Inner Tuba's 3,000 mile 2023 Mississippi River Trike Tour
Long time friend of ICE for many years Jon Hodkin is planning another epic US musical trike tour on his ICE Adventure trike and as the name suggests his trusty Tuba. This time Jon will be cycling the entire length of the Mississippi River.
ICE has teamed up with US ICE Dealer Connecticut Yankee Pedaller and US trike accessories specialist Terra-Cycle.
Between the three companies, we are supporting InnerTuba's 2nd International tour, which sets off in Spring '23. This time Jon is going to pedal and perform hundreds of unique musical shows along the length of the Mississippi River.
InnerTuba is the brainchild of recumbent tricyclist and musician Jon Hodkin. He undertook his first bicycle performance tour in 2000. But it didn't take him long to figure out the advantages of trikes over bikes for towing heavy loads. Since 2001 Jon has toured the UK extensively towing his tuba (yes, you read that right, tuba) in a trailer behind an ICETrikes tricycle.
ICE and Connecticut Yankee Pedaller were pleased to be the major sponsors for Jon's 1st overseas tour, back in 2019, to the Midwest of USA. As well as giving many, varied performances to all sorts of audiences on the journey, Jon also achieved a cycling personal best.
"I was by no means the fastest participant in RAGBRAI 2019, but I'm delighted to have completed the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa within the time scheduled. I covered about 475 miles in 7 days pulling the fully laden TubaTrailer all the way, and stopping to give impromptu performances en route".
The final miles of RAGBRAI 2019, and the tour itinerary thereafter took Jon about 160 miles along the banks of the Mississippi River. It was a life-changing experience for him.
"I was just mesmerized by everything about the Big River. It is vast in scale, stunning to behold, and of untold importance to the story of this continent, going back thousands of years. I just knew I wanted to change long term InnerTuba plans to build in a tour riding the entire length of the Mighty Mississippi".
Jon is delighted. "This is a fabulous package of support. Alongside smaller donations from individuals, 3 distinct, prestige businesses from within the Recumbent Triking community have come together to turn my big ambition into a reality. The tour route is pretty much in place already, so I'll be really busy setting up performances at venues large and small, all along it. From the Southernmost settlement on the River, Boothville Venice, Louisiana, to the Mississippi Headwaters at lake Itasca, and its neighbour town of Bemidji, Minnesota".
Jon will be riding an ICE Adventure, prepared by Connecticut Yankee Pedaller and accessorised by Terra-Cycle.
You can follow The InnerTuba journey at www.innertuba.org.uk and follow him @InnerTuba on Facebook.
The InnerTuba Mississippi River Tour '23
www.innertuba.org.uk/mrt-23/
You can find out more about the ICE Adventure trike which Jon is cycling here.
