...that's only because he wasn't getting caught in as many of his lies. Angie's desire to become an internet celebrity has brought far more scrutiny upon Eric, even when she's trying to make them look good.

The time he tried to boo-hoo his way to more donations by talking about how cold they were while camping, it was Angie's morning post about leaving the hotel that alerted people to his lie. He would have gotten away with it if she hadn't blown it. Same thing with the video of the bottle of regular coke the other day: she's totally oblivious to what she's accidentally exposing. (Yeah, I read the "grape drink" explanation, and I don't buy it. I wouldn't otherwise say that one soda is a disaster, but they're trying to get into ketosis with their ridiculous Personal Trainer Food plan, and full-sugar coke will defeat the purpose completely.)

This week, Angie posted a bunch of pictures of the tidying she did in the RV, including the place where Eric probably spends all of his non-riding time: his "entertainment area". Eric has been complaining of pain in his arms (which is mostly due to an ill-fitting bike, which is due to the fact that he spent money on hotels and theme park tickets instead of getting a good recumbent bike, which is because Eric hates riding). Playing video games is the last thing he should be doing if he actually wants to make decent westward progress. He should be working so hard during the day that he falls asleep the second his head hits the pillow at night, not getting distracted for hours with gaming and hurting his arms further in the process. He's supposedly in a "fight for his life" - Angie's description - so gaming can wait.

Anyway, her photos led to this comment exchange:

Fay: Eric, I hope you don't ban me for this but... If you're playing that Xbox, it's probably a big reason for the pain in your thumbs and hands. I know you've had carpal tunnel because you mentioned it before, but this is the first time in this whole ride that the pain has stopped you from riding. Take it from a fellow gamer with carpal tunnel - spend a few days off the Xbox completely. Look up some exercises on the internet and wear your braces at night. You'll feel much better in a few days. 4 hrs

Fat Guy Across America: No xbox, those are just discs that accidently got packed 4 hrs

Fat Guy Across America: And the tv is one I've had for years btw. Dustin Martin can verify that too. 4 hrs

That is SUCH BULLSHIT.

He wants us to believe there's no Xbox, but he just keeps the games sitting under the TV. He wants us to believe Angie left the games there even after she tidied, instead of moving them so that there'd be more room on the small bedside table they're sharing. He wants us to believe that when she said, "Organized Eric's entertainment area and all the wires and cords that go along with it. And there are a ton", she was talking about the one or two wires that would be required for an ordinary TV. He wants us to disregard the fact that she used the phrase "entertainment area" and labeled the picture "Eric's Toys".

Why "toys"? Why would she just not say "TV"? Because it's not just a fucking TV, and anyone with two braincells can figure that out.

Eric lies constantly.

He thinks he's smarter than everyone else and can get away with lying about things that he could easily come clean about. I dated someone exactly like this... he would lie about so many insignificant things, it became impossible to believe him even when he was telling the truth. When you see Eric getting angry with people for asking a simple question, it's because he painted himself into a corner, and he's panicking. He's the boy who cried "not a scammer".

This is one of the things that pisses me off the most. It would be one thing if he had a rough day and said, "Man, it's really hard to beat this food / sugar addiction. I struggled with it today, but I'm going to try harder tomorrow." That's how people grow and improve. He never admits those things, because he's not even being honest with himself; he just keeps lying and changing stories according to how people react (like retroactively claiming that the puu-puu platter binge was eaten over two days).

They both insult everyone's intelligence with these constant lies, and for some reason, people are still buying it.

Jeff: How can you count from mile 5.3 to about mile 7.3 as mileage when it appears from that spaghetti monster on Strava and Google Maps that you were walking around INSIDE the bar with your phone on?

Fat Guy Across America: If it was covered under the power of my body, it's miles.

So that explains the erratic "worm trails" on Spot, but it doesn't explain why people still believe this is a bike ride.

When he uploads his day's-end report with titles like "Check out my 15.8 mi Ride on Strava", it could mean anything. Riding an escalator could be part of those miles because, by standing, he's doing it "under the power of [his] body".

Good luck getting Personal Trainer Foods to keep funding your food addiction, Eric. You lost virtually nothing between Dr. Phil and this week: a meagre 6lbs, which was after a long day of riding the day before, and with less clothes in the bariatric clinic weigh-in. At your weight and under those circumstances, that's a negligible amount. You probably lose at least that amount just over the course of a normal day, which you'd know if you actually availed of the equipment that has been gifted to you, instead of trashing expensive things when they don't tell you what you want to hear. The scam will be exposed soon.

Eric is a fucking embarrassment. He's an embarrassment to fat people, to the biking community, to humans who try their best to take care of their health with as little outside help as possible.

ETA: Eric has responded, rudely and defensively. Preserving these before they get deleted by Angie in a bitter rage:

Jeff: How can you count from mile 5.3 to about mile 7.3 as mileage when it appears from that spaghetti monster on Strava and Google Maps that you were walking around INSIDE the bar with your phone on?

Fat Guy Across America: If it was covered under the power of my body, it's miles.

Jeff: You keep telling yourself that. No self respecting cyclist would count those miles. Therein lies some of your issue with getting respect and people not believing you at times. Stop Strava and restart it when you're actually cycling.

Philip: Gee, Jeff, what's wrong with a rule like that? I'll bet Eric even subtracts every inch of the downhill side of every single hill, and every bit of pavement with negative slope, since he "covers" those thanks entirely to gravity.

Fat Guy Across America: You miss the whole point of the journey. Take your own, I'll take mine.

Fat Guy Across America: And Jeff you have no self respect, not respect from others I'm sure, because being an ass usually does not get you repsect.

What happened to "This journey belongs to all of us" from your (first) mission statement, Eric? If it belongs to you, pay for it yourself.

Look at his gleeful expression.

May 12th: Eric posted that he was at 1038 Lincecum Church Rd, in need of a ride because Angie was "11 miles south" and having trouble with the RV. (They likely stayed in the Kisatchie National Park or somewhere near there, 90-100 miles south of West Monroe.)

May 13th: He took a rest day because his body was "wrecked".

May 14th: Suddenly appearing far in the north after more RV and bike repairs, he rode his bike for a 12.7 mile loop from Bayou Darbonne Camping to Duck Commander and back.

Granted, he had ridden 31.9 miles on May 12th, which put him at the stopping point on Linecum Church Rd before they went back to the RV park. But even if you take Linecum as the starting point, they still just skipped 75 miles by using the RV to get to Bayou Darbonne Camping.

Now look at that picture of him. He looks thrilled with himself. If he actually understood that this is a feeling you can GIVE TO YOURSELF without needing to cheat miles, lie about food intake, or fawn over "celebrities", he'd already weigh 380 and be on a path to lifelong health and success.

You can watch the livestream of the service. They sat in the FRONT ROW. That's an interesting contrast to all the months they didn't even bother going to church because there were no celebrities there. Yeah, that's two people who are clearly there for the spiritual growth and not at all trying to get some reflected glory for themselves, right?

I'm not going to sit here and watch a whole sermon, but every time I flick through, this guy with the check shirt, he's talking about truth and honesty and planning and juggling multiple tasks. He put up this slide. I wonder how E&A reframed that sermon in their heads so that it couldn't apply to them? Repeating "I'm a magnet for bad luck" like a mantra will probably do it.

MW: And I guess there are some really stupid people who asked for money and accepted donations from groups, from kids, from girl scout troops who were really excited and truly believed that they were investing in something that would inspire change and hope. And then when the change didn't happen and the hope faded, the stupid people decided that the groups and the kids and the donors did not deserve any tangible explanation. they did not deserve a concrete plan or any sort of dialogue about the hard earned money they donated and why it was not being used for the original purpose that people bought into. Those "stupid" donors could have used that money for a myriad of other causes, but they believed in Eric. A year later and 20K gone to god knows what, the donors are left to wonder, just what the hell happened. And at this point they are not looking to Eric for answers because he has none. Not one single piece of credible evidence that proves why this "journey" has resulted in <500 miles and over 20K of donated money. so before you call people stupid for thinking they are owed an explanation - show me how much you donated (betting on zero), and buck up and throw your hero a couple of hundred or 2 if you so ferverently believe. I'll be watching the GFM for your generous donation.

MW: and before Eric deletes this, which we know he will - the part about the girl scouts and donating money is FACT. It was part of their fitness badge and it is exactly how I found your site.

Fat Guy Across America: I haven't stopped [MW], I keep moving forward. I'm not moving right now due to safety concerns, not money. That was just part of the attack. Judge me if I give up, not when I'm still out here doing it.

Notice he does not refute the claim about the Girl Scouts.

If he had concerns for his safety, moving would be wise. He's a sitting duck. And his "concerns" are based on someone telling him that he's killing himself with his unhealthy lifestyle, not active threats. (If they had been actual credible threats - and not faked comments by a an E&A sock puppet account - he would have posted screenshots.) He even walked back his original "death threats" comment by saying yesterday that people "insinuated bad things" to him.

WoOoOoOoOoooOOooOooo, someone implied that Eric is far from immortal - call the cops! No wait, don't, because Eric & Angie don't want to get arrested for fraud and evading a bench warrant.

In other news, someone on Angie's page said that he wasn't able to post on FGAA anymore because Eric must have blocked him, but all he had said was that there were some good campgrounds further up the road (when E was in Philly). Angie said "You must have struck a chord" instead of "struck a nerve". HAHAHAHA, Freudian. Can't let anyone say anything that might be true or helpful.

"High"lights:

He just threatened to egg Dagny's house if they pass through Chicago,

He "hates" Dr. Phil,

He'll weigh "next week",

He doesn't have pants for church so he'll "have to wear shorts",

He's lost "between 80 and 100",

His wife motivates him,

Angie said in the comments she's "cleaning in the RV",

He said he "just wants to ride" for the millionth time,

He's currently in West Monroe which means they probably drove at least part of the way.

He said, "I don't know if I'll be going near Phoenix - I haven't really looked at the map. Is that near Route 66? I don't look too far ahead".

He's "DOING SHAKEOLOGY" AGAIN. "Some of them are good, yeah".

"At least 3 or 4 weeks, but if I can do 100-mile weeks, it won't be long" (until he gets to Dallas Fort Worth).

"Shakeology is from the Beachbody guys."

Now he's talking about Cropsey.

He's shilling those Fat Guy t-shirts again.

"Uh oh... do we got a hacker in here? We've got a guy with a fake account!"

"Is one of my moderators on there? Is that you, Larry? Hahaha awesome! Or is that Chad? Is that you Chad?"

Back to the t-shirt hocking.

"Larry is kick ass. Oh I shouldn't say 'kick ass', I don't usually cuss. But that's not a really bad word."

"Yeah people do ride with me sometimes. See, a lot of people TALK about riding with me, but only a few come out and do it."

"We'd like a sponsor yes. Because I don't like always having to ask you guys. That's why we try to, y'know, sell shirts. And we're working on bracelets, some cool braclets, made out of bicycle chains". [Ooh, rusty bracelets, sign me up.]

.....

OMFG:

"What is the date...? I have NO IDEA. It's April, right? Or is it May? It's... the 14th? No it's May, it's May! No, I don't keep real good track of dates. Yeah, he [Dr. Phil] made fun of me for that too, right?"

I swear to God, that is an actual quote. I typed it as he was saying it. I fucking quit.

Andrew: When kind-hearted strangers are funding your trip, it's basic courtesy to keep them appraised of what you're doing. If you want the money to keep rolling in, then taking days off at a time because it "might" rain, or because you had a puncture or a package to mail, or because you're in a vacation town is a sure fire way to kill the golden goose.

Donna: So true. It looks like he hasn't rode in a week.

Angie Marie: Seriously people. The ones donating aren't the ones complaining it's the others. If you want to donate to buy someone enter a slave ring. That's not this. It's time to move on and grown up a bit. Eric is NOT risking his life on the road for entertainment. I'm so tired of hearing this. It's honestly sad. You can't buy people to boss around. That's called slavery. Peope donate, they aren't forced to donate. Eric appreciates it. If you want to donate because you think it means that you will be able to be a shot caller in whether he risk his life riding in a storm than don't do it because that's not even fair. This is disgusting.

Andrew: Oh stop being such a bloody drama queen. Millions of people ride bicycles every single day. Yes, even when it's raining. In the real world, people don't have a choice to take a day off because it "might" rain. And I promise you that unless Eric is made of spun sugar, he isn't "risking his life", he's just putting up with a bit of inconvenience. Also. nobody is "bossing him around". I was simply suggesting that regular updates would be a courtesy towards the people paying for the trip he's been enjoying for almost a year now. If you thank that is "slavery" then I seriously wonder how the pair of you would cope if you somehow ever got a REAL job.

Sarah: I know cycling and walking and going to a gym are separate activities but...... I worked nearly 60 hours last week and manage a few hours at the gym and walks daily. I have tons to do today, homework, cleaning, laundry, meal prep for the week, cut tons of fruit to freeze for smoothies for the week, and probably some paperwork leftover from last weeks work week that was crazy busy. And it's a blizzard here in Colorado today with up to 40mph winds and blowing snow.But with all that I still managed to get up and take a 3 mile walk in the blizzardy, snowy weather. Don't let a rain stop you!

Jackson: Good on you, love! I'm away from home, in another country. I've been up, to to the hotel gym for an hour and half, had an online conference meeting, lunch, and I'm about to go out to tour one of the local museums here in LA. I plan to make the most of my day and time here. I'm also planning to do some volunteer work this week while I'm here as I'm a big fan of giving of your time wherever you are, even if it's just a small bit. From what I can read on the FGAA threads here, there are many of us that are like-minded, which is why it's incredibly frustrating to give pep talks, cheer Eric on, support him, and get NOTHING in response. I for one feel VERY let down right now. I'll admit this is both because of private conversations and also his FB page, but this is really bullocks. Eric, where's the "champion" card we keep talking about??

Bruce: Youve seen all he has😬

Angie Marie: Good for you. That's great on you. To each their own. It's dangerous riding in a blizzard and riding in the rain. I really hope you think of how your family would feel it a car slipped and hit you and took your life. It would be devastating to them. Eric is just being considerate to his family. But good job in the 3 miles. I wouldn't walk in a blizzard though. Naw.

Stacy: Fat Guy stuffs the RV for food bank drop off in whatever city!!!!! That may work!!!

Bruce: Nothing will work if . he's not moving

[Sarah and Bruce chatting]

Angie Marie: The food drive will happen when we get there. Some of the people on this thread are so critical. I am a widowed woman already. Eric is just being considerate and trying not to put himself in a dangerous situatiom. Once they accept that and see how hard he tries maybe they can let go of their sadistic criticism. It's out of control. The food drive will happen. Geez

Because of the "threats" against his life (which were just people saying things like "you are killing yourself with your unhealthy lifestyle" and "you'd better hope the police don't arrest you, what with all your actual bench warrants"), Eric ditched the SPOT device which had been provided free for him. Then he "forgot" his phone in the RV, which allowed him to supposedly ride all day with no accountability. But 2far4u points out the timing discrepancy that proves he's lying: he claimed to have ridden 20 miles from noon to 6pm, yet he was somehow posting replies on FB halfway through this alleged ride. (Details at the first and second link - you have to paste the URLs into your address bar for them to work.)

Angie was "busy" and getting her steps in, so surely she didn't notice the phone and start posting as Eric right in the middle of his ride, right? If she was using his phone, then she would have known he didn't have it, so why not bring it to him? Usually she's wasting gas tailing him all day, and scared of anything bad happening to him. No, she couldn't notice his phone because he was never separated from it: he was riding alongside her in the RV all day, and he couldn't even resist commenting for long enough to make his lie plausible. (Every single candid picture she takes of him has him stabbing away at that goddamn phone. He would NEVER leave it in the RV by accident.) Not only that, but he has to tack on multiple other woe is me elements about leaving his sunglasses and gloves behind, to distract from the fact that the only so-called proof of his ride is that he posted a google map screenshot. I can "prove" that I just rode from Paris to Moscow on a unicycle - want to see my screenshot of a map with a line on it?

So either:

• Eric is telling the truth about riding 20 miles, in which case he still lied about the start time BUT managed to do 20 miles in less than 4 hours, which is a new record. So why not celebrate that?

• He's telling the truth about riding some of those miles, but he lied about not bringing his phone so that he could pad the miles with his googlemaps screenshot instead of using Strava.

• He's a lying liar who lies so much, it's impossible to tell when he's lying or why, anymore. (Oh yeah, I forgot: the why is always "money and ego-stroking".)

HMMMM. Which could it possibly be?

Speaking of pathological liars....

Angie posted a picture of their gross PTF freezerburn food last night, with the caption "All that good food at the festival and we STILL came back and ate healthy. Wasn't even tempted by the smells." Two hours later: "Ugh the smell of good food downtown is overwhelming. It's nearly hypnotizing. [...] All the smells and we maintained Balance in our bellys and waited until we got home to eat our nutritious food and not the food that was tempting us at the festival. I'm proud of us, that isn't the easiest thing to do."

Not even tempted, but so tempted! Make up your fucking mind.

It makes me gag the way she tries to make everything sound so profound and meaningful. This in particular is infuriating: "And the people are so happy. Tiers of people as you make your way on foot or bike downtown in all of her glory. Shouts of joy from above, drums from the children musicians on the street and the many talents of locals earning a dollar as you walk passed them. It's magnificent. A must do. I'm blessed to have been given the chance."

"Tiers" of people aside, she thinks it's "beautiful" that homeless children are busking for a dollar? She thinks they're among the "so happy"? She's oblivious to anyone's suffering but her own; it all just looks like a party to her.

[Edit: I removed links to two photos by the photographer who took the picture of Eric in the door of the Cat's Meow, which were taken on the same day. My intention was to show that there's no doubt that Angie's "magnificent" impression of "children musicians" was a far sadder scene than she's capable of perceiving, but I'm deleting them because that photographer has since removed his photo of Eric - either because E&A finally realized how unflattering it was and demanded it be taken down, or because he was getting too much overflow hassle from the FGAA page. He's a good photographer who doesn't deserve to be associated with this clusterfuck.]

This is getting too depressing to watch. Can someone in the U.S. call the SPCA on this shitshow?? They can't even take care of themselves, and now an innocent animal is being dragged into this circus for the sake of drumming up sympathy and awws from the audience. This is the most blatant pandering we've seen from them since the fake jump-scare video.

I haven't posted here (or anywhere), but I've been reading GOMI and I've been storing up some irritations that I'll vent in one go. Maybe I'll even walk away after this, but daaaamn it's hard to look away from this trainwreck.

Things that show why Eric was never going to complete this ride:

Eric hates riding.

"If I was on vacation, would I be riding a bike?"

Why yes, lots of people ride bikes on vacation. Lots of people take vacations from their daily jobs so that they can ride bikes: for fun, exercise and a sense of adventure. He hates his bike. He deliberately harms it. He's probably filled with dread at the very sight of it, and it's no wonder, because it's a bike that was never meant to handle a man of his size. With just a couple of weeks' worth of hotel fees, he could have afforded something that would make for a much more comfortable experience, but he doesn't want that, because...

Deep down, he doesn't want to achieve what he says he does.

"I've never cheated, though at times I wish I did."

Nobody who actually wants to accomplish something says this. Once you commit to something and build up momentum, the things that piss you off are the things that derail you from your goal. Eric goes out of his way looking for those things, because riding doesn't bring him joy. He wants the triumphant ending, and can't compute the steps he would need to take to get to it. He fears success more than he fears failure, because failure is comfortable and familiar to him, but he still enjoys the dream. So he sits on benches all day and deletes messages, fantasizing about storming into Dr. Phil's studio as a muscle-bound athlete, saying "Eat it!" (whilst clutching a giant diamond he discovered in Arkansas and photos of the Grand Canyon), before whisking himself off for his sky-diving victory tour. He's dreaming up someone else's life, and taking no real steps to get to it.

Eric cannot write, much less write a book.

"I owe 50, 60, 70 thousand dollars... I don't know! I don't keep real good track of numbers!"

"I really don't know, honestly [how long I've been in Florida]. I don't keep real good track of days!"

"There's a lot to be done every day, packing up gear, taking notes in my journal..."

^{Small disclaimer: the preceding three quotes are paraphrased because I can't bear to rewatch the Dr.Phil episode again. I'm confident all my quotes are accurate enough that they could be easily checked online.}

Eric writes terribly. There's no flow in his sentences and there's no spark of enthusiasm about his posts (except when they're ghost-written, which is painfully obvious). There's little information of value, and more complaints than gratitude. (The one time he took a moment to thank his supporters way back in the fall of 2015, he - sorry, a "glitch" - posted the PayPal donation link at the bottom of it.) He has consistently deleted anything that would be of actual value to the book: i.e., the prerequisite villain. The villain is all of us: the "haters" he has supposedly encountered online, the ones he would defeat by actually riding across the country. He scrubs their presence from the page, turning what could have been a triumph over adversity into an anemic circle-jerk between people too gullible to know a farce when they see one.

So maybe he could have a ghost-writer for his book too? Sure, if he had anything to give them by way of accurate information. He misuses his SPOT and Strava, he didn't use GPS for the first few months, he takes crappy photos (mostly selfies), he refused to do consistent weigh-ins, and he "doesn't keep real good track". He doesn't make nice observations about sunsets or scenery or the "people he meets along the way". He was quoted in an article shortly before the Dr. Phil show that he "doesn't keep track of his miles" because - people just don't understand! - that's not what The Ride is about. It's about THE EXPERIENCE, remember. What kind of book is he envisioning that can be based on notes scrawled on greasy napkins without dates or mileage? How can it actually be called a trans-America ride if he can't prove that he "made up his miles" appropriately so that the total distance is the same? (I'm confident that no real cyclist would be comfortable with using such a slipshod method.)

...

A couple of other observations... remember that time when Angie said she was having such a rough day, her faith was tested, yadda yadda? It started with a huge fight with Eric. That was about 2-3 weeks before they went on Dr. Phil, and my bet has been that she was pressuring him into it. I'm guessing she's the one who thought she could pull the wool over Dr. Phil's eyes, and Eric thought it was too risky, and she pushed it by saying that it would bring in more donations. Conjecture, of course, but I think it fits with what we know about them.

Also, did anyone notice that until very recently, the FGAA facebook page had a tag on it that said "Answers within 1 hour"? I have a facebook fan page for my business, and I can't even get that tag, because apparently I answer within 21 hours. Because, y'know, if someone sends me a message, I take some time to craft a response while I'm doing other things, I don't just stop my ride across America to sit on a bench and yell at haters.

I saw an article today about "How to Succeed at Losing Weight" (or something) and it pointed out that you shouldn't fight against yourself. Picking a hobby that was formerly fun for you is a great way to ease into it... and for that, Eric could have been swimming, this whole time. He says he loved it and it was the only time he actually sounded sincere to me. Go home and swim, Eric.

Sorry for the wall of text. I promised myself I wouldn't join GOMI and I've never posted on the FGAA page either, but it was bugging me that there were these few things that I hadn't seen grouped together.

Fat guy's last "main" post was "Happy July 4th everyone"... -- there was a clamoring for updates on the bariatric weigh-in which I'm suspecting never happened... (those posts asking for updates have been deleted) -- there was the guy who offered Eric a job working on his farm -- which was deleted -- there was my "open letter" to him and the ensuing comments and arguments with his apostles -- which has been deleted.

No new updates on "boot camp" or working out or ANYTHING.

Starting to think he may have taken my advice and stepped away from facebook ... other than he is constantly deleting posts.

One guy has posted that he is going to do a "Virtual" ride across america for charity -- because he can't afford to do the real thing. I'm sure that will be deleted as soon as the big guy wakes up.

Actually, I made myself watch his last live feed... and I found a youtube link where I was finally able to watch the infamous full dr. phil show. I came away just basically feeling sorry for him. It is like in his last live feed, he was going through the motions... that he knew it was over. The conspicuous absences of Angie (oh, she's at the store) and the dog (oh, she's running around the back yard here -- but normally you would expect to see a puppy running in the background or up to its owner etc).

It all makes me think this may be the final curtain call for this story. It actually makes me feel sad for him -- that he had such a great opportunity but still couldn't get it together.

UPDATE 24th June

Previous post

I concede, based on last night's video, that Dr. Phil did not give Eric expensive veneers. Eric describes them as having been molded on by hand out of medical-grade "sculpty" [sic] and then filed into shape, so they were only ever meant to be temporary caps. This supports what u/itsmyotherface described. Hat tip to you, itsmyotherface for remembering hearing about Dr. Phil's practice of fixing "janky teeth" temporarily.

It's a really, really shitty thing for Dr. Phil to do, putting people in a position where they'll have to spend huge sums of money later (if they're uninsured) to replace the composite caps with something more permanent. He would already have an idea of someone's earning capabilities, so this is extremely irresponsible behavior. He has no business telling people what will make them feel more "confident" on-air, especially if it will put them in a worse position after the show. With this practice being so averse to the long-term well-being of the guest, it's clearly just a ploy to make people more telegenic so that viewers will stay tuned in.

However, as always, it's equally shitty for Eric to have his belligerent attitude towards everything about Dr. Phil, yet still avail of the free trainer he provided. (I'm sure he'd toss Robert Reames aside too, but he knows that whenever he says "my trainer told me to _____", it gives him a defense against criticism.) You can't trash someone as badly as Eric trashed Dr. Phil last night and still say "I'm grateful to Robert"; that's blatant hypocrisy.

Unless you're some celebrity who might give Dr. Phil an exclusive, you have to apply to be on the show. I have no doubt that Eric and Angie applied, just as Eric was trying to court Ellen and The Biggest Loser and The Voice and all those other shows, before the trip began. They should have known damn well what they were getting themselves in for in terms of the potential for being criticized by Dr. Phil, yet Eric is still whining about how he was so unfairly treated.

And lest we forget: He DID lie when asked about it. He claimed his new appearance was solely due to a "good makeup artist" and didn't say anything about how he got a minor makeover on his teeth, however temporary. He simply can't not lie.

But I wanted to set the record straight on that. I'm all for calling Eric out on his lies, but I'm not above admitting when I've been wrong.

http://imgur.com/DAYO5le

You know what the enablers supporters say about this man who's facing early death due to morbid obesity:

Forget the scales! The important thing is how you look and feel! The important thing is how your clothes fit! The important thing is your improved diet! The important thing is how much further you can ride now! The important thing is how much healthier you are!

Right?

Well, Eric is still wearing 5X jerseys: the same exact size he was given a year ago, in the same styles, in the same fabric, and made by by Aero Tech, the same brand. He can't fool the scales so he doesn't use them, but he can apparently still fool thousands of gullible followers, and he can fool himself.

How much longer can he continue fooling people, when these are his results?

October 2015

June 4th, 2016

So he lands in hospital with chest pains, he says he'll eat whatever he wants, he fakes entire rides, and he borrows previously ridden miles from parking lots to use against his westward total. At least he looks so much healthier, right? Right?

Many of us know how hard it is to lose weight. Many of us have done it, and have learned to keep it off. But of all of the people watching who have achieved this difficult - yet relatively mundane - task, there is one thing that's universal: it can't happen until the participant stops lying to themselves. Watching someone hasten their own demise is one of the most frustrating aspects of this whole trainwreck.

First of all, the only reason this poor local bike shop is getting any positive coverage is because they got scammed into doing things for free. Eric used his "church connection" to get his toe in the door with this one. He posted the "would anyone hold it against me if..." status yesterday so that people would urge him to go to a bike shop, and he could then say "I need to get the bike parts like you wanted, but I don't have any money".

He was told multiple times by cyclists that he doesn't need suspension because he's not riding rough trails. He had it locked out the entire time until it failed in Florida -- which was probably because he rides off too-high curbs and put way too much stress on the locking mechanism. He ban-hammered all those cyclists months ago; what we're seeing is a new crop of people who have no idea how many times he has ignored the same advice they're now offering.

Suddenly he agrees that he doesn't need a suspension, but he's using this opportunity to whine about how he can't afford a rigid one (which, according to several cyclists in the thread, would actually be cheaper).

How many ways can he hint that he needs money in one thread?

• One.

By saying "after I buy it", he's saying "I need money before that can happen", otherwise he would already have bought it. The LBS has the fork in stock. He puts the "$100" pricetag out there in an effort to encourage people to Support the Ride (look how attainable this bike part is!), and he promises to be "back at it" tomorrow. He wants donations for the fork or he wants someone to give him one for free -- preferably both.

• Two

Hoping for what? Fingers crossed for what? Donations, of course! And by saying it's "$150 minimum" elsewhere, he assures donors that he's getting the best deal for their kindness.

• Three

Quick! Pity FGAA because something "hurts quite a bit" that he was advised about months ago (along with his seat height, handlebar position, spoke count, etc etc). Then he follows up quickly - in the same sub-thread where he just mentioned the "fingers crossed" - about how he can't afford it.

• Four

He was JUST told that a rigid fork would be cheaper than $100 and would be more comfortable in terms of not bouncing. His new suspension fork will fail just like the last one did because of how he leans all his weight on it. But here he is still sighing that he "can't afford" the rigid one.

• Five

"Can't afford the upgrade yet". It's NOT AN UPGRADE. It's a fork designed for road use that you should have budgeted for months ago when your suspension failed. The bike was FREE, so this doesn't count as an upgrade, it counts as minor expense that makes the bike better suited to your supposed purposes.

• Six (implied)

"Working on" = "Working on my supporters to see if anyone will donate if I dangle this carrot, by saying I'll spend the money on the bike this time if they give me help, yet again. Just because I never follow through on these bike-maintenance promises doesn't mean I can't scam a few new followers..."

Six in one thread. I'm sure there will be more aggressive panhandling today. Maybe he'll do a long ride and lament how hard it was without a rigid fork.

Eric, do enlighten us on what your "budget" is, what things you deem to be "in the budget", and how you make those determinations. How much money do you allot for the RV, hotels, food, clothing, gas, the bike? Do you keep immaculate account of your income and expenses? Do you set aside an emergency fund for inevitable bike issues that will arise? (Obviously not.) What are your standards for determining when something is "worth" spending money on, as opposed to being "outside the budget"? Have you ever, ever missed a meal in pursuit of this romantic goal to get across the country? Have you ever gone without luxuries so that your bike could get an important repair? Have you ever decided against a hotel so that you could buy something bike-related that would actually help you reach your goal of riding across the country on a bicycle?

Tell us how it's okay to have more than $20,000 donated to your ride and be given a FREE BIKE and refuse to spend more than a couple of bucks on it. Tell us why you visit local bike shops and grift free service out of hard-working people, on the promise of giving them publicity on your Facebook page. I bet you tell them that you have over 37,000 followers and you've lost "about 100 pounds" but don't say a word about how much criticism you've received for wasting tens of thousands of dollars and only losing (and regaining) the same 20lbs repeatedly for a year.

Tell us, please, how you stayed in a hotel last week and got RV service and drove hundreds of miles back and forth from ride points to RV parks to church and back again (just never quite as far as you left off on your last rides, right?), but suddenly $100 for a vital part of your bike equipment is too much. Tell us how you can justify wasting all those thousands of dollars on non-essential items and entertainments and then decide that there isn't enough left in the BIKE BUDGET for your BIKE TOUR.

You are a cheap son of a bitch who refuses to spend money in the spirit in which it was donated. You want to just take and take and take some more, targeting the very kinds of people who will continue to give with open hearts even when they can't afford it.

This whole scam is fucking immoral.

This is a satisfying exchange between two of FGAA's best supporters ("best" as in "people who manage to get some tough love onto his page and haven't been banned yet").

Earlier in the same thread, Eric said, "I only took one day off Facebook," after more than 48 hours of Facebook silence. (The silence would be fine if it was someone else. With E&A, you know it means they're either flying to a different state, driving home, or begging reporters to cover their story so they can get more donations.) Finally it becomes clear why "a night or two" in a hotel becomes a week or two, and "a couple of months" in Florida turns out to actually be 3.5 months: Eric just can't tell time, it's that simple. He doesn't "keep real good track", so he just refuses to even attempt it.

As Beverley points out, the goal used to be "before Christmas", then it was January, then May, now August. Always just around the corner. And why is that? Eric says the reasons for rescheduling to August are: "physical, financial and being realistic".

FGAA wouldn't know "realistic" if it came deep fried. "Realistic" is just code for "Far enough away that I can keep people on the hook for longer without looking like I'm running out of time... yet."

If 48 hours equals 24 hours ET (Eric Time), maybe August means November? That's about 12 miles a day, with a day off for publicity stunts church. Now THAT would actually be possible, for someone who was fully committed to changing their life.

FGAA has been acting more and more aggressive towards anyone who questions him, lately.

Could this just be a sign of someone honest who has been worn down by naysayers and disbelief for a whole year, reaching their breaking point? Well, not exactly. Because if Eric had been doing what he claimed to be doing all this time, the naysayers would have been silenced long ago. Truth can withstand scrutiny. Lies cannot.

He habitually conceals information, reveals only what makes him look good (in his own interpretation), and lashes out when anyone points out the discrepancies. In this heavily censored thread, he even claimed that Dr Phil "debunked" the criticisms and "disproved 90% of what they say". This is a grandiose and wildly inaccurate assessment of what happened on Dr Phil, and is a huge red flag about how Eric sees the world. He cannot process or accept any information that would force him to confront his own limitations and bad behavior. He looks for the loophole in every sentence that would be enough for him to let himself off the hook.

Here are some quotes about narcissism that I think apply to what Eric has shown us about himself, particularly the second section which deals with "passive-aggressive narcissists".

"The narcissist’s sense of self has not developed beyond that of a young child and cannot cope with a truth that shows them to be less than perfect. Unlike alcoholics or other abusers who may eventually "see the light", a narcissist just does not have the ability to look inside himself and perceive the truth. Self-reflection is not a tool in the narcissist’s toolbox of skills." ¹

"What can you expect when you do confront a narcissist? [...] He or she may become enraged, deny everything, call you a liar, twist reality, blame you and then play the victim."²

"They cannot accept any sort of disagreement, criticism or accountability for their actions. Narcissists react with narcissistic rage to narcissistic injury."³

""Narcissistic injury" is any threat (real or imagined, no matter how slight) to the narcissist’s grandiose self-perception as perfect or omnipotent. They perceive every disagreement as criticism and every critical remark as abject humiliation."⁴

"They react defensively and become indignant, aggressive and emotionally detached. They "devalue" the person who criticized, disagreed or dared to confront them about their behavior. By devaluing that person, narcissists minimize the impact of the threat to their self worth."⁵

The following is the most accurate thing I've read. It even uses the phrase - "magnet for bad luck" that Eric used four days ago!

"The passive-aggressive narcissist is the eternal pessimist. Nothing ever works out for him, everyone from his co-worker to the guy at the bank sabotages his every attempt to achieve his dreams. He experiences difficulty after difficulty. Every time it seems like something is going to work out for him somehow it falls through. It is never his fault but always the fault of others. In fact, he is usually so very good at it that it seems like he is a magnet for bad luck."⁶

"The passive-aggressive narcissist will complain that no one "gets" him. No one understands his troubles, the depth of his angst, or the sensitivity of his soul. [...] He will manipulate your emotions to guilt you into doing what he wants. You’ll feel sorry for him, want to protect him, or even feel that you need to fix his situation."⁷

"Another tool that the passive-aggressive narcissist uses is procrastination. It is one way of punishing you by keeping you off balance. It is his way of showing you that he’ll do it his way. If you say something he may tell you that he forgot. Or, he may simply fail to show up for some important event where he promised to be. You can be sure that there will be a great excuse for why he didn’t show. He didn’t have gas money (but he had money for something else), his dog ran away, or some other excuse – he always has one."⁸

"He will exaggerate his problems and you can bet that no matter how bad your day has been his has been infinitely worse. He’ll whine and complain about the people he works with, his family, your family, and everything else."⁹

"He’ll tell you to stop harassing him, call you a nag [...] He may even pretend to listen just to shut you up."¹⁰

• Resort to denial and distortion of facts

• Refuse to accept or even recognize their own feelings, actions or responsibilities in a relationship

• Are negativistic

• Blame others for anything wrong in their lives, including consequences of their own actions and decisions

• Complain of not being appreciated, understood or valued

• Exaggerate their misfortunes

• Do not consider, take in account or care about other people’s feelings even though they profess to¹¹

So what's the solution offered for dealing with a Passive-Aggressive Narcissist?

Refuse to Help Him. No matter what is going on it’s a good idea to refuse to help the passive-aggressive narcissist. That may sound cruel but helping a narcissist is the equivalent of putting someone on life support. At some point you are going to have to stop it and that’s emotionally difficult. A passive-aggressive narcissist is perfectly happy to live on someone else’s dime while they feign weakness of some sort.

Just say no.

This exchange confirms everything I already knew about Eric. He can't NOT lie. He can't not evade the truth at every turn.

Asked about whether he has been tested for sleep apnea - as a prime candidate, with his extreme weight - he says "I don't sleep with one, I've been tested." Any reasonable person would read that sentence and think "WOW, he must be one of the very few super-morbidly obese people who doesn't have apnea! That's pretty remarkable, considering how much excess fat he carries on his neck. Well, at least he's under doctor supervision." Right? Wrong.

Pushed further on the same question - "Did they say you needed one?" - he relents, "Yes, but I sleep on my stomach, when I do that, I don't need it."

THAT IS NOT HOW APNEA WORKS. That's not how medical diagnoses work. That's not how testing works. You don't get to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars on extensive, expensive sleep tests only to turn around and say that the prognosis is open to interpretation. Why bother getting tested in the first place if you refuse to carry out instructions afterwards? Was he provided with a CPAP machine that's now gathering dust somewhere, while someone else is suffering for weeks while they wait for theirs to be approved by insurance?

And I also highly doubt he sleeps on his stomach all the time. He can barely lean forward to fix a tire when he's sitting down; sleeping on his stomach would put an immense strain on his spine.

As someone who has a loved one with apnea, yes, CPAPs suck. They're uncomfortable and a pain in the ass. They're claustrophobic. They also save lives, if you comply with the instructions every single night, and even for naps.

The fact that Eric thinks he's exempt from doctors' instructions is yet another in the long line of indicators that he's narcissistic and bull-headed. He thinks the usual rules don't apply to him. He only answers semi-truthfully after being pushed and pushed on the same question. He runs away from his problems (debt, obesity, marriage problems, failed jobs, trashed homes). He thinks things will magically get fixed if he can spin the right story.

Eric, you WILL DIE if you keep this shit up. It's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of when.

Ask yourself if all of the "haters" could be right. Just sit quietly, with no phone, no Angie, no puppy, and ask yourself if maybe we're this angry and this vocal because we actually know what we're talking about. Try being humble for perhaps the first time in your life. It might actually save you.

Eric’s mission, as stated this very day:

“My mission was to lose weight, get my wife and life back, visit cool places, meet cool people, do cool things, build us a future, and find my soul again, while writing a book, riding my bike from east coast to west coast, while blogging and updating about it.”

Funny… he didn’t mention all the free stuff, free experiences, free food, free lodging and free money he’d be getting. I thought I’d give him a head start on his book by summarizing a fraction of the things he’s been begging for, these last 10 months.

Note: In trying to be thorough and cite links for each claim, this post racked up a very high character count, and it disappeared every time I tried to publish it. I have no choice but to enter the items individually into the comments below. If anyone wants the full list to post elsewhere more neatly, I can provide it.

Sort by "new" and read from top to bottom for a somewhat-chronological order.

Get comfortable, it’s a long read.

It all started, once upon a time, with, "Give me thousands of dollars for a never-ending vacation." And then...

Whenever Eric goes on rants like this, they end up deleted. He swore he was getting new wheel sets and tires multiple times, and each time he has gone and spent the money on hotels, cigarettes, prescription medication, food and amusements instead. The constant lying and excuses getting SO DAMN OLD. If he actually cared about a budget as he claims here, he wouldn't have bought a puppy that comes with hundreds of dollars of associated costs (they didn't even rescue it from a pound; he admitted he got it from a private owner, likely a breeder). If they had a budget, they'd prioritize wheels that would get Eric across the country as promised, rather than buying Angie a SECOND bike to destroy.

Even more disgusting is the fact that there was a very positive, constructive thread about volunteering opportunities near New Orleans - something he said he wanted to do as part of the trip - and it was deleted. All claims of wanting to "give back" are absolutely worthless and are only meant to entice Care Bears to throw more money into the bottomless pit.

Sorry I don't have an imgur account to do screengrabs and I know this is long, but here are the budget-related comments for posterity. I think it's important to save this stuff because otherwise Eric & Angie get to write the whole story themselves - mostly through omission.

DK: Partied too hard in the big easy did we?

Fat Guy Across America> Actually, I don't drink. Taking care of a few things today and looking to possibly get new tires today and some more spare spokes.

DK: Me neither. Get yourself some road friendly tires makes a huge difference having less rolling resistance.

Fat Guy Across America: That's what I'm hoping to find locally

Fat Guy Across America: Front tire only have 400 miles or so and is already bald, the back tire is showing lots of wear and I got it in destin

DK: I got specialized tires last spring and have 2000+ miles on them with no signs of wear.

Fat Guy Across America: That's cool, my conti's held up well, but when the tubes blew the side walls blew out, so I assume I put a lot of stress on the sidewalls.

JB: Remind me: weren't you having new tires/wheels built and shipped to you a few weeks back?

Fat Guy Across America: No, I was looking for the hubs and parts to get to velocity so they can build the rims. I said once I save enough I was going to get tires ordered and sent.

ReneeRS: Fat Guy Across America are the tires you need special order, or something you can get at the bike shop. Its a shame, when you road to NOLA you were good, did the tires go bad over the weekend? But if there is a delay, a lot of posts about volunteering sounds pretty intriguing!

Fat Guy Across America: I've been talking about getting tires for a while actually. And some.carry them some dont. The wider tires like I need are not usually a in stock item, but I'm taking a look.

JB: Fat Guy Across America That's disappointing. I remember you got a pretty hefty donation right around then. Two, if I recall. That wasn't enough to cover them?

Fat Guy Across America: I guess you missed the whole problem with gofundme.

[The "problem" with gofundme is utterly irrelevant, because he had already been given thousands and thousands of dollars, none of which was spent on getting the tires with high spoke-count that he was advised to get, for most of the last year.]

Fat Guy Across America: And even then, there are other expenses involved in the trip such as gas for the rv and generator, meds, spare parts for bike, etc. We have to budget for down the road too. So not every cent can be put aside for just bicycle. But like I said we are putting the parts together for the order of the rims. And putting some aside for the tires too.

ReneeRS: I know you are only using PayPal now after the GFM problems but they have not frozen any more have they ? Are you able to keep all the GFM that was donated before u switched?

SH: What size are your tires? 26" or bigger?

Fat Guy Across America: 29

Fat Guy Across America: Still working on the last few

MissyB: Eric sweetie I know I ramble on forever like an old lady lol but sometimes I get carried away but I keep telling you that if youd just tell us how much more you need to get to the $5000 to get across the rest of the country I'm sure that lots of people would step up to help. It would be a goal for all of us to know you had enough to finish the rest of your journey on your bike.

MajiD: Consider this suggestion please. You should make a list of the upcoming funds you need donations for. Knowing what the money is for might motivate more people to donate. People are more willing to give if they know what it's going for. It's better to have an itemized list than to make a general statement. Also this way it stops people from asking about where you spent the donations.

Fat Guy Across America: I had it listed in the gofundme site, nobody read that one, so it seems to be a waste of time. As for future expenses, I can guess some, others will be known when they come. As for right now, tires are between 60 and 100 from what I've found, I'm looking for local ones to avoid shipping, but may have to go that route.

[How strange, because I recall he had a specific price and a specific manufacturer at one point. That lasted long enough to get a few donations, and then was never mentioned again.]

Fat Guy Across America: Missy for that 5k I mentioned, at the moment we are sitting at about 800 out of that goal. So 4200 left. But I'm not pushing it, I'm just trying to go day by day for now and do what I can.

[Yeah, you're "not pushing" for donations at all. AT ALL. Click support the ride above!]

MajiD: That's not an itemized list though. It's a list, but not a very detailed one. If you had a list that said you're raising: (For Example) $200 for wheels, $300 for gas for X amount of time, and so on that tells people not only how much you need but what you need it for. Then when you get a $200 donation, you go get the wheels and take it off the list.

MajiD: Please don't get mad at me for saying this but what also could be more apparent is how much of this trip are you personally paying for? It seems like everyone else is paying for every expense of your trip. Who's paying for Maddy's food and healthcare? Who's paying for deodorant and shampoo and beauty products? What about toilet paper and paper towels? These are all expenses you should be paying for yourself but that's never been disclosed. You also should be paying for your medication yourself. So see if you itemize your expenses for the bike and get donations specifically for that then you'll have more money freed up to pay your part of the trip. grin emoticon

JB: Maji is absolutely right. It's apparent that you're just throwing a dollar figure out there without any itemized expenditures or estimated figures and it changes pretty frequently based on who is asking you a question at the time. If you want to be taken seriously and you want people to donate seriously, you need to have a spreadsheet of your estimated expenses and what you need the donations for. $5000 does not seem like enough is $800 didn't even cover the wheels because you had to take care of RV costs. If I were you, I'd sit down and seriously plan this out because it doesn't seem like you've done that and it's almost a year into this now. Sorry, mate, but you can't keep asking people for money if you're not going to do your part.

DK: Thanks for hijacking my thread.

Fat Guy Across America: As for my fundraising, I did say it was for everything including medical and everything involved with this trip. All of that is included in this trip. Now personal entertainment, that is different, we either have to sell something, or do some side work for Angies parents or work out something to get money from home for that sort of thing unless it is directly related to something with the story. Such as a grand Canyon tour down the road as a future example. That is part of the story. They money that is raised pays for all aspects, food, clothing, deodorant, gas, tires tubes, whatever is needed to support the trip. If we can pay another way, we do. If we cant, we rely on sponsored monies. Some of you don't understand the trip at all and only think it's a simple bicycle trip. Yes, I am conveyed from east coast to west coast on a bicycle. But there is so much more to the trip than that, and that has been the same since the beginning. It has never changed, and in every I state the same thing. Which im not going to repeat again. Just go to the info page above, or to www.fatguyacrossamerica.com and read the story and my goals. Nobody is forced to help at all. If I don't get funding, I have to find other ways. If I don't get funding, it takes longer. When I have funding things run smoother, I have less to deal with as I don't have to be as creative solving problems. If I have funding I can take my bike to a shop and fix it, if not, I try to do it myself, which is not always the best idea. I try my best and learn along the way. But Wether it's an rv, a car, or a pull behind trailer, there will always be expenses involved with travel. Sometimes hotels, sometimes campgrounds, sometimes batteries for a beard trimmer. If it's helping me get from point a to point b and is allowing me to write my book, fix my soul and marriage and get Info to post or to wrote my book, then it's part of the trip.

[I'm not sure how him having a trimmed beard has anything to do with cycling. Or what "side work" they can do from Louisiana to Indiana. Or why he expects us to accept that his later edits to his mission that accounted for Angie's presence - with her very expensive (kibble) requirements - should be suddenly okay with prior donors. His mission statement and vague "budget" have changed COMPLETELY from the original iteration, and he gets enraged if you dare to point that out.]

Fat Guy Across America Project: Cycling for love and physical change. FGAA Facebook Explore FATGUYACROSSAMERICA.COM

Fat Guy Across America: It may not be the way you would do it, but it's a learning experience. And that experience is a lot of what this journey is all about. It's not how quick or efficient I get things done, it's that I'm doing it, I'm growing and learning, and by the end I hope to have learned quite a lot. I have certainly learned a lot about the Internet and how everyone is an expert and are always happy judging everything that someone is doing on their journey rather than looking at themselves and trying to fix their problem with trying to belittle and control others. I don't want to be that way. I want to support others and show others that if you keep trying you can meet your goals. And that if you just go out and take those steps, you can really do something. You don't have to do it the normal way, do it your way be true to yourself and not judge others. Like in the beginning I could not stand Taylor Swift, but now, I totally repsect her and understand where she is coming from lol. Why ya gotta be so mean . '-)

Fat Guy Across America: I said above the last few payments still in limbo. i've said many times the other money has trickled in and has been used as it came since june when it started.

[Bullshit. Those last few payments were self-payments to prime the pump. There's no way three strangers contributed about $1300 in the space of a week to this trainwreck. The "limbo" is probably just "Please refund me the 14% fee you took when I donated money to myself. Good luck with that.]

MajiD: I'm not being mean at all and I'm not telling you that you have to do it my way or no way. I'm giving you a suggestion based on years of being an adult that plans for things like trips and balances her checkbook. LOL I started my post out with the understanding that it was a Suggestion only. You could be gracious and just say "Thank you for the advice." Whether you take it or not is up to you, but YOU don't have to be rude back to me when I try to help you. I see you really struggling with finances and getting people to not only donate but stop harassing you about your finances so I offered some help to make it easier on you. You keep saying how hard it is for you that these people are coming down on you so hard but I've seen no sign that you're willing to change things to STOP them from doing it! You haven't even taken the advice given to you many times by so many followers and supporters to stop talking about them and answering them. Oh why did I even try to help. I've seen you do this to so many people that have tried to give you advice but I thought if I started it out with the disclaimer that it's just a suggestion you'd be more kind. Now I'm frustrated and upset because I really love what you're doing. It's like a friend just yelled at me. I'll come back later hopefully to an apology.

DK:how about those bike tires? 🙄

MajiD: And I have read your website many times. That's still not an itemized list no matter how often you insist it is.

MajiD: So there.

Fat Guy Across America: I wasn't trying to be rude to you, I was trying to explain to everyone because I know you are not the only one that says things so I took the opportunity to answer In general terms, so I'm sorry if it came.oit that way. Usually I would put the name of the person is if was directed to them only. So that I apologize for.

Fat Guy Across America: It's a general list, I would never be able to itemize future purchases and have any idea of everything needed in the future

[Aaaand that's why this will drag on and on and on. For as long as he can keep coming up with reasons to beg for more money - and avoid going home to Indiana to face their 5-figure debts - the shitshow will continue.]

Fat Guy Across America: Still trying to find a place that has the ones I need in stock. Mine are still rideable, but I do want to replace very soon. I may have to just order them.

CF: Eric Hites, it's called a budget. I would bet even the people who donate to you have one, you should too. It's what is keeping me from donating. There is no budget. I have to budget my money, and anyone I donate to, I have to see their budget. EVEN charities. I want to know where my money is going to.

Fat Guy Across America: I understand totally. I'm trying to get organized like that. I'm not good with that honestly. I wish I was, but I'm trying to get better with it.

[...tire discussion and advice from DianeP...]

Fat Guy Across America: I totally understand DianeP, I do try to listen to advice and even take it. Some advice I don't. I do my best and keep learning as I go though. But overall, I need to figure some things out on my own, or I'll never learn.

Well, you got one part right, Eric. You'll never fucking learn.

Preserving the comment below here (because it will get deleted in 10...9...8..) It touches on something important, albeit too politely.

Joy: So, um, ok. I want to ask this - but I don't want to get banned. As you maybe can tell, I'm not really the super-cheerleader type of person, I'm more of a tough love type of gal. And I get the "my journey" thing and it's not anyone's place to tell you how to spend your money and all that. I get it. BUT, considering recent discussions on your threads here, curiosity is really killing the cat here.

So I read GOMI (how I found you) and saw that your wife got a new bike and that you're staying at a hotel tonight (makes sense I guess if it's storming pretty bad). BUT - did you get the new wheels? You got a pretty big chunk of donations (which I didn't see any kind of public thank you for, which is really in bad taste IMO), so I would think that would be a top priority since it was a big discussion. SO I have to know. New bike, hotel. You got the wheels, right? You have to have. RIGHT? PLEASE don't ban me. I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to know. I want you to succeed. And those wheels - they'll help you to succeed. You've got to put keys to success FIRST. I hope that's what you're doing. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question. Like · Reply · 1 · 22 mins

Joy mentions the fact that Angie got a SECOND new bike from GFM. The new bike is pictured on GOMI, here. (You may need to copy the link and paste it into your address bar.) It's a $99 bike from Walmart, and the basket costs $22.49 extra.

Angie's first bike was bought for her with Eric's GFM money. When asked if it had been donated, she replied, "I bought it". She phrased it that way because she considers the donations to be equally hers and his, even though people donated in good faith to his cause to "ride across america, lose weight, win back his wife, see cool places, get in touch with God", yadda yadda. (Two out of 5 goals for $20,000+ is great, right?) They don't consider donation money as donations, they consider it "their" money to do with as they please, whether that's theme parks, a puppy and its associated costs, or fast food and hours' worth of drinks at FloraBama. But she implied that she bought it out of her own money, and she was caught out in that lie because Eric had already edited his GFM statement, stating he had bought her a bike and gear with the donations. He misused the funds that were given to him for his cause and then they lied about it, just like they lie about everything else.

So she siphoned off funds from his GFM for her own (first) bike - or he offered to buy it as part of the "win back my wife" seduction - and she rode about 10-15 miles on it. Literally, at most. Then she smashed it with the RV. Now, in spite of the fact that we haven't heard one peep about her riding the bike since Florida Restart #1, not a single mention of missing it or wishing she could join him for some stretches, she buys a brand new bike and got a "great deal" on it. Besides which, she knows that donors would be furious about this, so she limited the post to her "friends of friends" list. Because who wants a bunch of "haters" asking why Angie gets a new bike while Eric still has one that's completely ill-suited for his size?

And in yet another moment of absurdity, she said, "We went on a nice stroll this morning with Madelyn in the basket."

A BIKE IS NOT FOR "STROLLING" WITH.

A BIKE IS NOT A SHOPPING CART.

A BIKE IS NOT A DOGGIE-CARRIER.

A BIKE IS NOT A FASHION ACCESSORY.

A BIKE IS NOT A REAR FENDER FOR YOUR GAS-GUZZLING RV.

A BIKE IS NOT A PLOW TO SHOVE ALL YOUR WEIGHT ONTO WHILE YOU WALK IT.

A BIKE IS NOT MEANT TO BE SLAMMED ON THE PAVEMENT WHEN YOU GET TIRED.

A bike is a sophisticated, complicated, beautiful machine, built to carry you as far as your legs and imagination can take you. It is an extraordinary feat of engineering, an extension of the human body, and a path to good health, both mental and physical.

I have a strong policy against body-snarking or body-shaming in any comments I make about these two - their behavior is more than enough to report on - but we've seen the way they treat their bikes, and it's clear that's how they're in the physical predicament they're in, too. If you don't have respect for your vessel, whether it's a car, a bike or your own body, it will repay you with years of breakdowns and illness. One bad decision and moment of self-indulgence leads to another and another and another, and it gets ever harder to break free from it.

Eric and Angie break their bikes, where other riders choose to break the cycle.

I can't listen to the sound but he's in front of a house. Does he even have a house to go home to?

(((crickets)))