Day 13 - Bennett Breaks Away

Day – 14 Bennett Breaks Away

Burley to Blackfoot, ID (4,497’ elevation)

Euphoria Meter (1-10):

How energizing and fun was this day on a 1 to 10 scale? Answer: 12

This day really was off the scale. It was one of the most fun, fastest, longest, energizing rides I have ever experienced.

Ride Stats:

Distance: 111.77 miles

Time: 5:12 hours

Max: 44 mph

Average: 22 mph

Weather:

Another day of severe clear. Temperatures were pleasant. A little chill in the air in the morning, not so much that you needed a jacket. First half of the ride was in no-wind conditions, then we got a little push out of the North West.

Incidents and Rider Report:

Big Mike was back in action with his new wheel. The Tri-Motor did half the ride. Dave did go home with a bad back. Everyone else was present and accounted for.

How I Feel (1-10) : 10+

My legs feel good. I got a nap in after the ride Mom, you would be proud of me! I also went to bed at the same time Rich did (almost) last night, so I’m getting more sleep. My diet is pretty much everything I can get my hands on. It is all adding up to feeling good on the bike.

The only exception might be where the saddle hits my body. The highly experienced endurance riders have suggested I start using “Bag Balm”. Never heard of it you say? Well maybe you just didn’t grow up on a dairy farm. It is the compound used to treat cow utters and prevent abrasions and rashes from regular milking. I’m going to stop at the next farm supply center I come to and try it. I guess it’s not something you really want to share with utters, I mean others.

Stuff happens:

Rich wakes me up (my human alarm clock) at 4:59am. He’s already dressed, sun tan lotion on and ready for his coffee. Since we don’t have a coffee machine in the Burley Budget hotel room we are in, Rich takes off in search of his morning beverage. I go through my ritual and make it to breakfast by 5:29. I was proud of myself for being early (it was scheduled to start at 5:30am). Much to my surprise everyone else finished eating! With this group you do not want to be the last to go through a buffet line. We are chow hounds. People are a bit anxious about having enough fuel on board for the 110 miles ahead of them and getting an early start today.

I manage to get a good plate of food…pancakes, eggs, oatmeal and raisins. A couple of glasses of Orange juice and I am off to pack my bags and load the “Box”. I am not last out of the parking lot today. It is about 6:10 am and the sun has not come up over the Horizon yet.

Today I start out with Steve Bennett and his friend John Huber from Connecticut we are joined by Alois Gaigl. We lope along in the early morning twilight at a leisurely 13 mph or so until John Knapp comes zipping along by himself at a much faster pace. The three of us decide to jump on his wheel and before too long John and I are side by side pushing each other. The pace ranges from 20 to 23 mph on this gently rolling road in the middle of nowhere. Bulls and cows are along the side of the road regularly. Man made structures are no where to be seen. The area is not particularly scenic compared to where we’ve been, but a fantastic bike riding experience. There are zero cars except for the passing sag wagon. The road is reasonably smooth.

John knapp (photo above along Snake River Bridge) and I pull the others for the first 20 miles until we pass the Miller family contingents who are double pace lining. Derek Miller, the 18 year old decides to break the family formation and bolts out ahead of them and us by 50 yards or so in a hurry. Steve Bennett (age 54) bolts from behind me and takes off after him. Derek dies quickly. Steve however decides to make this a break away move from his buddies. Al, John and I spend the rest of the ride trying to catch Steve. For those of you non riders reading this, it is very hard for one guy to outrun three or more riders who are chasing him. We come close a few times but Steve never lets us catch him. He does move quickly through sag stops and doesn’t look for photo opps, but it takes both incredible physical and mental toughness to keep that up for 90 miles, which he did! Today Steve earned his yellow jersey!

Steve’s tactics included waiting at each of the sag stops until we arrive to taunt us into chasing him. He was feeling good. He’s worked hard in his preparation for the ride and it shows today. At each stop (today we had three) we are obligated to 1) take our gloves off, 2) Cleans our hands with Purell, 3) Sign in, 4) fill our water bottles, 5) make some Gator Aide, 6) get something to eat (usually a banana and some cookies). 7) Lather up again with sun tan lotion.

Steve is a master at getting all this done quickly. He doesn’t like his legs to get stiff and feels strongly that anything over 10 minutes of stop is too much. I tried it and I think he’s right. I felt much better if I got back on quickly rather than stopping for a prolonged period of time. Steve also shared with me the concept of belly breathing. He said studies show by breathing with your stomach versus your chest you can increase your aerobic riding capacity by 10% (he didn’t tell me this till the end of today’s ride). I plan to try this in future rides.

I was really grateful for Steve’s tips and inspiration today. As a result this ended up being just a fabulously fun bike riding experience. The day was perfect, the wind was favorable, the roads were nice, the scenery not too distracting and we all felt good.

Steve Bennett and his titanium rocket bicycle.

Some other items we saw of interest were a 15’ tall tin man like the wizard of oz on the roof of a building we blew by. We are traveling along the Oregon Trail, since Astoria.

Today along the way we stopped at a famous “Rock” that is called “Register Rock”. It has pilgrim graffiti on it and is a national historical landmark. It was a little more prominent than Plymouth Rock which we saw 20 years ago, against the advice of our good friends the Sansouci’s. We also blew by many potato fields (imagine that) and we did see an automated potato harvester with a large name plate on it that said “Spudnik”. If you look closely at the photo above (double click for more details) you can see the names of the wagoneers who wrote or inscribed their names on the rock. I guess it was some sort of tradition. Can you imagine if the EPA had been around back then?

At dinner tonight we were treated with a Texas style barbeque that was a true feast. It was catered and done picnic style. I wish I could send you a taste of the fantastic chicken and lasagna we had. Desert was a choclate cake of some sort and ice cream that I skipped.

Tomorrow is an easy day into Idaho Falls (37 miles). With the extra time on our hands we are planning on seeing the Idaho Potato Museum tomorrow. Pretty exciting stuff in Idaho.

Day 12 - Allison Asks for help

Day – 12 Friday, June 29^th

Allison Asks…

Twin Falls to Burley, ID

Ride Stats:

Miles: 44

Time: 4 hrs

Average Spd: 14 mph

Max Spd: 30 mph

Weather:

More severe clear, a little warm (98 degrees according to local thermometer at the local bank), 10 knot tail wind out of the West (nice).

Incidents and Rider Report:

Big Mike Heitz was still in the SAG wagon due to his rear wheel rim damage. Today his new wheel showed up in Burley and he’s expected to ride tomorrow. I heard a rumor at dinner that one rider has gone home. Apparently 10 – 15% will drop out. I am not sure who it is yet. I think I was told “Dave” Van Cleve from Ramona CA, but this is unverified. The tri-motor ran on all cylinders today. It was an easy fun day and every one seemed to enjoy the short mileage, flat route and tail wind.

How I Feel (1-10):

We slept in today. The truck load time was 8:30 am!! A nice breakfast, low key ride, I was a 10 out of 10 today.

Well I might as well go public with this. Many of you have asked confidentially and I appreciate your candor. But being the open book that I am I will let you in on just how I am doing after riding twelve days in a row and peddling over 800 miles in the more delicate areas of the human anatomy. Day 5 was probably my low point in the South of the belt region. Not only were my legs a little sore but the skin around my seat bones had developed a little redness and some bumps. Frankly it was a little “ouchier” than I anticipated. Things have improved since then. I now have this thicker layer of skin in that special region. No numbness or other real irritation. The human body is pretty good at adapting. We do put cream on before we ride and desitin afterwards.

There, now you have it. Mom, really, I am ok and having fun!

Stuff happens:

With the big window available for breakfast today (5:30 – 8:30 am) I was able to sleep in a little and have a nice leisurely meal. Rich, the early morning riser is up and at ‘em at 5:30 or so like usual, but so quiet I never heard a thing. If there is any such thing as a perfect roommate, he has to be it. It takes me a little longer to get to bed at night and although I try I know I’m not as quiet as Rich. So Rich, thanks for putting up with me!

After the nice breakfast Allison Paine, 24 year old Stanford grad who is going to med school this fall, asks me if I’d like to join her and her father Joel Paine as a “team” to work on the scavenger hunt project of the day. I had not really thought too much about the scavenger hunt, but since Allison asked, I agreed to help. Some people really got into it. The three of us took pictures of the various items as we rolled along.

Allison’s dad Joel was born and raised in Bexly Ohio but defected to some school up North that we won’t mention on a Buckeye Booster Blog. They are a really nice father-daughter team. Being with them for the day reminded me of an adult version of Indian Princesses and sort of put me in awe of what a fantastic memory the two of them were making for each other. Seven weeks together, just father and daughter… sweating, having fun and seeing the USA in this very special way. They genuinely enjoy each other’s company.

The first part of the day we spend touring the Snake River gorge. Who would have guessed that a place that sounds as remote as Twin Falls Idaho would contain such fantastic beauty? Niagara Falls is highly marketed and well known, but check out my amateur photo’s of the falls and let me know what you think. Pretty cool eh?

We also have seen enormous amounts of stacked hay along the side of the road. These stacks I'm straddling are about 100 yards long and twenty feet high and they are just two of hundreds and hundreds we pass.

Tonight’s dinner took a little longer than usual due to the scavenger hunt contest. Our team’s submission of the events was done via an excellent slide show that Allison put together on her brand new Mac. Her boy friend was helping with things we wanted to do and didn’t know how to do. She would IM him a question and he’d ping back the answer. I negotiated for a video projector. Max Mendelson came through with a big assist on hooking it up. We couldn’t hook it up to the Mac but were able to hook it up to my laptop. Max then ported the IMAC show Allison created to my laptop by performing some computer voodoo. We were a little disappointed that we didn’t win, but the group seemed to enjoy the humor and appreciate the effort we put into it.

One particularly funny part was that we had to find out who the Governor of Idaho was. You might be surprised how many people who live and work in Idaho don’t know. But then do you know who the governor of Ohio is? Anyway, there is a great guy named Ernst who is from Switzerland and speaks English with a very heavy accent that is just like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s. 68 year old Ernst is also a pretty tough guy. He came in second in the Colorado Iron Horse tough-guy bike race (for his age group 65+). So for our slide show we introduced the “Governator” of Idaho with this picture. ….

It went over well.

We also had to find out what the state bird was and we turned in this big bird we saw along the way. This wasn't the state bird, but you can figure out the real one on your own!

After dinner I work on the blog and get to bed. 5:30 breakfast, 6am departure, 110 desert miles tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Day 11 - Sprinklers R Idaho

Day – 11 Mountain Home ID to Twin Falls ID 6/28/07

"Sprinklers R Idaho

Ride Stats:

Distance 100 Miles

Time: 5:36 hours

Max Speed: 33.5 mph

Average Spd: 17.8 mph

Weather:

Severe clear and hot. The day started at 60 degrees and reached near 100 by noon when we finished. As we walked around Twin Falls in the afternoon to shop at Target we were glad the ride was over. HOT!

Incidents and Rider Report:

The daily grind of this adventure is starting to take its toll on equipment and riders. John Huber took a spill today while following me around a corner. He was trying to go by the Mike Munk rule of square corners (no lazy left turns that run you into oncoming traffic risks). However, he cut it a little too square and went down right behind me. At first I thought something big had fallen off my bike since my name badge and lipstick fell off earlier. I also had my rear seat bag break off and my rear wheel skewer come loose earlier in the day. Fortunately John was not going too fast. His major injury was to his ego and a bruised rear. He finished the ride strong.

Mike Heitz, big Mike our Six-Foot, 12 inch, 300lb rider literally pulled spokes through his rims. See photos below. I’ve not seen a rim damaged like this before. Double click on his wheel and look close. He was a little disappointed that they wouldn’t let him drive back to Boise to get a new wheel and didn’t have a replacement wheel so he could “ride every inch” of the ride like he and his wife Janette had planned. So Mike is out for two days until his local shop can ship a wheel ahead to him.

The tri-motor did the last 25 miles or so in the high heat of the day.

Daco, the Holland phenomenon who loves to ride out of the saddle (see my earlier report) literally broke his saddle off his bike while riding. I didn’t witness it, but it apparently threw him right off the rear of the bike but he was uninjured as well. Amazing.

Today we learned about goatheads. Mike Munk had mentioned them earlier in our orientation and told us to watch out for them. I thought that maybe he meant something like dead goat skulls littered along the side of the highway. But today we learned what they really are. Goatheads are mini little balls of thistle-like thorns that love to dig their way into bicycle tires. After John Hubert’s accident he got to find out first hand when Aloise Gaigl pulled two of them off John’s tires and they immediately went flat. Not a great equipment day for John. However, he’s still smiling and having a good time.

How I Feel (1-10) : 9

Today was even better than yesterday. A decent night’s sleep. I woke up befor. e Mr. Sunshine Simpson today by 5 minutes. Felt well rested and energized. Finished the ride with some spring left in my step. Still just a little hoarse, but almost 100% of my voice back.

Stuff happens:

Today I started out with an International Five-Some. A Canadian (Steve Bennett), A German… Aloise Gaigl. A Hollander…Gerard Berendse and two Americans, me and John Hubert. We start out dead last again and work together for the first sixty miles pretty well at a nice clip. The group doesn’t like to stop or slow down much so my photos were on the move.

With two pilots in the group we were not flawless in the navigation of our route. We missed one turn. Our self inflicted detour took us through a section of road being freshly asphalted. This results in about an inch of goo all over the tires that takes a while to get off. After going three miles out of our way we catch the other riders but have worked our way to the middle of the pack or so. As we meet up with Rich again I decide to ride the last 15 with him and we have a nice time.

This is an early morning shot of me and my shadow. Sunrise is my favorite time to ride. The long shadows have always reminded me of peaceful, serene times of day. Here is one of me never before captured on camera.

All throughout the ride through very rural Idaho we see constant sprinkling of everything. It doesn’t rain much here yet they seem to have an abundance of water from the Snake River that is pumped over every farm field. The farms all seem very prosperous.

One of the real highlights of the day is the gorge we’ve been following that the Snake River has cut out of the Idaho landscape. You can’t believe how deep and scenic this gorge is. We stop and take a few photos at various spots. But we spend a fair amount of time hanging around the Perrine Memorial Bridge. It spans over the Snake River Canyon marks the northern entrance to Twin Falls, Idaho which is how we arrived in Twin Falls. At 1500 feet in length, it is the longest span bridge in the United States' west. The bridge stands 486 feet above the Snake River. Near it is the launch ramp for Evil K’nevil’s famous skyrocket cycle attempt on the Wild World of Sports. We also witnessed three B.A.S.E. jumpers leap of the bridge, open sport parachutes and land safely below. The views from the bridge and the ridges around it were breath taking.

All in all a great day and everyone is in pretty good spirits.

Tomorrow a wimpy 38 miler followed by a bigger ride as we continue our journey east.

Day 10 - L.A. Al pulls us along

Meet L.A. Al,…Alois Gaigl

Day – 10 Boise to Mountain Home ID

Ride Stats:

Distance: 51 miles

Time: 2:52 hours

Max Speed: 32.9 mph

Average Spd: 18.0 mph

Climb Chart:

Weather:

The very best yet! If you haven’t figured it out yet, I don’t care for 48 degrees and rain. Although we only had rain the first few days, every other day except today so far has been quite chilly as we started out. This is the first day I haven’t either had on my winter jacket or wished I had it on. Fortunately we finished quite early (10:30 am) today because the start temperature was about 70 degrees and it is expected to rise to over 100 degrees this afternoon. No rain today. The song, “Oh give me a home …. Where the skies are not cloudy all day” certainly applied today. Winds were quartering headwinds from the North East at 10 mph.

Fall Out Report

The tri-motor is back in action! All three cylinders were kicking in today and it looked like they were having fun. I think everyone rode today that I know of.

How I Feel (1-10 scale)

After a few days hanging out with Cindy and our good friends Mike and Pam, along with a brief, non stressful ride today I think I am up to an “8” today on the feel good scale. I still have some hoarseness in my throat, but not as bad as it had been. The nice weather is helping.

Stuff that happened:

Sorry about my missing blogs. Between the visitors and the tough rides I am a little behind. I’ll try to keep up better. Day 4 and 5 were really something. I’ll try to download the climb charts later to give you a sense of what we did on those days. Also, some of the best photo's of the trip so far are on day 5-8 but I haven't had time to download them yet. If I get around to that I'll let you know in a future page. And Mom, I'm doing fine, thanks for worrying about me, sorry I got behind on the blog. I'll try to do better at keeping this up to date for you! Here is a few samples of the day 5 photos:

Me, Girard and John Hubert stretch in the grass at the end of the long day 4 ride, just before Mike and Pam Smith show up.

Day 5 riding with Mike Smith of Sun Valley ID. Strong rider with fresh legs. Hard for me to keep up with him.

Miriah and I at a rest stop before running into a heavy rain of May flies swarming. It was difficult to breath without inhaling lots of bugs.


















Our wives meet us in Ontario OR. From left to right, Mike Smith, Pam Smith, Cindy Antolino, Ralph Antolino and Mariah.

Everyone seemed to have fun in Boise. I know I did. Rich took a tour of the town and was able to recite all sorts of interesting factoids about Boise when we met for dinner last night with the Smiths and Cindy. We dined at a very nice restaurant called “The Reef” which was decorated in Hawaiian motif and played Hawaii Five-Oh style music all during our meal. We broke training and had a drink. Rich had wine, I had a fabulous Mohito.

Last night Cindy had to spend three hours (most of it on hold) on our last evening together trying to reschedule the flight she had arranged for this morning with Northwestern. That was lots of fun for our last night together for the next 40 days. So this morning we said good bye at 6:20 am as she took off for the airport and I looked for breakfast.

The line at breakfast was horrendous. I went back to my room and made an emergency serving of my Quaker oats out of the hot water from the coffee maker. Then I packed up and loaded my things in the “box”. Once outside Gerard introduced me to a new rider, “Alois Gaigl” who said to just call him “Al”. Al has been in LA since 2003 doing test engineering for BMW. It sounds like a tough job. He is flown to various weather conditions (ice in Alaska, rain in Portland, etc.) all to test their new designs and features under various conditions. Al turns out to be a strong rider who plans to go cross country next year followed up by a cross Europe ride as he ends his five year tour of duty with BMW in the USA next year. He is a small wiry rider who I am sure will be strong on the climbs we have ahead of us.

As we start the ride we travel briefly along a beautiful stream with mountains in the background. Gerard, Al and I stop for the photo opp.

When we stop for this picture, I couldn't get my right foot off the peddle. I had to take the shoe off my foot. The cleat had come loose from the shoe and stayed in the peddle while the shoe turned. Lucky I didn't need to stop in a hurry and had the bridge to hang on to.

The ride itself is pretty much flat with a few inclines. I’m still struggling with the idea that we’ve had two days of “freeway” riding. Yes, you read that right, we are riding on the interstate divided highways. Apparently it is legal out here in the Wild West. The berm is a normal freeway width. We now have had a good look at lots and lots of steel belted radials up close and personal. Also, that little “no-doze” strip on the side of the freeway that wakes up drivers when they veer right of the white line has an entirely different effect on a bicyclist. One tip, don’t be caught sitting on your seat when you go over the strip or you will loose valuable parts of your body. Going over that strip shakes every bone and muscle in your body quite violently and your fingers go instantly numb from the shock and vibration. You don’t do it more than once on purpose.

Steve Bennett who caught Mike and I on day 5 and pulled us into the wind at an amazing 23 mph had his fifth flat tire today. The record for the ride is 25 and Steve is right on pace. Riding on the freeway berm makes getting debris through tires very very easy. Today I rode with Gerard and Al the entire ride. We started out leaving the hotel last and rode along at a good clip in a smooth pace line. At one point along the berm we hear a loud “pssssst” and it was from my bike. I immediately announce that “I’m going down” thinking of course that I had run over a nail, screw or steel belted radial and have a flat. When we pull over there is no flat or damage to my tire. We continue all confused by the noise.

Later we return to the room and do some cleaning of our machines and I discover the probable source of the noise. Check the photo below out. Apparently I picked up steel belted radial shrapnel with my front tire. It wraps itself around my front brake in an instant and I finish the ride out with those tiny wires tearing at my tire. It is a real testimonial to the Armadillo brand tires that I put on for this ride.

Girard, Al and I finish the ride by catching Steve Bennett and my airline pilot buddy John Hubert. They both left early and bolted quickly at the sag stop. We were gaining on them on the second half of the ride just as Steve obtained his fifth flat of the ride. We arrive first at the lovely Mountain Home Best Western where they greet us with great enthusiasm. We left around 8am and arrive at 10:30am. Much to my surprise the rooms are ready for us. I don’t think I have ever checked in to a hotel anywhere in the world where my room was ready before noon! The manager comes out to shake our hands and offer us water, apples Doritos’s and potatoes chips, all on the house! We stretch. I take a shower and a quick nap since our bags have not yet arrived. The ride itself was fun because it was quick and only 50 miles. However the scenery was the weakest we’ve seen yet. Rich put a picture of the Best Western in his blog as his evidence of the poor photo opps we’ve had today.

In the afternoon our leader, Mike Munk puts on a fantastic clinic on drive train maintenance. When you have been buying, maintaining, riding and talking with mechanics like I have for 40 years you think you know a few things or two. However, Mike really opened our eyes to how to more efficiently care for and maintain this very important part of the bicycle. A couple of tips for any of you bike nuts who are still reading this gibberish. 1) Spray w-d 40 on a towel and wipe the chain off as you spin it around. 2) Never lubricate your cogs. 3) Clean the cables under your bottom bracket but don’t oil them. 4) Floss daily: take a tee shirt edge and floss the cogs on your rear wheel. Keep them clean to shift smoothly but do not put lubrication on them. 5) lubricate the chain on the pins and not the outside of the chain. Wipe the lubrication off the chain to keep the outside of the chain as clean as possible. Lubrication doesn’t do any good on the outside of the chain; it will just attract dust and dirt, particularly out here in the Wild West. As a result of the clinic, Rich and I go back to our room after dinner and vigorously clean our steeds, Mariah and Peaches. Their drive trains have never been spiffier.

We work on our blogs, emails and try to get to bed early. It will be a long day tomorrow with breakfast at 5:30 am sharp. If you are late you don’t get fed. This group is full of chow hounds (not that I ever eat very much).

Day 8 - Cindy's cameo appearance

Day 8 – June 23, 2007 Cindy’s cameo appearance

My lovely wife Cindy shows up at the Triple A Rated Roadway Inn, Ontario OR after great choreography with Pam Smith. We celebrate with Orange Juice at our 6:00 am breakfast prior to our ride into Boise, ID.

Ride Stats

Distance: 62.56 miles

Riding Time: 4:33 hours

Speed Max: 29.8 mph

Average Spd: 13.7 mph

Fall Out Report:

Allison the med student with her dad is back (seat issues), Mike the Gator with the Achilles tendon injury is back, Kelly and Jennifer of the tri-motor are still out, Marilyn who did zero training and has the hybrid mountain bike continues to get her mileage in. Marilyn walks up the hills and goes at her own pace, but does most of the ride every day. She apparently got a few lifts from the sag wagon on the mountain days.

How I’m Feeling (1-10): The previous days really took something out of me. I've had trouble sleeping and a really dry throat, loosing my voice. On the one to ten scale I'm about a 5.5 today.

Ride Tidbits and Stuff:

Spending seven days away from the love of your life doesn’t really sound like that big of a deal when I write it out. However, Cindy has been a part of any major “fun” I have had for the past 30 years and it really is odd to not have her with me to share in the excitement and euphoria that some of these days have created. As a result, having her with me today is extra special. She and Pam Smith are both going to do the entire ride today.

Pam and Mike were so kind, they arranged a very nice rental bicycle from their local bike shop in Sun Valley Idaho and drove it down to meet us. As you may recall, Mike and Pam joined me in John Day. Pam stayed the night. The next morning Mike rode with me (fresh legs and all) while Pam drove back to Boise to meet Cindy at the airport. They had a nice girls day… Shakespeare theatre, dinner, shopping, etc. The next day they enjoyed themselves some more for breakfast and a drive to Ontario Or. In Ontario they were introduced to the group (last night) and today they are up and at ‘em to ride with us.

Here we are crossing the state line into Idaho. We also changed time zones today. I don't think I've ever done that by bicycle before.

Somehow the four of us get a little behind the power curve. We have to load last, the bikes have to be inspected and we are in no hurry. Eventually we take off and I realize we are the very last to leave. You know this because you are being followed by one of the tour guides known as the “sweep”. The sweep person is kind of like a broom, they “sweep” you along, make sure the ride team knows where the end of the group is and that all are present and accounted for. Riding sweep is not a position I have had before and it is a little uncomfortable being watched over. Kind of like the secret service is following you. That is reassuring and uncomfortable all at the same time.

The sweep person for the day is Debbie. I don’t know a lot about her yet and she hangs back a ways, but keeps up with us and keeps an eye on us. I think extra hard today about following all of Mike Munk’s safety rules in order to keep our group in the good graces of the leader. Some of the veteran riders like Mike Hites told me that Mike Munk has kicked people off the ride, literally sent them home, for violating his safety guidelines. I don’t want that to be me! Some of his rules are things all of you bikers out there do regularly.

We eventually loose our sweep position to Mark Mendleson who gets sidelined by a flat tire.

This is a photo of Max Mendelson, computer science major at Penn State, doing the ride with his dad. Behind him is an incredible array of cows being fed or something. Double click on the image (or any image) to blow the picture up and see more detail.

The day was generally flat. We had a very pleasant ride, but for the final 10 miles on Rt. 30 with heavy tractor-trailer traffic. It was very nice to have Cindy with me. I think her presence has nursed me back to a higher energy level!

More later, have to get to bed!

Day 5 -

Gerard goes for the Gold

Ride statistics
Distance: 117.1 miles
Average mph: 18.0
Ride time: 6:30 hours

(one heck of a ride and I gave it my all)

Injury Updates
Allison with seat issues...took the day off, rode with the Box
Kelly with achillies issues....rode with the Box
Jennifer watching over mom....stayed with mom while dad rode single bike
Derick Miller back on the road completing the 117 miler today
Ralph Antolino… a little soreness in the quads and lower back, loosing voice in evening (dry air??)

Weather
Severe Clear
Cool in beginning of today’s ride…65 Degrees
A dry heat of 92 degrees at the finish

Stories of the day:
This morning Gerard invites me to join a pace line being formed by Steve Flowers from Dallas. We start with a group of four, me, Gerard, Steve and John Huber (American Airline pilot from Connecticut). We are the very last of the group to depart for the biggest ride we’ve had yet, after four days that worked us pretty good. The first 12 miles are flat and the pace line works well. After the warm up we begin a gradual climb of about 3,000 feet of elevation over a 12 mile stretch. We stay together and pass many riders with Steve’s disciplined approach. The four of us share the workload every 60 seconds. The scenery is probably the best we’ve seen yet. Didn’t I say that yesterday? There really aren’t enough adjectives in my vocabulary to describe the awe and wonder of what we rode through today. Also, with Steve’s disciplined approach there wasn’t a lot of time for photo opp’s. Sorry about that. This was a serious ride and everyone seemed to take the same approach. We limited our stops to very short ones. From start to finish we were out 7.5 hours and had cumulative stops of 1 hour total. Part of the fun of today was that Gerard, John Huber and myself were the first three to finish today’s trip. John and I agreed that Gerard should get the “yellow jersey” for today based on his extraordinary effort today. He was the very first in followed closely behind by myself and John. We all did our share, but he came through when John and I were pretty tired. Not that we were competitive or anything, but Draco has been the first in every day so far and today the other Dutch phenomena, Gerard took the honors. That made it kind of fun.

This evening Mike and Pam Smith arrived and I got to have my second big dinner with them. For once I think I am going to bed with a full stomach and not too much later than my roomie who is already asleep as I type this. He has an amazing ability to sleep (or at least fake it). He puts his head down and he is out cold. But better yet, early in the morning he pops up out of the bed like he has springs on and is dressed and ready to go before I have even pulled back the covers. Rich has such great energy and enthusiasm for life and this adventure in particular that I feel really blessed to be sharing it with him.

I fell asleep while trying to write this and gave up and went to bed. I think I need more rest and recouperation than I have been getting. While riding I seem to feel pretty good. The cold weather has taken a toll on me a bit. I underestimate 50 Degrees and sunshine and how quickly the ride will warm up.

Today was a really tough ride and I was happy with my performance.

Not many pictures because we all took this major climb and distance day very seriously. I was happy to be in by 2pm and get a message. Mike our leader said many woulding get in until 5 or 6 pm.

Day 4 - Gerard Gets Going!

Gerard Berendse from Holland

Stats for the day:
Distance 62 miles
Climb: 2300 feet
Average Speed 14.6 mph

For once I wake up before Rich. The alarm clock has not been used yet (except for the first day when I set it for 5:45 on my PDA and it woke us up on Eastern time (ouch). Since then we’ve been using Rich as our alarm clock. Last night we left our patio door open and it was dead silent and cool great desert sleeping air filled our room and energized us for our ride today. I was surprised to find spring in my step when I climbed the three flights to breakfast carrying my bike and bags.

We had an above average breakfast today, oatmeal, eggs, orange juice and I was good to go. All in under 15 minutes. All 70 of us bring our bags to “The Box” (the sag truck) at 7am and we are under way immediately thereafter. The ride starts with a nice 1 mile descent out of the Casino/Resort Kah-nee-ta in the middle of nowhere Indian Reservation, OR. Gerard and John (airline pilot from Norwalk CT) had said they wanted to take the switchbacks up the steep side of the gorge versus the slower, more gradual climb to the mesa on our way to Prineville, OR. However, I waited, didn’t see them and left with Rich and took the slow more gradual climb.

We had a nice ride. Everyone wants to “take it easy” today after three good, challenging days and “the monster” that looms tomorrow. We start with Sarah but she gets impatient at our frequent photo stops and forges ahead. We meet up with Gerard and ride for a while in a small pack. Up the next long ascent (~ 3 miles) the group splits up and Gerard and I seem to be going at about the same pace. We end up spending the rest of the 62 mile ride getting to know each other better. He and I both agree we want to “save ourselves” for tomorrow. As a result we cruise along at about 10mph up the 5-8% climbs and ~ 16-18mph on the flats. It turns out he plays bridge twice a week, has an American wife, loves to bird watch the migratory birds in Holland and is in fantastic physical and mental condition. He is great inspiration for me. Besides Rich Simpson and Bob Kirk, I don’t think many 59 year olds could keep up with Gerard.

The ride is pleasant in that it is brief and we seem to have a crossing tailwind, fantastic scenery and bright sunny skies, but not too much in the way of heat. We spend most of the day on quiet roads with little traffic where we are able to ride side by side and carry on a nice conversation.

As we circumnavigate terrain and gain altitude, Mt. Hood continues to pop in and out of our view today as well.

With six miles to go we come to the top of a crest that opens up to a huge panorama of a valley that contains our destination, Prineville OR. Six miles straight ahead is Prineville. We start the descent. Our speed climbs from 18 to well over 30 as we tuck our chins near our handlebars. I turn on the helmet cam to capture some small piece of the rush. I tuck behind Gerard for a few moments. The descent flattens out. Then, as we start to peddle again I pass him and pull him for about 30 seconds then he passes me and vice verse for the next 4 miles. Gerard really got going on this flat section. We push as hard as we can just for the fun of it until I can’t take it any more. It was great fun, but so much for “taking it easy”.

We check in, eat lunch at a local sandwich shop ($5 for a huge turkey sub, chips and soup that was really hearty). We meet a lot of folks with cowboy hats and boots on that ask us if we are here for the local rodeo that starts tomorrow. We told them we couldn’t ride anything that didn’t have two wheels and pedals!

Today two riders in our group were unable to do the ride. Both due to tendon strains. We hope they return and are able to finish. One the tri-motor mom and the other a strapping young man of 18 years that is also a Florida Gator. His dad who is on the trip asked me if my block "O" Ohio state jersey was very old. I told him it was kind of old and a special gift from a special friend (thanks Anita). He replied that it must be old because it didn't say "Property of Florida" anywhere on it. (this ride isn't all fun)

Part of our ritual has become cleaning, lubricating and inspecting the bikes after each day.

Another part of our daily ritual is blogging. Rich and I are both blogging and it seems like many others are as well. The best blog of all is by our leader, Mike Munk who posts a journal under bamacyclist.com

Also of note today, the bike we call the “tri-motor” broke down. Cylinder #2 (Kelly the mom) strained her Achilles tendon on one of the ascents. Will the dad brought his own single bike and did the trip solo while daughter Jennifer tended to sag riders with great glee. She pressed the water jug button while all of us filled our bottles at both of the stops. She has become my, “up high, down low, too slow” buddy for giving five. She’s pretty good at it.

We have a weak meal that was prearranged at a local restaurant. I have fish and chips, Rich has meatloaf that later doesn’t sit well with him. Back in the room I crack open the extra large oatmeal container I purchased on the reservation and get creative fixing oatmeal from a coffee brewer. It seems to help as I get ready for bed and finish this blog. We have to figure out a way to improve our riding nutrition.

Finally, yesterday Rich and I decided to name our bicycles. I picked "Mariah" for mine. It does ride like the wind and the song seemed to have special meaning for me as I spend the most extended time I've ever spent away from the love of my life, Cindy. I miss love her, miss her and am very grateful that she is supportive of me taking this adventure of a lifetime. So, in case you are interested I included the lyrics here for you. Maybe you remember the tune.

They Call The Wind Mariah

Mariah
Mariah
They call the wind Mariah

Away out here they got a name
For rain and wind and fire
The rain is Tess, the fire Joe,
And they call the wind Mariah

Maria blows the stars around
And sends the clouds a’flyin’
Maria makes the mountains sound
Like folks were up there dying

Mariah
Mariah
They call the wind Mariah

Before I knew Mariah’s name
And heard her wail and whinin’
I had a girl and she had me
And the sun was always shinin’

But then one day I left my girl
I left her far behind me
And now I’m lost, so gone and lost
Not even God can find me

Mariah
Mariah
They call the wind Mariah

Out here they got a name for rain
For wind and fire only
But when you’re lost and all alone
There ain’t no word but lonely

And I’m a lost and lonely man
Without a star to guide me
Maria blow my love to me
I need my girl beside me

Mariah
Mariah
They call the wind Mariah

Mariah
Mariah!
Blow my love to me

Day 3 - Wildflower Sarah; Welches OR to Kah-nee-ta

Day 3 – Wildflower Sarah from Berkley

The stats for today:

76.03 Miles traveled
5.38 hours rolling
40.2 – Maximum Speed
13.5 Average Speed
Heart Rate: Tempo

Rich and I went to bed yesterday saying to one another, “There cannot be any days better than this!” (Day 2 around Portland). Believe it or not, today at least equaled yesterday. We started in 48 degree chilly air again. The sun was brilliant and the sky Western blue with accenting clouds that we just don’t see in the Midwest. However we were in the Cascade Mountains on the Oregon Trail. The air was very very clear. I didn’t realize my corrected eyesight could see quite that clearly. In fact, I think I could describe my vision today as “Ultra-Vision”. Dry, cool mountain air. The sky – clear, breeze – light, spirits – high.

We were up early, 5:30 am. We packed our bags in the “box”… the large day truck that all of our stuff is hauled in each day and then peddled .8 miles to the “Whistle Stop” for a breakfast buffet that one of the staff said is normally rated the very best breakfast on the tour. I had thought about finding my own breakfast this morning since all of the breakfasts so far have been limited and if you were not 15 minutes early you didn’t get any of the fruit. Today was an up tick. Nice spread of fruit, pancakes, eggs, sausage (no sausage and gravy like the other days). It was the best we’ve had so far. Still not up to my hopes, but enough to get me going much better than the previous two days.

At breakfast we dine with Sarah Shields of Berkley CA. Sarah has served on the America by Bike team before. It turns out that she has a daughter the same age as Lindsay and is traveling with a friend who is driving the route to Boise while she rides. On this trip however, Sarah a guest and said it is much more fun than working the ride. Imagine that! Rich and I start the ride today with Sarah. We start along Rt. 26, which is the Oregon Trail. Sarah does a nice job of trying to educate Rich and I about the wildflowers along the route. There are very pretty purple flowers all along one section that we pass. We soon come upon flowers that look like Daisy’s (I said), but she corrected me and now I can’t remember what she called them. As we ride along, mostly single file on a modest berm in rush hour traffic Sarah was drafting behind me at about a 12mph pace on a grade of 5-7% uphill. At one point after a stop she ends up in the lead and comments to me, “You don’t want me in the lead, I go too fast.” I did not get to find out how fast she could go today, but after Rich and I insisted on stopping numerous times to take photo’s of things that interested us, she tired of riding with us and moved on.

Probably the most dramatic thing about today was crossing the Cascades. We first climbed to a mesa with a 10 mile stretch of flats. During that time period, this group formed up to ride our first decent pace line of the trip:

From there we descended and climbed another 3,000 feet to experience a vista that I just couldn't begin to capture with a photo. We could see the road dropping 3,000 feet as it twisted and switched back and forth down the side of the mountain. This was a four mile fast "coast" where you can see for what seems to be forever. Over the vast terrain we couldn't find a man made structure anywere. I guess we are not in suburbia or Ohio any more. At the bottom, the enterance to our Indian Reservation Resort, Kah-nee-ta (complete with Casino) awaited us. As we we all discussed the exhilirating ride with big smiles on our faces, I asked, "Who wants to go back up the mountain and do it again?" I had two takers, Girard from Amesterdam Holland (age 59) and Russel from the State of Delaware who is my age. Russel tried to turn around twice on the ascent but Girrard and I encouraged him not to quit. It was well worth it and Russel had no regrets as we flew down once more to the bottom.

The hotel here is pretty nice. Dinner was a great Italian buffet. After dinner I called home and worked on this. Now it is time for bed!

OSU Grad "Skeeter" on his recumbent. He was in school with me during the same four years I was.

Bye for now!

Ralph