Foster was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to Joseph Adrian, an accountant, and Stella Lucia (née Vicedomini), a homemaker.
Foster was raised in a predominantly Italian household in the North End section of Waterbury, later living in several nearby towns.
[3][4][5][6] In 1972, as he was first learning to ride a bicycle, Foster saw a news broadcast of U.S. President Richard Nixon meeting with Chairman Mao Zedong atop the Great Wall of China.
Senator Chris Dodd, Foster received permission from the Chinese government in 1987 to attempt to become the first person to travel the Wall's 2,000 miles (3,200 km) by bicycle.
[4][6] In the wake of the cancellation, Foster broke the world record for traveling the length of the New York City Subway in October 1989, finishing in a time of 26 hours, 21 minutes, and 8 seconds.
[10][11] A month after setting this world record, Foster flew to China to begin preparations for a Great Wall tour the following spring.
The Chinese government would allow Foster to cover approximately 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of the Great Wall from the furthest point west at Jiayuguan to the "First Gate Under Heaven" at Shanhaiguan in the east.
Foster and his five-man crew, who carried food and water in their Jeeps, would occasionally stay in a nearby town to refresh themselves.
[13] Due to military restrictions, Foster was not allowed to cycle the 1,500 miles (2,400 km) that made up the Wall's middle section, which was in the area that bordered China from Inner Mongolia.
"[3][4][5][14] While Foster had initially planned to return to his acting career, he was convinced by his manager, Charlie Litsky, that he could do much better as an adventure cyclist than a starving artist.
[3][4][6] Following the Great Wall tour, Foster moved from Ojai, California, to the community of Kaweah, at the base of Sequoia National Park.
[16] The encounter inspired Foster's American Summits tour, the goal of which to place a mountain bike atop the highest natural point in each of the fifty U.S. states.
Most of Foster's previous sponsors returned, although his bicycle changed from a Cannondale to a Klein, still in the red, white, and blue color scheme.
As the storm rose above them briefly, Foster and his team reluctantly retreated, and his sponsors declined to fund a return trip.
[23] On his way home that December, Foster was met by government officials at the Toronto, Ontario, Canada, airport while trying to board a connecting flight.
Since 2006, he has held an annual charity bike ride in Sequoia National Park to benefit Smile Train, an organization providing surgery to children with cleft lips and palates.