Let’s start with the raw numbers.
The total mileage was a little bit longer than I had originally mapped out, but I attribute that to detours and getting lost a couple of times. The average speed exceeded my expectations. I had anticipated a 15mph overall so this was a pleasant surprise.
The climbing number tells me [...]
Day 1 through Day 10
These are in no particular order.
Planning is everything. Details matter. Know where, when and what for everything
Eating and drinking are the most important thing you can do.
This is not the time to lose weight. Trust me it will happen all on its own. Eat and eat often, if you don’t you will pay the price
The [...]
It only took 950 miles but it finally happened. Two miles after I left the Petitjeans house I was riding down a bike path and the next thing I knew I was on the ground. A little water, some wind, leaves and debris and the bike path turned into an ice rink.
Was this an omen [...]
Bright sunshine, cool temps and a tailwind. It doesn’t get much better. After 9 days on the road I really wanted a true “fall day” and today was the day.
To top it off, I had the chance to ride with my two brothers – Tom & Steve and later in the day with my Dad [...]
Columnist Dave Barry once said “there’s a fine line between a hobby and mental illness”. I think I’m getting close to the line. When you start imagining Tour de France announcers Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwin doing play-by-play of your ride…. then you know you’re on the edge of the line.
Phil: With the early morning [...]
I’m still in Bloomington, IL waiting for dense fog to clear, so I decided to check the weather for my final day (Day 10). Currently I’m scheduled to ride from Brookfield, WI to Green Bay, WI on Monday the 29th. Another 119 mile day.
The forecast is calling for extreme winds, 29mph out of the WNW [...]
With the help of a little Ambien, I had a great nights sleep at the Country Inn & Suites in Bloomington, IL. Even with the medicinal help, my body still wanted to wake up at 6am and go for a bike ride. I checked the clock, rolled over and forced myself to sleep for another [...]
Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think I would ride 734 miles in 7 days. Prior to July 1st a big week of riding for me would be 200 – 220 miles. Heck, I hardly ever trained seven days in a row! Now, thanks to the Margaret Mitchell fiasco I [...]
In an email I sent out a couple of weeks ago alerting people to the ride and my desire to raise donations for the LIVESTRONG foundation I mentioned I would need support because I knew coming into this I would have a day when I would suffer a lot. That was yesterday. It [...]