Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Cross-country cyclist finds help in Bella Vista
“Everyone has been nice. I thought I would be alone, but everywhere I go people are helpful and supportive.”
— Mark Twomey, who is currently on a cross-country bicycle trip
BELLA VISTA — Two Bella Vista residents felt they gained a new son when they met a young man riding his bicycle across country. They were happy to help him on his way after only a short visit but with the hope that they may meet again sometime in the future.
When Mark Twomey arrived in Bella Vista, his bicycle needed some serious help. He left central California in August on a Mongoose bicycle that was actually designed as a mountain bike. He was carrying camping equipment and a few supplies. By the time he reached Wichita, Kan., he knew his bike needed work.
By then he had learned about an organization called Warm Showers from a German man who was on his own cross-country trek from Alaska to South America. Warm Showers connects bicycle riders with people who are willing to share their shower and often their home with travelers.
He connected with a woman in Wichita through the organization and she reached out to Genai and Noel Heyer, two former Wichita residents who moved to Bella Vista two years ago. They were happy to help.
Three days later, Twomey arrived on a bike that needed some serious work. First they took Twomey’s bike to Phat Tire bike shop.
When they got a call that the bike was “done,” they were happy to drive Twomey down to pick it up, but there was a misunderstanding. They assumed work on the bike was done, but the bike shop was actually telling them that the Mongoose was not repairable. It was “done” forever.
Twomey didn’t have the funds to buy a new bike, but Noel Heyer wanted to help. The Heyers are also bike riders, but they didn’t have a spare bike to give away. Luckily, Noel Heyer knew where he might get one.
Some time ago, he had pulled a bicycle out of a dumpster and repaired it. When it was ride able, he gave it to a friend. He called the friend who confessed he wasn’t actually using the Trek bike at all and was happy to pass it on to someone who needed it more. That was how Twomey got a new bike that was more appropriate for a cross- country ride.
Genai Heyer went one step further. She posted about his adventure on her Facebook page and help arrived. Early Friday morning, she answered the door to find a man with a brand new pair of riding gloves and packets of powder to make energy drinks. Volunteers at Pedal it Forward, the group that repairs donated bikes and gives them to anyone in need, opened up their shop to supply extra inter tubes and other necessary parts. Other contacts on the Facebook page asked for Venmo information so they could donate much needed cash to a young man they never met.
On Friday, Noel Heyer and Twomey road the Razorback Greenway from Bella Vista to Fayetteville where Twomey had a place to spend the night before continuing his journey. His plan is to reach the east coast of Florida before he has to deal with any cold weather.
“I’m from California,” he said, “I can’t handle the cold.”
During his months on the road, Twomey said he met very few people who were not kind and welcoming. He camped most nights — sometimes in actual campgrounds but often in the yards and businesses of people he met on the road. Usually, he cooked his own dinner on a camp stove and it was often canned spaghetti or corned beef hash.
The only “sketchy” situation he found himself in was in Colorado when he spent the night in the dugout of a softball field. When he woke up, he realized he was surrounded by gang sign graffiti and he got out as soon as possible.
Even when he interacted with law enforcement they were kind and helpful. One police officer told him it might be illegal to ride on a freeway, but didn’t try to ticket him or even force him to change his route.
Most of the time Twomey avoided highways, but occasionally it was the best way to get from point A to point B. The most difficult leg of his trip took him between Baker, Nev., and Delta, Utah, a distance of over 80 miles of barren desert with no place to stop in between. He carried three gallons of water that day.
“Everyone has been nice,” he said. “I thought I would be alone, but everywhere I go people are helpful and supportive.”
When he left California, his longest ride had only been about 25 miles. During his spring semester in college he trained in the middle of the night, while taking a full load of classes.
“It was a tough semester,” he said. He still had to finish one class over the summer. When that class was completed, he knew he wasn’t completely prepared for a cross-country bike ride, but he also knew that he might never get another chance.
When he told his friends what he planned, they didn’t believe he could do it and that made him even more determined. His parents “freaked out,” he reported, but he went anyway.
It wouldn’t be an adventure if there wasn’t some danger, he said.
When he reaches Florida, he plans to take the train home. He believes he can bring along the new-to-him bike. Then, it will be time to settle down and find a job using his new degree in environmental science.
He said he will more than likely do other long distance rides in the future, but probably won’t get the chance to go across country again.
Meanwhile, the Heyers plan to stay in touch and may even meet his train when he travels back to California. In return for their hospitality to a young bicyclist, they received inspiration. They would do it all over again, they agreed.