The Mission

Memorial Weekend was a long weekend—and I mean that physically.

On May 24-25, 2014, I bicycled 34 hours non-stop along the 450-mile coastline of California, from San Jose to Costa Mesa.

I undertook this endeavor as part of my mission to bring hope and freedom to the nearly 30 million men, women, and children who are enslaved all across our globe. This was my first bicycling mission as part of my A21 Across America campaign to raise funds and awareness for the fight against human trafficking in the 21st century. #endtrafficking

The Journey

This epic bicycle ride took me from my home in San Jose, California, through Morgan Hill, Gilroy, Hollister, San Juan Bautista, Salinas, Soledad, King City, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Malibu, Santa Monica, and all the way through Los Angeles to Costa Mesa, California.

Checkout the route I traversed: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/4807371.

Timeline Recap

Here’s a timeline of photo and video highlights that I posted live during my ride—enjoy!

Mile 0 of 450. I began my bicycle journey on Saturday, May 24th at 3:30am in San Jose, California.

My mom and dad both woke up at 2:30am to see me off—I’m truly blessed with their enduring support. They are both ultra-endurance parents.

After a windy first 20 miles, I found myself bicycling through downtown Morgan Hill.

By mile 50, I was warmed up and feeling good. And when my mom and dad drove past me to say “Hello,” I got a boost of motivation, which carried me all the way through to mile 70 without taking a break.

Finally, at mile 70, I took my first rest stop along with both support teams—my mom and dad, and my three friends: James, Taylor, and Dan.

Taylor captured some awesome footage during the trip—he is a truly talented cinematographer.

Then, I reached my first milestone! Mile 100!

Mile 120 was a good stretch of rolling hills and tailwinds all the way into King City.

And at mile 130, I was 7.5 hours into the bicycle ride.

At mile 215, I spotted the Pacific Ocean! I finally made it to the Pacific Coast Highway (scenic Highway 1), and boy was the weather gorgeous! A beautifully clear day with warm sunshine and a cool ocean breeze.

By mile 225, it was finally time for a dinner break at Panda Express in San Luis Obispo (SLO). By this time, I had developed a severe left knee pain and a hurting left calf muscle. The temperatures in the central coast, roughly miles 170-210, were in the 90's fahrenheit. And with the hot temperatures, dry conditions, and injured left leg, the thought of not being able to finish the ride crossed my mind—it was a scary thought! I had done so much planning, but never once did I plan on not finishing. But by the grace of God, I continued on…

After passing through Pismo Beach, I got my first flat tire at mile 260—18 hours into the ride.

By mile 300, all of us were getting sleepy as the witching hour was upon us, but I had to press on.

Finally, 23.5 hours later at mile 350 in Goleta, California, I had to cede to to the nagging of sleep deprivation. I was starting to nod off on the bicycle from the fatigue of left knee and calf pains, and the heat of the afternoon. We pulled into a random Jack in the Box parking lot, told Siri to set an alarm for 1.5 hours, and then proceeded to snore.

After a quick 1.5 hour power nap, I continued on through the early morning, bicycling through Goleta and into Santa Barbara. I must say, it is quite a different experience bicycling through a hustling-and-bustling town like Santa Barbara when no one is around—very peaceful!

At mile 400, I was making my way back onto the Pacific Coast Highway to head down into Malibu, California.

After bicycling through the morning along the spectacular coast of California, I found myself in the heart of Los Angeles.

At mile 450, I had to call it a day. The traffic was incredibly dense and the bicycle lanes were non-existant. We tried our very best to search for an alternate route in, through or around L.A. to make it to Costa Mesa, but after racking our brains and sitting in traffic for quite some time, we decided to say at mile 450 and 34 hours into the ride, this was “Mission accomplished.”

Mission Accomplished

Hundreds of people tuned in on Facebook to follow my ride, and we had such a great response from the community. I’m just so excited that this is still only the beginning…

And like any true adventure, I have come out the other end a different person—a better person. The seeds that were planted in my life this past weekend will continue to grow and mature and bear fruit for years to come. And I cannot wait to share with you all that will continue to unfold from this weekend forward—to God be the glory forever and ever!

Thank you for your continued support, encouragement and prayers. Together, we can shine a light into this world and set the nearly 30 million slaves free. Why not us?

This past weekend I bicycled 450 miles for freedom. My only question to you is this:

What extent will you go?

Justin Too =)
Chief Freedomizer, A21 Across America