Steve Klein's Ride for World Health Blog

R4WH 2009 Epilogue

2009-05-29T13:59:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-26T14:51:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

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! :-(

2009-05-16T12:40:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-05-13T07:14:00.000-07:00

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

Leaving MO, an unexpected century

2009-05-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

The ride today was just awesome. Leaving St Louis we rode through the down & got a quick view of the arch. We then rode about 15 miles on a bike path that including crossing the Missippi into Illinois. On Rte 66 again, no less.

All these weeks, I've said we have yet to get the "perfect day;" warm, sunny, light winds, easy roads. Today was that day! One small blip really didn't make a difference. The day was noted as being 88 miles. While support was going up ahead to mark the route, they found that the directions didn't work & needed to figure out a new route on the fly. This added miles & brought us up to 107 total for the day. This now counts as my longest day biking so far. It just didn't feel like it.

Tomorrow is about 104 miles, so it'll be back-to-back centuries. If the day is as good as today was, I'll be smiling all the way.

An unplanned day off

2009-05-08T16:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were in Washington, MO. We stayed at the local YMCA, which was pretty comfortable. Hard floor & all. We agreed to wake up & be on the road at 7am today in order to bike 50 some miles to St. Louis & be there in time to speak to the medical students at noon.

We were up, dressed & ready. The lead van left to begin marking the route. Then we saw the lightening & heard the thunder. A few more minutes, another. Support team A decided to rack our bikes & drive 20 miles up the road & try again. While we were driving, the radio announced 1 of those "BEEP...BEEP...BEEP A severe thunderstorm alert has been issued..." things. We checked online & saw the storm coming our way. We decided to just drive to St. Loius & get there early.

We did just that. We would definitely have been caught in the storm if we tried to ride. When we got here, the school was ready for us so we unloaded & took cover. The weather didn't stop us from finding a great breakfast spot for some & a Starbucks for others.

In the afternoon, a group went to see Star Trek. Really good! Don't worry Margie, I'll see it again with you when I get home. Just chilling now & waiting for dinner. Tonight we plan to bike over to see the Arch even though it'll be closed so we can't go up.

Tomorrow's weather sounds much better so we should be back on our bikes & heading towards Illinois.

From Kansas City KS to Jefferson City MO

2009-05-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, just a short up date today. Clare, our CEO, came back from a short trip home & brought her dog, Toby, with her. Toby put on his rider's jersey & attended the KC event with us. He also travels in the van & keeps us company at the rest stops.

The ride out of KC was a mixed bag. First, we all went 10 miles out of the way when we missed the very 1st turn. Then the ride was really nice as it went through some nice residential areas & then over some pretty park roads. I was only riding to lunch since I was scheduled to go ahead & do a lecture. Sometime after the 1st rest stop, I got a flat. A really cool flat, the coolest flat I've ever had. I ran over a nail that went through my tire, through the tube, hit the rim & bent 90 degrees. It nailed the tube to the tire. End of tire. Monica arrived in the support van & helped change the tire. I was back on the road & completed about 68 miles that day before racking my bike & heading to the event.

Today we rode 78 miles & arrived in Jefferson City MO. Jeff City is the Capital of Missouri, btw.

Tomorrow we're heading to Washington MO. I'm on support with Team E so won't be biking. It's hard to believe how close we're getting. Two weeks from Friday we arrive in DC! Stay tuned. --- Steve

We've reached Missouri!

2009-05-04T18:37:00.000-07:00

The rest of our support day was mostly uneventful. Except that Rachel got chased by a dog that ran in front of her & made her crash. A few minor scrapes & bruises but thankfully she's OK. Kansas stopped being flat & became greener & rolling hills. We found a beautiful field where our cold gear actually fit in, sorta. Can you see me now?
That day & the next we rode through several small towns including Gypsum, KS. The highway is the main street. There are a dozen buildings, several are closed. There's always a bar, a post office & a hardware store. One town had a sporting goods store, as long as all you needed were guns.

Late that day we crossed the 2000 mile point of our journey.

On Saturday we rode into Topeka. On the way in I passed this guy.

I also passed the Gale house. Notice that the house seems much newer than the date on the sign. The house has probably been rebuilt. Tornado, maybe? Coincidence, Maybe? Ralph & Mary, no Dorothy.

We stayed at the Mennonite church & gave a lecture there on Sunday morning before their service. They were very nice people & had several great questions about the issues we presented. Those of us that stayed to talk got in the van & met the rest of the riders at lunch. A minor miscalculation meant that the ride was about 10 miles shorter than expected & so I only rode about 35 miles yesterday.

Today we had a major global health event at U. of Kansas Medical Campus. We heard from the medical director from Village Health Works directly about his experiences in Burundi & the work that VHW is doing there. We're staying at the fitness center here & the staff has been amazing to us. Walk 2 blocks & you're in MO. Great cajun bar/restaurant for dinner last night & journal club this afternoon.

In the next week, we roll through Missouri, Illinois & Indiana & arrive in Ohio next Tuesday. Talk to along the way! - Steve

Day 30 Lyons KS to Herington KS

2009-05-01T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today I'm on support & currently waiting for the riders at our 1st rest stop. I've completed my 1st 4 day consecutive stretch of riding. Before now, the days between support have been broken up by events or days off. In the last 4 days, I rode 300 miles. The 1st 3, I've already written about. The 4th day was 96 miles from Ness City to Lyons KS. As usual, the day began with cold & wind. I once saw somebody write about RAGBRAI in Iowa: "The scenery is always changing. Sometimes the corn is on the left; sometimes the corn is on the right." I think that what corn is to Iowa, wind is to Kansas. It seems there's always wind. Sometimes it's from the left, sometimes from the right & sometimes straight on. I'm sure that it can manage to come from behind, but we haven't seen it.

Here's a pic of the ubiqitous tumble weed. I wanted to get a video of them blowing across our road at some ridiculous speed. But I would've had to stage it with some help & that was just too much to think about while we were riding & fighting the wind.
Fortunately the last 2 days, the weather has gotten better as the days go on. The wind has died down to be even pleasant & the sun has warmed us nicely. Yesterday support team D even arranged our last rest stop at a DQ where we all enjoyed some sweet deliciousness.

We stayed at the high school. High schools are good since we always get showers & occasionally laundry. The best is when we can use the home ec room for meals. This morning support team E (my team!) made pancakes (a R4WH 2009 1st) that we a perfect start to the day. The day began as usual for Kansas.... cloudy, windy & grey. Even a little drizzle. My hope is that the weather improves & the riders have a more enjoyable afternoon as we arrive in Herington.

A bunch of us will be going to the middle school there after lunch to give a lecture . Then, Christina will take a few people to the airport about 2hours from Herington so they can head out for a couple of weddings in Ohio. Branden's girlfriend, Katie, has been with us for a week & she's also heading home today.

We've crossed the 1/2 way mark for dates & distance by now. We're all looking forward to Kansas City this weekend & our next major event there. Stay tuned. --Steve

Entering Kansas

2009-04-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

The time off in Denver was great. I had time to rest my leg & enjoy the city. I even had 2 sushi meals! On Sunday we went to the Rockies game & watched them beat the Dodgers 10-4. Ryan got us great $13 tickets in right field that were really good AND included a free hot dog & soda.We left Monday morning, drove back to Pueblo & restarted our ride. It was a relatively short 60 mile ride to Ordway, CO. It should have been an easy day, but noooooo.... Most of the day was into a truly nasty headwind or crosswind. We would try to paceline, but the winds were swirling & it was really tough to find a good place to be with another rider or 2. Then there was Ordway..

As soon as we turned off the highway into town, it stank. Really, really stank. Like Poo. Not farm smell, like sewage smell. Really really bad. We stayed in the wrestling room so at least the floor was padded. Our support team A made a great dinner with chicken & tofu casseroles. We couldn't wait to leave.

The next day took us another 60'ish miles. We did a lecture at the Ordway HS in the morning, then rode from there. We stopped at Eads, CO & then drove another 70 miles to Leoti, KS HS. A 2nd day of flat roads with high winds. A much nicer school & another great dinner by support team B.

Today we all started out expecting another rough ride & were pleased that it didn't happen. Today was an 80 mile day to Ness City, KS where we did a short lecture at 1 of the smallest hospitals I've ever been to visit. They have 20 beds & average 4 inpatients/day. The winds were mild, even cooling. The roads were easy, flat to rolling with a good shoulder. We had a rest stop in Scott City at a donut shop & lunch in Dighton (corrected 5/1) at an ice cream stand that made burgers. I had a double with fries & a shake. Not our usual, but the shop gave us all our food at 50% off. Delicious!

Here are 2 pictures to close out today. We rode past George Washington Carver's home. The other is Jeff & Ryan giving the lecture at Ness City Hospital.

Days 21-24 From Montrose to Denver, CO

2009-04-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

We're in Denver Colorado now having crossed the Continental Divide at Monarch Pass on Thursday. When we left Montrose, we headed out to Gunnison. Scott, the realtor who hooked us up with the great condos in Telluride rode with us again & continued to serve as a local expert & guide to the terrain.

The thing I forgot to tell you about Montrose.... we stayed at a church that had great space & showers. More importantly though, there was a shopping center within walking distance. I enjoyed a guilt-free Stone Cold Creamery milkshake & went shopping with Branden, Stephen & Darrick to places like Walmart & Sports Authority. Shopping at Walmart. Now, there's a treat! Seriously.

In Gunnison, we stayed at Western State University of Colorado. We enjoyed having actual mattresses in the dorm rooms. We tried & failed to find the "big tacos" they were supposedly making for an Earth Day celebration. Nonetheless, we had a great dinner at a local pub.

Leaving Gunnison, we started the day with a gentle, consistent climb that culminated in a 9 mile launch from 7000 ft to 11,312 feet at Monarch Pass. Here are 2 pictures, 1 with Stephen & me & another of me alone. Hey, it's my blog.

And just as a comparison, here's the photo I used in 1 of my 1st entries that shows the same spot during last year's R4WH.
Hmmm, I wanted to show you the lack of snow compared to our trip, but look closely.... it's a different sign altogether!

To fully disclose, I have an admission that I must reluctantly make.... I did not complete this climb. I made it to within 4-5 miles of the top before racking my bike & getting in the van. I can note several reasons/excuses/pains/injuries for this, but the bottom line remains. I didn't make it to the highest point of our trip & that sorta saddens me. Happily, though, nearly all of our team's riders DID make the painful climb & reached the summit. In typical R4WH team fashion, all my friends here have been fully supportive & helpful regardless of mine or anyone's daily issues. Thanks, guys!

That afternoon, I joined about 1/2 the team as Clare & Farhaad presented a lecture to a Denver Rotary club. R4WH is a life experience like no other. I had breakfast in the cold morning air in Gunnison & lunch at a swanky country club in Denver. The members there were engaged & interested in us, our journey, our mission & our message of world health disparities. They were also very generous, buying t-shirts, bike raffles & simply making donations.

On to Denver itself. We're staying at a senior citizen day care center & loving it. We have showers & laundry. They're feeding us & feeding us well. We are sleeping on cots & have sheets, towels, pillows & blankets instead of hard floors, Thermarest pads & sleeping bags.

Today we had our 1st Solidarity ride in Colorado Springs. It was a 20 mile route that was well attended by 1 rider from the community & several team riders. It was a cold & often rainy ride that I still enjoyed. It gave me the chance to stretch out & test my sore leg. I felt pretty good & was able to put a few miles in & prove that I am recovering well at this point.

Tomorrow is a real "day off" with no planned activities. I hope to sleep in some & just relax in Denver for the day. On Monday, we'll be 1/2 way through the trip as we head to Ordway, CO & then leave Colorado & enter Kansas on Tuesday.

Some videos so far

2009-04-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

I have a hardwired connection, so here's a few videos I've recorded.

I'm mistaken in the video, we climbed 800 feet over a 1 mile road.

Here's Jeff dancing (as usual)...

2 videos into Barstow, CA

2 videos leaving Barstow via Historic Route 66..

Day 20 I think: Telluride to Montrose CO

2009-04-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Today was about 64 miles of mostly downhill or level riding with one fairly easy 12 mile climb. Leaving Telluride, we rode past Jack Nichlaus' property; the Golden Bear Ranch.

Just across the road is Ralph Lauren's property seen here in the background.

Tomorrow we go to Gunnison then Thursday we climb up to Monarch Pass & the Continental Divide.... wish me luck!

Since today's port is a short one, I thought I'd write some about things that are different in my life these days compared to my life at home.

I've gotten comfortable sleeping on just about any floor surface.
I've slept in a real bed on 5 nights out of about 23 nights so far.
I've camped through a sand/dust/wind storm in Tecopa CA & woke up to snow on the ground in Natural Bridges Park in Utah. We're done with camping & I'm glad for that.
I often go to sleep by 9:30 or 10pm.
Many times I don't know what day it is.
Any slightly secluded place by the road can be a "rest stop."
The food we make is always delicious.
I bike with an iPod in 1 ear most of the time. I almost never do this at home.
I can shower in 3 minutes. That beats not showering at all...done that too.
Graham crackers, peanut butter, oreos & Powerbars make great snacks.
I can eat almost anything I want. Today I had a Cold Stone Creamery milkshake with no guilt at all.
I have no desire to check email every hour.

That's a dozen things & if I kept going, it might not be family-oriented. So I'll stop here. See you tomorrow.

Greetings from Telluride CO

2009-04-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hi guys. It's been a while since I last wrote but we've had limited Internet access for a while. So far, I figure that I've ridden about 800 miles & the group as a whole has done over 1000 miles. Yesterday we rode about 64 miles from Dolores CO to Telluride. The 1st 50 miles was a steady, low grade climb followed by a couple of quick descents & 1 more tough climb before we arrived.

I'm just going to try to summarize what's been going on since I last wrote as we left NV & have since rode through Utah & into Colorado. Most of these pics & others can be seen on Facebook or by clicking here.

First of all, southern Utah is absolutely beautiful. The mountains are many, so we did a lot hard ups & steep downs among some spectacular red rock formations.

Once of the first climbs we did out of Ceda City was up near Bryce Canyon & we came to Zion National Park overlook. "HI" to Christian's family & thanks for reading my blog.

In Boulder Utah, we stayed with host families. Boulder UT is a small town with a population that ranges from about 180 to 250 depending on the season. We gave a lecture at the elementary school there. We spoke to a group of about 12 kids that comprised all students in grades K-6. They have no child in 5th grade, so made up "Tommy" & told us "he's fat!" Cute cute kids.

It was snowing when we left Boulder & the road over Boulder Mountain was covered, so we drove over the mountain then continued our ride into Hanksville where we spoke at another elementary school. Myself & some other riders went to both events & didn't ride that day.In Hankville, we stayed at the school overnight, but visited Goblin Valley State Park. The formations there resemble (use your imagination) goblins, of course.
The day we left Utah & entered Colorado I was on support for the day. We had a lunch at the Cahone CO Senior Center & Christina & Kristin did a lecture there for about 10-12 local residents who joined us for lunch.

Fast forward to our ride into Telluride. The 1st 25 miles of climbing were warm & green. The later part of the day we rode among 14,000 foot peaks & climbed to about 10,300 feet ourselves. Here are a few pics from later that day.

The next few days we'll be crossing Colorado as we approach Denver & the Continental Divide. We'll be climbing that day to over 11,000 feet. I'll write again as soon as I can.

Steve

2009-04-17T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hi! This is Margie. Steve called and asked me to post this blog for him. He's just getting through Utah and they haven't had cell/internet access for the past few days. They'll be riding into Colorado tomorrow. He and the team are doing great and once they are able, the blogs and pictures will start again.

Day 10: Alamo NV to Panaca NV

2009-04-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we were in the desert. Today the ride was called early due to snow on the mountain as we approached Pananca.

We began the ride in a cold rain & covered about 38 miles of the 73 scheduled before we stopped for safety sake. It rained the entire day & there was snow falling & accumulating up ahead. Of course, now it's clear & the sun is sneaking through. Nobody complained about stopping early today, though.

Now we're in for the day. Ken is a high school teacher here & has been very helpful to us. We shipped some supplies to his house. He opened up the school so we could use the showers there. He's bringing us dinner.

We're staying at the local firehouse for the night. Ken is bringing us pasta, salads & some drinks for dinner. He's already outlined our whole ride for tomorrow. About 80 miles to Cedar City, Utah. A big climb at the start over 10 miles or so. Then some rolling hills and then a 50 mile flat stretch. One more "gradual" mountain to climb as we approach Cedar City. I'll let you know tomorrow how accurate he was. Here's a pic of the mountains from the window of the firehouse.

Day 9: Las Vegas to Alamo, NV

2009-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

Today was that near perfect ride day I've been waiting for. High about 70 degrees, mild wind that was mostly a tailwind; some gentle cimbing with mostly flat road or downhill & topped off by a well maintained, smooth roadway. Overall, I feel pretty good. Some minor aches & pains & chafing are to be expected. I am feeling like I'm starting to adapt to this schedule & starting to build some leg muscle along the way.

After 2 days in Vegas, I think we were all glad to get out of there! It felt so opposite to what we're doing & how we all feel. It was good to be out on the open road in sight of mountains everywhere & nobody flicking "massage & companionship" calling cards at you. Although... 1 rider of our group decided to take a proactive approach & she has collected maybe 100 of these. Some of us have taken these & attached them to our bikes for some diversion as we roll.

Tonight we're in Alamo, NV. Not "The Alamo;" that's in Texas. We're staying at a high school & have showers. We're able to use the home economics room for cooking dinner & doing some laundry too. Tomorrow..... Panaca NV then on to Cedar City, UT on Sunday as we cross another state line.

BTW, the Doylestown Intelligencer published a short story about the ride & me in today's paper. Here's the link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2009/april/10/nurse-to-ride-3700-miles-for-world-health.html.

Catching up on Days 1-8: San Diego to Las Vegas

2009-04-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

4/2/2009 Day 1; La Jolla to Laguna Beach
We rode out & went back to Torrey Pines to dip our wheels in the Pacific Ocean. From there, we rode out the Pacific Coast Highway about 65 miles to Laguna Beach. We ended the day a few miles early in order to get to a dinner in time, no problem. The community we stayed at in Pasadena was a group of neighbors that fed us & opened their homes to us for 2 nights.

4/3/2009 Day 2; LA Event Day
No ride today.

4/4/2009 Day 3; Pasadena, CA to Hesperia CA
Today we climbed out of LA & over the San Gabriel Mountains. The first 10 miles were easy. After that, the climbing began & we went from about 1,000 feet to almost 8,000 feet over about 30 miles (my estimated distance). Hard, hard, hard! I had tried to get a new cassette for my bike with a bigger climbing gear, but neither of the 2 shops we tried had one that fit my bike. What I’d heard was totally true. You sweat on the climbs & freeze on the descents. Like I said earlier, my max speed on the climb was about 7 mph and my average there was probably more like 5.5-6. We stopped at the Mile High Café for a water stop & a photo.

We put on our windbreakers & long fingered gloves for the descent. Fun, fun, fun! Even though I needed to brake from time to time around the turns, I still maxed out at 41 mph coming off the mountain.

I have to tell you, I made it over the mountains, but didn’t finish the day. After the descent & some flat road, more climbing ensued. My legs just gave out about 55 miles into the ride that was scheduled for about 95 miles total. The support team racked my bike & I climbed into the sag wagon. Ugh! Then the whole team stopped riding about 5 miles after I had since we had to be in Hesperia at 7 pm for an event at the church there. We made it just in time, but there was some confusion & we wound up not being able to do any presentation that evening.

In Hesperia, the local Catholic church housed us & let us use their kitchen for our dinner & breakfast. We all squeezed into the 2 small rooms they let us use. In the morning, we were able to speak after an 8 am mass in English & then just before a 10 am mass in Spanish. We left there around 11:30 & headed to Barstow.

4/5/2009 Day 4; Hesperia to Barstow CA
After that long hard day in the mountains, a short 45 mile ride was just what everyone needed. Nothing too eventful. We stayed at the Barstow Community College in a huge gym where we all had plenty of room to spread out. We had showers & laundry, but no kitchen. No problema. Mexican restaurants are easy to find.

4/6/2009 Day 5; Barstow to Kelso, CA
Our first century day (100 miles). We drove about 30-40 miles out of Barstow & began riding on Historic Route 66. I remember that rule about “if you can’t say something nice…” OK, here: There are no cars on Route 66 outside of Barstow. That’s the nice part. Otherwise, the road pretty much sucks. The first 10 miles or so were cracked, stony, holey pavement that felt like it hadn’t been maintained in years. Fortunately, if you keep going, things get better. The next 20 miles were pure heaven. I rode alone for most of that time cruising easily at 20 mph.

After lunch, the dessert heat set in. I rode the rest of the day with Jess & we pulled each other through the hills, the heat & the wind to the end. I did a century!!! I’d done one a couple years ago on the MS150, but that was flat in NJ; nothing at all like this one.

We camped out at… ready?... Hole in the Wall Campground. Really cold, but a beautiful clear & starry night. Not that I could appreciate the night. After dinner & a support team meeting, I crashed out, still sweaty & covered in sunscreen (no showers here).

4/7/2009 Day 6; Kelso to Tecopa, CA
My turn on support, so a day to help everyone else & rest my own legs after the 100 mile day. Another camping day, but pretty different places. There’s a natural hot springs. After dinner & showering, a hot soak just felt perfect. Then there’s the wind. “It’ll die down” we were told. Wrong! It gusted all night long. I had to reverse my position in the tent just to have the tent hitting my feet instead of my head when it bellowed inward.

4/8/2009 Day 7; Tecopa, CA to Las Vegas, NV
Vegas Baby!!! It was a 70 mile ride with time to practice our teamwork & pacelining. There was also a good deal of climbing after lunch, about 20 miles worth. Then the payback. Over the crest & down the mountain with Vegas in the distance & a mostly straight road down. My max speed hit 47 mph & some of my teammates went even faster. I covered 10 miles in about 15 minutes. YAHOOOOOO! Man was that ever fun.

4/9/2009 Day 8; Las Vegas NV
No ride today. We had 2 presentations. One at a local High School & another at the Medical School here. Mostly, today was a day off to decompress & do some laundry. And to write all this catch up stuff, too.

Last night a bunch of went to see Mystere at Cirque de Soleil. In a word, incredible, amazing, wild. (Yeah, I know). That’s about all I did Vegas’ish. We’ll go out for dinner tonight, then prep for tomorrow’s ride to Alama, NV.

For more photos, click here.

R4WH Days 1-4

2009-04-05T23:21:00.000-07:00

I owe you all some details, but it's 11pm & I need to get to sleep. The 1st day's ride up to Laguna Beach was 65 beautiful miles that could only have been better if the sun was out more. We stayed in Pasedena with host families. Dan & I stayed with Wilson & Stephanie & we couldn't have been more lucky.

On day 3, we crossed the San Gabriel mountains & climbed from ~1000 ft to almost 8000 ft over about 40 miles. Very very tough day. We had an event to be at so the ride was called early after about 60 miles. Max speed going up, 7. Max going down, 41!

Today was a pleasant 45 mile trip to Barstow Ca. It was a good day for all of us to get our legs back after the severe climbing of yesterday. Tomorrow is scheduled for 100+ miles into the Mohave desert. We leave at 7 am.

I have pictures to load & will try again to get some vids up. Stay tuned. Good night.
Steve

Our 1st rides together

2009-04-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got out for our 1st group ride. We did a short 15 mile trip to Torrey Pines & back. Seeing us all together in team jerseys & lined up on the road was a very cool sight. Even more cool was the view of the valley as we went SCREAMING downhill towards the park entrance. The climb out was pretty extreme. We decided to go through the park vs back up on the road. The incline on the park road was very, very steep for the early going & tested everyone's legs pretty quickly. We all made it up though & we'll do another climb today.

Before that, we're doing an event at UCSD & presenting a lecture to a group of med students there. Tomorrow after dipping our wheels in the Pacific, we head out to LA on the official Day 1 of the journey.

I've tried twice to upload some video here, but the wireless connection here must be slow. I'll try again later. For any of you on Facebook, I'll try to load them there as well.

Later that same day... Ok, I was wrong. That climb was nothing compared to what we did today. We climbed Mt Soledad in La Jolla, CA. 1.5 miles of climbing & 850 vertical feet. It was completely lung searing, leg ripping tough! The view from the top though was incredible. The descent was tough too as the road was in poor condition & we all rode our breaks the entire way down. It was just too much to think about getting too much speed going.

For some early still pics, click here to see what I've loaded to Facebook. That's all for now. We leave here tomorrow at 6:30, 7AM. Time to shut down & check on my packing & my gear for tomorrow.

Steve

Greetings from San Diego

2009-03-30T20:09:00.001-07:00

I arrived in San Diego yesterday morning. I picked up my bike & drove around San Diego for a couple of hours. Then I met up with the team in the afternoon. We're staying at a Jewish Community Center in La Jolla. It's a beautiful facility & the people here have been very kind to us. Spent the 1st night of many to come in my sleeping bag on my Thermarest pad. Still getting used to that, I must say. Today was the first working day for the R4WH team. After some introductions, we began reviewing the lectures we'll be delivering as we travel cross-country.

The team is great & diverse group of people & I think all of us will have no problem getting along. We got our team "kits": our jersey & shorts today.

We did our first "set up" at the Community Center & spoke to a few people there.

Tomorrow, more logistics to cover such as how the support teams will be staffed & how we'll work those days. Then, finally, a group training ride. I can't wait to get out & loosen up for a couple of hours. Our first "real" riding day will be Thursday when we head out to Los Angeles.

See you again soon. Thanks for reading!

Steve

One last post before the trip begins

2009-03-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's Thursday afternoon & I'm in the airport on my way home from Wichita, KS. I've got some last minute work to finish up tomorrow, then out for a good dinner with Margie. Saturday will be my day to pack. This is where I'll probably take everything I need & arrange it a few times to fit in the smallest possible suitcase, decide I need a bigger suitcase, then try to figure out what I don't need to bring. As far as cycling stuff, that's pretty well decided. It'll be street clothes that'll drive me crazy. How many tshirts, short sleeves, long sleeves, sweats, etc.

I leave early Sunday morning for my flight to San Diego. I've got a car for 1 day so I can tour around for a few hours until the rest of the team arrives. I'll pick up my bike & find the place we're staying in La Jolla. The next few days will be orientation; to each other, to riding together & to our lecture material for our event days across the country.

Now that work is pretty much done, I'm finally realizing how close I am to leaving, to beginning & I'm getting excited & nervous at the same time. This is going to be a terrific adventure & I just can't wait. Stay tuned.

Ride for World Health: San Diego to Washington DC - 1 week to go

2009-03-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

I checked with UPS & my bike has safely arrived at the bike shop in La Jolla. I'll borrow a bike this weekend for 1 last ride with my Team Tania friends. This week I was in Ohio & was to able to do 2 spinning classes. I've got 1 last session with the personal trainer today, 1 last Kokikai Aikido practice tomorrow morning, & 1 last road ride on Sunday before I leave next Sunday morning.

I've updated my tetanus booster & clipper-cut my hair. Now I look more like the picture I used for this blog. Some last minute supply shopping this weekend & then 1 more business trip next week. I get home Thursday night, 3/26. Some final time with family & friends, then a 7:30 am flight on Sunday & I'm there. So close, it's scary. But I'm really thrilled & can't wait to get it going.

A huge THANK YOU to all those who've sponsored me. I've raised about $3300 to date.

I promise to write here as often as Internet access will allow. I'll post notes, some photos & even a few videos from across the country. Feel free to leave some comments when you visit. You can also follow me & the whole team at a blog we'll do at http://rideforworldhealth.org/.

Let the adventure begin!

Thank you everyone! I made my fundraising goal!!

2009-03-03T14:48:00.000-08:00

I received my monthly fundraising update today from Ride for World Health. February saw the largest single month's donations for me so far & put me over the initial goal of $2,500. My sincere thanks to all that have so generously sponsored me & helped me to reach this milestone.

Now with about 3 1/2 weeks until I leave, I can truly concentrate on final training without wondering if I'll make my target in time or not. Of course, if you haven't yet donated to sponsor me, please do. The more money we raise, the more good we can do.

Tonight will be a Kokikai Aikido night. Sensei is here & this weekend is Winter Camp in Lawrenceville, NJ. Let's hope for warmer days, melted snow and more cycling ahead.

Thank you everyone!
Steve

Ride for World Health is four weeks and counting down!

2009-03-01T09:19:00.000-08:00

Today it's snowing, but yesterday was a good day to ride. I headed out on my own & covered 75 miles. I packed a couple of PB N Honey sandwiches, some GU gels & an extra bottle of Gatorade. Made a stop at the old site of the NE dojo on Rising Sun Ave & stopped in to talk to the new tenant. He's running a combination computer business/Haitian mission & gospel center there now.

My route took me down Aramingo Ave where I could see the CC skyline. From there, into CC along Spring Garden St where the skline was right in front of me. Out to Norristown & East Norriton where I stopped along the road to look back at the city from a distance & see where I just was. I had lunch here & a few horses from the farm I was at strolled over to say "Hello." Actually, I'm sure they were more interested in my PBH than me.

I mapped my route on MapMyRide.com & I've embedded the route here.

75 miles, Jamison PA to East Norriton (or Valley Forge) via NE Phila.
Find more Bike Rides in Jamison, Pennsylvania

Great weather to ride!

2009-02-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had a real warm up here into the 50's & I took advantage. Met up with some Team Tania buddies & did a 47 mile morning ride. Saturday I took my friend Robin (who's also my son's friend's dad,) for a 50 mile loop from home to Carversville, then to Sergeantsville NJ & back through New Hope. It was cold at the start in the 20's, but in the 30's when we finished. The Sergeantsville General Store is one of the best places I've ever been to for a rest stop for some Wonton soup & dumplings.

Work is slow today, so I may get together with Robin again for a 30 miler to New Hope & back.

I can't believe how close the trip is getting. It's only about 6 weeks away. In 4 weeks, I ship my bike out to San Diego. Here we go!

2 months to go...

2009-02-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

I leave for San Diego on Sunday, March 29th. I've booked my flight & made arrangements to transport my bike. Last month, I had my bike overhauled; new chain, new cables, cleaned the derailleurs, trued the wheels, adjusted everything. Except for some last minute things, I've got just about everything I need equipment-wise & clothing-wise.

I'm spinning 1 to 2 times a week & trying to get out at least once a week for real rides. The recent weather here at home has made that a little difficult. When it gets down to 15 degrees, I must admit I wimp out. Snow & ice on the ground have also made me reconsider a couple of times. So, what else can I do? Like I said, there's spinning classes. I'm doing some strength training on my own as well as with a trainer at the gym. Aikido practice once or twice a week also helps just to keep me moving. I seem to have plateau'ed (sp?) on my weight loss, but I'm ok where I am for now. I'd rather concentrate on getting ready to ride rather than losing weight. Besides, I've been told that we'll all lose about 10 lbs in the first couple of weeks on the road. Makes sense.

I'm still trying to hit my target fundraising, but I'm making good progress. Right now, about $1600 of the $2500 target has been donated by generous friends, family & colleagues. I appreciate all those who've helped me so far.

For the next 2 months, I want to concentrate on riding as much as possible & mixing up short intense rides (15-25 miles), mid-length rides (30-50 miles) and a few longer rides (50+ miles) as time & daylight permit. Anybody who wants to join me is welcome. In fact, please join me. It's always easier to ride with someone than to ride alone. It's also an extra incentive to not skip it & goof off knowing that a partner is expecting me.

Stay tuned, it's coming closer!

R4WH - About the trip

2008-12-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone!

When I talk to people & tell them I'm riding cross country, most ask a lot of the same questions. I thought I'd try to think of them & write about them. Think of this as my own little FAQ. Feel free to email me to let me know what what questions I missed.

How far do you ride?

The trip itself covers 3700 miles from San Diego to Washington DC. Each rider will cover about 3000 miles. This is because we all work to support each other. We have "teams" within the team. Each rider is on the bike for 4 days, then on the 5th day works as part of the support team. Here's a link to the route/schedule.

Support duties will include driving the vans (we have 2, One in front of the 1st rider & the other behind the last), marking the roads, loading the gear & bikes, working on food, etc.

How many miles each day will you ride?

We average 80 miles/day & range between 60 to just over 100.

Is it really hilly?

Probably at times. Climbing is the skill I'm least good at, so it's what I'm working on as I train. The biggest climbs are early on, when we go over the Continental Divide. That's about 11,000 feet. Here's a picture taken on last year's ride.

When are you leaving?

I fly out to San Diego on Sunday, March 29th. The team will meet there, do some training rides together, then start out towards LA on Thursday, April 2.

Where do you stay?

From what I understand, much of the time we'll be staying at local schools, churches, firehouses & such. We'll do some camping out, too. There may be a few places where we get hosted by local families. I've bought a self-inflating Thermarest pad & a new sleeping bag.

How are you taking off so much time from work?

That was the 1st thing I thought of & what I took care of before I ever applied. I never expected my work to allow me to take off for 2 months, so I thought I'd ask & that would be the end of that idea. My boss couldn't have been more supportive. She actually said: "Oh Steve, that is so cool! You have to do it. We can work it out." I actually had a momentary thought myself: "Oh Shoot! (No expletives here!) She called my bluff, now I gotta carry through."

So, my plan is to acrue as much vacation time as I can, then take a week or 3 of working without pay.

What about your family?

Hmm, another good question. My wife has always been supportive of anything I've wanted to do & felt strongly about like being a flight nurse or going back to school (twice!). Since I travel almost every week & I'm only home on weekends, they're all a little used to me being away. But 2 full months without seeing each other will be different, no doubt.

We'll keep in touch by phone & emails. The team will have its own blog & we'll post photos & videos along the way. I'll see the HS play before I leave & I'll be home in plenty of time for my oldest son's graduation.

You must be training to get ready...

You betcha! Like I talked about in the 1st posting, I had a really good summer/fall cycling season. I'm still riding through the winter, although recent ice storms have slowed me down some. I'm doing indoor spinning & I've moved an old bike to the basement on a trainer. OK, so the home indoor thing doesn't happen too often. Hey, I think about it. :-)

I'm also doing some weight lifting & strengthening exercises & I'm working with a personal trainer to keep me going in spite of myself. It's working out pretty well. I did some climbing over the last couple weeks in a bigger gear than I had used in the past.

When do you finish?

We arrive in Washington, DC on Memorial Day weekend, dip our wheels in the Atlantic Ocean & head home on Monday, May 25, 2009.

Come back in a while I'll post some more notes as the day gets closer.

-Steve

1st posting

2008-12-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

OK, here goes....
I've created this blog to document my experiences & training as I prepare for my cross-country bike ride with Ride for World Health. I need to catch up from the summer, so please forgive the length of this post. I will try to post more frequent, shorter entries as I figure out how to use this site better.

I found out about R4WH on Memorial Day 2008 when Kathie C. came to visit us & she & Margie went to DC to meet Kathie's friend, Marianne, as she finished her ride. I decided to apply & was accepted as a national team rider for 2009. You can ride all about the ride & the organization at the R4WH website & more about me on the team at my team profile.

I was able to do a good deal of cycling this season. In July, I rode in the annual American Cancer Society Ride. Most of the summer, I was on an assignment in NE Ohio & would do a spinning class 1 or 2 nights a week while away from home. I would ride with friends or on my own on weekends. I rode a few rides with local bike clubs. In September, I once again rode with the great folks at Team Tania in the MS150 2-day ride to Ocean City, NJ.

I bought a bunch of books & started reading about long distance cycling, nutrition, weight loss, cardiovascular training & strengthening for cyclists. Flying to work every week is a great way to get in some personal, non-work related reading.

So, I've learned that carbs are good at the same time that I'm trying to lose a few pounds. Increase your activity, eat the same & you'll still lose weight. Pay attention to both diet & exercise & you'll be good to go. I also bought a heart rate monitor for my bike & try to keep my HR in the aerobic zone as much as possible. I drink before I ride, try to drink more during the ride & drink more right afterwards. I also make sure that I eat some carbs beforehand. When I'm leaving home at 7am, I'll down a bottle or 2 of Ensure. During the ride, besides water or Gatorade, if I'm on my own & unsupported, I'll use a carb gel pack every hour or so.

But it's all good. Even though I'm taking in more, when I ride 4+ hours & burn 2500 calories, everything I'm eating or drinking is used. I'm also finding that while I might be tired or struggle on the climbs some, I haven't bonked or gotten close to feeling like the work was too much to do. Overall, I've lost about 6-7 lbs. so far & feeling pretty good.

In November, I joined LA Fitness to be able to do some winter spinning & start some weight training. Every book I've read advises cyclists to hit the weight room. Now, just to be clear, I've been active my whole life between swimming as a kid, cycling for the last 12 or so years & practicing & teaching Kokikai Aikido for 25 years. But I've never....never...done any weight room work. It's pretty intimidating to me to be beginning at age 48 & I wouldn't know where to begin. So, I bought a personal training package & have been going once a week for the past month or so. While on the road, I plan to use the workout room at the hotel, although where I'm going right now is pretty crappy & limited equipment-wise. We'll see what January brings to my travel schedule.

I've been riding weekends so far, even though it's getting colder around Bucks County. I've got some cold weather gear already & just got more gear recommended by R4WH. In fact, I rode about 25 miles one Sunday when it was 23 degrees F. when I started out at 7:30 AM. Thing was, I was supposed to meet up some Team Tania friends & missed the emails that they had decided not to ride. I probably would've bailed myself, but since I'd already woken up & driven out to Valley Forge Park, I decided to head & out & see how it felt. Dress correctly & anything's possible!

I need to get stronger in my climbing skills. Riding in my own area is great; there are plenty of challenges. But I'm also hoping that my weight work (both losing it & lifting it) help me here. In my weight training, I'm trying to strengthen not only my legs, but also my core, arms & low back. All of these are needed to climb, but not improved by cycling itself. I think I'm progressing. Last week, I did a little climb that I've always done in my small chainring (Granny gear) in the middle ring & did it at a comfortable pace without getting fatigued. Continental Divide, here I come!

That's it for now. That's enough. Come back in little while & I'll have an update for you.

Steve