(WSVN) - A man pedaled with a purpose as he traveled from Maine all the way down to the Florida Keys on a most unexpected use of transportation all in an effort to raise money for an interstate bike trail.
Avery Seuter achieved his highest goal to date in nearly five months, as he traveled from Wells, Maine, to Key West on a unicycle.
Seuter described exactly what it felt like to cross the finish line.
“Once I got on the street, and it was straight away all the way down to the Southernmost buoy. It was kind of, you know, it felt conclusive. I had my family there,” he said.
The perfect conclusion to a great trip, but like all adventures in life, it would come with a few challenges.
“The trouble is where you get to roads that are maybe not designed for cyclists or pedestrians,” said Seuter. “It’s very difficult to safely navigate them on a bike or, or even walking, so I think the biggest challenges were those sections that were maybe not as complete.”
That’s really what inspired Seuter to make this trip in the first place.
In early September, he started unicycling from Maine to Florida, raising money and awareness for the East Coast Greenway, a bicycle and pedestrian route connecting 15 states aiming to make travel safer for bikers and riders.
He logged 20 to 30 miles per day and raised a combined $4,000. He even turned 20 years old during this trip.
“Around that time, I was staying with people pretty frequently, and as soon as they would find out it was my birthday, they’d go out and get like, cupcakes or something,” said Seuter. “So, I celebrated, I think, five different times, and I was so full of sugar. I think that’s what really helped me get over the finish line.”
Seuter said when he gets back home to Maine, he plans to do even more to help improve infrastructure. He also hopes to inspire people to get out and get active.
“I’d encourage people to get out and bike or walk or move around their communities however they can, even if it’s not what you do all the time,” he said. “It’s really, really beneficial for your health and mental health.”
Sueter says in the spring, he would like to go all the way up to the Canadian border to complete the full section of the East Coast Greenway.
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