One man aims to highlight just that —by pedaling his bike nearly 350 miles from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C., while blogging about businesses that are embracing Web 2.0 and other cutting-edge technology.
Of course, he’ll be using high-tech biking gadgetry like GPS, mobile apps and solar power, too.
Tim Herbert didn’t initially think about having a theme for his ride; originally, he was just looking for a physical challenge.
Then he started reflecting on his unique route and whether it could stand for something more.
“I wanted to highlight a lot of the innovation that is taking place in America” says Herbert, who lives in Alexandria, Va. “And I wanted to support a foundation that is promoting skills to help people leverage technology to radically improve their lives.”
Introducing, the “Tour de Tech.”In addition to spotlighting the adoption of technology, Herbert’s ride raises money for the Creating IT Futures Foundation, which helps at-risk individuals, women and minorities to become trained and certified to enter IT careers.
Being a self-professed gadget geek himself, it’s no wonder Herbert feels at home leading the research division at CompTIA. His work week is split between an office in his Alexandria home and CompTIA’s Washington, D.C., office.
In addition to being well educated (Herbert has an M.B.A. in addition to an economics degree), Herbert is also plenty athletic. For over a decade he played competitively on the Ultimate Frisbee circuit — enduring the broken bones and muscle tears that aggressive play in that sport is known for.
In April 2011, when he turned 40, Herbert decided to trade in his ultimate cleats for cycling shoes. Quickly Herbert was entering century rides (rides of 100 miles or more). Those took the better part of a day, but he wanted something even more challenging. He started looking around for rides of several days.
Herbert’s trek on a hybrid cyclocross bike over five days (Sept. 26-30, 2011) will be made feasible thanks to two recently joined public bike paths: the Great Allegheny Passage (a former railway bed, part of the nation’s Rails-to-Trails program) which stretches from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md., and the C&O Canal path that runs from Cumberland to Washington, D.C.“The trail technically ends in the Georgetown neighborhood, but I’m going to take it all the way to the CompTIA office on 2nd St. NE, about two blocks from the U.S. Capitol. “If I can summon the strength, I’m going to ride home from there. I’m hoping to go end to end without stepping foot in a car,” says Herbert.
Herbert was born in Hershey, Penn., but grew up in Greensburg on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Over the years he has seen Pittsburgh develop a rich high-tech business base, especially in the healthcare field. The city’s leaders and corporate recruitment efforts have heavily leveraged Carnegie-Mellon University, known for its advanced math and computer science research.
But Herbert is also intrigued by “mom and pop” businesses in small towns — such as the towns where he’ll be staying overnight during his ride — that are early adopters of the latest technology.
“I’m always surprised when I visit a new town and find a small business offering a discount through FourSquare, for example, or using an iPad or other tablet as an alternative to a traditional cash register. It’s not always the businesses you would imagine would be cutting edge.”
Except for the old-fashioned mechanical energy that his legs produce, every aspect of Herbert’s ride will be powered by some aspect of technology.
His many devices will include two smartphones and a Goal Zero Nomad solar charger.
“Since real-time location-based apps are a huge battery drain, I'll be using the solar charger,” writes Herbert on his blog. “It's about the size of a small notebook that unfolds. In direct sunlight, the solar panels heat up very quickly and will charge a smartphone in about 45 minutes or so.”During breaks, he’ll be sending emails to his Posterous blog. The Posterous system will convert his emails automatically to blog posts when he inserts the proper tags.
His route can be followed in real-time as a blip on an online map posted to his blog. “I have to make sure that if I stop at pubs along the way, I don’t spend too much time there, because everyone will know,” Herbert quips.
Herbert wants to raise awareness of Creating IT Futures as well, which was founded by CompTIA in 1998 to help more people enter the IT workforce. The foundation takes a candidate from unemployed to a six-month IT apprenticeship to a possible full-time job and career that allows him or her to give back to another candidate.
It’s called the “Cycle of Opportunity”. Herbert jokes that he’ll be promoting the organization’s “cycle” in the most literal way possible.
For now, he’ll do the trip alone (with his wife, Kari, driving a supply vehicle). But he’s open to seeing it grow in the future, either on the Pittsburgh-to-D.C. route or something entirely different.
“It’s a lot of hours in the saddle, but I think it’s going to be great,” says Herbert. “When I tell people it’s the Tour de Tech, they always ask about the tech component, and that’s what it’s all about. This is the perfect intersection of my love of technology and a physical challenge.”
