I am Tino Chow. I was born in Singapore and grew up in Hong Kong where I received most of my education. I joined the military and graduated as a military officer where I served for a little over 2 years. I then worked as an in-house graphic designer at a print firm before coming to the United States to Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) for my degree. I have been very involved with the school and broke free from the traditions of a student leader where I created several student organizations and started A Better World by Design conference where we brought people from around the world sharing about the ways we can change the world through creative thinking and doing. Subsquently, I was invited to TED as a TED fellow where I was inspired and mentored to start my design consultancy called Big New Ideas, where I help start-ups and non-profit organizations realize their big new ideas.

This summer, I rode my bicycle across America from Providence to Seattle to raise money and awareness for affordable housing. The 4000mile journey is one that I used to inspire others, in particular young people, challenge them to make a difference in the world. I partnered with Yahoo! to use their camera system to take photos while riding on the road and was part of a documentary for Nokia and TED's new campaign, share with the world how you are using your passion to change the world.

The last day of the trip definitely has it’s bitter sweet moments, it is the last day that we are going to be riding our bikes together as a Bike and build team. This is the last time that we are all going to be together, wake up at 6 in the morning, rolling up our sleeping bags, packing the trailer, eating breakfast together, having fun together on the road, making pit stops and working up an appetite for dinner. It has been a little over 2 months since we set off and it has been almost 70 days that I have got to know the other 31 riders on the trip, each of us came in with a different story to tell and now we leave with one that we’ll not forget for a long time.

The trip can really be described as a Trifacta of Awesomeness, as in service, people and adventure all in one. We had so much fun on the roads, finding unexpected surprises, big or small. We stopped for creeks, waterfalls, rock formations, museums, national parks, thrift stores, bike shops, cafés, diners, ice cream and berry bushes.

The people we meet on the road is just as diverse and a lot of the time surprisingly awesome. I met people with great BeDo and with great stories. We meet quite a few people riding their bikes across country the opposite way, one the same way, one to South America, and a couple on foot. Often at times we get stopped on the streets where curious people ask of what we do, sometimes locals who poke their heads out of their doors wondering why 32 cyclist just rode by their houses. The families, Churches, YMCAs, fire houses, athletic centers and camp sites we have stayed at were extremely gracious, we are always greeted with a feast. They are always genuinely interested in what we are doing and support our endeavor.

The service part of the Trifacta is the cornerstone of the reason why many of us join this trip. Affordable housing is an issue in this country and being from another country, it has been an eye opener to the wealth distribution between the rich and the poor. It helps me understand more about the people and the country as a whole.

During the 70 days, there were ups and there were downs, there were days that I was eager to ride my bike and days that I couldn’t wait to get off my saddle. It has been a challenge riding across the country, all 3900 miles that I did, some really tough uphills and some equally awesome downhills. Conquering the 10% grade uphill on the Teton pass was my greatest achievement on this trip. Riding at 56mph down the Teton pass was my other great achievement, a trip record, one that I am proud of but not one that I am going to try break.

My legs are tired and I am filled with memories that I’ll always cherish. We made it! Great Success!