John's Ride Across America Blog: 8/11 Epilogue

David Lamb, in Over The Hills, reflected on his journey a year after it was over and I completely agree with him:

“The most extraordinary aspect of the trip was that it was pretty ordinary. In three thousand miles, nothing truly unusual happened. I just got on my bike and went. The fact is, almost anyone could do it. --- So all the things I dreaded – the Rockies, the rain, my own vulnerability – turned out to be threats that did not exist. At some point, I realized that my apprehension of the unknown was as unfounded as the fear of fear itself.”

I'm not going to wait a year to reflect: here are my thoughts a day after the ride is over.

The most surprising thing is not that I rode 3,751 miles, but that I existed for seven weeks and didn't lose a thing! Usually I lose my keys, wallet, cell phone, sun glasses, etc. – and have to call on Brenda to find whatever is lost. But I did it all by myself! I didn't lose anything!

THANKS

To Brenda who not only allowed me to go, but encouraged me. As I was thinking about going on the ride, she started telling everyone I was going, so then I had to.
To Jim Erickson, “my coach” in Winthrop, Washington, who gave me a training program and, more important, encouragement. Photo of Jim in the blue jersey on the right.
To Lady Luck. We were extremely lucky with the weather (average temperature was probably 75 and it may never have gotten to 90, and only a couple of light rains). I was lucky with no accidents, no injuries and no mechanical breakdowns. We were lucky to have a good group. Will Rogers said “There ain’t no better way to find if you like people or hate them than to travel with them.” We traveled to 50 days and I don’t think anyone hated anyone else.

STATISTICS

Number of miles: 3,751 (my certificate says 3,629 but it be wrong)
Hours per day in the saddle: 5.7
Number of flats: 4 + one bad tube
Number of bike repairs: None, although I replaced the chain after Casper and the rear tire after Niagara Falls.
Number of turns (estimated): 750, maybe more
Number of turns missed: 1
Number of close calls with an automobile: none
Number of really angry drivers: one
Number of dogs that chased me: None. A couple thought about it but were cut off by cars.
Number of dogs that I chased: 1. He was standing in the road, looking at cyclists he had chased; I rode up behind him and shouted – he ran for the hills.

Was I stirred like America The Beautiful?

O beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties
Above the fruited plain!

No. I thought the Tetons were fantastic. So was Mount Rushmore (my favorite day) and Niagara Falls. But most of the United States that I saw was either desolate or boring. This is a vast and unoccupied land. How unoccupied? The table below shows the population density (people per square mile) of selected countries

CHINA 1650
NETHERLANDS 1020
JAPAN 870
ITALY 500
AFGHANISTAN 120
THE WORLD 117
UNITED STATES 80

We have fewer people per mile than Afghanistan? Amazing!

“If you don’t follow up on your dreams, you might as well be a vegetable.” - Anthony Hopkins playing New Zealand'er Burt Munro in The World's Fastest Indian

Was it like I expected?

It was much easier than I expected and therefore I don't feel like a hero. I’ve been on more difficult tours (End-to-End across the UK and the Lafayette Cyclists tour in Colorado) – maybe I was better prepared for this ride.
Other than saddle sores, I was never had pain or injury. An hour after a day's ride, I had recovered and my body had forgotten that I’d just ridden 80 miles.
It was more like a bike event (e.g. pay ride) than a tour. The objective of each day was just to finish the ride.
I had envisioned home-made cinnamon rolls and cappuccino each day mid-morning. But I only stopped twice at bakeries (until the last day) and they were terrible (mostly donuts). No cappuccino except in the bigger towns; maybe I had half a dozen on the entire trip, which is my weekly allowance in Dallas.
I had envisioned lunch at Mom & Pop restaurants in small towns but most of my lunches were at SUBWAY and usually at the end of the day's ride.

"Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen." – Benjamin Disraeli

Is this the way to do it? Definitely. And I certainly recommend America By Bicycle (ABB) and the North Route.

How do I rate America By Bicycle?

Overall: A
Guides: A
Routes: A+. I was amazed that day after day ABB got us out of and into the motels on side roads with minimal of traffic.
Route sheets: A+. I missed only one turn (on the bike path on day one) in over 3,700 miles. The maps were pretty worthless but they were not needed. Ibid the elevation profiles. These were probably the best (most accurate) route sheets in over 70 tours I've taken.
Sag stops: A-. Good but mostly the same things day after day and it got boring. Also I don't like powdered Gatorade.
Motels: A. They used a lot of chains; America's Best Inns and Suites, Best Western, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Ramada Inn, Super 8, Travelodge , and others. Best Western motels were, in general, better than the others.
Meals: B
My biggest complaint: luggage. Many times, a dozen or more riders were at the hotel, the rooms were ready and “box” (the truck carrying the luggage) was there but unloading of the luggage was delayed for a long time – I don't known why. Others had the same complaint.

What about the west to east vs east to west issue? I expected strong Westerly winds in the wide open western states but don't think we got it very much (remember the 120 miles with headwind going into Casper). But in the later parts of the ride, we definitely had many days of tailwind which helped a lot. So, maybe there's truth in the belief that the way we did it is best.

Was this the time for me to do it? Yes, but either earlier or later in life would work too. I thought that nearing age 70 I needed to do it soon; but now that I've seen Jon Damiano do it at age 80 maybe I have more years left than I thought! Photo at right is 18 year old Vivian and 80 year old John, three miles from the end.

Did I bring the right bike? Yes, The Seven Ellium SG (shown on Atlantic coast) was great but the IF would also have worked fine.

What bicycles did the others ride? Quite a variety, mostly high end and mostly pretty new. Most popular was Specialized Roubaix followed by Trek Madone. Custom bikes included 5 Rorak’s (4 owned by ABB staff), 3 or 4 Davidson’s, 2 Serotta’s, 1 Rodriquez, 1 Seven (mine), 1 Moots. There were a couple of older Trek’s, a couple of Specialized S-Works, 2 Cannondale’s, two Trek Hybrids (FX 7.3) and a recumbent – no tandems. The most popular saddle was the Selle An-Atomica.

Did I have the right gears (30-40-50 triple with a 12-29 cassette)? Yes. In the last couple of days we had 14% grades, but they were short, and I could handle them.

What was the worst thing about the trip? Having to hand-wash my cycling clothes every night.

What was the best accessory I brought? My review mirror. Other useful things were spare chain, spare tire, an insulated water bottle for Gatorade and my rear fender.

What was the most useless thing I took? Rain gear, but I wouldn't go without it. Second most useless thing was my supply of Power Bars; they weren't needed with the ABB sag food.

How much weight did I lose? I don't know; but if any, not much. How has in impacted my riding?

Am I faster? --- I doubt it.
Am I stronger? --- Probably but I don't know how to measure it. Well maybe I can stand longer when going up a hill.
Can I ride further? --- Absolutely, but not sure how long this will last.
Do I feel different on the bike? --- Yes, but I'm not sure I can explain it. I feel more competent; I feel I can ride anywhere - on any city street, any county road or state road or any interstate – go up any mountain – go anywhere I want! Being on the bike seems to be a way of life.
Maybe I’ll do a better job of stopping at STOP signs. (Mike Monk really emphasized safe riding practices.)

Has it profoundly impacted my life? No, not as far as I can tell.

Will I do it again? No, but the ride down the west coast is interesting. Brenda, are you interested?

Final thought: It was no big deal. But I'm glad I did it.