6/20
I suppose everything is relative. Someone asked me if today was a long ride and, even though today would've been by far my longest ride a week ago, I said that it really wasn't. It's just a testament to how much better of a cyclist I am today when compared to coming into this trip. Today was a 55 mile jaunt from Carson City to Fallon, "The Oasis of Nevada". It's a pretty small town, which is going to be par for the course for awhile, other than Vegas and Phoenix.
Other than a couple of hills, it was a long, straight ride. I think we made one turn the entire ride. I was able to hide my competitive spirit for the day by riding with a slower paceline. Usually when I ride, I'm in a group that tries to get there as fast as possible. Today, however, I rode with some guys who enjoyed talking and singing just as much as riding. It was a fun experience, and it did a lot to break up the monotony of the ride, which was unvarying in scenery.
The challenge now is to not fall into too comfortable of a rhythm. As I get more comfortable on the bike and with the other cyclists, it would be easy to lose sight of the goals set out for this trip by myself and by Push America. I'm doing my best to remind myself daily of the amazing gift I've been given: the ability and opportunity to ride a bicycle across the country to help others. More than once I've heard the phrase "ride for those who can't" and I need to continue taking that to heart.
Tonight's friendship visit is at Fallon Industries, and we've been told its a pirate themed party. Honestly, I have no idea what to expect but it should be fun.
6/20
Today's friendship visit showed me exactly why some people keep coming back to the Journey of Hope. A couple of the guys here have done the trip multiple times and now I understand why. Our friendship visit was at Fallon Industries, which hosted a pirate party for us. When we got there, a lot of the guys were given eye patches and pirate hats and other stuff to help us assimilate into the crowd. Credit goes out to all the guys for getting into the spirit of things and not trying to be too cool for the situation.
Dinner was brisket and chicken, an amazing combination. After a long day's ride, there's little I want to do more than eat, except maybe sleep, and a well-cooked meal is the best thing I could wish for at dinner time. There was plenty to go around and we ate our fill. I ended up eating dinner with a grandmother from Fallon. She reminded me a lot of my own grandmother and she was extremely intelligent. It was from her that I learned about the huge controversy going on in Iran and about all the protests. It was nice to talk to such a smart person from the outside world. Aside from her, the only news I've been getting is from the occasional news article emailed to me by my Pops. (Thanks dad, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it)
After we ate we cleared out the tables, leaving a huge space for us to kick off a dance and karaoke party. Again, all the guys really got into it and as a result, it was a great time. Everybody got into it and acted goofy and enjoyed themselves. I spent my time dancing with my aforementioned grandmother friend and singing karaoke. Time flew by as we did the Cha-cha Slide and serenaded our Project Managers with songs. Too soon, the time came to take our customary group picture and head back home for the night. As we were standing around, preparing to take the picture, we began an impromptu rendition of "The Rose of Pi Kappa Phi", our fraternity's song. Afterwards, we started singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'". When we went back inside to get our stuff, the DJs started playing the song for us through the sound system and we all stayed for one last encore. The visit ended with everyone arm in arm, singing and drinking in the scene. I loved it.
In addition to being an incredible friendship visit, it was the last piece of programming that the north and south routes had together. Tonight's our last night, then we split off tomorrow. It's been great to have all the north route guys with us but I think things will be great once we split up too. There'll be less people to keep track of, which hopefully means less logistical nightmares and a more close-knit group. Regardless of any advantages, it'll still be tough to see half the team head in another direction. It's been really enjoyable to meet all those guys.
6/21
It took roughly all of four minute to drive through the entirety of Hawthorne, Nevada. I'm in Mineral County High School, home of the Serpents. It's a class 2-A school that serves most of the county, if that informs you to any degree of the rurality of the area. Despite its small size and dusty demeanor, I like Hawthorne. It's very relaxed place, even more so now that our team is half it's original size.
The ride today wasn't too bad. I started off in a paceline of five towards the back but another rider and I kept breaking away from the rest of the group so we just decided to go it alone. It was really cool to ride with just one other person because you really get the opportunity to get to know someone. In today's case, that someone was Sam Knoblauch, a senior from Iowa State. We hadn't really gotten the chance to talk much before so today was a good day for that. The terrain was pretty flat with enough hills to make us appreciate the downhill parts without dying on the uphills. For most of the ride we had to contend with a desert atmosphere, but about 50 miles in we came across a huge lake that we actually followed for most of the way in. At around mile 55 we stopped and had lunch with the rest of the team. After lunch we took off again. The last 20 miles were probably the hardest just because we were tired and wanted to be finished but we were moving at our slowest pace of the day. It's a lot tougher going with only two riders than with four because you're dealing with the wind more often and there's less of an opportunity to draft. However, the conversation did flow much more easily, which was nice in keeping our minds off of aching legs.
Once we got to the high school, I walked out to the football field, sat down in the stands, and called my dad to wish him a happy Father's Day. I've made a point of dedicating my ride every day to a different person. (Don't worry mom, yours is coming) Anyways, today was dedicated to Pops and I spent a lot of the ride thinking about a lot of the things he's done for me. Without him I wouldn't be here at all. Not only did he make sure I was raised to be who I am today, he has also supported me in everything I do. When all my peers and I were younger, we were all told that we could do and be whatever we wanted when we grew up. My parents actually kept me believing that all my life, even after many other parents stopped supporting their children and tried to instill reality. Thanks dad. You're an amazing man and if I ever become half the person you are then it'll be a life well lived on my account. Happy Father's Day, I love you.
After talking to my Pops, it wasn't long at all before I had my sleeping back out and I was asleep. I woke up from my nap awhile later to hear a big group of guys laughing and cracking jokes. Some of the guys have taken to comparing Hawthorne to the setting of "The Hills Have Eyes", a horror movie set in some middle American desert where a stranded family is attacked by monsters or cannibals or something of the sort. It's my sincere hope that this isn't the case here. Spending time at the school was nice. With just the south route, there's a lot less bustle and a lot more relaxation. A lot of guys spent time lounging about or writing. A few of the guys and I made up a game involving a volleyball and a basketball court called Mamba Ball (in honor of the Black Mamba, the one black van we have in our fleet. All the other vans are white. The one I ride in is called Glitter Fairy. Figures.) It's times like that that are my favorite on the road. Without internet or girls or places to go, we're reduced to a group of guys hanging out, reading, and playing sports while joking around and having a good time. I don't think I'd live my whole life like that, but it sure is nice sometimes to live life without worrying about the frivolous things. Sometimes a good book or a ball is all you need.
Dinner tonight was provided by the Elks Lodge of Hawthorne. We ate spaghetti with a dessert of ice cream, a special treat for us given that we rarely get dessert. I volunteered to give an advocacy presentation to the group, which means that after dinner I stood up and explained to our sponsors exactly what it was that we as a team stood for and what we were doing. A lot of groups know that we work with people with disabilities but they don't know how we go about it so we give the aforementioned advocacy presentations. In return, they explained to us the exact nature of the Benevolent Order of the Elks. A lot of members of the civic clubs that we attend are interested in recruiting us. Already I've learned what it takes to become an Elk, a Rotarian, and a Lion. If you're reading this and you belong to any of these organizations, know that you've got competition, so recruit hard.
After dinner, a lot of guys hung out at the lodge to play poker and pool. I headed back pretty early, carrying with me a box of MREs that was given to the team as a gift. Back at the high school we spent much of the evening playing basketball and knockout. It's a lot of fun, but I think it's funny how little foresight we have. Knowing that we have a 100 mile day tomorrow, we're all careening around the court like we'll never get to play sports ever again. Oh, the joys of being young.
The day has definitely worn me out. Still, I'm doing things now that I couldn't have dreamed of doing a month ago. One thing is for sure, though: I need to get an air mattress. It's nice to be young but even a whippersnapper like me can't sleep on these wooden floors for too much longer.
6/22
Today was supposed to be my first century ride but in the end I found something a little more exciting instead. Sure, it's cool to tell people that you rode 100 miles, but its a lot cooler to tell them you took on a semi and, even though you didn't necessarily win, you survived. The day started off pretty well with the miles flying by and everything going well enough. I rode with some different people and settled into a groove, talking with the other guys and passing time well enough. Joey Haynes, someone I'd met on facebook beforehand but hadn't really talked to much on the actual trip, joined Sam and Josh Star, a friend of mine from the University of Houston. It was a good paceline and it seemed that the ride into Tonopah would be a fairly simple one given that it was our first 100 mile day.
However, about 40 miles in we were passed by an 18-wheeler in the right-hand lane directly next to the shoulder where we were biking. Usually these trucks will slow down a bit or move over for us but when they don't it creates a brutal crosswind that can be difficult to navigate. This was one of those instances and one of the riders ahead of me, Josh, lost his balance and fell. Joey was between the two of us and swerved out of the way but as he moved I clipped his tire and was sent sprawling. My handlebars found themselves inside someone else's back tire and I hurtled past the scene, landing hard on my right side. At first I had enough adrenaline to get up and call a crew member and make sure Josh was okay. After the initial excitement wore off though, the pain started to set in. My elbow and hip were scraped up pretty badly and I landed hard on my right wrist. Moreover, my bike wheel became untrue and unridable for the remainder of the day.
While everyone else rode on, Josh and I rode into Tonopah with our project manager. Coming into town, we saw some roadwork taking place as work crews laid new tar over the roads. We looked around for a suitable detour and the only one we could find involved several uphill climbs (on the tail end of a century day) and an inordinate number of turns. We debated over which route to take, eventually settling on the alternate route.
After this, we went about looking for the Lion's Club that was supposed to be feeding us later that evening. We eventually found them after a little too much searching and were able to talk to the two men at the Lion's Den. One of them was a big nosed retired minister with a doctorate from Golden Gate University who was never wrong and had an affinity for turquoise jewelry. The other was a lean man who, in my first conversation with him, told me the following story:
For whatever reason, he can't keep his food down unless he smokes a bit of weed before he eats. One night, the police showed up at a party he was at because some girl was taking illegal prescription drugs or something; I don't know. Anyways, this guy had some weed and when the police came by, he gave it up to them, saying it was for medical reasons. When they asked him for a card or something to validate his reason, he responded by saying that he didn't have one. They threw him in jail but soon after getting there he began rapidly losing weight because he couldn't smoke before he ate. Eventually, it got to the point that they thought he was going to die in prison, so they let him out. After telling us this story, he excused himself by saying "Well, I need to go lay down some linoleum." And with that, he turned around and walked off, leaving Josh and me confused and a little nervous about the coming evening.
After settling all the questions of logistics between the team and the Lion's Club, I was set down on a street corner where I could tell the cyclists where to turn because some of the new turns needed marking. I marked the turn until everyone finished, then I was picked up and taken back to the school. I had just enough time to shower before we were told to get dressed and get in the vans. Apparently someone at the Lion's Club had graciously set us up with a tour of the Tonopah Mines, which used to be the lifeblood of the city. You know, back when it was still alive. We survived the tour and had dinner with the Lion's Club at a local park where a lot of the guys lost their dignity and ended up playing on jungle gyms and see-saws.
After dinner, we circled up outside the school and split up into two groups: those that needed to go to the general store to get medicine (this ended up being half the team because we're all sick) and those that wanted to eat at McDonald's. I was able to do both and then retreat back to the school for some well-needed rest and relaxation.
All in all, it was disappointing that I was unable to complete my first century ride, but it was a fascinating day nonetheless. Hopefully tomorrow will be better as far as riding goes. Off the bike though, I would be hard pressed to hear more interesting tales.
6/23
Nevada keeps throwing us surprises. Just when we think we've got the state figured out, we get another curveball thrown at us.
Today, just like yesterday, was simple enough at the start. It's 95 miles from Tonopah to Beatty and we did the first 60 at a blistering pace. It took us around three hours to do that 60 and we were feeling good about ourselves when we stopped for lunch. Everyone was making great time and working well together and it looked like we had definitely overestimated how tough of a ride it would be.
However, after lunch the situation took a turn for the worse. Temperatures had been rising steadily all day and after lunch we had to deal with triple-degree temperatures for the first time all summer. The high of the day was 104 degrees but it felt a lot hotter on the asphalt. In addition, we started climbing steadily after we ate. There weren't any major hills to battle, just a slow grade. In several ways, those climbs are worse than the monster hills we come across. You get much less satisfaction when besting them and the downhill segments are often much less enjoyable. The problems we were facing were doubled by the fact that we had to deal with a killer headwind, another first for us. The wind ensured that we went slower on downhills than we usually did on flats and made the entire time miserable and irritable. It was just frustrating to work so hard and feel like absolutely no progress was being made. Much of the time, I felt like I was biking through water. We did eventually make it in to Beatty, where we spent most of the afternoon napping.
Today was definitely one of the tougher days I've had so far. Not only was it physically difficult, it was mentally hard as well because I was surprised by the difficulties we faced at the end. It's much easier to face something when you expect it and prepare for it. When you're caught by surprise, it's a lot tougher to have a positive attitude and be welcoming to the challenge presented. Nevada is an interesting and, in it's own way, pretty place, but all the small towns are beginning to blend together in my mind's eye. It's time for a change of pace and Nevada really doesn't offer that.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
First week down
Sorry its taken so long to update. Internet is pretty rare out here. I had to strike a deal with one of the crew members to get some face time with a decent connection. I've taken about 250 pictures so far so I'll put some up when I get the chance. Luckily, I've been writing every day, so here's a day by day account of the Journey of Hope thus far.
June 12
85 Pictures. 50 new friends. 2 days. 1 team.
I really don’t know where to begin here. Already, before I’ve biked a single mile, my every expectation has been far surpassed. I’m having a great time, meeting amazing people, and growing and developing as a person. And we haven’t even left San Francisco yet.
I guess I should start at the beginning. Wednesday I flew out of Houston to Phoenix and from there to San Francisco. There was a fellow team member, Reid Grobe from the University of Houston, on the flight with me. Together the two of us managed to track down some other Pi Kapps in the airport and we all got picked up and taken to Orientation by the crew. Orientation is taking place at the University of San Francisco, which has been extremely gracious to put us up for the few days we’re here.
Orientation has been a mix of skills assessments, where we learn and are tested on the different skills we’ll need on the road, such as cornering, riding in a paceline (a long single-file line that cuts drag), and changing tires. The rest of the time we’re either in meetings or hanging out with all the guys. It’s been an extremely busy time. We rarely get more than thirty minutes between being in one place and having to be in another, and that includes showering and taking care of our own business.
It’s been rough, but tonight we were rewarded with the evening off to see the city of San Francisco. I went with fellow TCU team member Scott Asher and the two of us walked to Haight and Ashbury Streets, where we played the tourist game for awhile. It was a great chance to relax, talk to a friend, and see some sights. After we went back to the dorm, we picked up some more guys and took a bus to Chinatown. There were about 15 of us in all and from that group; five of us split off and got dinner together. I had a great time eating with the guys and, for the first time, I felt like we were getting past the preliminary stages of friendship and really getting to know each other. We spent the rest of the evening in the various shops of Chinatown, trying on the funny hats and taking pictures. I’ve honestly never felt more like a tourist (and I’ve never been more okay with that). Also, we found an ivory tusk on sale for 95,000 dollars. It had a sign next to it that read “no pictures”. Naturally, I’ll be putting up pictures of it soon.
So, that was my evening. I love all the people I’ve met and time is flying by. I’m now in my room, cranking this out before I go to sleep. All that we’re lacking now is a bit of cycling.
June 13
Just got back to our dorms after our training ride. Now more than ever, I’m so excited to be biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and kicking off. I rode in a paceline with the other three guys from TCU and I thought that we did a great job. If we hadn’t been sidetracked by a couple of flats along the way, we probably would’ve been one of the fastest groups. I knew the other guys were going to be in great shape but I had no idea how I’d stack up. After today though, I think I’ve been able to prove to myself that I belong out here with the best.
We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge down to the piers after a 6 o’clock wake up and breakfast and worked for a bit more on riding in pacelines and group communication. After that, we took off on a twenty mile ride that wound through a lot of the districts surrounding the bay. It was a great ride. I had a lot of fun riding with the other TCU guys and we kept a good pace that wasn’t too brutal. I spent some time riding at the front of the paceline, taking the brunt of the wind resistance so the rest of the line can ride at the same speed with less effort. I did a pretty good job (in my mind at least) until, right when I was starting to wear out, we hit the biggest hill of the day and I, being the prideful guy that I am, decided to tackle it before I dropped off. It gassed me pretty bad but the ride wasn’t too long so it’s all good.
After the ride we hung out and had lunch on the bay. Lunch today was a crew chief lunch, which means that the crew chief, on a measly budget, provides us lunch. Today it was a single sandwich (one slice of cheese and two of meat) and a handful of pretzels. It wasn’t much but all it has to do is get us through the afternoon until dinner, which is sponsored by Gamma chapter at UC Berkley. It’s the kickoff dinner, so I’m sure it’ll be good. The afternoon is going to be taken up by the last of the orientation meetings, so it’s good to know that those are almost over.
June 13
Tomorrow is the big kick-off. I’m feeling completely ready so most of the nervousness has been replaced with excitement. I really need to be sleeping soon (wake-up is at 5:30) but, from the sounds of it, the excitement is too palpable to think about sleep. People keep popping into my room for a quick word or a frog snap. Also, we’re in the process of naming our bikes. Hopefully Caroline gets me across the country this summer. Wish me luck and say a prayer friends. Tomorrow marks the start of something special.
July 14
I've been really excited to be out on the road and now the time has finally come. Kick off today started with us biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was really cool. I blew out a tire about 30 miles into the ride and so I wasn't able to finish, which was pretty frustrating, but things could have gone a lot worse. As it is, it was a good, hard day of riding even if it did end too soon. We had an incredible friendship visit too. Every year, the Napa Little League sponsors a Challenger Division, which is like a Special Olympics little league. Their last game was today, so we were invited to tag along at their end-of-the-year party. All in all, there were several hundred people there, including us and friends and family members of the players. It really was a great experience, but I'm exhausted. Luckily we get to stay in a hotel tonight. After this its gym floors for a long time.
June 15
I am currently lying on my sleeping bag in Sutter Middle School’s gym in Sacramento, California. I didn’t have any mechanical problems like yesterday so I finished my first full ride of the Journey of Hope and I must say that it was quite an experience. After a good night’s stay in a Best Western in Napa, I woke up at six for a breakfast at Denny’s before taking off.
It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that we’d need the extra calories of that big breakfast. A few miles into the trip we left the city and hit a ridge that we’d spend the greater part of the day climbing. We had a steep climb that lasted about 3.5 miles that lasted for a half mile, followed by us hurtling down the other side. At my fastest, I hit 35 MPH today on those downhill runs, a pretty intense speed when you consider that I was on such a frail piece of machinery. This was followed by another climb, over and over. It was tough, but I really got to bond with a couple of the guys. Going at such a slow pace, we were really able to talk about some things. And we found a lot of things to keep us going. One of the three guys in my paceline (we lost one guy on one of the hills so it was only three of us for most of the day) filled us in on his mantra: “We take joy in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”, which is Romans 5:3-4. Of course, I responded with James 1:2, “Take joy when you face trials of many kinds, my brothers.” Between that, we summoned the energy to get up the mountains. And letting fly on the bottom was great.
Also, we got to see some of the most beautiful country imaginable today. Having sights like the ones we saw helped a lot in terms of staying distracted from our burning quads. Speaking of distractions, I’ve realized that the crew members know that whatever songs we hear when we stop every ten miles or so for pit stops get stuck in our head. As such, they’ve taken to playing the most obnoxious stuff possible. I’ve had Britney Spears and bad techno running through my mind all day. Imagine trying to peddle to that. Not the best possible choices. We did manage to counteract this by singing our own songs, though. It’s just a little more difficult than you’d think while on a bike.
Once we finished in the mountains, we took a quick break and checked up on things. We did the math and realized that we’d have to set a hard pace to make rack point. We spent the rest of the day in relatively flat terrain, hauling to make it to Sacramento in time. We passed more wine country with beautiful rolling hills in the background. Lucky for us, those hills were just in the background. We ended up making rack point and coming in as the second or third paceline in. After putting our bikes up, we clapped all the other groups in and then ate lunch, which was Subway sandwiches, a great alternative to our usual crew lunches. After lunch, we gathered in two long lines and rode to the capitol building of Sacramento. While there wasn’t an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, there were some news crews and people around to greet us. After a few words of welcome, we got back on our bikes and rode to the middle school, where I’m typing this. It’s great to have some time off to relax and catch up on writing. Unfortunately, an internet connection is a luxury out here. Hopefully I’ll find one soon so I can put this on the internet.
July 15
Tonight’s friendship visit was great. We drove out to the Southside Art Center, which is an art center for people with developmental disabilities. Some of the art that these people have created is truly astounding. My favorite was an old landscape painting that a client had taken and painted a futuristic scene over it. It was a drab background of the previous landscape with brightly colored spaceships and towers superimposed on the canvas. Since I have absolutely no artistic talent at all, it was really cool to see what these people could do. One of the focuses of Push America is the abilities of people with disabilities and I think that really exemplified that ideal.
After touring the facility we were treated to a pizza dinner by the Art Center, People First of California, and Arc of Sacramento. It was a great meal to end the day. My favorite part of the visit was a performance by the Southside Ensemble, a band made up of Southside Art Center clients. It was great to see all the guys get into it and even better to just sit back and watch those amazing people show their talents. It’s definitely been a full day. The best part is that every day is getting better. I’m living the dream right now.
July 16
The trip to Jackson today was a frustrating one for me. I finished my first full ride yesterday and really thought I was beginning to get in the proper rhythm of things and then I had to deal with several setbacks today. I volunteered to sweep today, which means that I and one other rider stick in the very back of the group and wear orange jerseys so the crew can know exactly how far along all the riders are.
Two miles into the ride, we came up on the back group dealing with a flat. We thought it was just a flat tire but it turns out it was completely blown, which means that we wasted a good fifteen minutes working at it until we realized it was a goner. After we racked the person who lost his tire, we had to hop in a crew van and drive up ten miles to the next crew stop where the other sweep and I jumped in with another paceline. We biked a hard ten miles and then we stopped at the next crew stop. From there we gave all the riders there a head start and spent some time with the crew. After awhile we left again, just the other sweep and me. We only rode about two more miles before my tire, the second one in three days, blew out. Flats are a fairly common occurrence on the road but some guys make it across the entire country on their original tires so losing two in three days was extremely frustrating, especially because my spare was in the bottom of my bag in a crew van thirty miles down the road. I was really disappointed to be done for the day after only biking about fifteen miles.
On the positive side though, I did get to spend some time with the crew. Honestly, some of my favorite guys out here are crew members. Apparently, there’s been an ‘us versus them’ mentality between crew and cyclists in the past but I haven’t seen it at all out here. They work just as hard, if not harder, than the cyclists do and they get none of the glory. They’re up earlier in the morning and later in the evening than we are and they never eat until all cyclists have. With the cycling portion of this trip, one could easily be motivated to participate for the wrong reasons: the glory, or just the physical challenge. However, with the crew members, you know it’s purely a labor of love.
I’d only been in the crew van for about twenty minutes when one of the guys I was riding with invited me to take a quick power nap. I figured I would rest for about fifteen minutes but next thing I knew I was waking up an hour and a half later to the sound of all the riders being cheered into the city. It definitely wasn’t the plan to crash like that but it was probably necessary that I got that rest. Even with that, I took a nap once we got settled into the gym. I guess I’m just more tired than I thought. Tonight we’re getting fed by the Jackson Lions Club at a place called Mel and Faye’s Diner. I’m really looking forward to it. A good meal is greatly appreciated out here and I fully expect tonight to deliver the goods.
July 17
Today was the infamous Kirkwood ride. From what I had heard, going in it sounded like it would be the hardest ride of the summer. Looking back on it now, there’s no way that we can possibly do anything as difficult as what I just finished. Today’s ride pushed me mentally and physically harder than probably anything I’ve ever done. But, having done it, I couldn’t feel better.
The day started off at 6 am with our wake up call. Breakfast was provided by the fine folks at Mel and Faye’s Diner in Jackson. We were fortunate to have such a good breakfast provided. Most dinners are sponsored and a lot of lunches are as well but almost every single day our breakfast consists of half a bagel and a banana. I guess they knew that we’d need the extra calories.
We left Jackson at 8 and began climbing almost immediately. The climbs weren’t as steep as those from a couple of days ago, but they were much longer. We started the day at 1,000 feet above sea level and within a few hours we’d climbed to 5,000. It was a steady, constant climb but I had a really good paceline and we all managed to pull each other through. One of the other TCU students, Adam Wilson, had some problems with his knee and had to compensate with his other leg for most of the ride but gritted it out and we had few problems other than that.
One of the advantages of today’s ride was that we were treated to some beautiful vistas. We ate lunch with some other groups at a scenic overlook about 5,000 feet up. It’s easy to zone out by staring at the tire in front of you but one look off to the side was often enough motivation to keep going. Lunch was short but sweet. The crew members were playing music and a lot of guys had stopped so it was a very welcome break from the monotony of slow uphill climbing.
We never adopted a particularly grueling pace, but we took short rest stops and everyone pulled consistently and evenly and we made really good time. We climbed as high as 8,000 feet before we got a break by riding downhill for a couple of miles down to 7,100 feet. After that, we had another climb ahead, this time to almost 8,500 feet. By this point in the climb we had pretty much passed through the threshold of pain and our bodies were doing everything automatically. We just got to the point where thought was more a liability than an advantage and after that the whole experience became a numb one.
At 8,500 feet, we came to the top and looked down on a huge drop. The decline lasted 14 miles and we lost about 5,000 feet in altitude. At my peak, I went over 50 miles an hour on my bike. It’s a sensation that’s a lot like skiing, except the consequence of falling is much, much greater. Once you hit a speed like that, there’s not a lot you can do for yourself in the event of a bump in the road or some other debris. To be honest, I made peace with dying on that road. I have never been more scared in my life. It was just like a roller coaster except that tiny voice in the back of your head that tells you that you’re safe is silent. I’m not sure I’ll ever go that fast again, but it was definitely worth it for the singular experience.
Once we plateaued at the bottom, we knew it was just a matter of time before we would be pulling into our lodging. The ride just didn’t seem to end though. We had a few miles of straight, flat ground during which one of the guys in my paceline said something along the lines of “Take that, Kirkwood!” Sadly, the mountain had its revenge soon enough. There’s a running joke around here that says that we spend every night at the top of the biggest hill and today was no exception. Just when we thought we had conquered the beast, one final, neverending hill loomed ahead. By then, my hands, butt, and back where completely numb. Every peddle was more of a mental battle than a physical one. But we got there, somehow, some way. The Jackson Lion’s Club drove all the way out to Markleeville and grilled out for us and every time a new group rode in they would throw a hot dog and hamburger on a bun and make sure the riders were well taken care of. Five minutes after arrival I had downed two hot dogs, two hamburgers, and a few brownies and I was off to the showers. The rest of the evening was spent cheering the rest of the guys in and relaxing with the Lions Club members who made the drive out. My group finished the ride at 6:30- a 10 and a half hour ride. Other groups lasted as late as 8 before coming in.
It was a monster day, something that truly took everything I had. After this, every other day this summer seems like a joke. As difficult as it was, I loved it and really enjoyed the challenge. It was precisely the type of day I had in mind when I signed up for this experience. Already I can see the extent to which I’ve grown by being a part of this day. I’m having the journey of a lifetime, and I can’t express how thankful I am, to my parents, my friends and family, my supporters, and to God for giving me this opportunity. I love you all, take care.
July 18
My favorite sportswriter is Bill Simmons. He's a huge Celtics fan, and he writes that some of his most poignant memories as a child were watching Larry Bird's Celtics and their championship runs. However, he didn't remember the championship teams as much as he remembered the defending champ teams. He writes that "the way you can look into the essence of a team isn't by how it wins a championship, but by how it defends that championship the next year." He discusses how Kevin McHale broke his foot but gamely continued playing on it throughout the playoffs one year in a desperate attempt to defend a title. Even though his foot and his career were never the same, McHale will tell you that he doesn't regret a single action. That was on my mind a lot today because I was interested in seeing how I would respond today after yesterday's ride. Today was forty miles long and mostly flat, which was pretty new for us.
It's been astounding to see how much better of a cyclist I am now than I was a week ago. As a group, we're much better at handling our bikes and our pacelines are much tighter. A week ago, we would be able to ride about 18 miles an hour on flat terrain. Today we averaged 22 miles per hour. When I was second in line, my tire was literally three inches off of the leader's. Admittedly, we were gunning it today and trying to finish as quickly as possible, but it was good to see that I can go much faster now than I could previously. It's also been heartening for me to see where I stand in the group. As of today, I think I could ride in the fastest paceline the South route has to offer and hang in there. Hopefully I'll just be able to keep improving with time.
June 12
85 Pictures. 50 new friends. 2 days. 1 team.
I really don’t know where to begin here. Already, before I’ve biked a single mile, my every expectation has been far surpassed. I’m having a great time, meeting amazing people, and growing and developing as a person. And we haven’t even left San Francisco yet.
I guess I should start at the beginning. Wednesday I flew out of Houston to Phoenix and from there to San Francisco. There was a fellow team member, Reid Grobe from the University of Houston, on the flight with me. Together the two of us managed to track down some other Pi Kapps in the airport and we all got picked up and taken to Orientation by the crew. Orientation is taking place at the University of San Francisco, which has been extremely gracious to put us up for the few days we’re here.
Orientation has been a mix of skills assessments, where we learn and are tested on the different skills we’ll need on the road, such as cornering, riding in a paceline (a long single-file line that cuts drag), and changing tires. The rest of the time we’re either in meetings or hanging out with all the guys. It’s been an extremely busy time. We rarely get more than thirty minutes between being in one place and having to be in another, and that includes showering and taking care of our own business.
It’s been rough, but tonight we were rewarded with the evening off to see the city of San Francisco. I went with fellow TCU team member Scott Asher and the two of us walked to Haight and Ashbury Streets, where we played the tourist game for awhile. It was a great chance to relax, talk to a friend, and see some sights. After we went back to the dorm, we picked up some more guys and took a bus to Chinatown. There were about 15 of us in all and from that group; five of us split off and got dinner together. I had a great time eating with the guys and, for the first time, I felt like we were getting past the preliminary stages of friendship and really getting to know each other. We spent the rest of the evening in the various shops of Chinatown, trying on the funny hats and taking pictures. I’ve honestly never felt more like a tourist (and I’ve never been more okay with that). Also, we found an ivory tusk on sale for 95,000 dollars. It had a sign next to it that read “no pictures”. Naturally, I’ll be putting up pictures of it soon.
So, that was my evening. I love all the people I’ve met and time is flying by. I’m now in my room, cranking this out before I go to sleep. All that we’re lacking now is a bit of cycling.
June 13
Just got back to our dorms after our training ride. Now more than ever, I’m so excited to be biking across the Golden Gate Bridge and kicking off. I rode in a paceline with the other three guys from TCU and I thought that we did a great job. If we hadn’t been sidetracked by a couple of flats along the way, we probably would’ve been one of the fastest groups. I knew the other guys were going to be in great shape but I had no idea how I’d stack up. After today though, I think I’ve been able to prove to myself that I belong out here with the best.
We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge down to the piers after a 6 o’clock wake up and breakfast and worked for a bit more on riding in pacelines and group communication. After that, we took off on a twenty mile ride that wound through a lot of the districts surrounding the bay. It was a great ride. I had a lot of fun riding with the other TCU guys and we kept a good pace that wasn’t too brutal. I spent some time riding at the front of the paceline, taking the brunt of the wind resistance so the rest of the line can ride at the same speed with less effort. I did a pretty good job (in my mind at least) until, right when I was starting to wear out, we hit the biggest hill of the day and I, being the prideful guy that I am, decided to tackle it before I dropped off. It gassed me pretty bad but the ride wasn’t too long so it’s all good.
After the ride we hung out and had lunch on the bay. Lunch today was a crew chief lunch, which means that the crew chief, on a measly budget, provides us lunch. Today it was a single sandwich (one slice of cheese and two of meat) and a handful of pretzels. It wasn’t much but all it has to do is get us through the afternoon until dinner, which is sponsored by Gamma chapter at UC Berkley. It’s the kickoff dinner, so I’m sure it’ll be good. The afternoon is going to be taken up by the last of the orientation meetings, so it’s good to know that those are almost over.
June 13
Tomorrow is the big kick-off. I’m feeling completely ready so most of the nervousness has been replaced with excitement. I really need to be sleeping soon (wake-up is at 5:30) but, from the sounds of it, the excitement is too palpable to think about sleep. People keep popping into my room for a quick word or a frog snap. Also, we’re in the process of naming our bikes. Hopefully Caroline gets me across the country this summer. Wish me luck and say a prayer friends. Tomorrow marks the start of something special.
July 14
I've been really excited to be out on the road and now the time has finally come. Kick off today started with us biking across the Golden Gate Bridge, which was really cool. I blew out a tire about 30 miles into the ride and so I wasn't able to finish, which was pretty frustrating, but things could have gone a lot worse. As it is, it was a good, hard day of riding even if it did end too soon. We had an incredible friendship visit too. Every year, the Napa Little League sponsors a Challenger Division, which is like a Special Olympics little league. Their last game was today, so we were invited to tag along at their end-of-the-year party. All in all, there were several hundred people there, including us and friends and family members of the players. It really was a great experience, but I'm exhausted. Luckily we get to stay in a hotel tonight. After this its gym floors for a long time.
June 15
I am currently lying on my sleeping bag in Sutter Middle School’s gym in Sacramento, California. I didn’t have any mechanical problems like yesterday so I finished my first full ride of the Journey of Hope and I must say that it was quite an experience. After a good night’s stay in a Best Western in Napa, I woke up at six for a breakfast at Denny’s before taking off.
It didn’t take long for it to become apparent that we’d need the extra calories of that big breakfast. A few miles into the trip we left the city and hit a ridge that we’d spend the greater part of the day climbing. We had a steep climb that lasted about 3.5 miles that lasted for a half mile, followed by us hurtling down the other side. At my fastest, I hit 35 MPH today on those downhill runs, a pretty intense speed when you consider that I was on such a frail piece of machinery. This was followed by another climb, over and over. It was tough, but I really got to bond with a couple of the guys. Going at such a slow pace, we were really able to talk about some things. And we found a lot of things to keep us going. One of the three guys in my paceline (we lost one guy on one of the hills so it was only three of us for most of the day) filled us in on his mantra: “We take joy in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope”, which is Romans 5:3-4. Of course, I responded with James 1:2, “Take joy when you face trials of many kinds, my brothers.” Between that, we summoned the energy to get up the mountains. And letting fly on the bottom was great.
Also, we got to see some of the most beautiful country imaginable today. Having sights like the ones we saw helped a lot in terms of staying distracted from our burning quads. Speaking of distractions, I’ve realized that the crew members know that whatever songs we hear when we stop every ten miles or so for pit stops get stuck in our head. As such, they’ve taken to playing the most obnoxious stuff possible. I’ve had Britney Spears and bad techno running through my mind all day. Imagine trying to peddle to that. Not the best possible choices. We did manage to counteract this by singing our own songs, though. It’s just a little more difficult than you’d think while on a bike.
Once we finished in the mountains, we took a quick break and checked up on things. We did the math and realized that we’d have to set a hard pace to make rack point. We spent the rest of the day in relatively flat terrain, hauling to make it to Sacramento in time. We passed more wine country with beautiful rolling hills in the background. Lucky for us, those hills were just in the background. We ended up making rack point and coming in as the second or third paceline in. After putting our bikes up, we clapped all the other groups in and then ate lunch, which was Subway sandwiches, a great alternative to our usual crew lunches. After lunch, we gathered in two long lines and rode to the capitol building of Sacramento. While there wasn’t an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger, there were some news crews and people around to greet us. After a few words of welcome, we got back on our bikes and rode to the middle school, where I’m typing this. It’s great to have some time off to relax and catch up on writing. Unfortunately, an internet connection is a luxury out here. Hopefully I’ll find one soon so I can put this on the internet.
July 15
Tonight’s friendship visit was great. We drove out to the Southside Art Center, which is an art center for people with developmental disabilities. Some of the art that these people have created is truly astounding. My favorite was an old landscape painting that a client had taken and painted a futuristic scene over it. It was a drab background of the previous landscape with brightly colored spaceships and towers superimposed on the canvas. Since I have absolutely no artistic talent at all, it was really cool to see what these people could do. One of the focuses of Push America is the abilities of people with disabilities and I think that really exemplified that ideal.
After touring the facility we were treated to a pizza dinner by the Art Center, People First of California, and Arc of Sacramento. It was a great meal to end the day. My favorite part of the visit was a performance by the Southside Ensemble, a band made up of Southside Art Center clients. It was great to see all the guys get into it and even better to just sit back and watch those amazing people show their talents. It’s definitely been a full day. The best part is that every day is getting better. I’m living the dream right now.
July 16
The trip to Jackson today was a frustrating one for me. I finished my first full ride yesterday and really thought I was beginning to get in the proper rhythm of things and then I had to deal with several setbacks today. I volunteered to sweep today, which means that I and one other rider stick in the very back of the group and wear orange jerseys so the crew can know exactly how far along all the riders are.
Two miles into the ride, we came up on the back group dealing with a flat. We thought it was just a flat tire but it turns out it was completely blown, which means that we wasted a good fifteen minutes working at it until we realized it was a goner. After we racked the person who lost his tire, we had to hop in a crew van and drive up ten miles to the next crew stop where the other sweep and I jumped in with another paceline. We biked a hard ten miles and then we stopped at the next crew stop. From there we gave all the riders there a head start and spent some time with the crew. After awhile we left again, just the other sweep and me. We only rode about two more miles before my tire, the second one in three days, blew out. Flats are a fairly common occurrence on the road but some guys make it across the entire country on their original tires so losing two in three days was extremely frustrating, especially because my spare was in the bottom of my bag in a crew van thirty miles down the road. I was really disappointed to be done for the day after only biking about fifteen miles.
On the positive side though, I did get to spend some time with the crew. Honestly, some of my favorite guys out here are crew members. Apparently, there’s been an ‘us versus them’ mentality between crew and cyclists in the past but I haven’t seen it at all out here. They work just as hard, if not harder, than the cyclists do and they get none of the glory. They’re up earlier in the morning and later in the evening than we are and they never eat until all cyclists have. With the cycling portion of this trip, one could easily be motivated to participate for the wrong reasons: the glory, or just the physical challenge. However, with the crew members, you know it’s purely a labor of love.
I’d only been in the crew van for about twenty minutes when one of the guys I was riding with invited me to take a quick power nap. I figured I would rest for about fifteen minutes but next thing I knew I was waking up an hour and a half later to the sound of all the riders being cheered into the city. It definitely wasn’t the plan to crash like that but it was probably necessary that I got that rest. Even with that, I took a nap once we got settled into the gym. I guess I’m just more tired than I thought. Tonight we’re getting fed by the Jackson Lions Club at a place called Mel and Faye’s Diner. I’m really looking forward to it. A good meal is greatly appreciated out here and I fully expect tonight to deliver the goods.
July 17
Today was the infamous Kirkwood ride. From what I had heard, going in it sounded like it would be the hardest ride of the summer. Looking back on it now, there’s no way that we can possibly do anything as difficult as what I just finished. Today’s ride pushed me mentally and physically harder than probably anything I’ve ever done. But, having done it, I couldn’t feel better.
The day started off at 6 am with our wake up call. Breakfast was provided by the fine folks at Mel and Faye’s Diner in Jackson. We were fortunate to have such a good breakfast provided. Most dinners are sponsored and a lot of lunches are as well but almost every single day our breakfast consists of half a bagel and a banana. I guess they knew that we’d need the extra calories.
We left Jackson at 8 and began climbing almost immediately. The climbs weren’t as steep as those from a couple of days ago, but they were much longer. We started the day at 1,000 feet above sea level and within a few hours we’d climbed to 5,000. It was a steady, constant climb but I had a really good paceline and we all managed to pull each other through. One of the other TCU students, Adam Wilson, had some problems with his knee and had to compensate with his other leg for most of the ride but gritted it out and we had few problems other than that.
One of the advantages of today’s ride was that we were treated to some beautiful vistas. We ate lunch with some other groups at a scenic overlook about 5,000 feet up. It’s easy to zone out by staring at the tire in front of you but one look off to the side was often enough motivation to keep going. Lunch was short but sweet. The crew members were playing music and a lot of guys had stopped so it was a very welcome break from the monotony of slow uphill climbing.
We never adopted a particularly grueling pace, but we took short rest stops and everyone pulled consistently and evenly and we made really good time. We climbed as high as 8,000 feet before we got a break by riding downhill for a couple of miles down to 7,100 feet. After that, we had another climb ahead, this time to almost 8,500 feet. By this point in the climb we had pretty much passed through the threshold of pain and our bodies were doing everything automatically. We just got to the point where thought was more a liability than an advantage and after that the whole experience became a numb one.
At 8,500 feet, we came to the top and looked down on a huge drop. The decline lasted 14 miles and we lost about 5,000 feet in altitude. At my peak, I went over 50 miles an hour on my bike. It’s a sensation that’s a lot like skiing, except the consequence of falling is much, much greater. Once you hit a speed like that, there’s not a lot you can do for yourself in the event of a bump in the road or some other debris. To be honest, I made peace with dying on that road. I have never been more scared in my life. It was just like a roller coaster except that tiny voice in the back of your head that tells you that you’re safe is silent. I’m not sure I’ll ever go that fast again, but it was definitely worth it for the singular experience.
Once we plateaued at the bottom, we knew it was just a matter of time before we would be pulling into our lodging. The ride just didn’t seem to end though. We had a few miles of straight, flat ground during which one of the guys in my paceline said something along the lines of “Take that, Kirkwood!” Sadly, the mountain had its revenge soon enough. There’s a running joke around here that says that we spend every night at the top of the biggest hill and today was no exception. Just when we thought we had conquered the beast, one final, neverending hill loomed ahead. By then, my hands, butt, and back where completely numb. Every peddle was more of a mental battle than a physical one. But we got there, somehow, some way. The Jackson Lion’s Club drove all the way out to Markleeville and grilled out for us and every time a new group rode in they would throw a hot dog and hamburger on a bun and make sure the riders were well taken care of. Five minutes after arrival I had downed two hot dogs, two hamburgers, and a few brownies and I was off to the showers. The rest of the evening was spent cheering the rest of the guys in and relaxing with the Lions Club members who made the drive out. My group finished the ride at 6:30- a 10 and a half hour ride. Other groups lasted as late as 8 before coming in.
It was a monster day, something that truly took everything I had. After this, every other day this summer seems like a joke. As difficult as it was, I loved it and really enjoyed the challenge. It was precisely the type of day I had in mind when I signed up for this experience. Already I can see the extent to which I’ve grown by being a part of this day. I’m having the journey of a lifetime, and I can’t express how thankful I am, to my parents, my friends and family, my supporters, and to God for giving me this opportunity. I love you all, take care.
July 18
My favorite sportswriter is Bill Simmons. He's a huge Celtics fan, and he writes that some of his most poignant memories as a child were watching Larry Bird's Celtics and their championship runs. However, he didn't remember the championship teams as much as he remembered the defending champ teams. He writes that "the way you can look into the essence of a team isn't by how it wins a championship, but by how it defends that championship the next year." He discusses how Kevin McHale broke his foot but gamely continued playing on it throughout the playoffs one year in a desperate attempt to defend a title. Even though his foot and his career were never the same, McHale will tell you that he doesn't regret a single action. That was on my mind a lot today because I was interested in seeing how I would respond today after yesterday's ride. Today was forty miles long and mostly flat, which was pretty new for us.
It's been astounding to see how much better of a cyclist I am now than I was a week ago. As a group, we're much better at handling our bikes and our pacelines are much tighter. A week ago, we would be able to ride about 18 miles an hour on flat terrain. Today we averaged 22 miles per hour. When I was second in line, my tire was literally three inches off of the leader's. Admittedly, we were gunning it today and trying to finish as quickly as possible, but it was good to see that I can go much faster now than I could previously. It's also been heartening for me to see where I stand in the group. As of today, I think I could ride in the fastest paceline the South route has to offer and hang in there. Hopefully I'll just be able to keep improving with time.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
The night before...
So, I'm typing this from my hotel bed in good old Houston, Texas. I came down here tonight with my mom because my flight leaves at 8:10 tomorrow morning and we didn't want to have to brave the traffic. Also, I'm shipping my bike on the plane and I've got no idea how long that'll take. This last week or so has really worn me out. I've been saying my goodbyes to friends and family and at the same time trying to be as physically and mentally prepared as possible. I'm looking forward to getting some sleep on the plane tomorrow so I can hopefully hit the ground running for orientation. At this point, its rough because there's not much more I can do to prepare, but I can't start just yet. So I'm just waiting and hoping and praying that I'm ready, but I can't change anything. I just really need things to start happening to take my mind off the waiting. I'm sure tomorrow will change that.
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