(Sebastian "Seabass" Fowler via SWNS)
By James Gamble
An American comedian has become the first ever person to ride from one US coast to the other - on a BMX bike.
Lifelong BMXer Sebastian Fowler amazingly cycled 3,333 miles (5,300km) across 11 US states from San Diego to New York in just 80 days on his 20-inch bike.
The 31-year-old - known as 'Seabass' to friends - says he didn't even train, which he admits made him think his trip had been a 'dumb idea' at the beginning.
But after chasing off mountain lions, being pulled over by police 11 times and sleeping wherever he could, the comedian made it down south to perform at the hit Netflix comedy show Kill Tony in Texas before continuing towards the East Coast.
Fowler also sought to become the first comedian touring the US via BMX - performing nine times in six cities - and to raise funds to buy BMXs for kids who can't afford them, in memory of his late father, who got him his first bike.
“It took 80 days to get from San Diego to New York City on a BMX bike,” he explained.
“I believe I’m the first person to have done that in the US.
“I was never really sure what was going to come next… It was a very exciting adventure.”
Loaded up with 27kg worth of gear, Fowler left his home in Ocean Beach, San Diego, on February 25 and began pedalling his Sunday Wavelength BMX in his slip-on Vans trainers - the only pair he used for his entire trip.
"I’m still wearing the same pair,” he said.
“I did very little preparation. I basically just rode my bike around town. I didn’t think about the logistics.
“My friend Chris Garcia, who owns the SD Wheel Works bike garage, rode with me to Phoenix from San Diego and gave me a lot of advice.
Sebastian "Seabass" Fowler on his BMX cycle across the US. (Sebastian "Seabass" Fowler via SWNS)
“I broke our pump on day one and he was like, ‘You’re screwed’.
“I learned a valuable lesson that day: your equipment is your life source.
“I had no follow car, no buddy - just me out there with my thoughts and my little bike.
“When it actually started, I was like, ‘Good Lord, what have I got myself into.’
“I would ride my bike to the comedy club, thinking, ‘If it’s ten miles to do that, to go to New York would be like going to downtown 300 times in a row’.
“I tried not to zoom out on the map. It’s stressful to think, ‘I’ve worked really hard today, but I have so much further to go’.
“But later on in the trip, I was like, ‘Look how much I’ve accomplished - on a bicycle’.
“It’s tough and had its moments of struggle, but I’m really glad I persevered.
“I mean, what was I going to do? Turn around and pedal home?
“I got pulled over 11 times. In Texas, they said, ‘You can’t be going with traffic, you have to go against it’.
“A little later, another cop said, ‘You can’t be going against traffic'.
“One time, I was sleeping at the side of the road and they thought I was a dead body.
“And I was chased by like, probably 45 dogs throughout the entire trip I would say - that’s why I had the baseball bat."
Along with his short baseball bat to fend off dogs, Fowler's luggage included a Camelbak water pouch, a hatchet, a knife, some tarpaulin, a hammock, a sleeping bag, a softback version of Forrest Gump and his Kill Tony jokebook - and his trusty pair of vans.
Fowler estimates he rode around 45 miles a day on the first half of his trip, then an average of around 65 miles after he’d found his legs, and slept in hotels, motels, behind dumpsters, in flash flood tunnels and on random people’s sofas.
After unsuccessfully applying to be on live standup comedy show Kill Tony on five previous occasions, on day 35 of his trip, he was admitted onto stage in front of Netflix cameras at the sixth time of asking.
However, after placing his name in the bucket, Fowler had to wait four hours before being called on by hosts Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban, as well as guest Joe Rogan in Austin, Texas.
And the previous night, he'd had to evade mountain lions on a road in Llano, Texas.
“It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life," Fowler said of his appearance on Kill Tony, which is on Netflix. I got to shake Joe Rogan’s hand!
“I think it changed the course of my comedy career. I wanted to be the first comedian to do a standup tour by bike.
“The night before Kill Tony, I was stalked by four big cats with green eyes on the side of the highway.
“I’d bitten off way more than I could chew. It was the first time I’d ever called the police. I was terrified.”
Sebastian in New York City. (Sebastian "Seabass" Fowler via SWNS)
A police call handler advised him to calm down, telling him the big cats would be able to sense his elevated heart rate and consider him prey.
An officer thankfully drove to the scene and dropped him at a 7/11 store around three miles away, where he spent the night sleeping behind a dumpster.
“Then the next day I rode 70 miles and went on the biggest comedy show in the world,” he said.
Another goal for Fowler was to fundraise $30,000 (£22,000) to buy 100 BMX bicycles for underprivileged children, having learned firsthand how it can benefit as an escape for youngsters.
After losing his own father at the age of just 14, Fowler says the BMX bike his dad had bought him was a welcome release.
“I've been riding BMXs since I was five or six," he explained.
“I used to race and my dad used to come to my races. He always told me: ‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst’.
“After my dad passed away, BMXing was my escape. My mom didn’t have money and she was taking care of four kids by herself.
“I couldn’t race BMX anymore, but I still had my bike. I would put my headphones on and go for a ride.
“It was my reprieve for a teenager who had lost a parent.
“I’m very grateful for BMXing. It’s a special relationship I have with my bike.
“But BMXes were not meant to go across the country - that was a really dumb idea.”
On his fundraising target, towards which he has already raised over $9,000 (£6,600), Fowler continued: “The idea is to get money for kids to be able to have their own bikes. Not every kid can afford one.
“I just wanted to help some kids, because I was that kid once. It would be cool to give something back.”
At the end of his journey in May, Fowler went back home to visit his father, drummer John Fowler's grave in Connecticut, before flying back west to San Diego.
“It felt like my dad was flying above my shoulder and keeping me safe on my trip,” Fowler added.
