My Ride Summary - Riding Day 25

Aloha!   I am now home in Hawaii.  Here’s a description of the final day. 

For the first time on the trip, the morning began under a thick fog.  It didn’t matter, though; everyone was excited for the last day.  My group averaged about 19 mph (with little or no wind) for the first 29 miles to the first snack stop, and this was the hilly part of the ride.  Our tour leader said we were way ahead of schedule so everyone needed to slow down – that was a first!  The remaining 75 miles were over flat terrain, again with little or no wind.  We arrived at Tybee Island, which is located east of Savannah, before the designated time, took some photos, and then headed to the beach where we took more photos and had our wheel-dipping ceremony.  Whew!  What an experience!

Later in the evening we enjoyed a banquet with all the riders and many friends and family members.  My brother Mark, one of the cofounders of the SPF, drove 14 hours over two days from his home in Connecticut to be there.  It was great to visit with him again.  During the banquet every participant spoke for a few minutes.  The tour leader said that our group raised the bar for future Fast Rides in that we were exceedingly well prepared for the ride – physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Furthermore, we made his job very easy and enjoyable due to our positive attitude, care for each other, and friendliness.  That was nice to hear!  We also had a few riders who performed short skits – basically poking good-natured fun at each of us.  Apparently I said “This is just like Hawaii” a few times too many during the ride which everyone found hilarious. 

2884 miles down, 0 miles to go.  Yippee!

MAHALO FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO THE SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION!  ALSO, MAHALO FOR YOUR KIND AND ENCOURAGING COMMENTS!

 

My Ride Summary - Riding Days 20 to 24

Aloha!   We are now in Vidalia, Georgia, home of the sweet onion.   Here’s a quick summary of the past five days. 

The first two days were primarily spent in Alabama, and were grueling because of numerous steep rollers, combined with headwinds, chip-seal roads (basically small rocks rolled onto a base layer of asphalt), and dogs and dogs and more dogs.  On the second day we rode through the famous city of Tuskegee, AL.  

The next day we left Alabama and entered Georgia, our final state.  The climbing was light, there weren’t many dogs, but there were plenty of chip-seal roads.  It is difficult ride over these roads due to their rough surface which causes an increase of rolling resistance.  In addition, the surface causes an increase in vibrations – sometimes I thought my bike was going to come apart at the joints (sometimes I thought my body was going to come apart at the joints!).

Our second and third days in Georgia were relatively easy due to lower than average distances (98 miles and 100 miles, respectively), low winds, very little climbing, not much chip-seal, and very few dogs.  The scenery ranged from forests to recently harvested farmland.   We rode through Ft. Benning, a large military base, as well a large Mennonite farming community.   The weather was terrific.

Tomorrow will be our final day – we will ride 104 miles to the Atlantic Ocean.  Our wheel-dipping ceremony will take place at Tybee Island, just east of Savannah, GA.  My brother Mark, one of the cofounders of the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation, will meet me there.  I’m excited!

2778 miles down, 104 miles to go!

MAHALO FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO THE SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION!  ALSO, MAHALO FOR YOUR KIND AND ENCOURAGING COMMENTS!
  

My Summary - Riding Days 16 to 19

Aloha!   Today was definitely not a rest day; we just finished a 137-mile ride to Aberdeen, MS.   Here’s a quick summary of the past four days. 

The first two days were spent riding through stunning forests (1st 1.5 days) and then not-so-stunning newly seeded  farmland (so all you see is dirt) – miles and miles as far as the eye can see (last 0.5 day).  The farmers in Arkansas grow corn, rice, soybeans, etc.  The winds were unfriendly – moderate headwinds and cross winds.  The next day we crossed the Mississippi river, rode through more farmland, got chased by dogs, and faced very strong headwinds – making it a very, very tough day.  Today we were blessed with light winds, sometimes tailwinds, and rode through roller after roller – similar to Oklahoma.  We were once again chased by numerous dogs – nothing like a little interval training during a 137-mile ride!  We’re also beginning to see many catfish ponds.

The weather has been great  - clear blue skies and warm temperatures.

2233 miles down, 679 miles to go!

MAHALO FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO THE SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION!  ALSO, MAHALO FOR YOUR KIND AND ENCOURAGING COMMENTS!
 

Amusing Photos

The first photo was taken outside Hope, AZ; the second in Elk City, OK, and the third ...

My Summary - Riding Days 8 to 15

Aloha! Today is a rest day in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. Here’s a quick summary of the past eight days.

The first two days were spent in New Mexico with very low temperatures, unusually strong headwinds and crosswinds, and lots of climbing. The next day into Texas we were blessed with strong tailwinds for the entire 97-mile ride – I averaged 22.2 miles per hour! The temperatures were still very low, meaning I wore a long-sleeve shirt, a vest, and a jacket. The next day in Texas was another cold day with strong crosswinds. The next three days were spent in Oklahoma, with only moderate winds and lots of “rollers” (up and down, up and down…). I used to attack the rollers, but I learned that the best way to ride them is to keep a fairly even pace; otherwise it’s similar to interval training, and I’m not quite ready for 100+ miles of interval training! Day 7 was a 144-mile ride – the most I’ve ever ridden in a day. The last day into Ft. Smith was very warm – the first time since we left California that I didn’t need a vest or jacket. The scenery in eastern Oklahoma was gorgeous – high ridges filled with dense forests. I never imagined eastern Oklahoma would be so green.

We’ve ridden through many extremely poor, almost dying communities - very sad.

We’ve been a few days behind the storm system that caused so much flooding in Tennessee and Mississippi. We’re very fortunate to have missed the predicted thunderstorms and other bad weather.

We are now well past the half-way point. We are getting stronger, physically and mentally, every day. The most common complaint is soreness in the … well, the part of the body that touches the saddle. Bike saddles just aren’t made for comfort! Ouch.

1762 miles down, 1150 miles to go!

MAHALO FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO THE SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION! ALSO, MAHALO FOR YOUR KIND AND ENCOURAGING COMMENTS!

My Summary - Riding Days 1 to 7

Aloha! Today is a rest day in Albuquerque, N.M. Here’s a quick summary of the past seven days.

The first three days were spent in the deserts of CA and AZ with temperatures in the 90s and clear blue skies. The next two days included a lot of climbing in canyons/mountains in AZ through two SNOW STORMS! REALLY! It’s been a long time since I’ve been so cold. The last two days were primarily downhill past some Indian reservations, with cold temperatures but clear skies. We’ve had many windy days, but thankfully very little headwinds.

It is amazing how quickly my body is adapting to the ride. After each of the first few days my legs were very sore; but now the soreness has gone away. I’m certainly tired at the end of each day, but I don’t hurt.

We arise each day around 5:30 a.m., eat breakfast, and get on the road. We stop for snacks once or twice a day, in addition to lunch. We finish around 4 or 5 p.m., eat, and then off to bed by 7:30 p.m. or so. Seems like boot camp!

There are 15 riders, and 4 support staff. We all get along very well.

841 miles down, 2071 miles to go!

MAHALO FOR YOUR DONATIONS TO THE SPASTIC PARAPLEGIA FOUNDATION!