The Land of Oz

It's all work all the time out here...


We crossed into Kansas today, our 6th state and 3rd in three days. This has to be the only cross-country route where you spend one and only one day in both Texas and Oklahoma.

Our one day in Oklahoma was a delight. Members of the Chamber of Commerce of Guymon came to the hotel and shook our hands as we went to dinner last night. Combine that with yesterday's treats at the hotel, and the quality of the roads we traveled, and it was quite a nice day.

Today's ride was essentially a rest day. I slept in until 7:30. We rolled out at 9:00. By 11:30 the day's work was over. This is part of 9 consecutive days of riding, so an easy day was most welcome. Close to the end of the ride we crossed our 5th border.


Liberal, KS. claims to be the official home of the Land Of OZ, located a convenient 2 blocks from our hotel. We went on a tour of Dorothy's house and the Land of OZ, narrated by Dorothy herself. This poor girl was just mortified to be doing this. It was classic cheese-ball stuff. The whole thing was just so over-the-top corny that we had to fight laughing the whole way through. For $5 it was not to be missed. This picture explains it all.
There is a windmill on the site with no blades. There used to be a farmhouse. In what must be the definition of irony, the windmill was damaged and the farmhouse destroyed by a real tornado a few years ago. The Land of Oz damaged by a tornado. I couldn't make this stuff up.

On another subject, I have to relay the story of snake-bitten Frank. This poor guy has just been followed by a black cloud since we left L.A. In 2 1/2 weeks here's his litany of problems.

He had 5 flat tires in the first 4 days.

He walked across a cattle guard, his foot fell in and he twisted his knee. He couldn't ride at all for several days.

His rear derailleur busted at mile 48 of 108 on the road into Tucumcari. Jeff, one of our crack mechanics, converted his rear cassette into a single speed. Frank rode the remaining 60 miles that way, including "the Wall" that I talked about a couple of days ago. With his bum knee.

In the process of finishing that ride he rubbed himself so raw that he was unable to ride the next day.

Finally, he had to have an emergency root canal done. The pain medicine didn't work properly and he's gotten 2 hours of sleep over the last two days.

In spite of all this, he was back out riding today. I would have dissolved into a whiny, blubbery mess. He never complains. His one comment is that he's sure his Karma is turning. We all hope so. He's much too nice a guy to have this streak continue. Keep rollin' Frank!

One final note: I changed the settings on the blog yesterday. You should no longer need a Google account in order to post. I opened up comments to everyone, not just users with Google accounts.

One final, final Note: May 31st is an important day in my family. I'd like to send out Happy Birthday wishes to my Dad, my daughter Jennifer, and my cousins Larry and David. Enjoy!

Today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/liberalks.kmz

Oooooohk-lahoma

Where the winds come sweeping down the plains ...

Great. I've traded Little Feat for showtunes.

Today's ride was a lesson in the importance of wind direction. Yesterday we rode 96 miles and finished at 12:45. Today we rode 72 miles and finished at 2:45. With basically no climbing.

What we did have was the straightest road you've ever seen. We rode 71 miles in an absolutely straight line, with a constant head wind coming from about 10 or 11 o'clock. We were lucky to average 13 MPH. For hours on end. My average ride speed was slower than at the Mt. Tam double century, which had 15.000 feet of climbing. We also had 50 continuous miles of chip-seal asphalt. If you've ridden on it you know why I mention it.

Here is an example of an Echelon pace line. We rode 3-4 wide in a staggered position to help beat the sidewinds. Our little group actually did pretty well, all things considered, although the shoulder cramps got a little old. I could gripe about this for pages, but let's move on.


At the Oklahoma border we passed through the town of Texhoma.

It seems to me that the city Fathers were a little lazy. They just took part of Texas, part of Oklahoma, and combined them to create a city name. They should have gone the other way. OakAss is a MUCH cooler name.

We had a special treat today. Don and Helen did this cross-country ride a few years ago on a tandem bike. They liked the event so much that every year they set up a special SAG stop, and host a get-together at the hotel in Guymon. They drove 500 miles to meet us all for dinner last night, set up the SAG stop at the Oklahoma border with home-made brownies and cookies, and then hosted a reception by the pool before dinner.


I have to relay one story before calling it a night. Virtually everyone here has an amazing story or 6 to share. Here is one of them. I rode with Don and Peggy today. Peggy is a colon cancer survivor. A few years back she was skiing in Vail. She was going up one of the 2x2 chair lifts and starts talking to the guy next to her.

He tells her that he normally goes for 2 months, but he's only here for two weeks. His doctor didn't want him to come at all because of his treatment, but he came anyway. Peggy asks him if he's taking (insert complicated drug name here). The guy does a double take. He didn't specifically mention cancer, but was being treated for colon cancer with the same drug she had taken. At the top of the lift they share a moment. She wishes him well and off they go.

She thinks about this guy from time to time, wondering how he's doing. A year goes by. Don and Peggy go back to Vail for their annual ski trip. They get on the 2x2 lift again. She looks over and finds out that the man next to them is the SAME guy from last year. His cancer had gone into remission and he was doing his annual 2 month trip this time. To this day they are close friends.

Just one of the fascinating stories I've heard so far.
Today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/GuymontOK.kmz

Yee-Haw from Texas!

Imagine if you will -- a Cow.

Now imagine them by the countless thousands. Crammed in so tight that you can't see the ground. Imagine how much they eat, and what happens after they're finished eating. Now imagine the stench. Multiply by 100.

Next imagine a Cow Pie Fly. Not much bigger than a gnat. Teeming swarms of them, bouncing off your face, sticking to any exposed skin by the dozens. Don't open your mouth. Even to breathe. Unless you want some Cow Pie Protein.

Welcome to Texas.

----------------------------

I woke up this morning feeling as if I'd been beaten with a rubber hose. Yesterday took a lot out of me. I wasn't looking forward to doing another 96 today. In fact, today seemed like a really good time to have a rest day. No such luck.

We have a group of three riders called "The Jims". For the reason you would expect (they're all named Jim). Their game is to cover as much ground as possible as quickly as possible. They have no problem with you hitching a ride. You can draft as long as you'd like. Just don't expect them to slow down if you can't keep up. The morning Peleton pulls out and several riders typically attach themselves to the back of the pack. Most drop off at some point during the day. I jumped on the back of the bus and got sucked along at 20-30 mph. We covered the first 29 miles by 8:20 a.m. This picture shows a double-wide paceline moving at 24 MPH.


After the first SAG I let the speedsters go do their thing. Still, I felt surprisingly good, and continued to feel good the rest of the day. Recuperative powers and a negative headwind do wonders.

Around the 50 mile mark we crossed into Texas. There are two signs. I sprinkled the magic dust at the first sign, and attempted to ride the second sign. That's the kind of sacrilege that's likely to get a person shot around here.


I have to give Texas credit for one thing, at least so far. The shoulders on their roads are huge! We could ride 2 across and never feel like we were close to the traffic. With the favorable headwinds we covered 96 miles before 1:00 p.m. (not accounting for the time change.) I actually averaged over 20 mph for the 96 miles.

I've been losing weight a little more quickly than I'd like so I headed over to Dairy Queen for a little post-ride snack. I'm eating like a pig, but it never seems to be enough. Hopefully a burger, fries, and two cokes as a post-ride snack, plus a full dinner, plus a Blizzard at Dairy Queen for dessert should be enough!

I learnt one more thing about Texas today. Grass is fer lookin' at, not fer sittin'. Unless you like Chiggers.

Yesterday's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/TucumcariNM.kmz

Today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/DalhartTX.kmz

The 1000 mile club

Well I been from Tuscon to Tucumcari,
Tehachapi to Tonapa
I been on every kinda rig that's ever been ma-ade
Ridden the backroads, so I wouldn't get way-laid...

I mention this little snippet of a song called "Willin" by Little Feat for two reasons. First, it's the only reference I know to Tucumcari, today's destination. Second, and more important, it's been bouncing around in my head for the last six days and I really need it to stop. Maybe posting this in public will make it go away...

I'm having a little technical difficulty with the Google Earth files. I have all the data, and it should be fixed by tomorrow, but for today there is no link.

Today was a beast of a ride, 108 miles from Las Vegas to Tucumcari, with 3500 feet of climbing. Tracy described it last night as either the 1st or 2nd most difficult day of the tour. After my two days in the Mojave I was a little tentative about any ride that might be tougher. The forecast called for afternoon thunderstorms. After yesterday's debacle I had incentive to ride hard.

Early on in the day we officially passed to 1000 mile mark of the trip. That might normally be a time for reflection, but I'm too tired and my fanny is too sore to get terribly philosophical.


We left the mountains today, with one last postcard view. I was actually a little melancholy about it. I love the mountains. I could ride in them forever, but that's not the road we're on. At least the last major mountain descent, until New England anyway, was a fun one. It was a 9% grade with wonderful expansive views and good road.


We rode the steepest section of climbing on the entire tour around the 67 mile mark. They call this "The Wall". Personally I think that's a little overstated. It 0.6 miles of 8-9% grade. By Bay Area standards it's too short to be considered a wall, but it's still a nice pull in hot weather.


I spent most of the day riding with Terry, a really strong rider from Alberta. We joined up around mile 48, and for most of the next 50 miles I rode on his wheel. I offered to pull, but he was feeling really strong and I could barely keep up even riding in his draft. Hey, I'm not proud. I'll take a tow. He just hammered all day long and we made really good time.

We were in really desolate country. There was one gas station along a 105 mile stretch of road, and essentially nothing else. We'd filled up two bottles each at the last SAG stop, figuring that would be plenty for the 32 miles left. Big mistake.

With about 15 miles to go I noticed him slowing down so I took a turn at the front.Then he fell off the back. He was having your classic "Bonk". The normal solution for this is to pull into a convenience store, down a snickers bar and a coke, and wait ten minutes. Then you're good to go. That wasn't an option out here.

We both ran out of water as the afternoon sun started to make things hot. It was pushing 90 degrees outside and we were both dry. The miles seem to take forever when you're in a situation like that. I slowed way down and we stopped a few times. We made it back without incident and Terry thanked me profusely for helping him make it in through that stretch. Here's what I told him: "You towed me along for 50 miles. I'd have to be a world-class jackass to leave you alone, dry, and bonked in the desert".

We have to look out for each other out here.

Vegas Baby!

Today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/LasVegasNM.kmz

The lights of Las Vegas NM are a little different than her namesake in Nevada. More on that later.

Each day I start off the ride wondering if I'll have anything to write about. I don't know why I worry.

We started off this morning from Santa Fe under absolutely perfect riding conditions. No wind, nice and cool, and beautiful roads. For the first time this entire trip we had essentially no winds at all. We had another day of grand vistas, beautiful forests, and pristine riding. I said goodbye to my parents, and off I went. I rode with Ray for awhile this morning and his comment was "this is as good as it gets". I've said that for so many days in a row that I was afraid people might think I was making it up, or I'd run out of things to say. But it was true. The morning was as close to a perfect ride as I'll likely ever see.

We stopped for a detour at the Pecos National Monument. There is a short trail that takes you around the ruins of the old Spanish / Indian settlement. It was well worth the time. We looked inside an old underground Pueblo house.

And saw a 16th Century deserted Spanish church.

By the time we got to the first SAG stop at mile 46 everyone was in a good mood. There was a funky little bar at the stop that advertised itself as "the first bar west of the pecos".

We could see storm clouds brewing off to the north, but they usually don't amount to much until the late afternoon. None of us were worried. It was 11:00 a.m. and we only had 27 miles left to ride. You know the old saying about mountain weather: "If you don't like the weather, just wait 15 minutes".

The storm clouds started moving in much quicker than we had expected. I looked up ahead and thought "I might be getting wet".


Then the lightning started. It seemed to be well off in the distance, but it was definitely in front of me. The wind picked up big time and slowed me from 18 mph to about 10 mph. The lightning became more frequent and seemed to be getting closer. I started thinking about calling for a pick-up. I'm from California, and we get lightning about once every two years. This was new to me.



Tracy was waiting in the van and I pulled over to have a chat. She offered to let me sit in the van for awhile and see what developed. I could also take a jump to the finish and just skip the rest of the ride. There was a gas station / Subway up the road about 2 miles. I decided to high-tail it for that spot and ride out the storm for awhile. I told Tracy "This will make a great story for the blog". She responded "If you live to tell it". It almost immediately started raining. The wind was still in my face. The lightning kept getting closer.

And then it started to hail.

As hailstorms go this was pretty minor. Still, it was stinging my face and uncovered arms. I could hear the hailstones rattling around in my helmet. Things were most unpleasant. I couldn't go nearly as fast as I wanted because of the headwind, even pushing as hard as I could. I desperately wanted to get to shelter. After what seemed an eternity, but in reality was about 10 minutes, I finally made it to the gas station. I walked in, saw Terry, and said "that f*$%ing sucked".

We had lunch, stared out the window, and waited out the storm. The lightning moved through pretty fast. After probably 30 minutes the roads were dry and I didn't see any more lightning. I started the last 8 mile stretch. Mother Nature had one more curve ball for me. It rained, the wind howled, I got a mild case of hypothermia, and saw a couple more lightning strikes. Those were well off in the distance, but I had further incentive to ride hard into the wind.

After a hot shower and a little food Im feeling much better, but I certainly got my money's worth today.

A love note from home

My parents brought me a note from my wife that I have to share with you all. I asked permission first! At the beginning of this trip I commented on how much my lovely wife supports my adventures. Here's what her card had to say.

Hi Honey --

I want you to know that all I need right now is ... knowing...

~ that you are having fun.
~ that you are with good people who watch out for you.
~ there are no big rocks in the road
~ there is beauty in all you see
~ that you don't meet up with Uncle Crampy
~ that you are happy

... and knowing that every inch of road you ride brings you closer to me.

That says more than anything I could add. Thanks sweetie, I love you too!

Hanging with the 'Rents

My parents drove all the way out to Santa Fe to spend my free day with me. We've had a great time walking around Old Town Santa Fe, seeing little artsy displays, sampling Southwestern food, and just getting caught up a little. For the last two weeks my entire world has been reduced to my daily bike ride and preparing for tomorrow's bike ride. Getting away from it for a day has been really nice.

I think that Mom needed to see for herself that her little boy was doing well. You don't stop worrying about your baby just because he's 45 years old. Pretty much every rider I've introduced them to has remarked about making such a long drive. "Wow, you must really love him" has been a typical comment. Obviously they do. Thanks Mom & Dad!

Albuquerque to Santa Fe

Today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/SantaFeNM.kmz
Ysterday's Google Earth file: (I forgot!) http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/AlbuquerqueNM.kmz

Today's ride took us from Albuquerque to Santa Fe. After the initial 10 mile ride out of town we were treated to 56 miles of big climbs, white knuckle descents, canyons, forests, and wide open spaces. It's truly delightful riding, with just about everything you'd want in a days ride.

We grunted against the wind for the first 15 miles. At one point I was doing about 5 MPH climbing and fighting headwinds. I did a little math. "67 miles / 5 MPH = a very long day".

We see these deserted buildings occasionally along the route. They've obviously been empty for a very long time. Each time I see one I wonder what stories are captured there.



We stopped for lunch at the Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid. It's a funky, eclectic sort of biker bar / restaurant. We fit right in with our spandex get-ups. Actually, we got loads of questions from folks, and a lot of encouragement. The big descent of the day came right before Madrid. Lisa's description: "My fingers cramped (from squeezing the brakes) and I ground all the enamel off my teeth." Some riders hit 48 mph. I kept it to a more reasonable 38 mph.

All day long we could see storm clouds brewing. The forecast called for late afternoon thunderstorms and we could see them building as the ride progressed. Late in the ride we had lightning behind us, and lightning in front of us, but we never got more than an occasional sprinkle.


Shortly after lunch I got a burst of energy. Maybe it was the 3 cokes I had with the quesadillas, but I just felt the need to hammer. I took off like a man on a mission and rode 20 - 30 mph almost the entire way into town, sometimes pulling 20 mph on 3% grades. It was an epic strong section of riding for me. Terry rode with me for awhile through here. Back in the lobby his description was "Holy Mother of God!"

All in all this was yet another day that reminds me how fortunate I am to be able to do this. As I write this the lightning is flashing, the thunder is shaking the hotel, and hail is pounding on the window. Looks like I was fortunate in more ways than one.

The Pile Drivers

From left to right: Gil, me, Tony, Bob, and Randy (another honorary Pile Driver).

So I'm at dinner last night, griping about how tired I am. Tony, one of the three self-described "Pile Drivers", says "why don't you slow down?" Well, duh. Why didn't I think of that?

These three guys have a marvelous attitude about this trip. They take their time, joke around, stop often, and just have a good time all day long. I've been riding myself into the ground the last three days, so a nice relaxing day sounded nice. I decided to tag along today. Other than one unbelievably scary section of road we had a day filled with laughs and easy riding. At the end of the day I felt great and ready to do it again tomorrow. They made me an honorary member of the Pile Drivers.

Apparently my groveling at the feet of Mother Earth Gaia yesterday did some good. It was cold at the start, but not too cold. We had light wind, sunny skies, and near-perfect riding conditions all day long.

We had our first encounter with a dog, but Harry barked louder than the dog did, and basically scared it away. Jerry, our 80 year old, wasn't so fortunate. He had a minor crash when the dog ran into him, and skinned up his arm. He called it a day at that point, but he says he'll be out there again tomorrow.

This section of New Mexico has all sorts of oddball half-deserted towns. We weren't always sure if anyone lived in some of them. I'm pretty sure they don't make Budweiser in Budville (or anything else), but you never know.


This next story should probably be the lead for today, but I'm choosing to downplay it so I don't have to think about it much. I-40 was under construction for about 7 miles. Traffic was limited to one lane. We still had the shoulder, so I wasn't too concerned. Then the guardrail closed in and we had about 2-3 feet between us and the freeway traffic. For 4 miles Semi trucks were riding on the rumble strip next to us. With gravel on the shoulder and bumps in the road it was honestly the scariest thing I've ever done on a bike. We rode with saucer eyes and 100% focus. One mis-step would have been fatal. One woman burst into tears after she got through it. I might have myself if we hadn't started making toilet paper jokes.


Shortly after entering Albuquerque we crossed the Rio Grande. It was a little weird biking in a major city. We've been in the sticks since we left Riverside, and seeing traffic and stop lights and folks on the streets took some getting used to.


We ride to Santa Fe tomorrow, where I'll meet up with my parents. They're bringing some new clothes all the way from the Bay Area! We'll have our second rest day on Saturday, so my postings may not happen for a couple of days.

The Continental Divide

We crossed the Continental Divide today. It's all downhill from here, isn't it? Well, isn't it???


I knew I was playing with fire by mentioning the dreaded "T" word in yesterday's blog. We'd been warned never to say it out loud. The tour vets call it a "negative headwind."

Mother Nature's retribution was swift and ferocious. We all milled around indoors not wanting to expose ourselves to the elements before it was absolutely necessary. We started the ride with a 36 degree wind chill, rain, a headwind, and lousy roads. Truly weather not fit for man nor beast.

I attached myself to the back of a paceline and held on for dear life. I passed up photo opportunities, "held it" if you know what I mean, and just wouldn't let go. It was pretty miserable. We were all freezing in the rain, trying not to run into each other, but at least at the back of the line I didn't have to work quite as hard.

I stopped around the 22 mile mark to help change a flat. We still had 8 miles left to get to the summit of the Continental Divide. The climbing was pretty easy though, it's all high plains with no severe grades. Getting to the top almost seemed too easy, as if we hadn't really reached the highest point of the tour.

Once we got to the summit I was so jazzed that I had to call Laurie at work and tell her about it. I couldn't talk for long though because I was freezing my arse off. The rain had stopped and the wind had shifted direction. It looked like we would have tailwinds all the way into Grants, NM.

As we rolled out of the SAG stop I looked at my odometer. "37 miles, that should take about an hour and a half!" Psych! Psych! Psych! Not far down the hill the wind changed directions and we fought 25-35 mph head / cross winds. I struggled to hold 13 mph down a 3% grade. Keeping the bike upright was proving to be a challenge. After another flat, this one mine, and what seemed an eternity of riding, I pulled into a Dairy Queen and just slumped over the handlebars.

I spent almost an hour there having a hot dog and a coke, and trying to will up the energy to get back on the bike. Some of my friends showed up, we commiserated a little, and decided to form a 3 person paceline to get ourselves back into town.

In the meantime a local couple asked us about our trip. They had a tie-in with the cycling community. A sad one, unfortunately. Their son was a Cat-1 racer and dropped dead in the middle of a crit race. It had been about a year since it had happened. I could tell the husband was fighting his emotions, but his wife seemed to take some joy from our positive experience with this trip. By the time they left she told us that we were an inspiration to her. I'd like to think that we helped in some small way to ease their pain.


We got back to the hotel and had to clean the bikes. They were an absolute mess. Click on the picture to get a better idea. The small version doesn't do it justice. I really wanted to just go lay down, but duty calls. At least we're ready for tomorrow. Sort of. Projected temperature at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow: 37 degrees. I promise for the rest of the trip I won't mention the "T" word again. If you can't figure out what the "T" word is, you'll just have to wait until Boston to find out.


Today's Google Earth fie: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/GrantsNM.kmz

Wide Open Spaces

Today's Google Earth data: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/GallupNM.kmz


Hola from New Mexico! We crossed our second state line late today.

There is an amazing sense of "space" out here. The vistas from the road go on clear to the horizon. You can look for miles and see no sign of human activity other than the Interstate. you'd be hard pressed to get more "away from it all" than this stretch of road. I am about ready to say goodbye to I-40 though. Other than SAG stops we spent the entire day on the Interstate.

The desert zephyr was really kind to us again today. I’m not sure what we did to deserve it, and I hesitate to bring it up for fear of jinxing us, but we had consistent 20 mph tailwinds all day long today. We blasted across the high desert of northern Arizona. I helped fix 3 flats, took pictures, stopped for lunch, and we still covered 89 miles by 1:15 p.m. Tailwinds rock! The day didn't start off fast though. My rear tire was low this morning, so I was fearing a slow leak after yesterday's two flat tires. I pumped it back up and it seemed to hold, but as the morning wore on I couldn't seem to keep up with the riders I usually hang with. I asked 3 different riders "is my back tire low?" (as they passed me), and they all told me it looked fine. After the first SAG stop my energy returned and I started riding normally again. I guess the "slow leak" was in my legs.

Today was likely a new record for flat tires. I rode with Ian, who flew all the way from England to do this ride, and he had 3 flats today. The little metal pieces from steel-belted tires get stuck in the bike tire and just wreak havoc. One rider had the metal piece go all the way through the tire and stick in the tube. Good luck finding that. I helped one gal who had never had a flat in 2 years of riding. She didn't have the proper equipment to replace a flat and was starting to freak out a little. We got her fixed up and on the road, but those little metal rat bastards are still laying in wait.

I tried Indian Flat Bread at the second SAG stop. Fried doughy cheesy goodness! An old Indian man had a little shack that he cooked out of. Good stuff.

We cross the Continental Divide tomorrow, with a forecast of thunderstorms and low temperatures. It'll be a different sort of day I suspect.

Standing on a corner of Winslow Arizona

Here's today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Holbrook.kmz


I'm afraid the Eagles got it wrong.

I was standing on a corner of Winslow Arizona, but...

There were no Flatbed Fords,
There were no girls,
And if there were they sure weren't standing around taking a look at me.

At least I was taking it easy.

-------------------------------

Today was not a day for sightseeing. We had 96 miles to ride, a 20 mph tail / side wind, and lots of high desert plains. The Wind Gods smiled on us. This was a day for shifting into the big chainring and hammering.

We got to ride fast today, pretty much all day. The groups broke up early and I rode by myself for the first 60 miles. It was really kind of a treat to be out on the wide open road just mashing away at the pedals, not making conversation or thinking about anything other than going hard. Miles flew by. Other than the occasional gusting crosswind there was no reason to slow down or look up much.

I did make the occasional picture stop. One of my friends has griped about my choice of photo ops. In particular, he was looking for "naked chicks and road kill". I can't do much about the naked chicks, but here's a lovely bit of Interstate road kill.


I had dodged the flat tire bullet up until now, but I got bit twice today. A little shard of steel belt got stuck in my tire and I didn't find it the first time. Laurie's hemostats worked like a champ once I did find it though. I didn't feel too bad about my fortunes. The group had 21 flat tires today and one lady had 3 all by herself. It's one of the hazards of riding the Interstate.

There are some oddities off the road out here. I wrestled a giant jackrabbit to the ground,

Saw my first-ever beetle camper,

And saw a motel with rooms shaped like WigWams.

It's always an adventure out on the open road.

Postcards from the edge

Let me know if you'd like me to send you a postcard while I'm on the open road. Send me an email at tom_erceg@yahoo.com. Unless you are my wife or my parents, please include your address. It'll keep me out of trouble during those occasional 15 minute stretches when I have nothing to do.

My thanks to all of you who have added posts to the blog or sent me emails. I may not respond to them unless I have something to add, but please know that I do read all of them and I appreciate the thoughts. Each one is kind of like getting a letter in the mail when I get home. Keep'em coming.


We took advantage of our rest day and Lisa's boyfriends rental car and drove up to the Grand Canyon today. I'd been there once before about 15 years ago, but it's a site well worth revisiting. It was nice being able to sleep in a little and casually go about our business without worrying about tomorrow's ride. All 3 of us took a nap on the way back while Dan drove us home. I guess we're a little more tired than we let on, but we're all ready to give it another go tomorrow. 95 miles to Holbrook, Az.

Google Earth ketchup

That's a little play on words (ketchup, Catch-up) Oh, never mind.

I finally got all of the Google Earth files uploaded. Feel free to play around with them. I suspect we'll have to live with the blue boxes on start-up, but that's not all bad. You can easily see what was new for the day that way. Here are the links.

http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Riverside.kmz
http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Indio.kmz
http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Blythe.kmz
http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Wickenburg.kmz
http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/prescott.kmz
http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Cottonwood.kmz
http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/flagstaff.kmz

Sedona / Oak Creek Canyon

Here’s today’s google earth link: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/flagstaff.kmz

We had our last serious day of climbing for awhile, riding from Cottonwood through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, and finally ending up in Flagstaff.

As previously advertised, this ride was perhaps the nicest of the 3 days in the hills. We warmed up with high desert and open spaces as we approached the red rocks of Sedona. Here's proof that I am actually riding my bike, and not just talking about it.


Sedona is unique. The setting is simply astonishing, with the red rocks everywhere and panoramic views for as far as the eye can see. It's a town full of visual treats. It's also yuppie heaven, with loads of galleries and coffee houses and crystal shops. It would be fun to spend a couple of days here and just bump around checking out the sights. More than that might be a bit much. We spent a really long time at a coffee house that had a deck overlooking the red rock mesas. It's a simply spectacular setting. we could have hung out there all day long but there was still work to do. We got riding again and headed into Oak Creek Canyon.

The route sheet for today's ride made specific mention of a steep 2.2 mile climb at the end of the canyon. Lisa told us that she was going to take the SAG and skip that hill. Even after what she had accomplished the last two days she was still scared of this climb. I of course was having none of that. I told her that I would ride with one leg and kick her in the butt with the other leg if that was what it took, but she WAS going to ride up that hill. More on that later.

Oak Creek Canyon is a largely undiscovered treasure. There are more red rock areas, steep cliffs, and dense forests. One moment you are riding through beautiful pine forests. Then you'll round a corner and you can literally reach out and touch the canyon walls. Round another corner and you may have a drop of several hundred feet. The variety of the scenery in this canyon is simply remarkable.

So we got to the base of the steep section. I asked Lisa to give me a big GRRR. She let out a little girl grrr. The testosterone thing wasn't really working for her. Instead, the three of us did a yell of "1-2-3 BAKERY!", and away we went. Riding with girls is a little different.

As I fully expected she charged right up the hill. It was steep, averaging 6-7% the whole way up, with sections approaching 10%. We stopped a couple of times to look over the railing at the switchbacks below us.


As we rounded the final corner we saw Clark, one of the terrific staff members on this trip. He let out a celebratoty holler for us. We rode into the scenic view spot where the SAG was located, just elated at what we'd done. Hugs all around! Here is a shot from the rest area. Click on the picture to get a larger image. The straight line in the middle is the road running through the bottom of the canyon. That's where we had started.

In addition to the incredible views, this rest area had Native American craftwork on sale at tables just past the parking lot. Interesting stuff. Laurie would have loved all the earrings. The artists themselves were working some of the booths.

We finished up the week's riding with a short rolling uphill ride into Flagstaff. The group is all feeling strong and happy with what we've accomplished this week. We have a rest day tomorrow, but I'm ready to keep going. As we pulled into the parking lot of the hotel Lisa hollered out "this is the best week of my life!" I know how she feels.

Mingus Mountain

Here's today's Google Earth link. To clear the blue bounding box go to My Places->Temporary Places-> Cottonwood->Tracks->ACTIVE LOG->Bounding Box and clear the checkmark. You'll have to do this each day until I can figure out a work-around.

http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/Cottonwood.kmz

We had another glorious day in the mountains of northern Arizona. Some vets of this tour say these three days in the mountains are their favorite part of the tour. I can see why. The scenery is absolutely magnificent.

After a long false-flat lead-in we started the climb up Mingus Mountain. The higher we climbed the fresher the mountain air smelled. It was a longer climb than yesterday’s trip up Yarnell Canyon, but it was the only real tough section of the day. Today was almost a rest day. I stopped every mile or so to take a picture. Not because I was tired, or because the air got really thin at 7000 feet. No, I just really wanted to take a bunch of pictures…

We had plenty of time today, so we hung out at the summit for awhile and enjoyed the cool mountain breezes. Clouds were already forming up here, so we knew there would be rain later on in the day, although it was unlikely to hit us.

For riders who like descents, the ride down the back side of Mingus Mountain is not to be missed. It’s 12 miles long with nice asphalt and big, sweeping turns. You can just let the wheels fly. (Mom, you should probably skip this next part…) At one point I hit 40 mph, and only slowed down because I caught up to the car in front of me.

We stopped for lunch in an interesting old mining town called Jerome. It’s since morphed into a mini version of Sedona, with lots of art shops and such. We went to a place called the English Kitchen, which is known for it’s pies. The blackberry was pretty tasty.

Since today’s ride was short and we had some extra time, I took advantage of a couple of bonus rides. I rode with Nick, the grandson of 80 year old Jerry. He’s really strong and pushed me on the flat sections toward the end. Oh, who am I kidding? He throttled back rather than leave me in the dust.

We stopped in at the Jerome Historic State Park and checked out some old mining equipment, and then went to the Tuzigoot Indian Museum and saw some 12^th century Indian artifacts. Interesting stuff.

On the way down the hill we rolled through Clarkdale, where Mom was born. I’d guess that a lot of the town hasn’t changed much since then. It has an old-timey feel to it.

After arriving at the hotel I found out that there was a Safeway with a Starbucks just down the street. So I walked down there and watched the thunder and lightning show. It was so impressive that I sat outside under a picnic table umbrella, had my recovery snack of fried chicken and frappuchino, and just watched Mother Nature's show. I'm sure the locals thought I was nuts sitting out there with the winds howling and the thunder cracking (the lightning was well off in the distance), but I never get the chance to see this kind of weather.

All-in-all, another wonderful day of mountain riding. We get one more day of this tomorrow as we ride into Flagstaff, and then our first rest day!

Check out Google Earth

Time to show off the next really cool blog trick. Trust me, this is very cool. It may take a little time to get set up, but it's well worth the effort.

If you don't have Google Earth on your computer you'll need to install it. Just go to http://earth.google.com/ and click the green "download" button on the right.

OK, now comes the fun part. Click on this link:

http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/prescott.kmz

Google Earth should launch, and yesterday's ride should show up. The green circles are the photos I took during yesterday's ride, located exacted where I took them. How cool is that!

You may see a blue Bounding Box in the area where I rode. That's the last technical glitch we're trying to fix. Hopefully we'll figure that out in the next couple of days. In the meantime, here's how to get rid of it.

• on the left side of the screen find the section called "places".
  
• There is an item under "temporary places" called Prescott. That is todays GPS data. Under that is a checkbox item called "tracks". Click the "+" next to "tracks" (don't remove the check mark)
• "ACTIVE.LOG" should show up. Click the "+" mark next to it.
• You'll see "Bounding Box" now. Click where the check mark is next to Bounding Box. The check mark should go away and the blue box on the screen should disappear.

You're now looking down from space at the ride I took yesterday. Isn't that amazing?

Go ahead and click on any of the photos and they will pop up on the screen.

You can also rotate the view to get a more horizontal view of the terrain. Try it, it's pretty amazing. On the upper right hand corner of the page you'll see a circle. Move your mouse over it and you'll see a horizonal bar at the top. Click and hold the far right-hand side of the bar and the entire screen will rotate giving you a completely different perspective. Try playing around with the views. It's really fun stuff.

When you're done Google Earth will ask you if you want to save your temporary spaces. If you say yes you'll start building a route of the entire trip, complete with all the photos.

I'll get the first few days rides posted in the next couple of days.

I'd like to thank Tim Reynolds for all his tireless efforts in figuring out how to set all this up. He spent hours playing with different software packages trying to figure out how to make the GPS unit, the camera, and Google Earth all play nicely together. Thanks Tim!

The climb to Prescott

What a difference a day makes.

After the ugliness of yesterday's ride we had our first serious mountain stage today. The back-to-back century rides in the desert heat the last two days left me wiped out. Today's ride has the 2nd most climbing of any stage of the tour. Once again I started the day with worries.

No need, as it turns out. Today was one of those days that remind me why I love this sport so much. This ride had everything you could hope for: wonderful weather, big daunting climbs, bombs-away descents, spectacular views, and magnificent scenery.

We headed out of Wickenburg with a gradual uphill leading to the first mountain pass of the tour, Yarnell Canyon. Lisa was stressed out. Today was actually a bigger worry for her than the two desert days. Joanna and I gave her some advice and reassured her, but she was still stressed.

At the base of the climb we pulled into a gas station and met two guys who were riding self-supported from Vail to San Diego. They had trailers carrying 50 lbs of gear that they towed behind their bikes. Pretty awesome adventure, but I'm happier having my gear in the van.



So we started up Yarnell Canyon. It's 7.3 miles long with a continuous 4-7% grade. A solid climb, but not torturous. The views kept improving as we motored up the hill. Lisa's fears gradually dissipated and we could sense her getting more confident the longer we climbed. We told her she was going to be the "go-to gal" in Indy when it came to hill climbing. We got to the top and she was absolutely giddy. She was struggling to not get emotional. It was really cool helping her overcome a major fear.



As a bit of an aside, before I started this trip there was much discussion about exactly how many things I would lose along the way. Laurie bugged me several times about not losing my wallet. I heard about it from other folks. There may have been an over / under bet as to how many things I would lose. I got to the top of the climb, realized that the zipper to my bike bag was open, and my cell phone was missing. One of the riders told me he had seen it on the road aout a 1/2 mile down the hill. So I start riding DOWN Yarnell Canyon, and meet Gil, who is coming up. He sees me and says "are you looking for a cell phone?" He had picked it up. Once again, I dodged a bullet. Now, back to our regular story...

We were now in the high desert. The blazing heat of the last two days was gone, and the sparseness of the desert floor was replaced by actual greenery. It was really beautiful riding country, and just got better the more we rode.

We didn't have the time crunch that we'd faced the previous few days, so we could actually enjoy just hanging out for awhile at the lunch stop. Here's a picture with Jose from Guatamala, and Ray, one of our regular riding partners. Notice the lunch of champions: Cup-o-noodles and Dr. Pepper. Prime riding food.



We had one more serious section of hills before the final descent into Prescott. The more I climbed, the better I felt. For the first time on this trip I actually felt strong on the bike, instead of struggling. I just motored up the hills. The road was like my personal playground. I had an ear-to-ear grin the entire way up and down the hill.

The final descent down into Prescott was amazing. I didn't know there were alpine forests out here. I could smell the pine air and feel the crispness. We even got a little drizzle on the final stretch into town. All-in-all this was one of my all-time favorite rides. It re-affirmed why I wanted to make this trip.

I topped the day off with a big slab of prime rib and my first beer of the trip. What a great day.

Welcome to Arizona

We crossed our first state line today shortly after leaving Blythe. Welcome to Arizona! The night before we left L.A. we were all given a little canister of sand from the Pacific Ocean. At each state line we sprinkle a little of the Pacific sand. It's supposed to bring us good luck. By the end of the day that theory would be put sorely to the test.

I woke up this morning with something more than trepidation, but less than fear, about today's ride. The schedule called for 115 miles of riding, from Blythe to Wickenburg, AZ. After yesterday's hot 100 miler I woke up with dead legs and knots. I walked out the door at 6:30 a.m. and it was already hot.

We had the option of taking a "jump" up to the first or second SAG stop of the day. I seriously considered skipping some of today's ride, but eventually decided to at least give it a shot.

We had another 36 miles on I-10 to start the day, along with two climbs. We were hot from the start and it only got worse as time wore on. I was looking forward to getting off the interstate, but after about 400 yards on State Route 60 I was longing for the freeway. The asphalt was chewed up. We rode over cracks every roughly 20 feet. Each crack jarred the bike and my hands.

The second SAG stop at mile 40 gave us another opportunity to take a jump, but we pressed on. By 10:00 a.m. the temperatures were pushing 100 degrees. It would eventually get up to 103. Combine that with the bad road and the crosswinds, and I was seriously questioning my choice of hobby.

We pulled into a gas station at mile 56, mostly as an excuse to get off the bike. I saw 3 other riders sitting at a picnic table. One of them was on his second beer. He'd had enough for one day and was waiting for the van to come pick him up. A compelling option I must say.

We weren't that bright, so we carried on again. Around this time I thought about yesterday's post. "Beauty and Majesty my Ass! It's HOT out here. The desert sux!" Mostly thoughts like that.

After the lunch stop of a PB&J and crackers we hit the road again and had a desolate section of 20+ miles on a road without a single tree or curve. It was just straight, hot, and long. Every few minutes I'd look around and realize I essentially hadn't made any progress. We kept up our 3 person paceline, didn't talk much, and just ground it out.

After what seemed an eternity we finally made it to the last SAG stop. We had 27 miles left to ride, and it seemed like in spite of the conditions we would actually make it. About that time two riders came rolling in from the other direction. The road ahead had been freshly tarred that morning, and their tires were covered with the nasty, sticky stuff.

About 20 of us were at the SAG trying to figure out what to do. It turned out that over 10 miles of road was covered and essentially impassible by bike without risking serious damage. Tracy, our fearless leader, improvised a plan. People who wanted to ride would be given a jump over the wet tar and could ride in the rest of the way.

I was a little bummed that I couldn't complete the entire ride as planned, but that's part of the deal in an expedition like this. So we packed up our bikes onto the bike racks and away we went. There was a little grumbling, but really there was no other option. This is the only road available.

The remaining miles turned out to be the one bright spot of the ride. We cruised downhill for most of the last 12 miles of the ride. and enjoyed the end of the day.

Back-to-back Century Rides in desert heat isn't something I would reccomend as a way to get a little exercise. We head into the mountains tomorrow. I'm looking forward to getting away from this heat for at least awhile.

Fun with Interstates

Today was the first serious day in the heat. The ride staff were really meticulous in yeserday's "route rap" talk they give each night. We had hard cut-off times that had to be met. If we missed them then it was into the van. After yesterday's friendly introduction to the desert I was feeling a little anxious.

I ended up riding with Lisa again, and her roommate Joanne decided to join us as well. Two cute single gals. Sweet! They joked at one point about starting some rumors... Trust me, that ain't going to happen. Even if I wasn't married, "Gettin Jiggy" is the LAST thing on my mind after 100 miles riding through the desert.

Anyway, we formed a nice tandem. Lisa acts like a Mother Hen, pointing out every obstacle on the course and checking on us all to time. Joanne is a super strong rider. We had to throttle her back from time to time. As the day wore on we added two more riders to the group, which made for a nice paceline on the interstate.

Speaking of Interstates, we spent about 80 of today's 100 miles riding on the shoulder of I-10.
Truckers would toot their horns at us as they went by. Other than the garbage on thhe road it was actually a pretty nice way to travel.

We had another scorcher of a day. The high was 101
. Combine that with another 2800 feet of climbing and headwinds for the last 50 miles, and today was a tough go.

Even though the riding conditions were difficult, I made a point of looking around. Most people think "hot, dry, and boring" when they think about the desert. But there is real beauty and majesty out here. Life clings tenaciously. Helping change a flat tire in 100 degree weather gives me a great appreciation for the challenges of surviving in the desert. I feel a certain sense of awe being here.

Uncle Crampy kept knocking on the door, but I never let my least-favorite relative in. I whipped out all my tricks: Water on the legs, salt tablets, Tylenol, tons of fluids. In the end my legs held out, although tomorrow's 115 miler is feeling a little daunting at the moment.

Given my expectations of how I would feel, at the end I actually felt pretty good. I had a mild headache. My stomach was a little sour. And I had the leg cramp issue. But that was much better than I was expecting. When I got finished I stunk like crazy. I smelled kind of like a combination of garlic and sheep. Here's hoping for similar results tomorrow.

Welcome to the Desert

Today was a day of contrasts. We had a delightful ride for the first 60 miles, and a trip through Dante's Inferno for the last 24.

I spent most of the day with a delightful lady named Lisa from Indianapolis. We were warned in advance that today would see the first serious hill, along with a warm-up for the desert riding of the next couple of days. Lisa had never done a serious hill ride. Being from Indianapolis, what they call "hills", we call "an overpass".

She followed me up a 5.4 mile long climb that had about 1200 feet of climbing. The max grade was 9%, but the steep stuff was short. It was a moderately interesting hill by bay area standards, but she was really nervous about it. So she followed my lead, and I got to pass on some of the tricks I've learned by riding hills for the last 10 years. We ground it out without serious incident, and she's feeling much better about the hills that are yet to come.

From there we had a dream-like ride. The descent from Beaumont to near Palm Springs was about as perfect a ride as you'd ever see. We had a nice gentle 2-3% downgrade, with a moderate tailwind. We were riding anywhere from 20-25 MPH and basically not pedaling. I was joking about how easy it would be to get to Boston if the road was always like. that. We rode by the Windmills on the way into town, saw Mt. San Jacinto, and rode on the interstate (I 10) for the first time ever. I was figuring we'd have a tailwind all the way to Indio. We were in biking heaven.

Unfortunately once we got to the outskirts of Palm Springs that all changed. We were going East and the wind decided to go West. The temperatures soared. The temperature gage on one of the rider's bike computer registered 110 degrees. That's not air temperature, but reflects the "real feel" on the bike.

The last 20 miles was a little like riding through hell. We were only able to hold 12-13 mph while riding a gentle downhill road. The wind howled and the heat roasted. I think the temps hit. oh, about 160 freakin' degrees, although my judgement may be a little off. It was a real eye-opener for what's coming up the next two days.

Lisa and I finished without any major issues, other than being pooped out and dehydrated. But our eyes are now wide open about the challenges the desert offers.

Go East Young Man!

And away we go! Day 1 went about as well as I could have possibly hoped.

The morning started bright and early with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up, although truth be told we were both awake well before then. Laurie got to meet a few of the riders at breakfast, including our oldest member who celebrated his 80th birthday yesterday! He's doing the ride with a friend and with his grandson. How cool is that?

We lined up 2 by 2 out in the parking lot, with everyone wearing their team jerseys. The tension was just as thick as at any race I've ever done. We couldn't wait to get started. Finally the pace car took off and we did a slow-roll to the ocean, followed by a couple of miles along The Strand until we got to the Manhattan Beach Pier.

Laurie was waiting for me as I got to the pier, and Jennifer and Stephanie showed up just minutes later. I hoisted my bike on my shoulder and we all walked down to the ocean. I managed to soak the rear tire in the Pacific a couple of times as waves came unexpectedly crashing in. Good thing I took off the bike shoes. After a few pictures we headed back up to the pier. It was departure time for real now.

After a group photo and a big group cheer of "BOSTON!", it was time to really begin this adventure. My girls gathered around for a final good-bye. We made it quick. I could feel a first-class blubber-fest about to break out. As it was it still took me a couple of miles to fight back the emotions.

Finally, after all the months of planning and preparation, we were underway. The group sorted itself out pretty quickly. I rode with a couple of different groups during the day, but spent most of my time with Don and Patty, a really nice couple from Boulder, Co.

We had a fabulous first day. We had a tailwind for much of the day, and reasonable temps. It got up to the high 80's in Riverside, which wasn't too bad. I felt great all day long. The bike is riding beautifully. 80 miles went by in a blur. We were at the hotel at 2:20, and never really pushed the pace. All in all it was a great start to the trip.

A couple of notables from today's ride:

I mostly followed the group early in the day. I took my first turn at the front right before the first rest stop, and within 400 yards promptly took a wrong turn and got the entire group lost. We added an extra 2 miles to the day's riding before we got it all sorted out. The good news though is that now no one will want me to lead. I can draft all the way to Boston.

I took a picture at the 50 mile mark. What was notable about this spot? Well, it was the first time I saw actual "dirt" since we left the hotel. It took 50 miles of riding before we saw something other than strip malls and office parks.

After 80 miles of riding we're STIIL in L.A. OK, I realize the locals might take offense to calling Riverside "L.A.", but it's close enough for me.

We're encouraged to eat something immediately after we finish the day's ride. That didn't take much convincing. I wandered down the street from the hotel and found a little pizza joint. After finishing the entire pizza I found a Starbucks and had a Venti Frappuchino. Hey, I have to keep up my strength, right?

My Wife is a Saint

Before I actually begin this epic little adventure I just have to acknowledge something:

My Wife is a Saint.

She has to be to have put up with me all these years. It doesn't matter what knuckle-headed stunt I dream up. She always supports me. When I end up in the Medic Tent after a race, and then decide to do another one, she goes along with it. After I crashed my bike and ended up in the Emergency Room I decided the only reasonable response was to spend $3,000 on another bike. She never complained. When I wanted to go away for 4 weeks and trek in the Himalayas with another woman she thought it was a great idea.

And now, when I decided to take 2 1/2 months off from my job, drop a ridiculous amount of money, and leave her by herself for 7 weeks so I can bike across the country, she's my biggest cheerleader.

She's never once said "Tom, you're being selfish", or "We can't afford it", or "What about me?" Nope, instead she brags to her friends about me, puts up with my mood swings in the days before the event, and gives me the time and space to follow my dreams.

I'm not sure what I did to deserve to win the Marriage Lottery, but I definitely won the Grand Prize. Thank You Laurie for being such a wonderful life partner. I couldn't do all the crazy things I do without the love and support you've given me all these years. I'm a very lucky man.

I think I'm pregnant

That's the only possible explanation for the mood swings. I go from excited to terrified to non-chalant to worried and back to excited on an endless 5-minute loop. Pregnancy is the only possible explanation.

We're heading out the door to begin the roadtrip to L.A. I think the reality of leaving on a 3400 mile long bike ride is starting to hit both of us. I busted out laughing on the drive home from work yesterday, for absolutely no reason. Yee-ha! Time to hit the road!

What does cycling across the country feel like??

One of the gals I'll be riding with send this email to the group today. I laughed until my sides hurt. It's only funny because it's close to true.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As many of you know I cycled coast to coast in 2000. As time passes a person forgets the hard parts and tends to remember the good parts of the trip. I remember what it was REALLY like after reading this epilogue from a friends website...........

Step 1.

Get a spaghetti-strainer and several small sponges. Soak the sponges in salt-water and paste them to the inside of the spaghetti-strainer. Place the strainer on your head. Find a busy road. Standby the side of the road and do deep knee-bends for 8 hours. this will acclimatize you to a days ride.

Step 2.

Take some sandpaper and rub your rear-end and the insides of your legs for about 20 minutes. Rinse with salt-water. Repeat. Then, sit on a softball for 8 hours. Do this daily.

Step 3.

Each day, take two twenty-dollar bills and tear them into small pieces. Place the pieces on a dinner-plate, douse them with lighter fluid and burn them. Inhale the smoke (simulating car-fumes). Rub the ashes on your face. Then go to a local motel and ask them for a room.

Step 4.

Take a 1-quart plastic bottle. Fill it from the utility sink of a local gas-station (where the mechanics wash their hands). Let the bottle sit in the sun for 2 or 3 hours until it is good and tepid. Seal the bottle up (kinda, sorta) and drag it through a ditch or swamp. Walk to a busy road. Place your spaghetti-strainer on your head and drink the swill-water from the bottle while doing deep-knee bends along the side of the road.

Step 5.

Get some of those Dutch wooden-shoes. Coat the bottoms with gear-oil. Go to the local supermarket (preferably one with tile floors). Put the oil-coated shoes on your feet and go shopping.

Step 6.

Think of a song from the 1980's you really hated. Buy the CD and play 20 seconds of that song over and over and over for about 6 hours. Do more deep knee-bends.

Step 7.

Hill Training: Do your deep knee-bends for about 4 hours with the salt-soaked spaghetti-strainer on your head, while you drink the warm swill-water and listen to the 80's song over and over (I would recommend "I'm a cowboy/On a STEEL horse I ride!" by Bon Jovi). At the end of 4 hours, climb onto the hood of a friend's car and have him drive like a lunatic down the twistiest road in the area while you hang on for dear life.

Step 8.

Humiliation Training: Wash your car and wipe it down with a chamois-cloth. Make sure you get a healthy amount of residual soap and road-grit embedded in the chamois. Put the chamois on your body like a loin-cloth, then wrap your thighs and middle-section with cellophane. Make sure it's really snug. Paint yourself from the waist down with black latex paint. Cut an onion in half and rub it into your arm-pits. Put on a brightly-colored shirt and your Dutch oil-coated wooden shoes and go shopping at a crowded local mall.

Step 9.

Foul weather training: Take everything that is IMPORTANT to you, pack it in a nylon bag and place it in the shower. Get in the shower with it. Run the water from hot to cold. Get out and without drying off, go to a local convenience store. Leave the wet, important stuff on the sidewalk. Go inside and buy $10 worth of Gatorade and Fig Newtons.

Step 10.

Headwinds training: Buy a huge map of the entire country. Spread it in front of you. Have a friend hold a hair-dryer in your face. Stick your feet in toffee and try to pull your knees to your chest while your friend tries to shove you into a ditch or into traffic with his free hand. Every 20 minutes or so, look at the huge map and marvel at the fact that you have gone nowhere after so much hard work and suffering. Fold the map in front a window-fan set to "high."

Coolest Toy Ever!

Some of my office mates got together and bought me a going-away present. It's the Garmin Edge 305 bike computer. This thing is so freakin' cool. It has a built-in GPS recorder. It tracks distance, speed, pedal cadence, elevation gain, calories burned, heart rate, and about 20 other functions. I'm still working out the kinks, but the plan is to be able to create a daily GPS route of the map, and link pictures I take along the way. If you view it with Google Earth you'll be able to see each day's route along with the interesting photo's. This is going to be very cool!

Body Parts

I looked in the mirror the other day and realized that I look like a random collection of body parts.

My legs look like tree trunks from all the cycling. My quads are just enormous. I had to rip the legs on a pair of new underwear just to get them on.

I've purposely added a few pounds before starting the ride. I figure I'll lose at least 10 pounds, so I wanted to start the ride a little heavy. Mission accomplished! That was disturbingly easy. The Beer Gut is completely out of place with the power-lifter quads.

I also stopped doing any upper-body work about 6 weeks ago. My shoulders were acting up and I figured a bunch of upper-body bulk wouldn't help my riding much. So now all the muscles north of my waist are atrophying.

I'm guessing that 7 weeks of riding will only further exaggerate the effect. Legs the size of the average waist. Bony little school-girl arms. I figure by the end of this ride I'll look like some kind of Mr. Potato Head experiment gone horribly, horribly wrong.

Phantom injuries

So far I've remained remarkably healthy through all the training. I keep waiting for the "phantom injury" to show up, but so far so good.

Early on in my athletic career I realized that I always developed some mysterious illness or injury in the weeks leading up to a big event. Knee Cancer, Phlebitis, A Really Bad Hangnail. Whatever. There was always some physical malady to obsess and lose sleep over. Once the gun started and the race was underway these mystery illnesses and injuries just disappeared.

I thought this was just my own personal neurosis, but after being around the scene for awhile I realized that just about every endurance athlete has the same experience. Why? Who knows? I would guess that it's our brain's way of trying to talk us out of doing something extreme and potentially dangerous. It's actually pretty humorous listening to the whining coming from my endurance sports friends in the two weeks before a major event. You'd think we were all slowly dying.

For whatever reason I've had none of that so far. I'm basically completely healthy. I'm even sleeping well. I don't know whether to be happy or concerned. Maybe that's my brain's latest trick -- reverse psychology. If I think I'm healthy then something must be wrong. OK, good. Now I have something to obsess about...