollee.

Adventure Cycling Association, the League of American Bicyclists, and Kentucky Coffeetree Café are proud sponsors of Ben Sollee's Ditch the Van Tour 2010.

For a complete list of tour dates, visit bensollee.com/tour.html.

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