Tailwind To Tucumcari

Las Vegas to Tucumcari NM. Elevation 4085' temp 58f wind SW 22 gusting to 30 and beyond. Luggage load today is at 5:45 am. I sign in and return to my room to mix up a gatorade and get the bike to ride to breakfast. I had all the lights going visibility being so important to me. For those of you who don't ride I have lights on the bike that will burn your retinas if you stare at them too long. We go to a place called Charlie's. They were very organized about taking the orders but when the food came out they auctioned it off. Talk about confusion. When I was done eating I ran out of there like a thief. My plan today was two fold. One was to beat the SAG van to the second stop so I could play through so to speak(not have to stop). Two was to out run the Brits. The navigation for today was quite simple go from breakfast to Rt 104 go 110 miles turn into the motel. The wind direction meant that this was going to be a good day to play. For the most part we were going to have a tailwind. Also for the most part we were going to be descending in altitude. A few riders were out from breakfast in front of me. So I got to play chase the rabbit at first. Karen was driving the SAG van and keep leap frogging me and then stopping to take pictures. I came to one place in the road were there was a really long downhill with the really good tailwind. So as I crested the hill I gave few pedal strokes and just went into a nice aero tuck. Soon I was doing 52 mph fast enough. Others told me they were getting up close to 60 mph. They must have been pedaling all the way down. Next up the road drops off the top of a mesa into a box canyon. This is a steep technical descent with lots of turns and cattle guards across the road. The speed limit is 25 and I swear officer I never went more than 13 over the limit. At the first cattle guard I pulled over to get some photos of the box canyon. Again at the bottom out with the camera for some shots looking back up the road. I am first to the SAG and off with arm and knee warmers, into the "lost and found bin" to be picked up later at the motel. Next it's gloves off and sanitize hands before touching anything else. Refill water and gatorade. Just as I'm putting the gloves on a few riders pull in and want to know if I've been there an hour. Comedians everywhere. As I leave I say to Karen if I get to the next SAG before the van I'm going to straight through to the finish. Later James tells me he saw my light as he was getting to the stop. At 68 miles the cue sheet reads start steep climb for 0.7. Now while it was steep it was no Sugarloaf Mtn. As I was getting closer to the SAG every time I heard a vehicle come up behind me "please don't be our van". I pass the point where the SAG is supposed to be and I'm pretty sure the Brits won't catch me. Once in town and headed south the cross winds are really strong. I pull up to the motel and get to sign the sign in sheet first. Now I can go eat. First to McD then to Circle K for more calories. I get to the room and the front desk calls to say they have treats set up in the hospitality suite. I'm walking over and here come James and Andrew with the requisite chocolate milk and snickers under their jerseys. When the van comes the luggage is unloaded in minutes. We have route rap at 5. We learn that we are being booted from our rest day hotel by FEMA, doesn't that just figure. We will stay at a sister property very close by. More tailwinds tomorrow, sounds good.

Las Vegas, No Not That Las Vegas

Albuquerque to Las Vegas NM, Temp 38 feels warmer. 135 miles and 7000+ feet of climbing. Breakfast 5:45 am next door at the Village Inn. Load at 6:45 don't forget to sign in. Gatorade powder, put the unused portion of the powder in the zipper baggie open in your jersey packet. Luckily I won't sweat enough today to make a real mess, only a minor one. People are getting last minute repairs with Jim. Lots of activity. I am out on the road and soon catch up to Will and Sandra and ride with them until the first real good climb. I slowly pull away from them and I am riding much better then Sunday when I was really suffering. Four miles or so from the First SAG of the day James, Eric and Pat catch me from behind. James goes to the front and sets a pace that is a little fast but since it is a short way to the stop I hang in. I learn the Andrew is really suffering with altitude issues. When I am ready to leave I just set off for Madrid. Mike has told us that we shouldn't miss the MADrid HATTER as great pastries are to be had there. I set off from the break as soon as I am ready and stop for my goodies. James is in next telling me that he was chasing the light. Soon there is quite the crowd at the counter getting sticky buns, cookies and drinks. I opt for the bear claw made with apples and raisins and it came warmed up, delicious. A I get ready to leave Eric is away in front of me as I pass him all he says is "the light". I reach down and fire the little red power house up. As I come out of a couple of real fast twisty downhill sections I look back for Eric and he is not in sight. For me this is a day when I think I will be best off riding alone. The riders who do not stop for goodies in Madrid will be a half a step ahead of me the rest of the day including Andrew. I think if he gets into any trouble I won't be that far behind him. After lunch the sky clouds up for the first time the whole trip. Just keeping it from getting too hot. At the last SAG it is Karen sitting on a picnic table at a rest stop with no facilities. I talk to her as I go through refilling bottles and have a bite to eat. She says when I get off the interstate at Las Vegas we will be done with interstates for the rest of the trip. I-25 is a lot more difficult to negotiate, the on and off ramps are very short. It's only saving grace is the shoulders were in much better condition than both I-10 and I-40. Just after getting into town James catches up with me. He wants to stop at some dingy looking gas station for calories. I suggest Diary Queen, we turn in and soon there are six of us talking about what a good day this has been. Scott rides by going the other way to find the towns only bike shop because he has a broken water bottle cage. He comes back a short time later, the shop is closed till Thur. Ten of us go across the street from the motel to a local restaurant that features Mexican. I order chicken enchiladas because I am told the sauce is mild. On the first bite I get the hiccups. I tell the waitress that the dish is too hot and I settle for Bar b que beef sandwich and mashed potatoes. Bland but I'll live. I know that I have not been posting any pictures. there have been issues. So when I get back I'll do something about it. Besides I'm sure you only want to see the good ones. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Dinner And The Rest Day

The first thing you realize when you are in a place that considers Mexican fast food fine dinning is that you are in culinary hell. Then there is the transportation problem because we don't ride after dark. So we call a cab and get ready to wait 20 to 40 minutes for transport. We pick an Italian restaurant based on name and actually don't do too bad. Now the fun starts as we are ready to return to the motel. A call to the same cab company gets us "the driver will be there shortly". Thirty-five minutes later I call the cab company and get "no I can't tell how long it will be but he is on his way". An hour has passed and I'm the phone again "he is on the way". Fifteen minutes pass, an empty cab from that company goes by and disappears. A short time later a Yellow cab stops at the light and I get there in a flash. I get the drivers attention and explain the situation. He is most happy to take us. As we get under way the driver says we should call the other company. I do and tell them that another company has picked us up. The dispatcher offers nothing other than an OK and hangs up. This driver is real nice and takes us to Walmart for a brief late night quest for Visine, Saline spray and for Andrew electrolyte solution. We are beat up and dried out. The rest day is just what we need. When I had talked to Amy a few days before she told me that she had repacked my care package into a different box. Now by her saying this I know that there is going to be a surprise in the box. The thing is if I was to ask what is in the box I would get an obscure clue would just leave me baffled. So you can imagine my disappointment when I check in and it has not arrived. Monday morning I call Amy at work and she has things well in hand, has the package tracked down and makes sure that it is going to be delivered today. So I have the mundane things to take care of, laundry and bike cleaning and lube. There are two locals that have done tours with America by Bicycle, they shuttle some of us to bike shops. I go for the ride and to spectate. From there I taxi over to the local school for massage to get my poor body worked on. The student who gives me the massage is close to graduation and is very good. I feel pretty good after and walk back to the motel stopping to eat lunch on the way. Now comes the care package. The box is 4 times the size of the one I packed. Along with my Gu, Cliff Bars and Endurox, is the surprise. Wrapped in cardboard and bubble wrap there it is. So I go about setting up a party, as many of our people I can find to come to Bill and my room for a Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie Party. What a hit. Amy, Thank you so much. There was a card addressed to His Majesty the King of Pain, now I don't know what that means but the card sure was funny. I am still laughing about it. Looking forward to tomorrow, 8000' an ant hill.

Galluping In The Cold

Gallup to Albuquerque NM 5000 feet, temp at breakfast 21f. Mike tells us at breakfast that this will be the first time he has delayed the morning start due to cold. We will load luggage at 7:45 on a day when we will be riding 136 miles. We start on Route 66 and then get on to I-40. The route has ups and down but we are gaining altitude slowly but surely to the Continental Divide. Our first SAG of the day is at the CD and Karen is taking pictures of everyone in front of the sign which indicates we are at 7200+ feet. After the break 7 of us form a nice pace line. The wind is 15 mph from the SE and oscillating. Between the road bending and the wind we keep changing the echelon from going from the left to the right and of course the times when it just head on. We meet up with Karen in the van and get the good news that lunch has been moved 15 miles sooner. We won't stop at the original SAG. About 3miles from lunch I get dropped while we are doing 18 mph. This is mentally painful to me. When I roll up to the van I just rest my head on my aero bars for a minute. The wind, cold and altitude have taken their toll. Especially the altitude, any real exertion causes me to be really out of breath even if my heart rate is not that high. I don't take of my goretex jacket and wind pants until the 76 mile mark. Just before getting on the interstate yet again we stop for fluid refills. The shoulder is in good condition and the trucks are not buffeting us around today. At the point that I feel I can get back in the rotation of the pace line I'm asked to stay in the back with my killer flashing light. Which can be seen for about two miles during the day. When we get off I-40 for the last time we have a really hard series of climbs to the point where we cross over I-40 and start descending into Albuquerque. Mike has told us that we could hit 55 mph going into town. With the wind I get up to 38 at one point. When we cross the Rio Grande I think that we are going to be at the motel only to find out that there is a second page in the cue sheet(s) and 4 more miles to go. Just at the motel it is in to Circle K for the requisite chocolate milk and Snickers. Must have that 1000 calories. Then off to the room to hide. Next post dinner exploits and the rest day.

Two States Down

Winslow AZ 4500' to Gallup NM 6500' Temp 30f Today's official distance 133 miles. As we enter the room in the motel where we are supposed to have breakfast Barbara is handing out the que sheet. This is a deviation from the routine. Mike tells us that the people hired to make breakfast just didn't show. We go over the route for the day. Our choices for breakfast are McD or Dennys yet again. James and I share a booth at Dennys as most of the group is there. At luggage load Mike shows me the route map and says that if I want to I can leave interstate at Holbrook and come up through the Petrified Forest NP including the Painted Desert adding 30 miles to todays ride getting in that 160 mile day. Yeah, that's it. At the first SAG Frank and I decide the we will leave I-40 at the Painted Desert go up a couple of miles and come back to the interstate. It was spectacular worth the time and effort. We are headed east on the I once again the wind is from the N at 15 gusting higher. The semi's blow you to the right then suck you towards them then one last push away as the tail end passes. Kirsten is knocked down by one as she is taken by surprise once. Lots of flats and cut tires. Frank and I encounter a section of shoulder that the random pattern of raised cracks in the asphalt is just maddening. At lunch I call a massage school in Albuquerque to arrange a massage on our rest day. I opt for a student keeping the price down. The wind on the long miles in after lunch and the last SAG is just brutal. Even Andrew our strongest rider is feeling beat up. I am feeling better than yesterday. Four of us stop at DQ on the way in. Dennys for dinner, It's the only choice. I end the day with 144.4 miles. Still in good spirits.

Standing On A Corner in...

Cottonwood to Winslow AZ. The day starts with essentially 40 miles of climbing. This is mostly through the beautiful Red Rock Canyon. I start with Russ and his Dad Pete from the UK. At the first informal SAG they go inside of the Church where there are snacks laid out for us. I just top off my water and Gatorade and continue on by myself. The red in the sediment that gives the canyon it's name makes the Redlands in Miami look pale in comparison. The climb out of the end of the canyon is fairly steep in two miles there are six switch backs. So as you go you can look down on the road section or sections that you have already done. It is cool enough that while climbing I'm still zipped up. After the canyon it is mostly gentle downs and ups to Flagstaff. This is where the lunch SAG is to be. When I arrive Darrell, Andrew and James are waiting. I grab a quick snack and we are ready to head out. We cut through the campus of the Northern Arizona University. Lots of people walking around in T-shirts. I think it's way to cold for that, it's all what you get used to. As son as we leave campus we swing onto the bike path along side Route 66. Pictures must be taken under the Rt 66 sign. The pace is fast and soon my heart rate is through the roof. I ask for the others to back off a notch and we do while on Old 66 going to I-40. Once on I-40 the pace is up again I just can't cope with the charging up the hills. I tell them not wait for me and I watch them ride away and get smaller mile after mile. Soon they are out of sight and I try to keep the pace as high as I can. Being at even 6900 feet of altitude can put you in a deficit fast. You have to pay close attention as the amount of debris on the shoulder is enormous. Tire treads off trucks with the dreaded tire puncturing bits of wire, bits of wood up to 4x4's, bungee cords by the dozen and road kill. Not to mention the condition of the shoulder itself. When I get into Winslow I don't even have the energy to go to the corner made famous by the Eagles. I am told there is a flatbed Ford and Eagles music blaring from speakers. I go to the motel directly and the only way I can describe the way I feel is crisp. I muster up some energy and go across the street to Safeway for the requisite chocolate milk and snickers supplemented today with a sandwich. I hope this will tide me over till dinner. After lots of wandering around the local area and rejecting the fast food places we take a cab to a real restaurant in the downtown area. Apparently this is the only one in Winslow. The food is excellent, just what I needed. My energy level is back up and I am looking forward to tomorrow. I go back to the room and just go to sleep. I am sorry I am running a day behind with my posts, but life happens. I am hoping to catch up on the rest day. I do so much enjoy the comments of support that you are leaving for me.

Climbing, Climbing and Screaming Descent

Wickenberg to Cottonwood AZ. Today we had route rap at breakfast. Luggage load is at 6:30. The wind is going to be fairly light today but in the mountain passes it still gets compressed and accelerated. It is in the 40's and will stay cool in the higher elevations. The cue sheet has instructions 18.4 miles climb to 24.4 miles. So there is going to be up and down all day with 4 major climbs. The first climb is a optical illusion as it looks like you are descending early on but are going really slow. When you look behind you you can tell just how much you have come up. I am riding with Conrad and Tom they are fairly strong riders but as the road kicks up a notch they start to fall behind. Next I pass the couple on the tandem. They loaded their luggage before breakfast in order to get an early start as the tandems do not climb as well as a single bike. I'm sweating like a pig and have my jersey and wind vest unzipped. With my arm warmers pulled down. Just after the summit the van is having an unofficial SAG. As I go by Barbara asks if I'm OK, I give her the hand signal that let's her know I'm fine. She signals back. Now I'm full into the descent doing about 30 mph. Now I'm cold and damp. So I'm zipping up my jersey, zipping up my wind vest and pulling up the arm warmers. Just a beautiful day rolling along. I'm at a point where if I went off the road I would tumble down the hill forever, there is no guard rail. I look out over this valley and I see a really big hawk or a golden eagle. As I get closer to the first official SAG which is lunch at 10 am, I keep thinking the Brits will be overtaking me any minute now. I'm first to lunch Pat is next and others arrive singly and in small groups including the Brits. After everyone left this morning they went for an espresso. Sounds like Sat at Larios. As I am leaving the SAG Barbara stops me and says that she can't make the next SAG before I'll get there so get my refills on my own and go all the way to the motel. She said it was nice to see some one climbing so well. I'm climbing again and stop for pics and soon after Pat catches me. We ride through Prescott stopping for gatorade. While there I think Andrew passes us. We are now headed for the last climb of the day. This is going to take us to 7000'. I see a sign no trucks over 50'. Above 6500' there is an 18 wheeler jammed up against the guard rail in a hair pin turn blocking traffic. We are able to get up to the truck and walk our bikes around. This is definitely a photo op. Some cars finally start passing us near the summit. We see James on the road below us and as we stop for a picture at the top James catches up. We start down and Pat just disappears as I slow down to zip up. James and I stay together keeping our speed down(under 35) on this highly technical and bumpy descent. Andrew later tells us he was doing 50, Pat's speedo shows a max of 45. The views are awesome but brief. Finally a scenic overlook to stop at for pics. We come into Jerome an old mining town now an artist village. Pat finds a place to take a break there but we miss his bike. James stops for more photos. I go rocketing down to Cottonwood by myself. Even with stopping to flip over my cue sheet and check the directions I arrive at the motel alone. Bill my roommate has gotten in the van after lunch. The van arrives much earlier than I expected. The second van must have taken the last SAG stop. We all pitch in to unload the luggage and make short work of it. Then off to some nice hot showers. Some of the slower riders are over 3 hours behind the early finishers. Since there are so many choices for dinner we go off in small groups. I have an enjoyable evening with the Brits. Then dashing off the blog and now to much deserved sleep.

One State Down

Blythe CA to Wickenberg AZ, 115 miles 2600' of climbing. The group split on breakfast 1/2 staying at the motel the rest of us to Dennys. I am trying to eat more before we start out each day. The luggage load was at 6:45 and on the road as soon as you are ready. We are back on I-10 in less than 5 miles. Then stopping at the AZ state line for a pic. Our tandem team goes right on by since the stoker can take all the photos she wants not having to worry about steering. I take my one quick photo and I'm off. I soon catch the tandem and settle in with them. This is not to last as Andrew and James soon come rocketing along. It's off to the races. James needs to make an adjustment to his bike. We leave the Interstate and I go to get some all important gatorade. They are waiting for me and back on I-10 we go passing riders in ones and twos. At 35 miles we exit I-10 to Rt 60 for the rest of the day. The road is arrow straight till the last ten miles then 10 miles of easy downhill twisties. After the first SAG we realize we are going to out run the van to the lunch stop. We stop several times for photos. As we are getting on the road we fall in with Wil and Sandra. Andrew and Sandra get into a sprint comming into the small town where lunch will be. We are early and have to wait about 10 minutes for the van. Kristen the rider who had the sugar/dehydration episode at rap yesterday is pressed into KP duty. She will be back on her bike tomorrow. Lunch is set up quickly. While we eat other riders are comming in. Andrew, James and I are first to leave. The wind is oscillating all the time from almost a tail wind to almost a head wind at on point a dust devil popped up just ahead of us and blew James and I onto the shoulder. We stop to regroup and the backside of the devil blows 180 degrees opposite and is breaking branches on a dead tree across the road. Just as we arrive for the next SAG stop the van pulls in behind us. The plan is to leave Jim and Mike go back in support of the other riders. We refill our bottles and are off. A short time later several cop cars and an ambulance go by the other way. When we get into Wickenberg we go to Safeway for our 1000 calorie snack. Andrew calls the van and two of our riders have gone down. We later learn that Jack hit the rumble strip on the shoulder. His wife Karen couldn't avoid him. She has some scrapes, he has a concussion and is probably going home. We wish him the best. When the luggage came I was off to the laundry. I got back in time for mechanics time to lube my bike. Sandra needed some zip ties to re mount her GPS. Jim only had some thin ones but I had some heavier ones, problem solved. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Hot and Windy

Today we loaded at 6:45 am. The wind was 23 gusting to 30 out of the NW. Our first SAG was at Mecca. Time to take off the arm and knee warmers as it is warm. As we leave we are in farm country and soon enter an area called Box Canyon with some very interesting geology. The road is narrow with no real safe place to pull off to take any pics. The climbing is gentle all the way to I-10 which we are on for 63 miles. It's just plain hot now, 90 and sunny. The wind just keeps moving around the compass with no real pattern to it. We get to Chiriaco Summit (1700') the high point. Here we find the General Patton Museum. Even though this is not an official SAG the van is there for water bottle refills. The lunch SAG is a deserted small burger stand complete with bags of outdated chips inside. At two rest stops I pull tiny pieces of wire from my tires. These are from the tire carcasses we pass endlessly on the interstate. Luckily the one that goes flat holds air till we reach the motel. Others are not so lucky. There is a trophy at the end to the person with the most flats, some have had 6 already. The two Brits Andrew and James, and Frank from Sarasota and I are out in front again. Passed by the next strongest group while... you guessed it fixing a flat. Just before getting to the motel we stop at Kmart for a 1000 calorie snack knowing that we can't make up the 8000+ calories we burned. Our youngest rider had to go to the ER because she was woozy from not eating anything near or at the end of the ride today. We won't know her status till morning. Hoping for the best.

The First Day

After breakfast it all starts with the loading of the trailer with everyones luggage. This is also the time to pump up tires and get some gatorade mix for the day. Once you have loaded your luggage and signed in you are free to start riding. Today we all went in mass to the beach for a dip your wheels in the Pacific Ocean ceremony. Then off to the Santa Ana River(canal) Trail. We followed the trail criss crossing from one side to the other on some rickety wooden bridges with loose boards for about 30 miles. After the Sag stop I was off with 2 of the 5 Brits on the tour. Next point of interest was climbing up Cajalco Road described in the route sheet as narrow, rough and busy. This took us up to about 1700 feet. The 3 of us managed to get to the lunch SAG a minute in front of the van. The 3 of us left lunch first. We were soon climbing up an 8 mile climb in the San Bernadino Mtns. The summit around 2600 feet. After this there is lots of downhill with 2 one mile sections of I-10. The downhills are screaming and even on the fairly flat sections we are close to 40 mph. Both of the other riders I was with got flats today, I was the lucky one today. Palm Springs is very upscale with lots of outdoor dining available. Too bad it is too far away to have diner there. We had to be at the motel at 7 pm to get our route sheet for tomorrow. Todays ride is over and looking forward to tomorrow.

Zero Day

Today is Zero Day. With people arriving all day. Bike reassembly and inspection going on pretty much constantly. In the picture below Jim the official mechanic and Frank who works in a bike shop confer on a bike's set up. Scott, Bill, Frank and I went on a ride of about 30 miles on the Pacific Coast Highway. We had our introduction meeting this afternoon with all aspects of the ride being discussed. I feel we got a good sense of what to expect and what was expected of us. All the safety issues we will face. The routines for loading up in the morning. We got the route sheet for tomorrow and there is going to be a lot of careful navigating to be done. Everybody got to introduce themselves to the group. There will be 30 doing the full ride, 2 going part of the way and 4 staff. In the morning we will be off in earnest to see the US from the seat of a bicycle.

Travel Day

Today Amy dropped me off at Miami's airport before 6:00 am. I tried to check my bike box at the curb but I guess that's been tried before. Inside I get to wait in line move a few feet wait. Luckily the bike box is sturdy enough to sit on with room for my duffle also. Just hoping to keep the legs fresh. Finally get to the front of the line and pay the $80 for the bike. I turn my stuff over to TSA and as I go for my screening I think will I ever see the bike or the duffle again.
I arrive at Dallas with enough time to dash from my gate to another concourse. When I get to the gate there is nobody waiting to board and I am one of the last to embark. I am sitting on the side of the plane that they load the bags on. I never see my things get loaded only reinforcing that baggage victim feeling.
Arrival at John Wayne airport a few minutes late but John is there to meet me. See picture below. He is bigger and sturdier than I imagined. What a relief when I see my duffle come on to the carousel. The bike box is at the special over size area, more relief. The shuttle from the hotel takes only a few minutes and I meet the first of my fellow riders Bill. After checking in as I go to my room I see a titianium Seven tandem($$$$$) negotiating the parking lot. The riders are really tall and the frame is huge, much bigger than our tandem.
I have a contact here in Costa Mesa, Joe is going to store my bike box untill it is time to ship it to Savannah. When he comes to pick up the box he takes me to a local bike shop to get some CO2 cartridges(no CO2 on planes).
I do get a 20 mile ride in with Bill and his friend Scott. They have already checked in with America by Bicycle and Scott is sporting the very nice A by B long sleeve jersey. I'll get mine tomorrow.
I briefly met Mike the tour leader, his wife Barbara, and Karen the co-leader. Things are shaping up.
One thing about doing the posts to the blog from the Blackberry is you can't put the pictures where you want them. The editing is very limited. So the pics either are at the top or at the bottom.
Tomorrow is zero day.... Check in and meet and greet.

The Last Training Ride

Today was the last training ride before I leave. I have done one of those infamous tapers that triathletes are so wild about that I just don't believe in. I ended up with 8670 so far this year. This is far more mileage than I put on my Ford Escape. If you are out riding your bike you can't be burning up any dead dinosaurs.

I would like to give a thumbs up to Katie and Heather at Purely Custom for getting me some specialty items that I ordered. They were both so helpful. It is is nice to have such good service.

The top cap and handle bar plugs are called venom. Very cool. This afternoon I spent some time disassembling the bike and packing it into the shipping box.

T minus one day and counting....

It is about the bike

Lance Armstrong said it is not about the bike. Well if yours is a pile of carbon dust it quickly becomes about the bike. With two days to spare I have managed to pull together a bike that is almost identical to the victims(me). The biggest difference is the paint scheme of the new frame. The other is going back to a sadddle that is on all my other bikes. I like the sound of that... all my other bikes. The time trial, the track and the tandem.


There are some people that I would like to thank for helping me get this rig together so quickly. Allan at Look Cycle USA for the frame. Jeremy at American Classic for the wheels and then another new rear wheel when Fedex destroyed the first one. Nick at Full Speed Ahead for the bars and stem and for shipping some necessary bits and pieces in one package saving me a little $. Fred at Profile Design for getting things sorted out and letting me know that the aerobars were the most damaged ever returned to them. Special kudos to Christian at Zero Gravity(brakes) for also telling me that I have a record for the most damaged piece of equipment ever returned and replacing them under warranty. Niterider Technical Lighting for also fixing the headlamps under warranty. Now a big fat thumbs down to DiNotte Lighting for never returning my call. I bought another of their lights only because it is the brightest one out there and some one picked it up at the crash and I didn't get it back, but service after the sale is so important especially in a niche market like cycling. So without further ado here is the new ride.

Countdown...

T minus two days and counting.

Disaster Strikes

On March 30 while riding the Snowbird Century in S Miami-Dade County disaster struck. I rode from home to the start of the ride at the Fruit and Spice Park. The plan was to ride the full century and ride home again afterwards. This would give me about 114 miles for the day. I left the start about a minute early to stay out of the confusion of 700 riders starting at once. Some others I knew also had the same idea and about 10 of us were just riding along easy when the first fast group caught us. Now the ride begins in earnest. Soon we are joined by another large group. The pace is fast and the wind is maybe 2 mph, nice riding. At the point that the metric century and full century separate I am the only rider heading west on the Everglades Park road. At the turn around point at Payhaokee I refill my water bottles and grab a snack. Now the fun starts with the wind out of the NE and almost all of the rest of the ride heading north or east back to the start. As I am heading east I pass going the other way little groups on their way out.

Now out of the park with about 15 miles back to the start. I am setup to make a left turn and as I turn my head to check traffic a pickup passes within inches of me, Now this would have been OK except the truck was hauling a boat that was considerably wider than the truck. I was struck on the back of my left shoulder knocking me off the bike away from the trailer. The bike did not fare so well.

The bike was caught up between the wheels of the trailer and dragged across the intersection. Yes, the driver stopped. Every major component of the bike suffered catastrophic failure with the exception of the seat post and the cranks. My injuries were limited to road rash of my right knee, hip, and shoulder. So I am lucky and not so lucky. I am less than two weeks away from my departure date and riding my time trial bike. The good thing is that I have no real injury and have not missed any training days. Every vehicle that passes now is too close, in my opinion.

Training for Coast to Coast Ride

Since the beginning of the year I have logged about 8000 miles training for the "Fast America South" bike ride with America by Bicycle. I have trained in all conditions including days that were wet and cold that I would not have ordinarily ridden. I quickly got to the point that my base ride was 100 miles or more. Some of the rides were large fast group rides on weekends. During the week I would meet up with some of the riders living in S Dade County at Blackpoint Marina and continue riding another 50 to 70 miles solo after finishing with them back at the marina. I have also logged many days going to Key Largo via Card Sound Road this ride I almost always do by myself. One thing you get to do while riding these long rides is to be very keen on what is going on on the sides of the road. Like the Saturday morning a small group of us were rocketing along at about 28 mph(with tailwind) and I was pointing out the otters playing on the side of the canal next to the road. Then there was the morning a crocodile was getting its picture taken by a Miami-Dade Officer who said that being called out for the crocodile meant he was going to miss his bike ride that day. Then there are the birds. The great herons, wood storks, belted kingfishers, and of course the F-16s. I'm looking forward to seeing some different terrain and wildlife as I cross the country.
Since there is so much climbing involved in going cross country, and Miami is so flat I have gone to Clermont in central Florida many times. While there I have ridden the course of the Horrible Hundred century ride three days in a row each time. This ride is famous for hitting every steep hill in central Florida including the 16% of Sugarloaf Mountain, which comes about 85 miles into the ride. While some of the people I ride with regularly think I am going to be just fine on the crossing, the thought in the back of my mind is, am I ready?