George Wyman, an accomplished competitive bicycle rider of his day, became fascinated with the first attempts to motorize a two-wheeled contraption which was then referred to as a “motor bicycle”. His journey, completed in 50 days on July 6, 1903, which is being ably recreated by the subjects of this post, was the first motorcycle transcontinental trip across America. Wyman’s ride, some 3,800 miles, preceded the first automobile crossing by Horatio Nelson Jackson who accomplished that feat on July 26, 1903 after 63 days on the road, incidentally also travelling from San Francisco to New York City.
It is worth mentioning that Nelson had a mechanic and backup driver, Sewall K. Crocker, along for the duration of the trip. The two, and their dog Bud, became celebrities during the trip, routinely drawing press at their stops who took pictures and conducted interviews. Wyman rode solo, carried a camera and took his own pictures, and saw little press coverage until arriving in New York City. Jackson’s auto, a Winton nicknamed the Vermont, is in the Smithsonian. Wyman’s motor bicycle, a 1902 California, after being lost for years is thought to be owned by motorcycle collector Dave Scoffone, who will have it on display Sunday during the rider’s meeting in Hayward, California.
Wyman’s feat is covered as footnote eight in the Wikipedia page for Nelson, although he does have a page of his own. Jackson’s trek was the subject of a Ken Burns documentary narrated by Tom Hanks. Wyman has The George A. Wyman Memorial Project and the “Rendezvous”. Given the relative obscurity of the motorcycle in comparison to the automobile, perhaps it is as it should be. At any rate, those of us close to the “Project” hold Wyman’s legacy in high regard and seek to preserve and relive it through events such as the “Rendezvous”.
And so that “Challenge” of preservation will begin again on Monday, Memorial Day, 2018. I say again because the “Rendezvous” was first staged in 2016, but is now making its’ way into a biennial affair, with the added feature of daily “Ride to Eat” opportunities where the long-distance riding community can join the riders along the route. Stay tuned to this channel for more of the Wyman Daily Dispatch.
Cliff Wall
Wyman Grand Tour Ride Master
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