A Look at Our Routines Day 46

So what 's a typical day like? We wake early, pack our bags, get our bikes ready, and then (if we're lucky) we eat breakfast before we load our luggage into the trailer that's towed by "Gold" to the next motel. The early birds look "bright eyed and bushy tailed", and the night owls still have sleep in their eyes. Most riders love coffee (never had a cup myself). Breakfast may be at the hotel, or at a nearby restaurant.

At the designated "load time", the trailer is opened, and Gerard and Andy (top picture, with newer rider Andrew from Las Vegas on the right, outside the van) hop on. The valuable bike pumps are handed out, and Herb is always lined up, calling "I get the pink pump first". (Don't ask!)

We hand our bags up to Andy and Gerard, then sign the "load sheet". Riders are then free to depart. Some folks always ride together, some folks always ride alone, but most cyclists ride with several others. I've tried to ride with every other cyclist on this trip, though I haven't always been able to ride with the folks who just travel a week or so with us. I've ridden and chatted with all the "cross country" riders, some for minutes here and there, most for much longer periods of time.

At the SAG stops we sign in, wash our hands, then feed, tell stories, refill water bottles and tend to other needs. On longer days, like today (95 miles with plenty of hills) most of us also stop for lunch somewhere. Unlike SAG food, we pay for our own lunches. Today I had a club sandwich--the ladies at my office will be astonished!

Then we continue the ride until we reach the hotel. Today we travelled east (of course) through western New York, and are staying in Canandaigua, in the finger lake region. The scenery was nice--but again, not that different from home (see middle photo).

Folks arrive at the next motel on a staggered schedule. The "harder" the day, in general, the longer between the earliest and latest arrivals. Today it was about 4 to 5 hours, I think. Several riders like to ride quickly to the next motel, and are usually in early. Others stop often, whether they ride quickly or slowly. I've been with the first group to the hotel and also with the last group (several times each) on this trip. It's nice to experience variety!

After a shower, and tending to other needs (bike adjustments, laundry, email, blogs,...) we meet for "Route Rap" and discuss the next day's ride. Pictured at bottom is a portion of the group at today's route rap. It was held outside because of the nice weather and the lake. Goose droppings were the only down side to this location. Notice how folks are studying the "cue sheet" while Andy (standing, left of the tree) talks.

BTW, we have a few pet names for the "cue sheets". These have typewritten instructions, telling us how far to ride until the next turn, SAG stop, or other direction. They are usually clear----however, occasionally they are confusing, esp. if there has been road work done since last year's Cross Country Challenge. One clever wag first dubbed them the "clue sheets", then, after getting particularly confused, changed them to the "haven't got a clue sheets" (alright, it was me again)!

Just kidding--mostly. We love our cue sheets, and can always find our way to the next turn. And when we don't, AbB is gracious enough not to charge us extra for the extra miles we rode while lost or confused!

After route rap, it's off to dinner which is enjoyed with good fellowship. Most folks then turn in early, but a few (esp. the younger riders, but some guys who are starting to look at middle age in the rear view mirror) go to a bar some evenings. Even the "night owls" are usually in bed by eleven. Then it's go to sleep, then wake up and do it again!

A New York State of Mind Day 45

We're in Hamburg, New York, after an 82 mile ride today. I thoroughly cleaned my bike yesterday, so naturally it rained! Fortunately, the rain was brief and mild, and the ride was enjoyable. Pictured at the State sign are Howie, Pete, Philippe, Jeff and me, starting at the left. After only riding about 40 miles in Pennsylvania since we left Ohio, we were in New York. Who thought you could cross PA that quickly?

We passed many vinyards on our ride along Lake Erie, as shown on the second photo. The grapes are looking good to my untrained eye, at least. While we saw signs directing us to several wineries, none had distances listed, and we didn't actually ride by any wineries. And since we were riding bicycles, we decided against doing any wine tasting. Rats!--oops, I hope that doesn't sound like sour grapes! We also had many views of Lake Erie to our left, including at our SAG stops.

After arriving at the hotel, seven of us hired a "taxi van" and were driven to the "Pedaling History Bicycle Museum in Orchard Park. There we spent an hour looking at hundreds of old bicycles--by far the largest collection any of us had seen. From the first "Ordinary Bicycles" (called the penny farthing in England) with the large front wheel, we saw how the development of rubber tires, then pneumatic tires, as well as the chain and cassette (which allows gear changing) affected the bicycle. The automobile and airplanes used many bicycle innovations, including ball bearings, rack & pinion steering, differential drives and wire spoked wheels. It's a great museum!

Resting in Erie Day 44

We enjoyed a day off the bikes in Erie, PA today. Carol, Bekki and I were able to walk down to the lake last night and climb a fairly high observation tower (on the elevator). Behind them is Presque Isle, a peninsula that forms and protects Presque Bay, which is responsible for the location of the town of Erie. The peninsula hosts the largest state park in PA, with many miles of beaches and 3.5 million visitors a year. Lake Erie can be seen behind the "isle".

The second photo shows the town of Erie as seen from the tower. At its largest, the city had 400,000 people. It's population now is perhaps 140,000 (or less). Here's hoping the city's turn around goes well.

We ran errands today, with Pete and brothers Tim and Jeff. Trips to Walmart and the bike shop were made. I also did the obligatory bike cleaning (a thorough job this time). At least the trip to the laundromat was more fun, with the help I had! I was sorry to see my ladies go, but they had to return to Gettysburg this evening. I love you two, and thanks for the visit!

We start our last stage of the Cross Country Challenge tomorrow, riding eight more days across New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire. It's also one of the last times for me to say a few words about the Lance Armstrong Foundation, for whom I'm riding. Money donated to the foundation not only goes to research and treatment, but also is used to help people make decisions re: treatment, and for support for cancer patients and their loved ones.

If you'd like to make a tax deductible donation, please visit my web page at

livestrong.org/grassroots/davidmoore

To all of you who have donated, I say "Thanks Again"! It's been great riding across the country, and I'm looking forward to this next week.

It's an Erie Feeling Day 43

If you double click on the top photo, you can see how far we've come! Carol and Bekki drove from Gettysburg (about 5 hours) to visit, and it's great to see them! Bekki's pointing to Erie, PA, where we're staying tonight and tomorrow.

Our 97 mile bike ride took us almost due north from Youngstown, Ohio, for the first 70 miles. The terrain flattened, though a few hills remained. When we reached the town of Conneaut, Ohio, we had lunch at an old fashioned outdoor "drive in", where Phillipe, Rick, and David posed with me. Root beer floats were the specialty, and Rick's was huge! All the riders seemed to enjoy it, and dozens of "locals" came there for lunch as well.

Shortly after leaving the drive in, we entered Pennsylvania (our 10th state). Rick is obviously thinking about that root beer float, and considering going back for another one!

We then rode another 25 miles to reach the city of Erie, which developed as a major port in the eastern United States. After dinner, where everyone got to meet Bekki, we walked about 12 blocks to the lake and played "tourist" for awhile. Tomorrow should be fun--it's our last "rest day", before our final 8 day ride to the Atlantic Ocean. After riding over 400 miles in the last four days, the riders are welcoming a day off the bike.

What's with these Ohio bridges? Day 42

Happy Bastille Day. In 1789, the "Shot Heard Round the World" (the initial firing by Americans at the British soldiers at the Old North Bridge in Concord, Mass. on April 19, 1775) was finally "heard" in Paris, France. On July 14th, 1789 a Paris "mob" stormed the Bastille, a prison where people were held by the government--many unjustly. It heralded the French Revolution, with a (temporary) end to aristocracy. But this included the "Reign of Terror" (think guillotines) and the rise of Napoleon, who would claim himself Emperor. It took the French many decades to develop a democracy, but I guess they feel it started on "quatorze juillet" (July 14), so they celebrate today as we do the 4th of July.

We're in Youngstown, in northeast Ohio. Our 90 mile ride was a little less hilly, the wind was friendly, and riders were happy to have a somewhat easier day. The route was pretty, with lots of back roads again, and few towns. I rode most of the day with Greg (a former cross country rider who is riding about a week with us, en route to visiting his son in upstate New York), Pete and Howie (from left to right, above). This photo was taken as the longest train I've ever seen was passing behind me. Doesn't Pete look like he's waiting patiently?

Just before the second SAG at 71 miles, Michelle pulled up in the van to tell us the bridge ahead was closed, and she was looking for a detour. That's three bridges in three days! Undaunted (OK, maybe we were a little daunted) we rode ahead. A worker at the bridge site (middle photo) asked that we turn around, but one of us kindly asked if we could please possibly cross by foot, as we were out of water, had ridden 71 miles and were going to the store just on the other side of the stream (OK, it was me!). The fellow took pity and jovially replied "Go ahead, but the water's contaminated!"

While scouting out the remnants of the bridge, we saw a way to cross. Carrying our bikes over dirt mounds, we reached the cement buttresses that crossed the creek. They were about 4 feet apart, and a few wooden planks were laid across all but the last two. Balancing our bikes carefully, we were able to cross without falling into the "contaminated water". I would have loved to stop for a photo, but with the workers watching, the precarious footing, and the bikes in our arms I elected to skip it.

As you can see in the bottom photo, Pete, Greg and I made it safely across. Howie took a detour on his bike, and probably got to the other side as quickly as we did. But his story isn't as fun to tell!

Because of the late arrival of some riders yesterday evening, the fifth poker card won't be given out until this evening. If I remember, I'll post the winner.

Beautiful Ohio Day 41

The riders are tired this evening. The bottom picture, taken at dinner, shows a typical evening scene. Cyclists refuel for the calories expended today, and the ones we'll burn tomorrow. While almost everyone loses weight on a ride like this, it's a fine balance to maintain. Eat too little, and you'll lose more weight, but be more tired and slow on the bike. Eat too much, and you'll have to use that additional energy to carry those extra pounds that are leaving too slowly!

We rode 107 hilly miles today--I got 2 extra miles at 109 (don't ask.....lucky me!) We're working our way across northern Ohio, and are staying in Wooster. Many riders said that some of today's hills were amongst the toughest we've climbed. No hill rose more than a few hundred feet (and most rose far less), but many were steep, and they came in waves. We had 4,450 "feet of climb" today, which is more than we had several days in the Rocky Mountains. Up, then down, repeat until done...

As I've gotten stronger on this ride, I particularly notice the improvement on the climbs. For me, the trick is to never "race" up a hill, but to maintain momentum whenever possible. I personally find days like today much easier than climbing the Rocky Mountains, or the Sierras--instead of those "sustained climbs" that go on for miles at a time, these climbs take seconds to minutes, and coasting downhill can get me partway up the next.

The top photo shows some of the typical scenery we passed today. We were on mostly back roads, rarely passing through any towns. The scenery looks like "home"--with all the hills, think northern Adam County, minus the orchards.

Pictured in the middle is the second SAG stop, where Christine, Greg, David, and Howie are showing their cards (or bananas, for the man from Massachusetts). At breakfast, each SAG stop, and at dinner we were given a card each, with the final card to come tonight. High hand wins--it cost $1.00 to enter. Winner take all. My hand doesn't look promising.....

Riding through Gettysburg...Ohio? Day 40

After riding on the “National Highway” (i.e. Rte 40, which is now paralled by Rte 70, and which runs to Washington D.C.), we travelled more rural roads through western Ohio today. I had read that Indianapolis (and Indiana) had the most polite drivers in the country, and my experiences confirm this. We rarely heard a car honk, or had a car or truck drive closely to the cyclists because they were irritated that we were on the side of the road.
We reached the “Welcome to Ohio” marker just 2 ½ miles into our ride. Pictured are Rick, Howie, me Philippe, and Tom. The scheduled route was 105 miles, but all riders got to go even further today! A bridge was out about 78 miles into the ride, and it required a few tries for some of us to find our way around. The second photo was taken when the “first detour” took us back to the missing bridge (on the “wrong side”. Road crews were busily at work there. As you can see, the stream is not wide, but the water was fast moving and was over 5 feet deep in the middle. The crew member I spoke with said that there was no way to walk across within at least a thousand feet of the road, on either side. So we took a second, longer, detour and finally got around that missing bridge. We had good maps provided by AbB—there were just no nearby stream crossings. The two detours added over 10 miles to my trip, so I ended up with 116 miles today. Fortunately we had a strong tailwind, so I reached the hotel by mid afternoon with some of my fellow riders. However, it will probably be a few more hours until all the riders get in today. We heard that some folks missed a turn earlier in the day and rode several additional miles. Should be some good stories at (our late) dinner tonight!
We passed through what was supposed to be “Gettysburg, Ohio” today as well. There is no town, and no clear collection of houses. Several roads with names like “Gettysburg-South Eastern Rd” and “Covington-Gettysburg” road converged near the sign shown above, so apparently at one time that area was called “Gettysburg”.
We continued to see lots of corn and soy beans today. The soy beans in Ohio are much less further along than the ones we saw further west. The corn height varies tremendously, just as it does in Adams County, depending on when it’s planted, how much rain falls, etc… A few weeks ago TIME magazine ran an article which reported that 90.5 million acres of corn have been planted in the U.S. this year—up 15% from last year. No one on this Cross Country Challenge ride would disagree!
As we’ve ridden east, we notice that the farms are smaller and closer together. There are also many more dogs along the roads, and several times they have run out when the riders go by. It is always a concern, since a bike which hits a dog can throw the rider. Several cyclists have a real fear of dogs along the road for this reason. Hopefully we’ll get to New Hampshire without any “dog trouble”.
Tomorrow is another 100 plus mile day, and the hills of eastern Ohio come into our route. It should be fun and challenging.