sorebutt

The Grand Tour

2008-07-06T14:17:00.001-07:00

180 miles into the day I round a corner on Highway 1. The cobalt blue waves of the Pacific Ocean crash into the cliffs outside of Malibu. I’m riding amazingly well considering the length of the day. The weather couldn’t be more perfect. A flock of herons fly overhead. I break out in an ear-to-ear grin. What a perfect way to celebrate the one year anniversary of my arrival in Boston.

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Getting here wasn’t such an easy path. It’s been a year of challenges since finishing my cross-country ride – Being evicted from our house, changing careers, our daughter moving to Japan, and probably most relevant to this particular story, a sometimes overwhelming sense of ennui after returning from Boston. After doing something like riding across the country I found it tough to get motivated to do a simple Saturday ride. Nothing felt terribly interesting. So I slept in on Saturdays, didn’t really look at my bike for about 4 months, and sat around getting fat. I put on almost 15 pounds in 4 months.

As has happened to me several times in the past, I looked in the mirror one morning and said “oh, Hell no”. Something had to change, so I started thinking up new ways to get motivated. Eventually I settled on three goals for 2008: bench pressing my weight, getting my golf handicap under 10, and doing at least one double century. The combination of those goals was enough to get me out of bed, off to the gym and back on my bike.

The other two goals are still works-in-progress. As for the double-century, my challenge began to crystallize. I’d always started these things in the dark and finished in the dark. The really strong riders do them entirely in the daylight. So that would be my challenge: to do an entire double century without ever turning on my headlights.

The Grand Tour is an ideal candidate for this. It’s on the last Saturday in June so the days are at their longest. It’s about the easiest double century on the circuit in terms of hill climbing. Tack on the usually glorious weather and the dramatic coastal scenery and it’s my favorite of the doubles. I had a plan.

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What I didn’t have was enough time to put in the requisite miles. After hopping back on the bike I quickly realized that a four- month sabbatical doesn’t improve your fitness. I was almost back to square one as far as conditioning goes. One particularly painful training ride in the Morgan Territory made me question whether this was even possible. Friends would tell me that a 200-mile ride would be no big deal after riding across the country. I knew better. There’s a big difference between riding 85 miles in a day and riding 200 miles in a day.

By the time I left for L.A. I’d finished one century ride (over 2 months ago), one ride in the 85 mile range, and a bunch in 70 mile range. I’d also taken several weekends completely off. Given the realities of the time I had available I made a conscious decision to focus on hill training. The rides were shorter than I wanted, but also tougher than normal. Would quality training make up for a lack of quantity training?

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I got to the Malibu Event Center about 30 minutes before the sun came up. After registering and prepping the bike I had to sit around for awhile waiting for the sun to come up. I rolled out of the parking lot at first light. I could see the road, but I was really hoping there weren’t any potholes. Regardless, the headlights stayed off.

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After a couple of miles the sun rose enough that killer potholes were no longer an issue. The first 16 miles consists of a series of 8 rollers. They warm your legs up pretty quickly and made for an interesting challenge when I rode them again at the end of the day. For the first 25 miles we rode right along the coast on Highway 1. It was a delightful way to start off an event.

I jumped onto a couple of pacelines for the the next section and made really good time. My average speed was over 17 mph for the first 65 miles. A daylight finish was looking good.

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You see some interesting bike jerseys at these events. Double Centuries in particular attract some pretty elite athletes. Most of us want to show off a little, so you see jerseys from some pretty arcane events.

For some reason I always struggle when picking out a jersey. My Triple Crown jersey isn’t going to impress anyone at a Double Century ride. The Triple Crown is pretty much assumed by most of the riders at these events. My choices narrowed to two: The Crossroads jersey that shows the map of the U.S., or the Furnace Creek 508 jersey. I settled on the Furnace Creek jersey, figuring double century riders would appreciate that event. It turned out to be a good choice. I had probably a dozen riders ask me about the event. I was quick to point out that I’d done it as a relay, but the jersey was still good for bragging rights.

The winner of the “jersey bragging rights” contest was a guy wearing a Paris-Brest-Paris jersey. This is possibly the toughest non-professional bike event in the world. It’s only held once every four years. It’s 800 miles long, from Paris to the city of Brest and back. They start as a group and ride until they finish. Sleep is optional and up to the rider to decide on. If you’re interested in a little adventure here’s the link.

http://www.paris-brest-paris.org/EN/

I struck up a conversation with this guy and a few miles down the road he had me almost considering it. I clearly have a defective common-sense gene.

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Most of the middle 100 miles were spent riding with a delightful lady named Dee. These chance encounters are a large part of the enjoyment of these events. She was doing her first solo double century. She’d done 3 previous events as part of a tandem with her boyfriend and was trying it solo today for the first time. She’s raising 3 kids on her own as a single mom, taking over 20 units as a full-time college student, and still has time to train for extreme biking events. Pretty amazing. Here we are having some chicken soup at the Rincon Point rest stop.

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By the time we arrived in Ojai we’d covered 110 miles and finished the two major climbing sections of the day. Even after a prolonged lunch break it was still only 1:30. I actually felt pretty fresh. My legs were holding up well, I hadn’t had any stomach issues, and I was averaging almost 17 mph even with the two climbs. The ride seemed almost easy.

That’s always a danger sign. For the next 30 miles we rode into the teeth of a nasty headwind. We’d struggle to hold 10 mph. Riding down the hill to the ocean was harder than riding up the hill. We turned north once we hit the coast and eventually rode for a brief time on Hwy 101, grinding the whole way.

The rest stop at Rincon Point was much appreciated. It had taken almost 3 full hours to cover 30 miles. Our only breaks had been the occasional stoplight. We were both completely gassed. I no longer was feeling particularly confident. I had 60 miles to cover and about 4 hours of daylight left. Riding 15 mph wouldn’t cut it, since I still had one more rest stop and lots of stoplights riding through Ventura. Time to put the hammer down. How big a hammer I had left was an open question though.

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I get asked quite often why I do this. There are loads of reasons, but here’s one of the main ones: I want to experience life, not just observe it. That distinction came through loud and clear while riding down Highway 1. People in cars were passing by. I’m sure they were enjoying the lovely views, but they were observing them from the quiet of their cars. With air conditioning and radio they may as well have been watching TV.

I was a part of the environment. I could feel the wind in my face. The weather makes me sweat or shiver, and there’s not a great deal I can do about that. When I enjoy the views I’m enjoying the entire experience. It’s very real. I often make a point of not even wearing sunglasses. I don’t want a filter between my perception and the actual world I’m a part of at the moment. When I travel a mile down the road it’s a direct result of my own personal effort. I earn those views. I’m proud of them.

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So I took off from Rincon Point like a bat out of hell. The nasty headwind was now blowing at my back. 20 MPH required almost no pedaling. The Krispy Kreme donut and Pepsi kicked in and I rode like a maniac. I reeled in two different pacelines as I flew down the coast. I looked down at my legs at one point and thought “where the Hell is this coming from?”

After the quickest rest stop of my life (I usually goof off for 15 minutes of so) I was back on the road for the home stretch. I could finally relax. I’d made up enough time in the previous 30 miles that I now didn’t have to worry about a daylight finish. I cruised home with the tailwind assist and just really enjoyed being outdoors on a bike in such a magnificent setting.

Coasting down the last hill into the parking lot I was positively euphoric. I rolled up to my car, came to a stop, and pumped my fists like an idiot. I’d finished just after 7:30, with a full hour of daylight to spare.

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This day had turned out to be one of my all-time favorite days on a bike. Glorious weather, incredible scenery, interesting people, and a new lifetime-first accomplishment (the daylight finish) had combined to create a day that exemplifies what this sport has to offer. It was a very fitting tribute on the one-year anniversary of the completion of my cross-country trip.

I went through a long stretch earlier this year thinking that my days as a serious endurance sport athlete might be over. I just couldn’t imagine finding anything interesting after my moon-shot ride. I’m happy to have re-discovered my motivation. Not every event has to qualify for a lifetime-achievement award. Sometimes they are worth doing just because they are worth doing. This is an event I’m sure I will return to repeatedly. In the meantime I’ve scheduled one more Double Century for this year. I’m back to feeling fit once more, and enjoying my hobby just for its own sake.

The complete movie

2008-07-06T11:15:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPSbC3ET-kI

It's 7 minutes long and took a full year for me to post on the blog, even though it's been finished for 11 months.

The Eagle Has Landed

2007-06-30T03:32:00.000-07:00

This marvelous, epic, challenging, and unimaginably fun adventure has drawn to a close. We rolled onto Revere Beach yesterday, an 18 mile epilogue, full of joy and pride. Maybe a little relief as well. OK, a few tears on top of that.

We couldn't go all the way to the Atlantic and not go for a little swim. I'm in the middle of this picture, forgetting to take my helmet off. The water was warmer than the Pacific but still plenty chilly.

Here is the final group photo with all the riders that made it to Boston. This was a wonderful group of people -- friendly, funny, encouraging, and helpful. We became a family over the last 7 weeks. I've made friendships that I hope to maintain for the rest of my life. Saying goodbye (for now) has proven to be difficult.The bond we made on the open roads of America was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Fighting hailstorms and desert heat and 50 MPH crosswinds brings people together in ways that normal daily life just can't. I cherish the memories I've created with these folks.

My 2-wheeled temptress is now in a cardboard box on her way back home. It seems quite strange that I won't be riding every day. I've grown accustomed to this adventurous lifestyle. But new adventures await. Laurie and I are off for 2 weeks of what most people would consider a "real" vacation, sightseeing in New England.

I'd like to thank all of you who have encouraged my writing. This is the first time I've actually tried to write every day and I've enjoyed it immensely. It's been very rewarding. I plan to continue writing in some capacity. I don't know what form that will take just yet. Figuring that out is a part of my life's journey.

I'll be making another movie with the pictures I took on the second half of the trip. Give me 2-3 weeks to get it all worked out and I'll post it here. I may also make a few more posts over the next weeks as memories come back or thoughts feel the need to express themselves.

Thanks for reading. It's been a blast.

Tom

The Final Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/bostonma.kmz
Zoom way in on the beach and you can see the actual track the bike made into the ocean!

one request

2007-06-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

I'd like to ask a favor from you. As most of you know, I am using this ride to raise money for a local charity called CARH. There are two links on the right side of the page - one that takes you to the homepage for CARH, and the other takes you to a donation page they have set up for people who would like to contribute.

So here is my request. I'd like you to take a minute and look at the links. If you've enjoyed reading the blog these last 7 weeks, and if the cause seems worthy to you, please make a donation in whatever amount feels comfortable. The contribution is 100% tax deductible, and doesn't offset my costs in any way. Your donation is completely anonymous. I don't know who has donated or how much. The only information I will receive is the total amount raised.

For each of you who have already made a donation, please accept my personal thanks and be assured that your donation is much needed and will be put to good use.

The Penultimate Ride

2007-06-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

Amazing new diet plan! Discovered on the backroads of the United States.

Comes with a money-back guarantee.*

For 7 weeks you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want.*

Guaranteed to lose weight and inches!*

This plan has been tried by countless people with verified results. Act Now!

*Must cycle 80 miles a day

The hard work is now complete. We have a leisurely 18 mile spin to the beach tomorrow morning where we will dip our wheels into the Atlantic Ocean. I've ridden Every Freakin (ridable) Inch. Wow, what a feeling.

We didn't have an easy spin to get to Burlington though. 88 miles and 4000 feet of climbing. It wasn't as hot as yesterday, but the humidity was still up there.

We crossed into New Hampshire at the start of the day. Most of the climbing was during our 40 miles in this state. Perhaps the steepest climb of the trip as well. I saw a 13% grade on the Garmin at one point.

After grinding through those hills we crossed into Massachusetts, our final destination. Jim and I rode together all day today. We put some serious effort into today's ride. It wasn't a pleasure cruise. Storm clouds threatened all day long, and were supposed to get worse as the day wore on. In the end we stayed dry all day, but we weren't going to take any chances.

We had our final SAG stop as well, a corn dog and a coke 26 miles from the finish. What great riding food.
After 7 weeks apart, Laurie was waiting for me in the lobby at the end of the ride. She had her own marathon getting here yesterday. After leaving the west coast in the morning she didn't get to the hotel until 4:00 a.m. Delayed flights, re-routed flights, plane running out of fuel, lines at the rental car, etc. A true "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" type experience. I'm glad she made it though. My life seems complete once more.

18 more miles and I can put on the official t-shirt!

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

New England

2007-06-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is a ski resort. Ski resorts are typically located at the tops of mountain passes. Guess what we did today?

If you guessed "climb" you'd be correct. Today's ride had over 6000 feet of climbing, the single biggest climbing day of the tour. We also has a bit of a "warming spell", shall we say. I saw a thermometer in Brattleboro that read 100 degrees, and no, that's not a dry heat. The air was warm and sticky at 7:00 a.m. Funny thing about biking in humidity though, you don't notice the heat as much as you might think. I was completely soaked in sweat, but the breeze actually felt pretty cool. Once we stopped riding then we would really notice the heat.

The big challenge is staying hydrated. The volume of perspiration has to be replaced, or else bad things happen. I went through 6 bottles of Gatorade plus a coke, and still bonked when I got to the hotel room.

Here's a picture of Jerry, our 80 year old rider, making his way up to the top of Prospect Mountain. Age is truly a state of mind. He's a daily inspiration to me.

Every uphill has a corresponding downhill. These were great descents, rarely steep enough to be scary, but fast enough to hold 30+ MPH for long periods of time. It makes all the uphill grunting worthwhile.

We crossed into Vermont about 30 miles into the ride. Vermont is actually an old Indian word meaning "Subaru". It has to be. Why else would every 3rd car on the road be one? The state is unbelievably green. And hilly. I think I mentioned that already.

What would a day be without a little adventure. Some fresh tar had been poured in a little seam crack in the asphalt. I went rolling through it in slow motion and managed to coat both tires. After the gravel stuck to the wet tar I now was riding on knobby tires.
A cop saw me stopped by the side of the road and pulled over. He was actually a really nice guy. We chatted about the trip and Vermont and all sorts of stuff. He loaned me his pocket knife so I could scrape off some of the rocks and get back on the road. When I got back to the hotel, and finished my bonk session, I had another 30 minutes of work to get the rest of the tar off the tires.

Family members are starting to show up at the hotel. We have several spouses here in Brattleboro. Ray's cycling club, the Cyclonauts, rode out and met him at the 2nd SAG today. and I joined them for lunch after the ride. My lovely wife is currently in transit and will be waiting for me at the hotel after tomorrow's ride. Seven weeks is a long time without my best girl. I can't wait to see her.

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

Playing along the Mohawk

2007-06-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

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

Today's ride followed along the Mohawk River from Syracuse to Albany. Other than the trips through the cities, the ride was a natural delight of trees and water.

With only 69 miles to cover today, a group of us took the opportunity to goof off. We slept in for an extra hour. Terry and I took a look at an 18th century fort. I took extra pictures. We actually stopped for a sit-down lunch at an Irish pub in Scotia.

The highlight of the day was a completely unscheduled swimming stop. Terry scouted out a swimming hole in the Mohawk River, and Ray, Terry and I took a little dip. Today was another hot one, humid with a high temperature of 92 degrees. The cool water got us ready to finish off the ride.

What made the detour extra cool was that it was completely unscheduled. Terry just decided that swimming in the river was a good idea, so he scouted out a spot. It felt a little like breaking the rules, although there weren't any "no swimming" signs.

I've been meaning to spend some time writing about some of my fellow riders. Everyone has a story to tell, but there's only so much time I can spend on the blog. One group in partcular deserves mention though.

We have a group of riders affectionately known as The Captain and the Turtles, a little play on the Captain and Tenneile I've been told. From left to right, Jac, Fran (the Captain), Dave, and Richard.

These are the riders at the back of the pack. Each day we have a fixed number of miles to ride. The fast riders sometimes get to the hotel before the rooms are even ready. The Turtles works every bit as hard as the fast riders, but they do it for a much longer period of time each day, including more hours in the heat. The day into Wooster last week was just a killer for me. You saw the look on my face at the end of that ride. I looked like a puddle of goo. Richard was out in the 90 degree heat for 2 hours and 20 minutes longer than I was, and finished with a smile on his face. That's completely normal for these folks. They work harder than anyone else out here, and always with smiles on their faces. They're a wonderful group of riders. I'm in awe of their determination and of what they've accomplished on this trip.

Little Falls

2007-06-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

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

The group seems to sense that our time together is growing shorter. People take a lot more pictures of each other. Meals tend to last a little longer than normal. Some of the intense competitiveness at the front of the pack has diminished. Summer camp still has a few days left to run, and we seem to want it to last as long as possible. One of my friends asked me how I felt about the trip coming to an end. The fact is that I have mixed feelings. I really want to see Laurie, and I have some nagging injuries I want to let heal up. At the same time I don't want the adventure to end.

We had another easy day today, although our sense of "easy" has certainly changed since the trip began. I covered 78 miles and finished before 12:30 p.m. The weather was wonderful once again, but it got hot towards the end of the day. We went walk-about in Little Falls after the ride and it was East-Coast hot and humid. More of that expected for tomorrow.

I took advantage of the more relaxed attitude today. I rode with the fast kids for the first 30 miles. I let them do all the work and then ran over to the van at the SAG stop and signed in first. I know it's cheesy, and I don't actually care who gets anywhere first, but I figured it would be my only opportunity to add my John Hancock to a blank sign-in sheet. Notice the #1 next to my name.

Little Falls is an interesting town with some colorful history. There is an amazing lock on the canal that runs alongside the Mohawk river. It's one of the largest river locks in the world. This photo shows a boat that had been at the watermark just a few minutes earlier. It's quite an impressive operation to watch. The volume of water pouring out of the gates is amazing. I have a series of photos in the Google Earth file that show how it operates. Pretty cool stuff.

The town itself used to be a major industrial center. Factories produced all sorts of things, including bicycles interestingly enough. That's all gone now. A lot of the riverside buildings have been converted into lofts. We see a lot of towns out here that have seen better days, but the scenery through all of upstate New York has been wonderful, and the roads continue to be a delight to ride on.

Navigatin' the Erie Canal

2007-06-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Today was a rarity -- A vacation day of riding. We only had 68 miles to cover, so we got an extra hour of sleep. The hotel wasn't going to be ready until 2:00, so there was absolutely no reason to rush.

I made the most of it. I made an unscheduled stop at Seneca Lake, another one of the Finger Lakes. This area of New York is really beautiful. I'd never heard of the Finger Lakes, but apparently it's well known out here. I can see why it's a popular summertime destination.

A group of us made a stop at the Camillus Landing along the former Erie Canal. They were closed when we showed up, but Terry shook the door until someone opened up for us. We ended up staying there for an hour, and then hopped on a $3 boat tour that took us along a restored section of the canal. We learned all about the history of the canal. I found out what an aqueduct does. Pretty interesting.

Terry apparently didn't find it quite as interesting as I did.

After dinner tonight I walked down to a local watering hole and just had a beer by myself. Being back in the "real world" without anyone associated with the trip and with no discussions of biking was a little disorienting. There is an actual world outside of our bike tour. I tend to forget that. For good or bad, that world draws closer each day.

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

3000 miles

2007-06-23T13:56:00.001-07:00

Three...Thousand...Miles...

I have to say, that's a BIG number. Like a lot of things in life, numbers like that happen from doing the right thing day after day. I'm really proud of this group of riders. We've accomplished something pretty amazing. I'm feeling some of the effects of that mileage (a twang in my hamstring, numbness in my fingers, a consistent cramp in my shoulder, blah, blah, blah...), but it'll take a tornado inside a hurricane to keep me from making it all the way.

This was the last high mileage day of the trip. I covered 97 miles today, with 4000 feet of climbing, and averaged over 17 MPH. We had a delightful wind at our backs most of the day. I am SUCH a strong rider when the wind is at my back. I RULE! Of course when the wind doesn't cooperate, or doesn't blow at all, reality comes back and slaps me in the face.

I had a nice surprise waiting for me at the second SAG stop in Avon. I pulled in and saw this gentleman wearing a Penfield Fire Department shirt. I said, "hey, I have a good friend who used to live in Penfield". He replied "that's my son Tim". Tim Reynolds is the guy who is responsible for figuring out all the Google Earth magic, and a friend of mine for the last 19 years. His Dad George lives in Penfield, the purported "center" of the universe, or so Tim has told me about a thousand times. George drove down here just to say hi and wish me well. Thanks George!

This section of New York is known as the "Finger Lakes". If you look at the Google Earth file you'll see why. We're staying right across from Lake Canadaugia. It's really a beautiful region. So far I have to give New York credit. They have the best roads in the nation. No other state is even close, at least with the roads we've been on so far.

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

Lake Erie

2007-06-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

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

Greetings from New Yawk! We were treated to a truly spectacular day today. We followed the coastline of Lake Erie pretty much the entire day. There were vineyards on the right and beach houses on the left for large portions of the day. The skies were sunny and blue with a nice breeze blowing off the lake keeping things cool all day. It was a really delightful day of riding, with probably the best scenery since New Mexico.

We crossed into New York fairly early in the day. The road along the shore was built with bikers in mind. There is a full lane of shoulder pretty much the whole way up the coast.

Jim wanted to have lunch someone on the water. That wasn't really easy when lunchtime came around. We asked around a little and heard about a place, but finding it took a couple of attempts. In the end it was well worth the effort. We ate outdoors right on the beach, watched the waves crash and people relaxing on the sand, and listened to the music. This was probably our best lunch stop of the trip. Made extra special because we sniffed it out ourselves.

We tempted fate a little bit by doing a premature wheel-dip in the lake. It just seemed like a fun thing to do. Hopefully we haven't hacked-off the Karma forces. After so many weeks of wheat and corn I think we just wanted to celebrate being at the Great Lakes and starting the home stretch of the trip. A really wonderful day.

Jet Radio 1400

2007-06-21T17:43:00.001-07:00

I'm walking down State Street here in Erie yesterday on my way to the laundromat. I pass by the Boston Building and see that it's actually a radio station. 3 Stations actually. You can see the broadcast booths from the street. "How interesting" I think as I walk on by.

After finishing my laundry I walk back by the building. I think "Hmmm, I wonder if anyone would be interested in our story?" But I don't stop.

This morning I'm going to breakfast and walk by again. I think I should really go talk to someone at the station, but I don't.

This afternoon I'm going to Starbucks and decide that this time I'm really going to do it. I'm going to go talk to someone at the radio station. And I chicken out.

I really hate myself when I get an idea like this and don't have the guts to act on it. So I'm walking back to the hotel and this time I actually go inside. The receptionist says "can I help you". I reply "well, maybe" and then I tell what I've been up to for the last 6 weeks. She gets one of the on-air staff to come and talk to me. He thinks I'd be a great guest for the 5-7 afternoon talk show. He gets my contact info and off I go.

So now I'm nervous. I can write all day long, but it's not every day I get interviewed on the radio. My phone rings right before 5:00 and they actually want me to come down and be interviewed on the air!

I go down to the lobby and Lisa is standing there. I tell her what I'm about to do and invite her along. She thinks she's just going to take pictures while I'm being interviewed but it doesn't work out that way.

They bring us into the booth and put microphones in front of both of us. After finishing the stock report he introduces both of us and starts asking about our trip. We were both interviewed live on the air for an entire segment! After about oh 30 seconds I wasn't nervous any more. We just had a really nice conversation about adventures on the road, and how we handle logistics, and our own personal motivations for wanting to do this. What a great experience. Next time you're in Erie, PA. check out the James R, and Red show on Jet Radio 1400!

A day in the life

2007-06-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

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

I've read that it takes 3 weeks for a new behavior to become a habit. That seems about right. The first couple of weeks out here felt like summer vacation. After six weeks on tour it just seems perfectly natural to ride for 6-8 hours a day. I get up each day and ride my bike for several hours. It's what I do. It seems like this is what I've always done.

I know that we reach Boston in about a week. I've heard that "re-entry" into the real world can be difficult. I completely believe it. I enjoy my shrinking gut and increasing fitness. Each turn in the road every day out here brings sights I've never seen before and likely will never see again. Giving that up is going to be painful.

I've had several people ask me to write about what an "average" day is like on tour. Here's a sample.

5:40 – Cell phone alarm goes up. I’ve been awake for 20 minutes already so I get out of bed.

5:42 – Check nether-regions for tender spots. Liberally apply A+D ointment.

5:50 – Apply Sunscreen everywhere I can think of. Forget “glove spot” on hands

6:00 – Join the horde of locusts around the breakfast buffet. For the 30^th consecutive day make a waffle and have a plateful of a scrambled-egg like substance. Eat more than I would have thought humanly possible before starting a bike ride.

6:30 – Back to the room. Slather on Chamois Butter to tender bits. Can’t be too careful.

6:40 – Make first attempt to close zippers on my 2 duffel bags. Re-arrange items. Put knee on bag and force zipper to close. Wonder in amazement that the zipper still holds.

6:50 – Bring bags to hotel lobby. Stand in line waiting for one of 2 yellow bike pumps. 4 grey pumps go unused.

7:00 – Tracy brings truck around to the front of the hotel. Claw my way into line hoping to sign out early and not miss the Peleton’s exit.

7:05 – Yayyy! I’m going for a bike ride!

7:05:30 – Remember to turn on Garmin bike computer.

7:10 – Paceline takes off at ungodly speed. Hold on for dear life.

7:50 – Stop to take a picture of a cactus. Watch peleton speed off into the distance.

7:52 – Begin solo riding.

10:00 – Reach the first SAG stop. Grab 3 energy gels. Eat none of them during the day.

11:30 – Stop for lunch when I see orange flags outside a restaurant. My feet, hands, and shoulders instantly stop hurting.

12:00 – Violate the “don’t eat a heavy lunch” rule.

12:30 – Reach the 2^nd Sag stop. I’m still full from lunch but I force myself to eat two energy bars. Just because.

2:00 – Get to the hotel. Check in.

2:01 – Carry bike upstairs and open my door. Feel the rush of air-conditioned coolness and see my bags on the bed. Silently thank Zack.

2:02 – Take off the Spandex Petri dish I’ve been wearing for the last 7 hours and lay down on the bed. My favorite moment of the day. Strange that my favorite moment of the day is when I get to stop doing what I came here to do.

2:05 – Fight the urge to take a nap

2:10 – try to decide which of the 4 things I’m supposed to do in the first ½ hour after a ride will actually get accomplished. Brush teeth, shower, eat, stretch… Hmmm.

2:12 – Put on grubby clothes and walk to Dairy Queen. Get burger, fries, and coke as post-ride recovery meal. Re-fill the coke. Wash that all down with a Blizzard.

2:40 – Hit the shower. Shave my face and my head. ( Hi Laurie, I forgot to mention that little detail…)

2:50 – Fill up the tub with the hottest water I can stand. Stay in until nicely pruned.

3:10 – Start thinking about tomorrow’s ride and today’s blog entry. Use my finely honed organizational skills to maximize efficiency.

4:00 Get finished with pictures and Google Earth stuff. Check the blog and my email for comments. Make a stab at an idea for blog post. Delete it and wait until later.

5:00 Start milling around in the lobby, sharing war stories from the day and hopefully bumming a beer from someone.

5:45 Route Rap. Tracy gives us the low-down on tomorrow’s ride. Lots of railroad tracks.

6:00 Head next door for buffet at local restaurant. Notice the stares from the locals. Most of them have bowel movements bigger than me. Large folks in corn country.

7:30 – Organize stuff for tomorrow. Sniff the dirty clothes trying to decide what is wearable for tomorrow.

8:00 – OK, now I really have to finish this blog entry…After reading some dopey article on MSN.com

8:45 – Hit the “post” button, check for spelling errors.

9:15 – Goodnight now!

So there you have it. A fairly typical day in the fairly typical life of a fairly typical cross-country cyclist.

Pennsylvania

2007-06-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

We crossed into Pennsylvania today, and made it to Lake Erie. The terrain and vegetation changed as we got closer to the lake. After many, many, days of wheat and corn we saw vineyards and strawberry fields. It was quite a welcome change. Last night's storm killed the heatwave. It barely hit 70 degrees today. We were actually cool while riding, which hasn't happened in a very long time.

The highlight of the ride today was our stop at the White Turkey Drive-in, a 1950's style outdoor burger joint. The specialty was root beer floats and shredded turkey sandwiches. A little heavy for mid-day riding food, but we couldn't help ourselves. Pretty much everyone stopped and had something.

Late in the day we came across Michael, a rider from France. He's in the final stages of a two-year around the world bike ride. He had stories that blew us away. Breaking his arm in Egpyt. Catching Malaria. Getting robbed in Argentina. It makes our adventures seem pretty tame by comparison. He's meeting us for dinner tonight, so I'll likely have some more stories to share tomorrow.

In the meantime my rest day has started. Tomorrow I'm having breakfast and then going back to bed. After that, who knows? I'll put the google earth stuff for today in tomorrow's post.

Ohio redeems itself

2007-06-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

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

I knew yesterday had to be an aberation. The good folks of Ohio came through today in a couple of ways.

We started off this morning under the threat of morning and afternoon thunderstorms. What we actually got this morning was our daily dose of mayflies. They fly around in huge swarms and stick to you all over your body. I decided to take Jerry's advice. I ate some just to get even.

We've put in a lot of tough miles over the last couple of days. 5 straight days of riding, with back-to-back centuries in 90 degree heat and humidity left us feeling a little ragged this morning. I heard a lot of complaints about dead legs. Most of them were coming from me. I had no "push" left. After figthing the inevitable for awhile I just accepted the fact that today was going to be a day to spin easy gears and stop a lot. So be it, that's all the gas I had left in the tank.

Late in the day I was cruising down the road when I came across an odd little building advertising itself as an Ohio Indian Museum. I turned the bike around and decided to take a little break and check it out. I met Joe, the owner. He's an artist who has dedicated himself to producing artwork reflecting the history of the Ohio Indian tribes. I hung out for about half an hour hearing stories about the various tribes and looking at his pieces. He paints, sculpts, creates maps and silkscreens, and researches the history of this area. This is his passion, and it shows.

As I was entering the main parts of Niles, an offshoot of Youngstown, I missed a turn on the cue sheet. I figured it out about 1/2 a mile up the road, but I didn't feel like backtracking. I was only a couple of miles from the hotel. Instead I decided to see if I could find my own way back to the main road. Of course I got completely lost and decided that I ought to actually ask for directions. Negative "man points" for that move.

I saw what looked like a school and a couple of parked cars and decided to knock on the door and ask for help. This gentleman in the picture, who's name I forgot to get, stopped what he was doing, got me a bottle of water, busted out the local map and hand-wrote me directions to get to the hotel in the shortest way possible. While he was working on that I talked to the two ladies behind the counter about the trip and some of my adventures along the way. They were all really nice and supportive of what I was doing, and wished me a safe journey along the way.

Here's one final story from the day. The threatened afternoon thunderstorm came on in a hurry. I was in my hotel room watching the sideways rain coming down in sheets and listening to the thunder. Jac got caught riding in it. He had to stop. He literally couldn't see where he was going, and figured the cars couldn't see him either. A guy in a pickup truck saw him by the side of the road, made a U-turn, picked Jac up, and gave him a ride to the hotel. This was a total stranger who just saw somebody in need of help. Kind of reaffirms your faith in humanity.

What a strange day

2007-06-18T17:16:00.001-07:00

Don't let your kids see this picture. Unless you want them to have nightmares. This is what riding 100 miles looks like in Midwest humidity, with goat hills and bad asphalt.

What a strange day I had today. Strong cycling, pretty scenery, barking dogs running loose, angry semi drivers, bizarre grumpy locals, blazing heat and humidity, and the steepest hills of the trip so far. It was an action packed day.

I've made a habit of chatting up the local folks I meet along the way. It's typically the highlight of my day. Apparently the folks in Central Ohio didn't get the memo. Normally all it takes is a glance or a "hello" to start a conversation. Not out here. I got a lot of icy stares. The message was pretty clear: " You're not from around here, are you boy? We don't take kindly to STRANGERS". Especially strangers wearing spandex pants and purty colored shirts. Yesterday I had several delightful encounters. I was 85 miles into the ride today before I found my first friendly person.

I did however have some encounters with the local canines. I got barked at and chased by more dogs today than in the entire trip combined to this point. A good solid NO, followed by some choice profanities seems to be all it takes to change their mind, but it still gets the adrenaline flowing.

This sign probably explains a lot of the issues today. The core of appleseed country indeed. I didn't hear any banjos, and nobody asked me to squeal like a pig, but then again I didn't actually talk to many people today.

At one point during the day I heard hound dogs howling, then a guy yelling at the top of his lungs. 50 yards up the road I saw "bikers go home" spray painted on the street. I'll give the guy bonus points for having spelled everything correctly. I thought about circling back to take a picture, but I was afraid I'd get a fanny full of buckshot.

I rode pretty hard all day today. I finished the 100 miles by 2:20 p.m., because there wasn't a lot of reason to dawdle. The last 25 miles was the tough section of the day. Big up-and-down rollers, not the fun kind you can muscle up, more the long exhausting kind, with 10-12% grades. We had fresh chip seal and a lot of loose gravel for awhile, so I took the descents really slowly. Once we got to the end of the chip seal I thought "OK, now I can let the wheels fly". Well, no. It was like riding on the surface of the moon. Craters in the road. Hidden seams. Bumps everywhere. A really inexcusably bad road. By the end I was sore from absorbing all the shocks.

I had one final adventure for the day. The main bridge through town has been demolished. This little metal plank is what the workers use to cross from one side to the other. I had to carry my bike across this thing while wearing bike cleats. Hey, whatever it takes to get to Boston.

Today's Google Earth file: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/WoosterOH.kml

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

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

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads doing the ride, reading the blog, or most importantly, who raised me. Well, to me too as well. My Dad and I have spent every Father's Day for as far back as I can remember in front of the TV watching the U.S. Open. We kick back and the ladies bring us beers and snacks and make a wonderful dinner. It's one of my favorite days of the year. I'm sorry I had to miss it this year. Next year nothing will get in the way.

We rode our 6th and final century ride today. It was actually 107 miles because of a wrong turn I made. Virtually everyone got lost at some point today, and for the most part all in different places. It was just the nature of the ride. We wound around and through rural farmland and rolling hills all across Western Ohio. It's really beautiful country. You had to pay close attention to the cue sheet though.

The heat and humidity kick into high gear around 10:00, so I try to cover as many miles early as possible. Fortunately I seem to tolerate the heat pretty well, and Mother Nature cooperated again today with the winds, so it was actually a really pleasant day.

We crossed into Ohio early in the day. We have this little ritual at each state line crossing where we sprinkle some Pacific Ocean sand at the state line sign. Supposedly little elves and fairies will bring us good luck. One of our troup had a little fun this morning and posted this sign. The perpetrator is still at large (no, it's not me). Click the picture to enlarge it.

Shortly after the first SAG stop I came across a family with two junior cyclists. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to chat them up a little bit. These two are a little young to join our troup, but hey, maybe someday.

I've been remiss in not mentioning Margaret and the amazing job she does at her SAG stops. Each day we have some special unexpected treat. Yesterday was flag day, so there were red, white, and blue goodies. Today, in honor of Father's Day, we had watermelon, chips and salsa, and slim jims. She made a special point wishing each of us Dads a happy Father's Day. She's a special lady.

At last, a nice day to ride

2007-06-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

Isn't that just the most beautiful sight you've ever seen? Old Glory hanging limply from a flagpole in the late morning sun. It almost brought a tear to my eye. The only flags I've seen for the last week have all been pointed directly at me. At least until I passed them.

We had a lovely day for riding today, for the first time in a really long time. I've been having a great time on the trip regardless of the conditions. To be perfectly honest though, the actual "riding" part of the day had started to feel like...I don't normally use profanity on the blog, so if you're sensitive you might want to skip to the next paragraph... The riding had started to feel like a "Job".

6-8 hours a day of hard physical labor had taken some of the joy out of riding. I wasn't waking up every morning thinking "oh boy, I get to ride my bike today". Today brought the passion back to my love affair with my 2-wheeler. She and I had a lovely time traversing the roads of rural Indiana. All was forgiven.

I spent the day riding with Don and Peggy. We cruised along at a nice, comfortable pace, fast enough that we felt like we were really riding, but not the grunt-fest that we'd all been forced into the last few days. Ray met up with us shortly before we stopped for lunch. The four of us rode in the rest of the way. Here's a picture outside the Bookmark Cafe, a combination used book store and coffee shop.

We have a tough stretch of days in front of us: 103, 98, 92, and 89 miles until our next break in Erie, PA. We'll see if my two-wheeled temptress and I have any more lovers quarrels.

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

Riding around in circles

2007-06-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Deep Thought for the day: "Life is short. It's up to you to make it sweet".

I saw that on a t-shirt in a Subway sandwich place yesterday. I'm not usually a big fan of t-shirt philosophy, but that one rung a bell.

We had a nice relaxing day today, 64 mandatory miles, plus an optional side trip to a bike velodrome. The velodrome is an oval bike racing track like you've seen in the Olympics. Indianapolis has an outdoor track that we got to use today.

This picture is actually of the flat section. The big banked section at the next corner is pretty intimidating. It's sloped at probably a 40 degree angle. Staying upright seems physically impossible. Somehow the tires maintain their grip though. You don't actually slide down the track.

We spent quite a bit of time racing around the track and taking pictures and movies. It was just great fun.

Earlier in the day we had out SAG stop at Gentry Farms, an honest-to-goodness small farm. They do still exist. Suburbia is creeping out that way though. The owner is retiring and selling the farm. It may well get converted into housing. These folks let Crossroads use the farm every year. They hang out with us and trade stories. If someone needs the facilities they just send them into their home. Bike cleats and all.

Allegedly, and I repeat, allegedly, the wind is supposed to change direction and be in our favor tomorrow. We've had nothing but headwinds for 5 consecutive days now. Not even a crosswind. Just in our face every day. We're all really hoping that weather.com got it right this time.

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

Zoom way in on the velodrome picture and you can actually see the laps I took around the track. That's geeky coolness at its finest.

One final note for the day. Elizabeth, I'm glad you're enjoying the blog. It's good to see Ray back on the road again.

Eastern Daylight Time

2007-06-14T14:21:00.001-07:00

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

Illinois Day 4 ...

Hmmm, Illinois blog ideas... I got nuthin'.

Corn -- Check. Wind -- Check. Flat -- Check. Corn -- Check.

Greetings from Indiana!

Meet my boy Russell. I sw his orange flag waving in the breeze and thought he was one of our riders. Once I caught up to him I realized he probably wasn't riding cross country. So we stopped and had a little chat. Once he found out what I was doing he got a look on his face that said this was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard.

I asked him "is Boston that way?" and pointed down the road we were on. It's one of my little gags. He pointed over his shoulder and said "Boston thataway". I figured he was just confused.

Just to make sure, I asked him if this was the road to Crawfordsville, tonight's destination. He pointed over his shoulder again and said "Crawfordville thataway".

Hmm, Maybe I'm confused. So I look at my route sheet and see that Veetersburg is the next town. "Well, my next stop is Veetersburg." I tell him. "Veeterburg thataway" comes back. Turns out I had missed a turn back a little bit. I was headed down an old country road that was going to dead-end at a creek about 8 miles away. Country bumpkin Russell saved me a lot of sweating in the heat.

Today was helmet decorating day on tour. We had some pretty creative ideas. They'll likely show up in the final movie I make. Here's the group photo at the start of today's ride.

And here's my entry. After my travails the last few days it seemed only appropriate.

Halfway -- The Movie

2007-06-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

The link below is a movie I've created using the pictures I took along the first half of the ride. I've been working on this little project for the last couple of weeks. It was supposed to be ready at the halfway point of the trip. I used Microsoft Movie Maker. It looked really simple at first, but like all projects using Microsoft products, the reality involved a lot of pain and profanity. So, a little delayed, here's a different look at the trip halfway across the U.S.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gsLxotvK6Jk

My rest day was wonderful. I have shiny new shoes and a replacement pair of bike shorts. I satisfied my Starbucks addiction for the first time since Santa Fe. I took two naps. All in all, a very nice rest day. Tomorrow's forecast: 92 degrees, humid, and more headwind. Let's get it on.

Cornland

2007-06-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

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

I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of cycling through Illinois. I'd rather be back in Missouri. Heat, humidity, headwinds, roads with no shoulders, and lot's and lot's of corn don't exactly make this state a cycling paradise. These have been a couple of really tough days. We've ridden over 600 miles this week. I'm definitely ready for a day off in Champaign. Today's ride was mostly an exercise in suffering. I'd rather not think much about it, so I'll tell a couple of stories instead.

Our SAG stop today was at a Dairy Queen. We look a little conspicuous when we come walking in wearing our biking gear. This family asked me where I was headed. That's all the opener I need. We talked for about 20 minutes about all aspects of the trip. Between the looks of disbelief they had about 1000 questions. I sat next to the two kids while I was having lunch. They mostly wanted to know if my butt hurt.

The company that makes the city limit signs in Illinois must charge by the letter. This is a typical sign. Just the facts Ma'am.

As I was finally getting close to town there were some railroad tracks. They were pretty badly chewed up and I took a good jolt as i went over them. What I didn't know was that my camera flew out of my Bento Box (a little mesh bag that sits on the top tube of my bike) and landed on the ground. I rode away completely unaware. Wen I got back to the hotel John and Carmen told me they had my camera. Apparently a driver in a van behind me saw the camera fly off my bike. He stopped to pick it up. He then flagged down John and asked if he knew the rider in front (me), and gave John my camera. How incredibly nice. The camera still works fine.

My lucky streak continues. Today I had the camera incident. On two other occasions I've left the zipper on my bike bag open, had my cell phone fall out, and had a rider pick it up and return it to me. About a week ago my wallet fell out of my pocket in a restaurant. Ian saw it happen and told me before I walked away. Finally, I was walking down the hallway the other day and all the money fell out of my wallet. Lisa stopped me and pointed that out. The number of items actually lost: 3 (two pairs of sunglasses and a massage stick). That hasn't changed in a few weeks. I don't know how you home gamers want to score the lost-and-found items.

One final note. My ruby slippers held up. The screws in the heels did their job. After 13 years these little beauties can finally be retired.

Joe Btfsplk

2007-06-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

Remember the character from Lil' Abner? The guy with the black cloud following him around everywhere he went. He hung around with me this morning.

I was really proud of my epoxy shoe fix last night. Until I walked around the lobby during breakfast and the sole detached again. Then I was less proud. I was really afraid that I wouldn't be able to ride today. Then I came up with an idea to try using a small screw and mechanically tie the sole and shoe together. Rick, our crack mechanic came up with a better idea: Use a screw but insert it from the top so the pointy end of the screw didn't jab me in the foot all day.

We got the screw to work and I managed to ride away this morning thinking everything would be fine. That lasted for 7 miles until I heard "PFffftttt", every biker's favorite sound. Crap. My front tire had picked up a piece of glass. I hadn't had a flat on the road since New Mexico, so I was over due.

Joanna and I were riding together and she stopped and gave me a hand getting it fixed (no, I don't need a girl's help to fix a flat. It's just easier with two people. Sheesh) No problem, we were up and running in a few minutes.

We got a mile further down the road and I once again heard "PFffftttt". Double Crap. This time the sidewall of the tire got shredded. The tire was a total write-off. I've been carrying a spare tire for just such an occasion this entire trip. Now I look like a genius!

I got started replacing the tire when Rick came rolling along. He rides "sweep" a lot of days, making sure that no one got left behind. Today that would be us. He helped me replace the tire.

About that time the screw in my shoe popped loose. We still had 100 miles left to ride today. The sole of my shoe is flapping in the breeze once more.

I fought the urge to go kick the holy hell out of a bush.

Zack came by with the truck about this time so we flagged him down. This time Rick put in a longer screw that goes all the way through the shoe. I can't walk on it, but I can ride that way.

So we get the shoe fixed again, once again hoping that it will work. My 2nd flat is fixed and my replacement tire is installed. We ride off once more. Zach drives off in the van. Rick hangs back for awhile. We get another mile up the road.

"PFffftttt"

You've got to be kidding me. This time it was Joanna's turn. She shredded her back tire, also a total loss. She had already replaced her back tire two days ago and didn't have a spare. So we sat down by the side of the road, laughed out loud, and waited for Rick to "sweep" us for the 2nd time today. In the first 9 miles.

Rick had to call to get Zach to come back with the truck and bring us a replacement tire. By the time all the festivities were finished we'd covered 9 miles in an hour and a half. At this rate we were looking at an 18 hour day.

Fortunately that was the last of the adventures today. Once we got rolling we rode strong the rest of the day. We set our goal to ride ourselves back into the middle of the pack by the end of the day, and we managed to pull that off. Not bad after spotting the field an hour.

The ride itself wasn't terribly interesting. 108 miles. Some hills. Humidity. A fair amount of heat. And a lot of this:

If you like corn you'd love this ride. I didn't find it terribly compelling. That's why there are only 2 pictures today.

Joanna and I rode together the entire day. Riders don't typically do that. The riding groups tend to be pretty fluid during the day. The early tribulations made us a team for the day though. We pacelined the entire day and ground out the entire 108 miles by 4:00 p.m. Not bad considering the hour we lost on the road.

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

The Mighty Mississippi

2007-06-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

It's a little tough to know what the lead story should be for today. We had several milestones all packed into one day. Early on in the day we passed the official 2000 mile mark for the journey. Only 1600+ left to go!

Crossing the Mississippi river strikes me as a real milestone. It's the dividing line between the East and West. When pioneers crossed the other direction they were entering unknown country. I'm not exactly sure that I've ridden to "civilized lands", although I'd guess that Illinois will seem somewhat more civilized than Missouri. To be fair, we'd heard all sorts of horror stories about "Misery", as Missouri is sometimes described. The roads weren't nearly as bad as we'd been led to believe, and the drivers for the most part were the friendliest we've come across. I was dreading crossing Missouri and it was actually really pleasant.

Here's a shot of the Mississippi River taken from a little park on the Illinois side. There are two bridges, one in each direction. We biked across the other one, but it wasn't as nice looking, so I'm including this shot instead.

We're now in Illinois after crossing the Mississippi.Taking this picture was a bit of a challenge. The sign is right at the foot of the bridge with about a 20 foot drop-off on the edge of the fence. The only way to take the picture is to run onto the highway during a traffic break. Ian, Joanna, and I took turns timing the traffic for each other.
As for the ride itself, if you like a little headwind mixed in with the occasional torrential downpour then today would be your day. This would be one of those "bad" days I mentioned yesterday. Sharing the misery makes it considerably more palatable though. 14 of us hung out under the awning of a post office while we waited for the rain to subside. Another group hid out at a house. Someone opened his garage door and they stood under it.

The accumulated wear and tear of 2000 miles is taking a toll on my equipment. One pair of bike shorts has a hole in the backside, probably making them illegal in this part of the country. My shoes are the big concern. The soles started separating from the shoe a couple of days ago. I make a quick repair with super glue and duct tape that seemed to hold, but the rain was too much for that fix. Here's how I rode the last several miles today. The shoe went slap-slap-slap with each pedal stroke. I bought these things in 1994. I can't believe their falling apart ALREADY.

I've tried a more serious repair with 2 in 1 epoxy and more duct tape. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it holds for 2 more days. I'll finally replace them when we get to Champaign.Two more days my pretties, that's all I ask. Then you can enjoy your retirement to the nearest garbage can.

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

A rolling celebration of life

2007-06-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

I saw a lot of joy on a lot of faces today. Rides like today's are why we put up with the bad days. Biking up and down 148 rollers may not seem like fun to everyone, but to those of us that love to cycle it's a little slice of heaven.

What's it like to ride a roller? It goes something like this. As you crest a ridge you see a big U-shaped stretch of road in front of you. Shift into the big chain ring and start to mash the pedals. 20...25...30...35 MPH. Grind as hard as you can and pick up as much speed as possible... The descent levels out. You feel the G-forces in the pit of your stomach. Spin the pedals as fast as possible as the ground begins to rise...Feel the gears re-engage...Feel the speed being pulled off the bike...Down shift and keep pressing. Hold the momentum as long as possible...Down shift again. Keep Pushing...Down shift again. K E E P P U S H I N G ... Hold on, hold on, hold on... click-click-click-click-click into your spinning gear and ease your way to the top.

Repeat 148 times.

What a wonderful way to spend a day.

We were a group at play today. Big kids with fast, fun toys. Beautiful bucolic scenery. Very little traffic. Roads that felt fast and safe. We were able to spend an entire day doing what we love in the way that most of us enjoy most. We got the adrenaline rush that comes from motoring downhill at top speed, and the satisfaction that comes from feeling your lungs burn and quads scream as you crest a 12% grade. And we got to do it all day long.

Here's the elevation profile downloaded from my Garmin bike computer. Every little up and down line represents another roller. I enjoyed every one of them.

Yesterday's Google Earth File: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/ChillicotheMO.kmz
Today's Google Earth File: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/KirksvilleMO.kmz

The Ladies of Maysville

2007-06-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

We had quite a treat this morning. The Ladies of Maysville, Missouri gave us an amazing welcome.

Each year they host a special sag stop in front of the Dekalb County Historical Society. The riders all met as a group and rode into town together. A small crowd of locals were gathered downtown to cheer us as we arrived. Babies in strollers, retired folks sitting in chairs, and families all greeted us as we rode in. The chief baker woke up at 4:00 a.m. to make pastries for us. Apparently our arrival in town each year is quite a local event.

We traded stories with the locals, took a tour of the historical society, and of course ate and drank the goodies they set up for us. It was quite a nice treat. We felt like visiting celebrities. One of the highlights of the trip.

We were also treated to an unexpected bit of glorious weather today. Light breezes and temps in the 70's. This was perfect riding weather. For the first time almost the entire trip we didn't have to worry about the weather. Rural Missouri is actually quite nice. It's not flat however. Most of the ride was rolling hills, which is good practice for tomorrow's 146 rollers (that's not a typo).

It appears that raccoon roadkill is the state animal of Missouri. They're everywhere in various states of decomposion. Gil actually stopped and pulled the tail off a "fresh one" and tried to make a Davy Crockett attachment for his bike helmet. I'll skip the gory details, but let's just say that it didn't turn out so well...

Internet access in Palookaville is turning out to be a real challenge. Yesterday's post went up and then disappeared. The access in today's hotel is almost unusable. So, no Google Earth stuff for today, and no pictures. Most unfortunate, since there were some really nice shots of the Maysville stop. Hopefully I'll have something more reliable tomorrow. I'll get caught up on the Google Earth stuff once I have access that works.

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas any more...

2007-06-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

I had a little technical difficulty yesterday. This was the post I wrote last night that somehow didn't get published.

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

After what seems like half my adult life we finally made it across Kansas. We had a much nicer day today. The winds were favorable, which always makes me a LOT better cyclist. When the wind is blowing me down the road at 20 MPH I feel like I actually know what I'm doing out here. We covered 87 miles, stopped for a snack at Dairy Queen, had 2 SAG stops, and I still got finished before 12:30. That's a good day at the office.

Speaking of good days at the office, I had an IM session with one of my co-workers last night. I've been gone for 3 1/2 weeks. It seems like my former work life never existed. I have a tough time even remembering what I do in the "real" world. (Note to Boss -- that doesn't mean that I don't want my job back when I get done...). My co-worker said it seems like I just left. Interesting how the perspective changes.

Here's a picture of one of the support vans. It's not a terribly interesting picture, but I include it just as an example of how the support system works on this trip. A group of us were at Dairy Queen having a snack. Tracy saw the flags and pulled in to see who was here. She didn't stop, she just made note of who was here. She and her staff know where every rider is located all day long.

We crossed the Missouri River today when we left Kansas. I don't have a picture because the bridge was barely rideable and there was nowhere to stop. There was no sign labelling the river, no scenic lookout, nothing. Very Strange. Well, maybe not so strange after seeing the state of the roads so far in Missouri. I suspect that will be a continuing topic of conversation over the next 3 days.

At the Route Rap tonight we heard about a special event happening during tomorrow's ride. I'll just throw that out as a little "tease". It should be really fun.

EFI

2007-06-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

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

We have a little acronym we use around here called EFI. It's the code word for having ridden the entire trip. "E" stands for Every. "I" stands for Inch. "F" can mean fun, or fantastic, or, well, insert your F-word of choice.

Up until today my EFI status was still intact. Now the purists may argue that the 15 mile jump I took over the road tar in Arizona negates my EFI status. I don't care. I actually modified the acronym a little to call it EFRI, for every, er, "fun", RIDEABLE inch. 15 miles of wet road tar was not rideable. If it had been a mile I would have thrown my bike on my shoulder and walked it, but 15 miles in 103 degree Arizona sun was not an option.

After seeing the weather report last night I was ready to accept a jump if neccessary. Before even starting the trip I had decided that I wasn't going to do anything to risk my health or safety, and if I needed to take a break I would. A funny thing happens after you've ridden halfway across the U.S. though. Now the idea of riding every inch has become really important to me.

The weather report for today called for a chance of thunderstorms, 90 degress temps, and winds starting at 20 MPH and building to 30 MPH with gusts as high as 60 MPH. Not exactly optimal weather for a 105 mile ride.

Here's my normal training plan for days with high winds: Set up my mag trainer, put on a movie, and spin away in my bedroom. I don't ride in this stuff. Ever. To be honest I was genuinely scared at the start of the ride.

Turns out I was scared for good reason. Today was pretty terrifying most of the day. The steady crosswinds were bad enough. I'd lay the bike over at an angle in order to keep going straight. The gusts were really scary though. It felt like the wind was grabbing the front wheel and shaking it. At times the bike was almost impossible to control. Fortunately today's route took us on largely untravelled roads, so there weren't a lot of cars to contend with.

The ride between the two SAG stops was, well, I'd call it unrideable except most of us rode it. We blew all over the road. I went downhill at 12 MPH because that was the only speed that allowed me to keep control. One gust of wind blew me across the entire road surface. I clipped out and slammed on the brakes. Even when the bike was stopped the wind still blew me farther across the road. I had to walk to shelter in order to get rolling again.

As I approached the 2nd SAG I'd decided that my day was done. Here we are about 5 miles from there, taking a break from the wind behind a brick wall.

The wind exhausts you in several ways. It physically wears you out. It's mentally taxing thinking about it constantly all day long. The roaring noise is just deafening. I swore I heard voices on the wind. I think they were saying "quite riding, you moron...", but that might have been my imagination.

As I pulled into the SAG I was done. EFI was to be no more. That was fine though. It was the only choice that made sense. As I sat at the SAG the fear receeded and I started to reconsider. A lot of the last 30 miles was downwind. I'd already survived this far. I've NEVER failed to finish any athletic event I've started. Stubbornness is my only athletic gift, one that is common in this crowd. The idea of bailing out with only 30 miles to go just didn't sit right with me.

I decided that I would ride the first downwind section out of the SAG, and if things were too crazy I'd just sit by the side of the road and wait for the van to come pick me up. At least that way I'd know I'd given it every effort. No regrets that way. Several people decided to call it a day from the SAG spot. I totally understand and respect that decision. It was probably the most sensible choice.

We did find time for at least a little levity while discussing our options.

As things turned out, the last section wasn't nearly as bad as what we'd already done. I found out that the wind was averaging around 31 mph, because going that speed downwind I couldn't feel the wind at all. It was actually quiet.

The cue sheet called out a little restaurant at mile 91, with supposedly really good pie. I told Terry "I'm not stopping for pie. I don't care if it's the best pie on the planet". He didn't hear me and pulled over. So of course I followed. As it turned out this was an excellent diversion. The Cherry pie was indeed great.

Afterwards the general consensus was that this was the worst crosswind anyone had every ridden in. Lifelong riders from places like Texas said these were the worst wind conditions they'd ever faced. There was a truck advisory telling truckers not to drive on the Interstate. My whole body feels like it's still moving, 5 hours after finishing.

I guess I'm proud for having finished today. It wasn't the smartest decision I've ever made. EFI lives on, although I really am not going to let it jeopardize my safety. Throw some rain into this equation and I'm hopping in the van.

Resting in Abiline, KS

2007-06-05T18:44:00.000-07:00

After 9 consecutive days of riding we were all ready to give our bodies a little well-earned rest. Abiline Kansas is best known as the boyhood home of Dwight Eisenhower. His library and museum are located downtown, a couple of miles from where we were staying.

We started the evening with a little get together for Richard, who turned 68. They provided wine and Manhattans for anyone. A little red wine was a nice way to kick off the festivities.

Next up was a trip to the Kirby House for some first-class Kansas steak. A Margarita sounded good. Then two bottles of wine showed up. Then a bottle of champagne.

After dinner our driver asked us if we wanted to go anywhere besides the hotel. What could be better than a dive bar to play pool and have 2 pitchers of beer? The driver actually called the bar later to see if we needed a ride back to the hotel. She picked us up in her Grandfather's van. Small towns are amazing.

I woke up this morning with a bit of a headache. I'm not sure how that happened...

I managed to schedule a massage appointment for Ian and I today in Saline, about 30 miles away. With a rental car for the day I could do whatever I wanted and give my legs a rest. After the appointment Florina donated $20 of her fee to my charity. I barely mentioned anything about it. Kansas folks are really generous.

The Eisenhower Museum was really interesting. Lots of good WWII memorabilia. It's worth a visit.

Now that I'm all rested up we get to ride 105 miles tomorrow in 90 degrees heat with 30 mph crosswinds. Back to work...

Small Town, USA

2007-06-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

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

I'm a little late getting this out. Today is our rest first rest day after 9 straight days of riding. Some of us blew off a little steam last night, so I couldn't get this done last night. More on that in tonight's post.

About 10 miles into yesterday's ride I stopped at a convenience store and met the store clerk, a gal named Mary. She was either 73 or 76 years old, I can't remember which. She'd been retired twice and hated it. She now works 60 hours a week at this store. She gets up at 3:00 a.m. every day to open it, and absolutely loves it. We talked about the riders and what we were doing for awhile. She wanted to know if we were doing this for charity. In general we aren't, but I told her about my personal fund raising. Without asking any questions about what charity I was helping, she reached into her purse and handed me a $10 bill. I was absolutely floored. She is camera-shy and didn't want her picture taken, otherwise I would post it here. By the way, if any of you are still interested in making a donation you can click the "Donation" link on the right side of this page.

We've been riding through small Midwestern towns for the last week and a half. One of my hopes for this trip was to see if small town America still exists. I'm happy to report that it does. Its not quite the way Norman Rockwell might have painted it, or John Mellencamp might sing about it. Nevertheless, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and rap music haven't yet sucked the soul out of this part of the country.

Some of these towns might be little more than a grain elevator and a gas station. One little place had a sign at both ends of the main street identifying the six churches in town. The pace of life is slower, more relaxed. Any stranger on the street will stop and give you directions. They're happy to hear our stories and tell you a couple of their own. Personally, I couldn't live out here. I need a little more hustle and bustle in my life. But I'm really glad to know that this part of Americana is still going strong.

Here's a picture of a kid named Chris. I saw him mowing the lawn along the side of the highway, so I stopped to talk. He was bummed because the riding mower was broken. One of the daily interactions that make this experience so fascinating.

Here's Terry goofing at the SAG stop today. Each day is filled with goofy little incidents that just crack us up: Squirt guns, road-side hula dances, we never know what's coming next.

One last thing for now. All of our crash victims were able to ride. I spent the second half of the day riding with Ray, who had been taken to the hospital after his crash. I was quite amazed at how well he rode. Getting started was a chore. The first couple of pedal strokes elicited a "Groan, Ack...", but once the bike was rolling you'd never know he'd crashed yesterday. Nicely done, Ray.

Bike gymnastics

2007-06-03T13:02:00.000-07:00

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

Three of my close friends out here decided that today would be a good day to try some bicycle gymnastics. That's never a good idea. If you're going to get airborne during a crash you have to "Stick the Landing".

I jest because they're all going to be fine. Joanna has road rash all over the place. She got an up-close look at a semi truck as she was laying on the ground, which scared her more than the crash. She's tough as nails though. The only way she'll ever skip a day is if her knee got embedded in her eye socket or something.

Ray had a much scarier day in a totally separate incident. . I came upon the crash scene and saw him laying in the street. He and Tom (the other Tom on this trip) had both gone over the handlebars. Tom walked away with only minor scratches. Ray wasn't as lucky. He was able to make a little joke about "not hurting the asphalt", so I knew at least mentally he was OK. He made a trip to the hospital to check for broken ribs, and fortunately they came back negative. His bike is torn up, but our crack mechanics got it operational. He's touch-and-go for tomorrow, but is hoping to give it a shot. We'll see how stiff he is in the morning.

Apparently this is about the time in the trip when these kinds of incidents tend to happen. We've all gotten comfortable with each other and with riding every day. We let our guard down a little, and then things go haywire in a hurry. I'm just really happy that everyone is going to be OK.

As for today's ride, other than the two incidents on the road it was a beautiful day. Who knew that Eastern Kansas was so pretty? I certainly didn't. Gentle rolling countryside, the "amber waves of grain", little pockets of forested areas. Kansas also has really nice roads. So the cycling was really wonderful today.

I took a bunch of pictures today. I also took 8 short unintended movies today, because, well, I'm an idiot. I accidentally set my camera to video mode and didn't figure it out until after the 8th movie. If you'd like to see why I'll never be a movie director click here: http://tomerceg.googlepages.com/DSCN0371.MOV

At the rest stop Ian decided to express his feelings about riding across Kansas. You may need to click on the picture to truly understand the humor of the situation.

I finally got a bit of Kansas steak at dinner tonight. I couldn't have ridden all the way across Kansas without at least one good hunk of beef. McPherson also has one other little local delicacy that I was not aware of. What a shame I won't be around to enjoy them...

An emotional day

2007-06-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

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

The group has had an emotional day. We had two riders abandon the tour yesterday for health reasons. Robert, who I really never got to know, had not been able to ride much. He wasn't able to have the kind of experience he was looking for as a result, and decided to pack it in. Guilly, also known as Bob, is one of the Pile Drivers. He was already scheduled for spinal surgery after the tour and hoped to be able to make it, but the pain of the daily stress on the bike proved to be too much. He had no choice but to abandon. He made a speech about how much the ride and the folks he'd met had meant to him. I think we all got a little choked up listening to it.

Then we went to dinner at a really lousy Mexican place. I pretty much love anything food related, so that'll give you an idea about the quality of the place. Lisa has severe food allergies, told them so, and specifically requested no beans or guacamole. The first attempt came with beans. The re-try had no beans, but they hid the guac down inside what passed for a fajita.

The last time she had gaucamole she was in the hospital for 3 days. Needless to say, after accidentally eating some, she freaked. She was angry, upset, and scared. There wasn't much I could offer, other than a hug, which helped a little I guess. She took the medicine to counteract the food allergy, but that usually knocks her out. We all had to wait until the morning to see what would happen. Either she'd be dressed and ready to ride, or she'd be in the hospital.

This morning I got up and saw her dressed, and then I exhaled. This would have been a terrible way to possibly end the trip. As it was we didn't know how her body would react to an 86 mile ride. A bunch of us had told her the night before that we'd shelter her as much as we could to help her along.

Early on it wasn't an issue. She charged out of the gate like there was something to prove. We had a giant paceline pulling along at 20 MPH, and she led most of it.

After the first SAG she started feeling groggy and lethargic from the medicine. Joanna and I made ourselves into a windscreen of sorts. Joanna blocked the wind from the front and I blocked it from the side. We could only do about 13 MPH, but we were at least making progress.

At the second SAG she thanked us both for helping. I told her that I could either check out the incredible views, for example

or say,

Or I could help a friend. I'd rather help a friend.

She found the right combination of food at the 2nd stop, and from then on rode strong the rest of the way. Lisa has a small litany of health related issues, but she refuses to let them slow her down. We were all very proud of her today.

Similar sorts of stories can be told from several other riders on this tour. As this group continues to bond and to learn about each other I become more proud of what we're accomplishing each day. We challenge each other and support each other. I'd feel comfortable asking for help from anyone on this tour. We've become a kind of rolling family.

Drowned Rats

2007-06-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

In Tornado Alley Mother Nature calls the shots...

Last night we were treated to a display of Kansas fury. The TV was beeping with tornado warnings in our area. An incredible lightning storm danced around the clouds. The edges of one enormous storm cloud were moving in three different directions. It had the makings of a tornado. One was spotted about 30 miles down the road, where we had ridden earlier in the day. This picture is fuzzy because it was dark outside, but I include it so you can get a feel for what it was like.

I woke up once again with dead legs. This has happened a couple of times on this trip. Normally at some point during the day my energy comes back. Today it never did. It was just a grind all day long.

After last nights fireworks we started off this morning with cloud cover and the ever-present crosswinds. I settled in for a 6 hour day, just assuming that I'd be fighting the winds all day.

After riding alone for the first 40 miles I met up with Lisa and Jim at the first SAG. They offered to let me draft, which was much appreciated. I just didn't have the energy to take a turn at the front.

Up the road aways we met Larry, an honest-to-goodness cowboy at a gas station along the way. Notice the chaps and the cowboy hat. He works as a contract cowboy. He's also a mountain of a man. Nice guy. He was surprised by all the attention he got.

Rain decided to join the wind party. It was just sprinkles for awhile. We stopped to fix a flat, and that's when things got REALLY interesting. I got caught in my second hailstorm of the trip, this one more severe than the last one. Then the skies unloaded. We had a torrential downpour that just wouldn't let up. Big drops with sleet mixed in. It stung everywhere it hit, which was everywhere. We were all quickly soaked to the bone. My feet were frozen stiff. The windbreaker was completely inadequate for the job. The "good" news was that we onlly had 30 miles left to ride.

The group had expanded after leaving the gas station. After fixing the flat Terry and I somehow got in front of the group. He pulled me along pretty much the whole way into town. Thanks Terry. We stopped to catch our breath and got attacked by biting flies.

After finishing this fiasco of a ride and cleaning my bike I settled into the hottest bathtub I could take. When it cooled off I emptied some water and filled it up again. After that I took a nap.

So how do I feel after all of this? You know how you feel after you get finished having really rockin' sex?

I feel nothing like that.

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

The Land of Oz

2007-05-31T12:59:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-28T16:34:00.001-07:00

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!

2007-05-27T14:33:00.002-07:00

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

2007-05-26T15:02:00.001-07:00

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

2007-05-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-25T15:08:00.001-07:00

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

2007-05-24T16:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-23T15:59:00.002-07:00

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

2007-05-22T16:04:00.001-07:00

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

2007-05-21T19:49:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-20T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-19T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-18T21:32:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-18T06:06:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-17T15:13:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-16T20:15:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-13T17:14:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

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??

2007-05-09T20:32:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-05T17:53:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-01T14:38:00.000-07:00

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...

I am SO ready!

2007-05-01T13:57:00.000-07:00

My last major training worry is out of the way. It's been a really cold Winter / Spring, and I haven't had a chance to get in any hot-weather rides. We enter the desert on day 2 of our trip, and cover 100 and 115 miles across the Mojave on days 3 and 4. I was a little worried about acclimatizing to those conditions.

We got our first taste of summer on Saturday. A group of us rode just under 90 miles in temps that reached the low 90's. The hinterlands of Livermore were smokin' hot. Throw in about 5000' of climbing and it was a pretty serious training day. We all got through it though. Only one rider had a short dose of leg cramps. Other than that we all rode well.

The key to hot-weather riding is to keep the intensity level low all day. We rode a little slower than normal, and took a couple of extra rest stops. Other than that it was pretty uneventful. Which was nice. "Eventful" days in the heat mean loads of cramps or worse. Making it through the day with essentially no issues was a major confidence boost. Let's get it on!

I pedal and pedal, but never get anywhere...

2007-04-24T21:14:00.000-07:00

Man, I've been doing a lot of riding lately. All of that riding sure doesn't translate into actual miles covered.

http://tomerceg.tripod.com/trippics/indoor1.jpg

No matter how long I pedal I just never seem to cover any distance!

http://tomerceg.tripod.com/trippics/indoor2.jpg

I'm really hoping the weather gods finally smile on me this weekend. I rode indoors on both Saturday and Sunday because of alleged rain, only to see no rain on either day. I'm riding indoors every day this week. Saturday looks like my first opportunity to actually feel the wind on my face since the rain-out at Tierra Bella. Keep your fingers crossed. It would be nice to actually "ride my bike" before setting off across the country.

Mother Nature is a PITA

2007-04-19T14:17:00.000-07:00

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy."

Accuweather.com is back on my list...

I laid out this well thought out training plan. Four century rides. The last two would be on back-to-back weekends, with a fair amount of mid-week riding. I was going to cover over 300 miles in a 9 day period of time, then I'd start tapering off before the start of the trip. It all made perfect sense.

Last Saturday was the Tierra Bella ride from Gilroy to San Jose and back. It's notorious for "unsettled"weather, anything from rain to blazing heat with winds thrown in. The weather report looked dicey for last Saturday, but accuweather said the rain wouldn't start until 1:00 p.m. and it would just be showers. I figured I could handle that.

Bev and I drove down and got a shower in San Jose, but by the time we started riding the rain had stopped. We met her friends Wendy and John and rode most of the day with them. The first 25 miles were actually nice. A little cold maybe (about 48 degrees), but tolerable. Then the rain showed up.

By the time we pulled into the second rest stop we were soaked to the bone. There were a couple hundred people huddled under a tent watching the skies unload. The cup-o-noodles helped to thaw us out, but the idea of climbing Metcalf Road and its 16% grade in these conditions wasn't too appealing. So we made the "adult" decision and decided to shorten the ride.

I kept hoping that we'd return to "showers", but that was not to be. Mother Nature just kept on giving. As we rode to the cutoff point on Bailey Road the conditions just stayed uniformly miserable. We coasted down a freeway overpass and a gust of wind blew us both a full lane sideways. We couldn't do anything about it. The bikes just slid to the side.

We took another shortcut at Santa Teresa to avoid the remaining hills. Our shortcut brought 2 flat tires to the group, including a thumb tack that embedded itself into my rear tire. Frozen hands made that repair a "challenge".

Bev developed a moderate case of hypothermia at the last rest stop. She just shook uncontrollably. We sat her down by the heater and a couple of the ride volunteers covered her with towels and sweaters to try and warm her up. You can only do so much when you're soaking wet and it's still around 50 degrees outside. We only had 13 miles to finish this thing, so we figured riding on was the best choice.

Bev smelled the finish. She took off like a bat out of hell and we just latched on to her wheel. I think the thought of dry clothes was an inspiration. Just to taunt us, the rain stopped about 2 miles from the finish. We remained in good humor all day, which was no minor feat considering the conditions. The war stories over the post-ride meal were pretty entertaining.

So I didn't get in the 100 I was looking for, and I blew off the Sunday ride I'd planned. Mentally I just wasn't ready. Of course the weather was nice on Sunday.

Now I have another organized Century Ride planned for this coming Sunday, and the weather is going to be miserable again. ugh.

Why this trip? Why Now?

2007-04-15T16:32:00.000-07:00

"Why"? is probably the question I get asked the most. It's really pretty much impossible to explain it, because the reasons are not logical. Utitmately, doing something like taking 2 months unpaid leave from work and riding 80 miles a day for 7 weeks is pretty irrational. People seem to either "get it", or think I'm nuts. I understand and accept both of those reactions.

For me personally, I've dreamed of riding my bike across the U.S. basically ever since I bought my first serious bike. I didn't think it would ever happen, but the idea has always bounced around in the back of my head.

I love big, audacious athletic challenges. That is what first drew me to the Marathon back in 1988. It's why I did my first Ironman Triathlon in 1999. It's why I've done two more Ironman races, and 3 more marathons since then. It's why last year rode I rode 5 double-century (200 miles in a day) bike rides. The feeling of accomplishment when I finish one of these events is just incredible. It never gets old. They are not always "fun", in the traditional sense of the word, but these days are transformative, life-affirming events that most people never get to experience. I understand that my limits in life are truly in my head. Every finish reaffirms this. I know this in a way that the average person just can't grasp.

I've been looking at possible bike trips for awhile, but the timing was just never right, until this year. Laurie and I sold our house, so all of those homeowner headaches are gone. Our son is off living on his own now, so we're empty-nesters for the first time. I also rode all those double-centuries last year, so I already had a really solid base of training to take this on. In short, (well, too late for that) from a personal basis there has never been a better time.

So I started looking for trips to take. Believe it or not, there are several companies that put on these kinds of trips. The Crossroads folks had several things going for them.

The timing was good. They leave in early May, when Laurie is still working, so she won't be stuck at home all alone during the summer. It also ends shortly after the school year ends, so she can fly out to Boston to meet me at the finish.

The average daily riding distance is 80 miles. This is a do-able distance. I found one company that covers almost 180 miles a day. I'm looking to SEE America by bike, not SUFFER across America by bike.

Finally, I'm at a stage in my life where I'm not really looking to "rough it". We stay in hotels / motels every night. No camping and sleeping on the ground. Crossroads takes care of all the logistics, including hotels, breakfast in the morning, and dinner at night. They provide daily route sheets so we don't have to worry about getting lost. They have a bike mechanic that travels with the tour, so we can have repairs done as needed. Riding each day is all I need to worry about.

It's a wonderful opportunity to see the country in a very personal way. I can't wait to get started.

Why CARH?

2007-04-15T15:55:00.000-07:00

I've had a couple of people ask me why I decided to use this trip as an opportunity to raise money for CARH, so I thought I might as well spell it out here.

I decided early on that I wanted this trip to be more than just a gigantic exercise in ego-gratification. There is of course a large measure of ego stroking in taking on something like this, but there is also the opportunity to do some good.

Raising money for charity seems to tie in quite nicely with big athletic endeavors. I've watched Team-in-Training raise millions of dollars over the years with the various Marathons and Triathlons they work with, so I figured I could raise some money as well.

I considered several charities and ultimately decided on CARH. I wanted the money that we raise through this trip to be used locally. I also wanted to help a smaller charity so that the amount raised would actually make a difference. There are many much-deserving organizations.

My family has been connected to CARH for a number of years. My Mom crochets slippers at Christmas time every year and donates them to CARH's clients. We have made donations over the years. The more I learned about the organiztion and the work they do, the more convinced I was that they were the proper group for me to sponsor. They are located right here in Castro Valley. They've been helping people for 35 years. And the work they do is entirely local to the Bay Area.

Their work with the elderly and mentally handicapped improves the quality of life for a segment of our society that is largely forgotten. They make a real difference in the lives of their clients. I'd encourage you to check out their website and newsletter for examples of the kinds of services they provide. See the link on the right side of the page if you'd like more information. I'm proud to be able to help out this deserving organization.

training, training, training...

2007-04-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Figuring out how to prepare for a 500 mile per week bike trip is a bit of a mystery. I'm mostly just riding 5 days a week, with one long ride on Saturday. The long day tends to be pretty tough, but I'm not putting in anything close to 500 miles a week. The work schedule right now just won't support it. I've done two century rides so far, with two more coming in the next two weekends.

This is the kind of training I did for Ironman and for the double centuries, except I usually never rode more than 3 times a week. So far the body is holding up pretty well, although I'm starting to lose too much weight. That's never been a problem before! I want to start the ride a little heavy, since I figure I'll lose at least 10 pounds during the course of the trip.

What a bummer. I had to force myself to eat fried chicken and spaghetti for dinner tonight! Such problems... such problems.

Trip Info

2007-04-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

I added three links at the right-hand top of the blog. There is a map of the United State showing the route we'll be taking. There is also a daily itinerary showing how far we travel each day, where we stop for the night, and the highlights of each day's ride. More info than you could ever hope to have!

Actually, Crossroads, the company that puts on this ride, have really done a phenominal job of logistics and information passing. They send out bulletins every couple of days, covering everything from training methods to how to ship a bike via UPS. If there is anything in particluar that you're wondering about, let me know and I'll post whatever information I have.

I made weight!

2007-03-18T20:46:00.000-07:00

No, not my body weight, but my luggage weight. Crossroads, the ride organizers, don't give a fig how much body mass I'm carting around. That's my problem. They do, however, care a great deal about how much my luggage weighs.

They give each of us 2 small duffel bags. That's all the luggage we can take. The total weight of all our stuff, minus what we carry on the bike, has to be less than 30 pounds. I wasn't sure that I was going to make it. My laptop and carrying case are 10 pounds, and they really frown on bringing them.

I did a sample packing run the other day, and the grand total came to 29 pounds. Never a doubt. I have essentially no frills, just the bare neccessities. I'll post the actual packing list at some point, once I have it finalized, but the only somewhat extra item I'm bringing is a sweatshirt. It looks like I'll be doing laundry every 3 or 4 days!

7 weeks and counting

2007-03-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

Launch day is 7 weeks from today. To be perfectly honest it doesn't seem real yet. I'm reminded of that great scene from the first Lord of the Rings movie.

Aragorn: Are you frightened?
Frodo: yes
Aragorn: You're not nearly frightened enough...

It still seems a little surreal that I'm actually going to ride over 400 miles a week for 7 weeks. No particular day scares me all that much. Maybe the 115 miler across the desert in week one, the day after riding 100 miles. That one is a little scary. But in general the one thing that I worry about is how I'll hold up doing this day after day. I ride 80 miles in a day all the time, but I never follow it up with another 80 miler the next day. I keep hearing that I'll "ride myself into shape". Time will tell. In the meantime I keep thinking that I should be more concerned than I am...

Bike changes

2007-03-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Part of preparing for an adventure like this is making sure that your bike is in tip-top shape. I took my trusty steed into the local bike shop for an overhaul. It didn't really need an overhaul, since it's just a year and a half old. The good news was that they saved me a few bucks since it didn't need much work.

I did make one concession to old age though. I changed my rear cassette to include a 27 tooth low gear, up from the 25 tooth I had been using. It may not sound like much, but that low gear will make hill climbing 10% easier. At some point in the Rockies I'll be pretty happy about that.

Plane flights

2007-02-28T15:58:00.000-08:00

My lovely wife is flying out to meet me at the beach in Boston at the end of my trip. Last night's chore was to make the plane reservations. She got a round-trip ticket. Mine was only one-way from the east coast. I guess that's obvious since I'm biking across the country, but for some reason it just struck me as funny. Forty nine days to get there, 6 hours to come home.

Let's get started

2007-02-23T22:33:00.000-08:00

The trip is still almost 3 months away, but it never hurts to start capturing some thoughts. Over the next few weeks I'll be adding posts about preparing for a 7-week journey. This should be fun!