The Camper Clan is a family of four with a goal to break the World Record for the longest bicycle journey. — Photo courtesy of Camper Clan Can riding an electric bicycle change the world? One family, on the heels of completing a year-long 25,000 mile trip from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Missoula, Montana, believes it can and will set out to prove it by embarking on another adventure: to break the World Record for the longest bicycle journey. To help fund the journey and source materials to document their experience, they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $15,000.

Meet "The Camper Clan"

The Camper Clan, as it calls itself, is a family of four. Parents Tomas and Dylan and their two toddlers, Eva and Coco, will go along for the ride of their lives to show that it is possible to have these types of adventures as a family and bring attention to sustainable transportation and healthier living.

Tomas works on one of two electric bikes to be used on the journey — Photo courtesy of Camper Clan While bicycles are among the greenest forms of transportation and least expensive, it’s still struggling to gain acceptance as a daily form of transport in areas outside of metropolitan cities like New York City and Chicago (and even those cities have room for improvement when it comes to daily use among commuters). Tomas and Dylan feel that electric bikes could be the answer and to promote their use to a wider audience, they’re taking the challenge to break a record currently held by a cyclist who traveled 4,176.23 miles in Canada a couple of years ago. 

“Electric bikes are a viable alternative to gas-powered vehicles, and can replace your need for a car 50% of the time,” say Dylan and Tomas on their Kickstarter campaign page. “According to the 2009 National Household Survey, half of all trips are less than 3 miles. You don't need a car to go 3 miles - but you might need some extra help getting up that hill, taking your kids to school or hauling the groceries. This is where an electric-powered bike can make a big difference.”

Electric Bikes for Workouts

Each electric bike comes with a rechargable battery — Photo courtesy of Camper ClanFor those wondering if an electric bike can offer a good workout, the answer is yes and no. If you don’t want to break a sweat, you can ride it using its rechargeable battery which, in the U.S., allows you to ride at a whopping 20 miles per hour, max. If you want to maximize your ride and get some exercise, you can pedal and potentially arrive at your destination more quickly since there is no limit in the U.S. on how fast you can ride your bicycle.

For Tomas, Dylan, and their family, making this journey is more than a way to staying healthy. For them the bicycle ride is important because they’re tacking the project as a family and addressing an issue about our health and the environment is a positive way.

The family embarks on their adventure mid-August and hopes to complete the journey in sunny southern Florida in fewer than 6 months. To learn more or to donate to their Kickstarter campaign, click here.