Most individuals practice to trip throughout the US. They spend many months making ready and 1000’s of {dollars} on gear to comfortably deal with the 5,000-kilometre journey. However Sebastian Fowler is not like most individuals. The 31-year-old slapstick comedian is at the moment making his method from San Diego, California, to New York Metropolis, New York, on his BMX bike. He’s not in it for the bragging rights, the health or the self-discovery. He’s pedalling the three,333 miles as a part of a cross-country comedy tour. And whereas he’s at it, he’s elevating funds for get extra youngsters on BMX bikes.
“You may snort at this,” Fowler mentioned. “However once I thought of using throughout America, I figured it was about 3,000 miles. So, I rode my bike downtown from my home in Ocean Seashore to downtown San Diego. That was about 10 miles. And I believed, if I try this 300 instances, that’s the entire journey. And that’s the mentality I went into this with.”
On 25 February 2025, Fowler departed Ocean Seashore in San Diego on his Sunday Odyssey BMX bike, sporting Vans Slip-On Rattling Daniel Sk8 Professionals, and commenced pedalling east alongside Interstate 8. Spinning with 25 x 9 gearing on a 20-inch BMX bike loaded with 27 kilograms of drugs, it was sluggish going.
“Nobody’s ever accomplished this journey on a BMX bike. Nobody’s ever gone coast to coast [on a BMX bike]. And there’s a very good motive for that—as a result of it’s a horrible thought and it’s actually exhausting,” Fowler says.
His pals guess towards him, making a pool of greater than $1,000 that he wouldn’t final.
Fowler was decided to show them incorrect. He pedalled into New York Metropolis on Could 15, after 80 days and three,333 miles. In doing so, he may have turn out to be the primary particular person to cowl the US coast-to-coast on a BMX bike. He is actually the primary comic to undertake a nationwide comedy tour by bicycle.
Mindset is vital
(Picture credit score: Sebastian Fowler)
“I’ve positively surpassed what I figured was attainable in my very own head…on the second day I realised I used to be in it to win it. There’s no going again,” Fowler displays. “After which each day I’ve continued that journey. It’s similar to—you’re somewhat bit nearer. I’ve been telling the identical joke for about 25 years now, nevertheless it’s by no means made extra sense. It says: Have you ever ever heard concerning the man who swam midway throughout the lake… however he acquired drained and swam again? And I really like that joke.”
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Fowler was decided to attain his purpose: to stay his dream of being a comic performing units throughout the nation.
“I’ve been watching Joe Rogan for a very long time and he all the time mentioned, if you wish to be a comic book, you need to hit the street and take a look at your jokes in entrance of people that don’t know you. And so I figured I needed to do a tour,” Fowler defined. “I’ve a bicycle and I’ve a loopy mindset, and I believed, I’ll trip my bike to Kill Tony.”
Kill Tony is a stay comedy podcast and present that takes place at Joe Rogan’s comedy membership, The Comedy Mothership, in Austin, Texas, each Monday evening. Over 200 beginner comedians join an opportunity to carry out one minute of comedy in entrance of a stay viewers and a celeb panel. This was Fowler’s sixth time signing up for the present—the final 5 instances, he was unsuccessful.
With a purpose of reaching Austin by 31 March, Fowler started ramping up his each day distance, going from a median of 60 kilometres per day to 100 to 160 kilometres.
For each unhealthy, there’s good
(Picture credit score: Sebastian Fowler)
On the evening of 30 March, Fowler nonetheless had round 150 kilometres to go. He determined to trip via the evening alongside a again street in Texas. However he realised he wasn’t alone. 4 pairs of inexperienced eyes tracked him from the roadside—mountain lions, a North American bicycle owner’s worst nightmare.
“I pulled my knife out and simply began screaming like a madman. I unlocked this primal sense in myself that I didn’t know existed. However I used to be additionally terrified, as a result of I knew as soon as the bike gentle and my headlamp died…their eyes are quite a bit higher than mine. So, I known as the cops.”
On the telephone, the officer tried to calm Fowler down so he wouldn’t look like prey. They despatched two squad automobiles to escort him to a safe location: a 7-Eleven comfort retailer 5 kilometres away.
“I acquired there and it was tremendous late at evening. I had no information on my telephone, so I couldn’t search for a spot to remain. I used to be simply scared and I nonetheless had 70 miles to get to Austin. And I believed, I’m already at a 7-Eleven. It’s fairly protected. I’ll sleep behind this dumpster.”
Travelling utterly self-supported, Fowler has slept in tunnels, ditches and relaxation areas on the aspect of highways. Sleeping behind a dumpster, away from mountain lions, didn’t appear all that unhealthy as compared.
The following day, Fowler rode 110 kilometres and made it to Austin simply in time to enroll in Kill Tony. He didn’t know if he’d get chosen however to his shock, this time, he was.
“It was in all probability one of many biggest days of my life,” Fowler remembers. Not solely did he get to carry out comedy on his favorite present, the episode additionally aired on Netflix.
Discover a Larger Motivation
(Picture credit score: Sebastian Fowler)
Since leaving San Diego, Fowler has carried out in Phoenix, Tucson, Austin and Nashville. His closing cease of his tour might be at New York Metropolis’s The Stand.
“I don’t actually know what I’m doing, to be sincere. I’m simply attempting one pedal at a time, one mile at a time, one factor at a time,” Fowler says. “And I’ve been wanting again at how far I’ve already travelled, and it’s form of flabbergasting, as a result of… I don’t know. It’s all simply form of a blur.”
Whereas the unique motivation for Fowler’s coast-to-coast journey was, admittedly, rooted in private ambition, the journey rapidly grew to become about one thing larger: to unfold the enjoyment of biking with those that might not have entry to bikes. Earlier than leaving San Diego, he created a GoFundMe web page with the purpose of elevating sufficient cash to buy 100 Sunday BMX bikes for youths.
“After I was 14, my Dad handed away and with out [my] BMX bike, there is not an opportunity I’d be the person I’m as we speak,” Fowler shared on his GoFundMe web page, explaining that the bike gave him the power to specific himself in his personal method.
“I simply had this concept that if I might get some bikes for some youngsters, it will change their thought of what’s attainable,” Fowler explains. “Each time I used to be capable of get a brand new bicycle, it was form of game-changing, and that led to all of the alternatives I’ve had since.”
Making the journey about one thing larger additionally gave him goal and motivation to maintain going.
Fowler reached his vacation spot after 80 days, having crossed 11 states and lined 3,333 miles. However his journey is just not accomplished but, fundraising continues on his GoFundMe web page. Along with making folks snort, Fowler hopes his journey evokes others to chase after their very own objectives, too, regardless of how loopy they might appear.
“By no means let anyone inform you that you would be able to’t do it. When you’ve got an thought and provides 110% to that concept—and consider in it with all of your coronary heart—then something is feasible. There’s nothing you possibly can’t do. And I’m a agency 100% believer in that.”
