CROSS-COUNTRY BICYCLIST FROM ENGLAND STOPS HERE

Jonathan Shaw pedaled away from Cape Girardeau Tuesday morning with 40 pounds of gear loaded on his bicycle, headed west on a cross-country adventure.

Shaw, a police officer from Lancaster, England, had ridden 1,100 miles from Kitty Hawk, N.C., to Cape Girardeau. He is headed through the Rocky Mountains to Coos Bay, Ore., the end of his trip. In all he expects to travel about 3,600 miles.

The cycling tour is part vacation and part fund-raising event. "It's been an adventure," said Shaw, 36.

The trip raises money for the Rotary House Millenium Project in Lancaster. The house will provide rehabilitation services for people with learning disabilities or head injuries.

Back home, people pledged dollars toward his trip. They also are conducting a raffle to guess how many miles Shaw will actually travel.

He travels alone. However, along his trip people have been quick to befriended Shaw. The Kitty Hawk, N.C., Rotary Club e-mailed clubs along the route looking for help. The Cape Girardeau Rotary Club offered a Southeast Missouri respite. Police departments also are providing support along the way.

While in Cape Girardeau, Shaw met with Cape Girardeau Rotarians and police officers. Charlie Herbst of the Cape Girardeau Police Department became an instant friend. "It's uncanny how alike we are," Shaw said. "We do essentially the same job only 5,000 miles apart."

He has drawn a route virtually straight across the country. "I wanted to start in Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers started," he explained. "They were cyclists."

Shaw's bike is packed with a tent, sleeping bag and cooking stove. Most nights he camps in state parks or sometimes in a new friend's front yard.

"People start talking to me in a diner, and then they buy my meal," he said. "Waitresses give back their tips."

He pedals about 80 miles a day and has scheduled one day off every seven or eight days.

Along the route he has taken time to enjoy some sites like the Wickliffe Mounds in Wickliffe, Ky. "I may never be past there again," Shaw said.

Crossing the Mississippi River was a major milestone, he said. It was also a major challenge.

As he approached the narrow span, a motorist stopped and advised him not to ride across the bridge at Cape Girardeau.

"He wanted me to load my bike on the back of his truck," Shaw said. "But I thought it was important to ride across the Mississippi."

So the motorist drove behind Shaw blocking traffic so Shaw could cross the bridge safely.

Shaw is an experienced cyclist, having ridden in the Alps and Pyrenees mountains of Europe. He isn't worried about the Rocky Mountains that lie ahead. "I've got strong legs," Shaw said.

A year ago a friend and Rotarian asked him to pedal end to end in England, about 1,000 miles. The bike trip raised over $9,000 for the local Rotary clubs in Lancaster.

Then Shaw looked for a new adventure. "Cycling across the United States was always something I wanted to do," he said.