Ride Across America - RAGBRAI Will Be One Leg Of Bicyclist's Coast-To-Coast Ride To Raise Money, Awareness For Autism

The questions, the double-takes, the roadside stares – Danny Davis is used to it.

One doesn’t ride a penny-farthing bicycle, seemingly more at home in the Victorian-era, halfway across the United States and not expect some gawking.

And Davis is just fine with that.

“I have gotten some honks and some bottles thrown at me,” said Davis. “But I’ve really got to meet a lot of great people along the way. And I’ve gotten to witness Nebraska and Iowa nice. Everybody has been super nice.”

The 54-year-old father of five and grandfather to seven rolled into Glenwood on June 1, 31 days after starting his journey pedaling from Santa Monica Pier in California. His goal: a coast-to-coast, 4,000-mile ride on his colorfully adorned penny-farthing to raise money and awareness for autism.

A longtime bicycle rider and enthusiast, Davis, who calls St. Petersburg, Fla. home, bought the penny-farthing four years ago to ride in parades and festivals. Last year, he rode across Florida and in his first RAGBRAI.

“I didn’t really have a cause,” he said. “I was just doing it for fun.”

Then Davis met a group riding across the United States for charity.

“They said they stop one day a week and shower and wash all their clothes and keep going,” he said. “They were riding 75 miles a day. That got my wheels turning the minute they told me that was a thing. I immediately thought, ‘How cool would it be to ride my penny farthing across Several riding friends attempted to talk Davis out of it, citing the hard miles, his age and how challenging riding the penny-farthing can be. But he was undaunted.

“I knew if I took my time and I wasn’t in a big hurry, I could probably do it,” he said.

What sealed the deal for Davis was his granddaughter’s autism diagnosis last October. Bella, who is nearly 4 years old now, would be Davis’ mascot for his endeavor. He would ride, raise awareness for autism and gather donations to purchase bicycles to give away to special needs children.

“Special bikes for special kids,” he said. The bikes will be matched to each child based on their need.

Davis’s bike itself isn’t an antique; it was manufactured in England with modern design. It has a 50-inch front wheel and a 16-inch rear wheel that are solid rubber which is great for maintenance but a little less forgiving on hard surfaces. It also has a real vintage leather seat, rear handbrake, three different pedal settings for speed and climbing hills and a direct drive, fixed gear front wheel, meaning Davis can’t stop pedaling to coast.

“The hardest thing to do was to learn to get on it,” he said. “It’s a lot like a regular bike but you can’t make hard turns real easily.”

Davis coated the bike in a reflective vinyl wrap and applied lights for riding at night for his trip.

Davis had a few 100-mile ride and Iron Man triathlons under his belt but nothing like his current endeavor. Even he admits his riding friends weren’t the only ones a little skeptical of his plan.

“My wife and I have been together almost 30 years, so she knows I sometimes do some silly stuff,” he said.

But his wife came around. She now serves as his social media manager. His ride and donations can be tracked at luckypennyusa.com.

“When I told her I wanted to ride across America, she said, ‘You’re an idiot.’ But she got behind it. She knows it’s for a good cause, it will bring awareness and we’ll be able to give bikes away. I remember getting my first bike. I’m sure everybody does. I want these kids to feel that.”

Davis’s journey began at Santa Monica Pier May 1 at 6 a.m. He followed Route 66 and Interstate 40 and Interstate 25 throughout the southwest all the way to Las Vegas, New Mexico. From there he rode north into Colorado and Boulder and then east into Nebraska and Iowa.

His toughest track, he said, was from Needles, Calif. to Oatman, Ariz.

“It was 31 miles and there was a 20-mile headwind. I had to push so much and there’s a lot of hills. I do get off and push it (the bike) when I need to, but I try and ride as much as I can.”

The bike has taken some nicks from falling over a few times – the packs he lugs with him make it top heavy – causing minor damage and he’s had to replace some tires, but luckily, Davis hasn’t had any crashes or near misses. The closest he got to catastrophe was some melting tires.

Yes, melting.

“I was in the desert, and it went from 35 degrees in the morning to 103 degrees by early afternoon,” he said. “They (the tires) started shredding. The blacktop on the side of the road was about 140 degrees. It felt like bubble gum.”

Davis’s stop in Glenwood and the 1,580 miles he pedaled to get here will serve as the first leg of his journey. From Glenwood he rented a car and drove to his home in Florida. He plans to return for RAGBRAI to kick off the east coast leg of his journey through Illinois, Indiana, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, DC and then to Maryland where he plans to end his journey in Ocean City.

“I have a bottle of salt water and some shells and sand from the Pacific I plan to mix with the Atlantic when I get there,” he said. “That’s going to be Bella’s little token. I don’t have room to buy her toys or stuffed animals. This will be my gift to her.”