Elite Tour Epilogue

It has now been about a month since we landed on Yorktown Beach, the conclusion to an amazing trek across America.  Normal life has taken over quickly, both at work and at home and I have had little time to put together any final thoughts on this adventure.

Pretty much all of the "wounds" from being on the road every day for nearly 3 weeks have healed. Yes, the bum is feeling quite fine now!  Although I was certainly glad to take a day or two off from riding after the final day on PAC Tour, I can't say that there was any reason phycically that I could not have kept rolling along.  The body is an amzing machine that is incredibly adaptable.  During the last week or so, it became quite easy to modify my intensity level to the point that recovery became easier during the off-bike hours.  I was surprised how fresh the legs felt just a few days after the final riding day.  All that aside, it was time to take a break mentally from the the daily riding routine. 

It is also interesting to me that in the last week of PAC Tour, most of my nightly dreams were about home and being back with family, and oddly now that I am home, for nearly two weeks, most nightly REM sleep has been filled with thoughts of being on a long bike ride.  Go figure!  While these were certainly not nightmares, I did regularly awake feeling tired, as if I was laboring away on a ride that never seemed to end.  Pretty wierd.

I just picked up my road bike from the shop in Crystal Lake where I had it totally gutted and reassembled.  Found out I trashed quite a few things while out on the road.  Bob fixed it up good as new and it rides silky smooth once again.  I am longing to get back out on the road with the Saturday group to once again enjoy the cool quiet mornings spinning away.  I got back to commuting to work on the mountain bike pretty quickly and I must say the 15 mile commute seems like nothing these days. 

I DO NOT MISS the 3 a.m. training rides in 30 and 40 degree weather which preceeded the months before PAC Tour.  For me, this was the hardest part of the year, riding in freezing weather, in the spring winds, alone, and in the dark.  Not terribly fun, but necessary to prepare adequately for a demanding cross country trip such as this.  Looking back, I would say that the training I did prepared me well for this ride.  While I only logged about 3,500 miles from January 1 to the middle of May (I had hoped to get in 5,000 and I know there are riders who had logged a lot more than I did), I think I wound up doing a pretty good mix of varying distances and intensities to build up to this event.  Now that I know the trip went well, I can admit I was only able to get in one double century, about 10 rides in the 110 to 150 mile range, and a whole mess of rides at about 70 to 85 miles.  I think the most important factor which prepared me was riding as many back to back days as possible.  There were a few weeks where I would strive to ride 70 to 75 miles every morning before work.  Trying as best as possible to mimic PAC Tour conditions was the most helpful.  Waking up tired and sore and getting accustomed to it was the key for me!

After looking at all of the data I was able to compile from my bike computer, here are some interesting (or not so interesting) ride statistics:

• Total miles logged:  3,027
• Total time elapsed (includig rest stops):  204.25 hours (avg. 10 hrs 45 min. per day) 
• Average speed (including rest stops):  14.8 mph
• Total riding time:  175.00 hours (avg. 9 hrs 13 min. per day) 7 days, 7 hours, 0 min.
• Average riding speed:  17.3 mph
• Total vertical feet of climbing:  113,504 (21.5 miles) 5,974 feet per day
• Total calories burned:  189,710 (9,985 per day)

Top 10 sights in chronological order (there are many many more than 10, the whole trip was eye candy)

1. Decending into the Yuha Desert off of Interstate 8 in California.  Amazing lunar landscapes and how hot it gets so quickly as you descend to the desert floor.
2. Sunrise over the Glamis sand dunes to the east of El Centro.
3. The climb up Mt. Mingus and descent into Jerome and  valley below.
4. The red rocks of Sedona, AZ
5. Climbing out of Oak Creek Canyon up to Flagstaff.
6. Sunrise in Monument Valley, UT
7. The climb up Wolf Creek Pass and the snow capped summit, scarfing down hot dogs and hot chocolate at the top.
8. The climb and descent of La Veta Pass.  Unlikely I will ever ascend a mountain at over 25 mph and descend at less than 15 mph.  The winds were extremely dangerous but getting down safely was a thrill.
9. The big skies of eastern Colorado as we left the western mountains behind.
10. Kansas gets honorable mention for its vast rolling wheat fields (but not 400 miles worth!)
11. The hills of Missouri, riding through Jefferson City next to the State Capitol, and the KATY bike trail along the Missouri River basin.
12. Riding through St. Louis, the Gateway Arch and the crossing the Mississippi on the Chain of Rocks Bridge.
13. Riding the backroads through small towns of rural Illinois, Indiana and western Ohio.
14. Ohio's Hocking Hills .
15. Meathouse Fork Road in West Virginia.
16. Riding through the Shennandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest.
17. The last few miles of the ride down the Colonial Parkway to the beach at Yorktown.

Other Highlights:

Lon, Susan, and Crew - Our PAC Tour organizers have taken every worry, want or need away from thier riders to the point that all one needs to concern themself with is moving thier bike down the road.  From routes, to nutrition, to bike maintenance, to coaching and moral support, Lon, Susan and the dedicated crew make every effort imaginable to accomodate their customers.  While there are other touring companies out there, if you are ever considering a cross country bike trip, Lon and Susan are the ones to get you there becasue they do it right, and have a great time doing it.

Riding Companions - Our group was small enough that I pretty much had the oppotunity and good fortune to ride with everybody on the tour at one point or another.  Sure it is natural to settle in and regularly ride with others who best complement one's riding style and pace but everyone was there for one another along the way, willing to help with mechanicals and moral support.  I look forward to the hope of once again meeting up with many of these firiends down the road on other tours and events.

Friends - I am grateful to my local riding friends and others who followed along on the blog and dropped notes of encouragement along the way.  My friend E also rode his BMW motorcycle down to Greenville, OH from Fenton, MI to meet up with me, catch up with old friends and to share dinner and many laughs.  E is the "most interesting man in the world" (from the Dos Equis beer commercials).

Food - Eating whatever you want, and as much of it, anytime you want.  I still lost 10 pounds on the trip.

Day 19: 6/3/10 Orange, VA to Williamsburg, VA

Click below for today's route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35581743

Awoke this morning with mixed feelings. 

On one hand, it's hard to believe its been just under three weeks since we have been on the road and that in 9 hours or so we will run out of road and hit the Atlantic Ocean.  We have become so accustomed to the daily routine (wake up, get dressed, pump tires, fill bottles, eat breakfast in the parking lot, ride for 10 to 12 hours, clean and fix bile, take shower, eat dinner, sleep ... repeat), the prospect of reintegrating the real world seems oddly unsettling.  This has been a great escape for me, a place where no one can find me, where there are no emails, voicemails and all that surrounds you is peace and the beauty of the countryside ... and a few snarling pit bulls which were fortunately chained in some one's yard.  Our biggest responsibility for three weeks was simply to pedal the bicycle down the road and try not to get too lost.  Ahh, here's to simplicity!

On the other hand, I miss my family terribly and all of the comforts of home.  I became a new uncle 2 days before the start of this trip and I can't wait to see my new niece.  My dad turned 70 so we will need to have a belated celebration.  Yes, although this has been a great adventure, it is time to get to the beach, celebrate for a moment and get back to reality.

While yesterday's ride was the Mont Ventoux, today is the Champs-Élysées, traditionally an easy-paced, ceremonial ride to the finish.

We began the morning in the parking lot with Lon providing some last minute ride instructions.  Traditionally, the last day of PAC Tour crossings have concluded with the whole group riding to the beach together, all wearing their tour jerseys.  Although our ride today was a flat 140 miles or so, we would continue to start in staggered small groups (as not to get too bunched together on the road - like a pee wee soccer game) and within the last several miles of the route, we would wait for all riders to assemble so we could do the group ride to the finish.  At 6:00 a.m., Lon asked the first group (these are usually the fast riders) to go ahead and depart.  While I don't really know Lon well at all, he strikes me as someone who's on the more reserved and understated side of things, which made his next comment pretty hilarious.  After a few minutes had passed, "OK, the mediocre group can leave now".  Everyone busted up.

We were on our way, and after a few miles of moving through the early morning quiet streets of Orange, VA, we were routed onto some even more tranquil, lesser traveled Virginia back roads, most of which were moderately winding, usually flanked on either side by tall tree cover and the smell of pine.  In the morning, we rode in larger pace lines, where we moved along at a swift, but not labored pace.  By the time we hit the 40 mile mark and our first refueling stop of the day, we found ourselves in my favorite town of the trip thus far, that being the town of Bumpass.  How fitting!

Lunch was served in a quiet park along the way which we had entirely to ourselves.  We could tell we were getting close to the ocean because the soil was becoming predominantly sandy.  After a nice big lunch, we continued in fairly large groups but slowed our pace considerably, with less than 50 miles to go and it being still fairly early in the day, there was no need to rush.  The tenor of the group seemed to be to savor these last few miles, enjoy one an other's company and reach the beach by 3:30 to 4:00.  As we arrived at the last SAG stop of the trip about 20 miles from the ocean, we got some news that one of our riders was back about 30 minutes due to some nagging flats and such.  So we basically took a very long SAG at which point I killed the better part of a 2 liter bottle of cream soda.  Yum!

Knowing our missing rider would be along shortly, we soft pedaled into busier streets and finally crossed into the corporate limits of Williamsburg.  Within a few more miles we merged onto the Colonial National Historic Parkway for the last 10 miles or so of our expedition.  This was a very scenic and green stretch of road, unfortunately, the roadway surface was very rough, not quite as bad as cobblestone, but just annoying enough to think that someone wanted one last shot at my aching hands and butt!  But alas, I win!

We rode the last mile to the beach very slowly in two lines.  Spirits were most definitely soaring to see the open waters of Chesapeake Bay and the vast ocean which lay beyond.  Susan and the rest of the crew were waiting for us with a finish line tape stretched across the road as we rolled onto Yorktown beach.

For me, it was shoes off and roll the bike through the sand as I carried it into the Atlantic to commemorate the completion of this fantastic journey.  The cool waters of the ocean and sand between my toes were heaven on earth.  Randy opted for a bit more celebration as he completely submerged himself.  We took pause for some photo ops, savored our accomplishment a moment longer and it was time to board up for the trek to our hotel for the night.  We actually rode past our hotel on the way to the Parkway, which was 15 miles from the beach.  Susan and Lon welcomed any riders who wished to ride their bikes back to the hotel but offered a shuttle option in the van.  Wouldn't you know it, there was not a soul who wished to backtrack on their bike an additional 15 miles!

As thrilling as it was to reach the ocean, it did not take long for things to get back to business, reminders that the real world was calling us again.  Back at the hotel, riders were busy breaking down their bikes, packing them and arranging for them to be shipped back home, plans for airport shuttles were being made, we were settling up on our tabs for all of the inner tubes, tires and bike parts we needed along the way to keep us rolling.  Good thing there was a Dairy Queen 50 feet from the hotel parking lot so I could de-stress from this flurry of activity.

An hour or more later, we all met across from the hotel at Pizza Uno for a wrap party.  A number of spouses and friends of riders were on hand who met up with us at the beach.  Following that, we all went back to the hotel meeting room for ice cream and cake (it was also Patrick's birthday).  Susan made a slide show set to music which reviewed hundreds of pictures of our journey across the country.  This was way cool. 

Susan and Lon presented plaques to all of the riders and crew as commemoratives of our trip together and those riders who completed all of the miles each day also received a certificate which qualified them to participate in the solo division of the Race Across AMerica (RAAM).  This qualification is valid for a period of three years.  I think somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 of the 19 or so riders completed qualification.  I consider myself to be fortunate to be among these qualifiers.  While training, endurance, desire and sacrifice have much to do with this, I am mindful that there are a number of factors beyond our immediate control which are equally important, like avoiding illness and accidents which unfortunately sidelined some of our very strong riders at some point during the trip. 

This is the point at which I hope my dear wife has discontinued reading this blog as I now begin to ponder what one might do with a RAAM qualification.  This of course is no small undertaking.  To sucessfully complete RAAM as an official finisher, I would need to shave 7 days off of the trip we just completed, a daunting prospect for most endurance athletes.  We'll see ... have lots of free time to play with this question.

Here are some pics I took (or stole from others) of our final day on PAC Tour.

Lon giving morning instructions.  "OK, the mediocre group can go."

Quiet back roads of Virginia

Bumpass, VA (fitting indeed!)

Don't go there!

After 3,000 miles, we felt entitled to travel this road.

All dressed up, and no GO.

This looks like the right way.

Onto the Colonial (bumpy) Parkway

Lots of cool bridges like this.

Getting close.  Somebody check if that water's salty.

Made it.  YES!

Rob and Randy

Randy opted for a swim.

Lynn

Group shot.

Pizza party.

The CREW.  They took exceptional care of us.

The EFM group.  Qualified for solo RAAM.

Day 18: 6/2/10 Elkins, WV to Orange, VA

Click below to review today's route and ride profile:

(the Garmin understated actual climbing which was about 15,500 ft today)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35497587

OUCH!!!

Today was one of the toughest I have spent on a bike and certainly the hardest in my book on this expedition.  The eastern mountains are way more tough than the Rockies because of much harsher grades and one tough climb after another. 

We began at daybreak in Elkins to mild temperatures and fog.  Susan reminded us in the parking lot that some of the mountain descents can be pretty chilly so I quickly rifled through my bag and grabbed a wind shell.  This proved to be great advice.

Climbing began immediately as we departed Elkins.  Because of the fog, everyone had thier red flashing tail lights on.  There was heavy industrial truck traffic leaving town so we made sure we were seen.  As we cleared the city, we continued climbing in the Monongahela National Forest which was lush and green and kind of spooky looking through the fog.  As we reached the first rest stop at mile 19 the sun was out on top of the mountain and as soon as we began to descend, it was right back into fog.

As the sun rose and burned off the fog, it was time to ditch the wind breaker as things were starting to get steamy.  We had four major climbs today, each had about 2,000 ft of elevation gain with lots of intermediate climbs in between.  Some of these climbs were in the neighborhood of 2.5 to 4 miles in length.  So what do you do when you are half way up the mountain and are feeling tired?  Keep pedaling or you stop quickly! 

We maintained a slow, but steady pace throughout the day.  I was amazed at how beat up I felt just after 50 miles, with 110 still to go!  Too early to start thinking about the finish.  Lunch has always been a high point of PAC Tour days, and today, we finished a beast of a climb and took a quiclk descent into the George Washington National Forest.  There was a really cool stretch of straight tree-lined roadway which fell at a gentle slope, with a river following one side and dozens of small cut-outs along the road for picnicing or hiking.  We had lunch along the roadway with the sounds of flowing water and birds chirping in the background.  Very cool.

After lunch, we had some rolling terrain for the next 30 miles or so which was welcome rest for tired legs, and then it was on to the last big climb of the day, up to Skyline road and the Shennandoah National Park.

By the time we rolled in, it was nearly 13 hours from the start, just before 7 pm.  Fantastic day, but needless to say, I'm beat so I must take my leave and get some rest.  Tomorrow will be an exciting day as we finally reach our destination of Williamsburg.  I believe we will be landing on Yorktown beach.  See you then!

Here are a few photos I took today:

Foggy this morning.

Top of first climb this morning.

On top of ol smokey.

Speedy descents.

Seneca Rock

Entering Virginia on top of a booger of a climb!

Pedaling through George Washington National Forest.  Nice!

Day 17: 6/1/10 Athens, OH to Elkins, WV

Click below for today's route and ride stats:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35381756

West Virginia - Wild and Wonderful

Before we logged 40 miles this morning, we were already crossing the Ohio river into West Virginia, Wild and Wonderful as the sign said.

The day was not as difficult as I had previously played up in my head.  Sure there were a lot of hills, but the temperatures were not overly oppressive, the humidity was down some from what we experienced yesterday in the Hocking Hills, and we spent much of the day on 4 lane divided state routes with 12 foot shoulders.  In this situation, the grades do not generally get much steeper than 5 to 6 percent.  It's usually the back roads you have to worry about where the grades go as high as 15% on some of those puppies.  We had some of that as well, so there was a good mix thorughout the day.

As we left Athens this morning, we got on a fantastic small county road which meandered next to a river (and through the woods) which had lots of gentle, short and twisty climing and descending grades.  At about mile 22, we joined up with Route 50 which was 4 lane divided.  The shoulder was junk to start with and I had 2 back to back flats about 6 miles out from the first support stop.  This was a bit of a pain as I lost touch with the riding group I started the morning with.  I would eventually see most of them at some time or another throughout the day. 

After a bit, the shoulder improved considerably which was welcome relief to my poor tires.  This was a fairly long stretch of road with lots of hill repeats at 5% to 6% grade.  These types of hills were not the rollers I am used to riding in Wisconsin.  My roomate Gene told me he was measuring the distance of some of these climb/descents.  One of the longer ones was at about 1.5 miles.  I would guess that most of these hills were in the neighborhood of 1/2 mile to 3/4 mile in length.  At thes grades, these hills were not too much worry.  Most of this sectoin was chanraterized by climbing at 10 to 11 mph, with descents in the 28 to 30 mph range.  Average it all out and we were in the 17 to 19 mph range for most of the day.

After lunch we were treated to some real backwoods riding, mostly on a road called, get this, "Meathouse Fork Road".  No disrespect to the fine people of West Virginia, but c'mon, how do you get the names of some of these streets?  Some of my other favorites were Dry Fork Road, Red Lick Road, and Beech Lick Road. 

We finished the day on Route 33 east with some very long climbs and lots of traffic by now.  Lots of logging trucks and garbage trucks going past us.  One of the final climbs of the day was nearly 2 miles long which never seemed to end.  As with most good climbs, come great views and fantastic descents which is what we were treated to as we entered Elkins.  A great end to a great day.  The scenery in this part of the country is just superb. 

Oh yes, I nearly forgot, I completed about 7 "bonus miles" again today as I was paying too close attention to my cue sheet to pick up on the updated pavement markings telling us that our lunch destination had been moved because of road construction and a bridge out.  I eventually found out for myself that the bridge was indeed out and I had to backtrack to get to lunch.  After two miscues on our St. Louis day, I may very well be the leading milage guy on this 2010 edition of the Elite Tour!  Not to worry, Susan assures me that PAC Tour does not assess any excess milage fees, so riders are free to accumulate as many as they like!

Here are some of the pics I shot today:

Entering West Virginia

Barge on the Ohio River

Slow upills, fast downhills!

Scenic vistas

My favorite road today: quiet and winding Meathouse Fork Road.

Remember, your meathouse fork always goes on the right!  Salad fork on the left.

John finishing up the last big climb of the day

and still looking strong.

Riding down into Elkins.