R4WH 2009 Epilogue

Well, it's Friday afternoon. I've been home for 5 days now. My clothes have been laundered, my bike got a much needed bath. I've been out for a couple of rides & have one with friends planned for Sunday in Chester County. I've showered every day & slept in the same bed all week; my familiar, ultracomfortable waterbed. I've had dinner with family & met up with a few friends to catch up on each other's past 2 months. I've fretted over paying for my son's college. Tomorrow I return to my aikido practice. Monday, I go back to work. :-( Looks like life is getting back to normal for me.

I have just a couple more things I've been thinking about, then I'll be done. I do miss my teammates & hope that in some small ways, we'll keep in touch. This trip has been profound & I hope you've gotten a sense of that from reading along with me.

I've seen the country in a way few get to see it. I've met people & been to places that I otherwise would never have had the chance to do. From big cities like LA, Vegas & Kansas City to towns of 140 people total like Boulder & Hanksville in Utah.

I've also learned exactly how powerful the Internet & this thing called "blogging" can be. A few years ago, my uncle went on RAGBRAI & his son, my cousin, started a blog for him. I called it a sort of web diary; that was all I knew of it. So, I started this blog primarily as a way to allow those who donated & supported my ride to keep tabs on me along the way. It became much more.

First, I found out that some of my teammates, Christian for example, had parents & grandparents that read my blog to see how we were doing. Then, I started meeting people along the way who seemed to already know me. I would introduce myself as "Steve" & they would say something like: "Yes, Steve Klein. I've been reading your blog. Thank you." From parents to OSUMC faculty, to my own friends, knowing that people were reading kept me writing; I felt I had a real reason to keep posting. I hope they weren't too rambling, including this one. OK, this 1 rambles, but it's the last one, I'm sure.

One more thing. If any of you are in the Philadelphia area, here's a list of bike rides this summer. I'll be doing the ACS ride in July & the MS150 in October for sure as well as others as I can. Get out & ride & maybe I'll see you there.

So, thank you all for following along & letting me know it was worthwhile. I certainly enjoyed doing it (the blog & the ride, of course)! TTFN (Ta Ta For Now) ---Steve

R4WH 2009 wraps up in Washington DC & Bethany Beach, DE

Pictures I posted below & others can be seen on Facebook by clicking here.

OK, I'm home & R4WH 2009 has wrapped up. Hope you're still checking in. As promised, here's 1 last post to recap our last few days, post some pics & vids, and give you my editorial closing thoughts.

For starters,here's a video from West Virginia/Appalachia...


We left Front Royal, VA on Friday morning stoked to be riding the last 90 miles to DC. All's well that ends well, they say. But we did have some tough time along the way. The 1st 25 miles were beautiful, green rolling hills. We were warned that a 4 mile section after the rest stop would be rough crushed rock & gravel roads. Unfortunately & has been the case the last week or so, things changed & support needed to plan on the fly. It seems that overnight, construction road crews milled our route & obliterated our arrows. This got us a little off track & turned 4 miles of rough riding into 10 miles of mostly really ugly riding. Gravel is 1 thing, gravel with climbs, downhills, big holes & shade trees that make it tough to read the road is other. If we had mountain bikes, this would have been great fun; on our road bikes - not so much.

Now it get better, though. We stopped for lunch at 50 miles. I gave myself an attitude adjustment (thanks Dan!!!) & we set out for DC. The final leg was 100% off road, flat, paved bike paths all the way to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a 180 degree opposite of what we'd just come from. We even stopped to rest in Herndon, VA next to a Dairy Queen. Ta Da!! The day definitely got better.

Team regrouped about 7 miles out of DC to ride in together. Most of the support team rode back out of DC to meet up & ride in. The final few met us just across the Potomac so we were all together & all riding on arrival. As we got there, I really felt the sense of the team. We were together & riding well along the winding, sometimes crowded paths. We are a real spectacle; 20-some orange jersey riders. At 1 point, we went down this tight S-turn on the path & we filled the entire length of those turns. I wish we had a pic of that moment, it was really cool. Here's a couple of others.

Riding up to the Lincoln Memorial was in the words of my teammate... AMAAAZING! DC is a site itself. Having people there cheering bumped it up a level. Having some of those people be my wife, my kids & my closest friends topped it off. You could see it in our faces. I felt it. Joy!

Here's a video from our arrival into Washington DC...


Here's a few more pictures from the Lincoln Memorial.

Eventually, we left & went off for the evening. It was time for me to spend some time with my family & friends. We had a great Italian dinner & a glass of wine near our hotel.

The next morning was, as usual, an early one. We had a 20 mile Solidarity Ride planned & needed to drive about an hour into Maryland to get there. Margie & Alex rode with me & we enjoyed the scenery & some exercise together.

Early again Sunday morning, we met the team at the church in Alexandria where they were staying for our true final ride into Bethany Beach, DE. This was just a fun, short ride to get to the beach & Atlantic Ocean to cap off our coast-to-coast bike tour. To keep it short, we drove about 120 miles, got on our bikes & rode about 25 miles. Twenty five flat, hot but easy miles where we could stay together & move fairly quickly although there was no urgency & we just enjoyed chatting along the way.

We once more met up with our support team a few miles out. We poured champagne into our water bottles & toasted the trip & ourselves. Classy, eh? Totally fun.

When we got there, our families were again waiting for us. Another celebration, another chance to lift our bikes in the air & time to jump into the ocean.

Margie shot this video from Bethany Beach...

From here, the team stayed in amazing beachfront condos. After showering & some quick dinner, it was time for me to say my goodbyes :-( & head home. I'm sure the party that extra special.

Closing thoughts...

Wow. It's over. I biked across the United States from San Diego to DC & then some. At the end, I biked about 2500 miles. The team in total biked about 3300 miles. We did average about 80 miles/day on the bike. Our total journey was indeed about 3700 miles.

It was everything I expected. It was hard, it hurt. It was fun, it was beautiful. It was a physical & emotional challenge unlike anything I've ever done. I learned & taught about healthcare disparities across our globe. Poverty, access to clean water & disease burden mean more to me now than they ever would have if I hadn't taken part in this trip. I had lots of time to reflect & think.

With the help of my personal donors, I raised about $3600. Thank you all. My teammates were a fantastic diverse group of committed people who will forever be in my memories. Good luck to you all. I'm in the best shape since I was a kid & look forward to a great summer of cycling, aikido practice & just working out. This oughta be good! :-)

Besides the beauty of our country, I was awed by the generousity of the people & towns we visited. They welcomed us, fed us, housed us, fussed over us & made sleeping on mats on hard floors easy. I don't think I'll ever have an opportunity like this again, but who knows? For now, this is my "once in a lifetime" thing & I'll never forget it. "A journey across the nation to meet needs across the world!"

Steve

Pictures I posted above & others can be seen on Facebook by clicking here.

Petersburg WV & Front Royal VA

We're almost home! After leaving Elkins, I was on my last support day with Team East Side as we headed to Petersburg. The ride was planned for 59 miles, but some of the roads turned out to be gravel & the rerouting added another 20 miles to a day that was already tough with long steep climbs & hot, sunny weather. In an attempt to ease the pain, I brought ice cream sandwiches to the lunch stop. This helped some, I think.

Our overnight was in a barn at the fairgrounds. Not bad, but several of us chose to make "alternate" arrangements (hotels). This morning, we left for Front Royal, VA. WV is a very beautiful state, but the Appalachian mountains are unavoidable. We've done our last climbing for the trip & once we crossed into Virginia, it was all rolling hills for the last 30 miles or so.

Tonight we're staying at the Front Royal Fire Department. Tomorrow we arrive in DC at the Lincoln Memorial; 95 miles with the last 50 on a bike path. I'm going to enjoy this last big day. Saturday we have a Solidarity ride & Sunday we ride about 30-40 miles into Bethany Beach for a ceremonial dip of our tires into the Atlantic Ocean. Then I'm coming home. I'll continue this blog for a few days after the ride to get the videos posted & some final thoughts, too. This has been everything I'd expected & more. Good work for a good cause with good people & an adventure that I'll always remember. Also, I'm in great shape for cycling this summer. --Steve

Day 48: Harrisville to Elkins, WV

Today's ride was another banner day. It was just a beautiful ride through West Virginia. Hadley's mom, Beth, her friend Julie & I have formed the senior's team & rode much of the day together. Scheduled for 82 miles, some rerouting was needed & the day wound up at 101-102 miles. One more century before the end of the journey.

WV was gorgeous, but very hilly today through the Appalachians. With a net gain of about 2000 feet, we had about 10,000 ft of vertical climbing with about 8,000 feet of decents. A few climbs hit 14-15% grades; as steep as we've had all trip, including Mount Solidad in San Diego & some climbs outside of Boulder, Utah. I have some videos, but that will have to wait until I have a faster web connection. Stay tuned... Here's some pics.

Oh, I want to tell you about a guy I rode with today. While riding over 100 miles, I was joined late in the day by an old friend for the trip into Elkins. The shadow rider paced me for a time then pulled up along side to keep me company until I got to town. Good to see you, buddy!

--Steve

Athens OH & Harrisville, WV

Hi all! Sunday morning we rode out of Columbus & headed to Athens, OH. So we went from OSU to OU. The ride started for a short while on a bike path in Columbus. The first 20-30 miles were pretty flat, then the hills started rolling in & rolling by. Except for a few steep climbs, nothing too bad & the scenery was pretty lush.

We've also picked up some more portion riders, including Chris & Ming, 2 riders from R4WH 2007 & Hadley's mom, Beth & her friend Julie. Julie's husband Rich is also with us for extra support. Andrew Suchocki, 1 of the founders of R4WH also joined us for a day.

When we arrived in Athens, we stopped at the Ohio University for a lecture before heading to the home of one of the students who lives on a beautiful farm & made dinner for us all. After dinner they lit a bonfire & a few of us got to ride ziplines out back of their home. We stayed with several folks around Athens. Below is picture of the 4 of us that stayed with Mr & Mrs Keys.

As for today.... a little out of the ordinary. We delayed our start to enjoy a breakfast at the "best place in Athens." It was really good food & let us miss the cooler AM weather, but we didn't ride until noon. Much of the road in the early going was totally gravel with some hills to-boot. There are 2 things I just don't want to do in gravel, brake & turn. No choice today. Then after the 1st rest stop, we discovered a tunnel we needed to go through was flooded with contaminated water. So we racked & drove a few miles to a lunch stop & picked up again just as we crossed the state line into West Virginia. Now, only Virginia remains between us & DC.

Things didn't change much. The highway we were on was really busy, there was little to no shoulder & it was closing in on rush hour. Many of us racked to the next rest stop on a better piece of road. Then another highway was being repaved & we rode on milled road for about 2 miles. Like I said, out of the ordinary.

Tonight we're at a 4-H club that has wireless internet but no cell phone service. So it goes. Tomorrow we head more deeply into the Appalachians & end up in Elkins, WV. See you then. The pictures here & others can be seen here on Facebook --Steve

R4WH 2009; Only 1 week left! :-(

We got to Columbus OH on Thursday after leaving Cincinnati in a storm. Thunder & lightening in the morning meant we had to drive a while before it was safe to bike. We still rode a couple of hours in the rain before it cleared & turned sunny in the afternoon.

On arriving, we went right to Cap City diner for a happy hour with the team & Columbus-based friends & family. The next morning, we all met at Christian's & biked a few blocks over to the OSU School of Medicine for a Global Health Day with speakers, food, etc.

This morning was our Solidarity ride. We had 2 routes of 20 & 40 miles. Great support & turnout with about 90 riders signing up to join us. This was a great turnout for a couple of reasons. There was a major charity walk & another bike event at the same time. Also, the weather was threatening, but held up & we stayed dry & enjoyed the rides.

Tonight we're being treated to a cookout at Clare's house. Tomorrow we leave for Athens, OH. Monday we'll cross into West Virginia & arrive in DC on Friday. I've only got 6 more riding days, plus 1 more support day & the DC Solidarity ride to go. It's hard to believe we've come so far & have so little time left together. On the other hand, it's been 2 months & I can't wait to see my wife, my kids, my family & friends again.

I promise more pics as we get into the Appalachians. --Steve

Through Indiana, Illinois & into Ohio!

R4WH has covered a lot of ground in the past days. After leaving St Louis, we spent only 1 night in Illinois. The next day's ride to Graysville, IN turned out to be 94 miles. A few hardy souls rode extra long to make it a true "century" ride. I figured on average, it was still over 100 miles a day x2. It was a good ride, mostly rolling hills & lush green scenery. My bike computer has died, so until I get a new one, I'm driving blind which makes it tough to know how far between stops or how well or how slowly I'm moving.
We stayed at the Rural Community Academy, a K-8 school here. R4WH has stayed here every year so far & the school goes all out for us. One of the kids met us at the intersection & rode in with us. They gave us a great homemade dinner complete with deserts & then provided breakfast as well. The kids here really follow our trip. When we walked in, the hall was full of student posters welcoming us. Upstairs, there is a US map that tracks our progress; evidently on a daily basis. In the morning, Ellen & Clare & Ryan & Rachel gave 2 presentations to K-3 & 4-8 respectively.

From here, we were off to Bloomington IN & Indiana University. Ben is from Indianapolis & told me that the state was totally flat. He lied! Lot's of rolling hills & a few steep ones this day just for kicks. When I asked him, he said that he never said that southern Indiana was flat. Oh, my bad, sorry Ben.

At IU, we stayed in student housing apts with beds, TV, kitchen, the works. AWESOME!! Yesterday we got to ride track bikes on the track where the 1979 movie "Breaking Away" was set & filmed. My support team was on for the day & the stated mileage was 125. We we due at Monica's parents' house, so we shortened the ride to about 115. The beginning of the day needed to be rerouted so the team hustled to stay ahead of the riders, not always easy. About 1/2 way, we ran into a glitch around a short bike path & needed to stop the riders mid cycle & reset the route from there. Unfortunately, a group of 5 eluded us & misread a marker. They wound up riding about 10 extra miles & totalled 127 for the day! So much for shortening the trip.

Here in Cincy, we've split into groups. Some are in the city staying with med students arranged by Leah. I'm with a group staying at Monica's parents' house. Mr & Mrs Foley treated the whole team to BBQ burgers & dogs for dinner & delicious ice cream for desert. Those of here even got to enjoy the hot tub & get our laundry done. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Now I need to leave. We're off the Univ. of Cincinnati to talk to the medical students. Tomorrow we leave & bike to Columbus OH, the hub of R4WH. We stay there a few days then head into WV, the Appalachians & into DC in a week from Friday. Unbelievable. See you soon! -- Steve