Tour de USA: Final Thoughts

As promised, I have assembled a number of final comments and observations about the Tour.  I will list these in no particular order. 

I have also published a post earlier today covering the final day ("Bound For Boston: Victory"), if you haven't already seen it.

If you have any questions or comments about the Tour, please "comment" or email me and I will do my best to respond.

 

Total Miles:    3415

Total Number of States:   15

Total Vertical Climb:   106,400 ft.



Flats
Total: 6    1 road flat; 5 slow leaks


Favorite States
Arizona, New Mexico and New York.

Least Favorite States
Texas, Oklahoma and Illinois

Most Scenic Rides
Cottonwood, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ
Erie, PA to Hamburg, NY
Las Vegas, NM to Tucumcari, NM

Hardest Rides
Tucumcari, NM to Dalhart, TX
Indio, CA to Blythe, CA
Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, AZ

Most Climbing Day
Cottonwood, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ:  7300 ft.

Longest Mileage Day
Blythe, CA to Wickenburg, CA:  116

Best Massage
Erie, PA

Most Courteous Drivers
Kansas

Least Courteous Drivers
Ohio

Key Clothing / Accessories
Camelbak (hydration pack): used it every day
Arm Coolers: wore them 70% of the time
Headsweat: wore it every day
DualEyewear Sunglasses: wore them every minute
Bandana: wore it through Southwest; loaded it with ice

Key Bike Accessories
Mirror
Taillight
Tire changing kit: tubes, CO2, inflator, levers, tweezers
Map/Cue Sheet holder
Cycling Computer (wireless)

Liquid Consumption (based upon reasonably accurate estimate)
Water:          2700 ounces
Gatordade:   2000 ounces  

Most Popular Bikes on Tour
Cannondale  (6)
Trek  (3)
Specialized  (3)

Rider Demographics
Males:   16
Females:  5
Married Couples:  3
Tandem Bikes:  1
Recumbents:     0

Dog Experiences

I was chased by one medium sized dog which I was able to shout off.  On another occasion, two German Shepherds just started to give chase (in earnest) when, at that precise moment, their owner yelled from an open garage door and they broke off the chase.  A couple of other dogs made half-hearted runs at me but changed their minds (if that's the right word).

Locking Bikes
Nobody locked their bike and no bikes were disturbed.  According to Tracy, no bike has ever been stolen during the tours.

Competitive Angle

Early on, I reported that there was no competition among the riders.  Well, that's not completely accurate.  When you combine speed, power, and  endurance and throw in a bunch of Alpha Dogs, there will inevitably be some process to establish a hierarchy.  It was interesting, though, how this played out.  In the early going, riders were kind of feeling each other out.  Also, we were all struggling with the Mojave so some things had to wait. 

The first major cut came with the creation of the 'A' and 'B' teams.  That narrowed things down and set the stage for settling the question of the order of the riders.  Once the order was established, though, the only competitiveness that continued was actually of a playful nature. 

Closest Call

Without question, my closest call occurred in a construction zone on I-40 during the ride to Albuquerque.  Only three of us chose to ride the re-routed Interstate, with an 18" shoulder, while the remainder rode in the closed area that was under construction.  The total distance was five miles and it seemed like an eternity.  The moment of truth came when an 18-wheeler passed within two feet of me, at freeway speed, and airhorn blasting at the precise moment that he was passing me.  I had to fight the vacuum effect that wanted to suck me into the truck.  The trucker was sending a message and I was receiving it. 

Weather
Extremes (while riding):
   Heat:  111 degrees  (Garmins were all showing +120 road temps)
   Cold:    45 degrees
   Wind:   35 mph
   Rain:   3 occasions for a total of 4 hours (Tracy said this was the 2nd lowest ever)


Level of Exhaustion
While I was quite exhausted on some days, I never felt as drained as after a marathon or summit day on any of the major mountains.  Tough days, particularly those with climbing and high heat, resulted in a bone weariness rather than a total depletion.


Advice To Those Considering a Cross Country Ride
Train long and train hard.  Just logging miles alone won't prepare you sufficiently.  Ride the hills or, if that's not possible, do high intensity repeats, sprints, anything to sufficiently stress your legs and cardio.  Train in high heat and humidity conditions.  Finally, consider doing it sooner rather than later.  It's a real challenge and age is not your friend.


Trip Insurance
I didn't purchase trip insurance because I thought I could cover the risk if I had to.  What I did not fully realize was the level of risk that exists.  Many events can interrupt a trip of this intensity and duration.


The Bike
My Cannondale 613 performed flawlessly (thanks, Bikes Blades & Boards).  It endured conditions and extremes, from heat, blowing sand, road debris, countless shifts through the mountains, and dumping it once in Santa Fe.  As the ad says, it took a licking and kept on ticking.  If there's ever been an inanimate object that I've become attached to, this is it.  It's been with me virtually every minute of the Tour (I'm talking 24/7).


The Man
I am grateful to report that I have been without any injury or sickness during the Tour.  Nor did I lose or forget anything at any of the 47 hotel rooms that I occupied.  (This may very well be a more impressive accomplishment than riding across the country).


Would I Do It Again?
Probably too soon to answer this question, but if I had to, the answer would likely be no, and in any case, never the same route.  There are too many other things out there to see and do.  It takes tremendous time and energy to do a ride like this and all the moons need to align.  What I can see happening is participating in other bike tours for a shorter duration and to different places. 


The formation of what I believe will be lasting friendships, I think, will prove to be one of the biggest personal dividends for me.  There are a few people with whom I fully expect to cross paths in the future.


Thanks again to all of you for joining me on this fantastic journey.  I have really appreciated your encouragement and support.

Tailwinds,

Mike

Bound For Boston: Victory!

There's not much that I can add to these photos.  They say it all on this day.

Ron (TX), MK, Tom.  Getting ready to leave the Burlington Hilton in groups of three, every three minutes.

Annie, Joshua, Michael, MK, Michelle, Diana at Revere Beach

Michael & MK at Revere Beach

 

Joshua & MK at Revere Beach

The Zyreks & MK

Annie & MK at Revere Beach

Victory!

MK & Tom

Completing the ritual begun on Manhattan Beach, CA on May 13th

MK & Michelle, standing in the Atlantic

The Class of 2012

One final historical factoid: Revere Beach is the first public beach in the US.

If you like, check my blog later today or tomorrow for a Final Thoughts wrap up. Thanks again for being part of my adventure.

Total Miles:  18            Total Vertical Climb:     200 ft.































































If you like, check my blog later today or tomorrow for a Final Thoughts wrap up.  Thanks again for being part of my adventure.

NH & MA: 13th & 14th State Line Crossings

Lots of nervous excitement this morning as we hit the road, bound for Burlington, MA.  It was yet another glorious New England morning.

Morning departure out of Brattleboro, VT

We entered the "Live Free Or Die" state.  I think I'll take the Live Free option, please.

As we were riding down the NH highway, we could hear the rushing of a mountain stream running which followed the road for miles.

A little further down the road, we came across this quaint covered bridge from the 19th century.

Sign above the bridge advises that there will be a $5 fine if you're caught bicycling across the bridge.  It crossed our minds.

Here are a couple of road video clips from NH:

We climbed our way through three states today.

This is our 15th, and final, state of the Tour.

We kept looking for one.

The ride was outstanding today but the roads not so much.  There were many holes, cracks and gravel spots to navigate through.  All this was made more challenging by the shadows cast by the dense forest lining both sides of the road, making it very difficult to pick these hazards up as this video clip will show.

We generally lollygagged on this ride with a part of us not wanting it to end.  There were many photo stops and an extended stay at the final SAG stop of the Tour.  Finally, we pulled into the Hilton Garden hotel in Burlington, MA.

Final hotel stop

It was a bittersweet moment for Tom and me.

My Welcome Committee!  It was great to see Diana and Michelle.

 

So here I am in Burlington, MA, poised to punch the final 18 miles into Boston tomorrow morning.  Beth, your moon landing analogy may be right on the money, only this time there are 21 astronauts.

Total Miles:  92           Total Vertical Climb:    5600 ft.

Vermont: Twelfth State Line Crossing

Today was a great biking day.  Good roads (mostly), ideal weather, great riding buddies, plenty of low traffic conditions, and loads of climbing opportunities.  As a matter of fact, today is the fourth greatest climbing day of the Tour, coming in behind Prescott AZ, Flagstaff AZ and Topeka KS..  We had one 7.1 mile stretch starting in Bennington, VT during which we climbed over 1900 ft.  All of us are stronger after 3300 miles and it showed today.

Morning departure from Albany, NY

Let me make a brief climbing related comment for the bike techies.  While I haven't done a "scientific" study, there are almost certainly more triple front chain rings than doubles within the group.  Within the double chain ring population, they are all compacts (50/34) except mine, which is a "big gear" (53/39).  However, my 11/36 rear cassette setup is the beefiest of the bunch so my total gear ratios have been sufficient to get me up and over everything that we've encountered so far.  I have been in the lowest (granny) gear several times during the course of the Tour. 

Riding down a country road in eastern NY.  Doesn't this look nice?

With the end of the Tour drawing near, I'd like to briefly comment on my ongoing evolution from "bike rider" to cyclist.  Starting with the mechanical side, six months ago, I knew next to nothing about my bike.  Now I have at least a rudimentary grasp of how the gears and derailleurs work as well concepts like trying to minimize the stretch of the chain.  I've also become passably proficient at changing tires.

By way of a humorous anecdote to the above comment,  several weeks ago Chuck and I were discussing his new Zip wheels.  I asked him what they set him back to which he responded "Three".  I said "Hundred?" to which he replied "No, thousand".  I'm learning.

As for becoming a cyclist as opposed to simply pumping the pedals, I have made significant progress.  Cadence (the revolutions per minute of the pedals) was not even part of my lexicon six months ago, now I live and breathe it.  This is also the first time that I've ridden extensively in a group.  Mainly due to Tom, I have learned the use and value of hand and verbal signals as well as the ability to better anticipate potential danger.  He has been an excellent teacher.

This video clip was taken near the NY/VT border.

Tom was not standing on a rock this time.

At about the 36 mile mark, we entered the quaint Vermont town of Bennington.  There is a major monument there dedicated to the Vermont militia, the Green Mountain Boys, who so effectively fought the British during the American Revolutionary War. 

Very imposing monument that was visible for a good distance from Bennington.

This town has something for everybody!

Update on bike problems:  Today Chuck was experiencing what he thought was a broken brake lever mount.  When Tracy took a closer look, it was discovered that, in fact, his handlebar was split.  Since the bars are taped, this was not readily visible.  Tracy fashioned a wood splint as a makeshift repair so Chuck could continue.  Given that we were hitting speeds in excess of 40 mph today, compromised handlebars are the last thing you want to have to think about. 

Of lesser magnitude, Tom had his first "road" flat of the Tour today with less than 2 miles to go.  Like all of us, he has had slow leak flats which he has been able to change in the friendly confines of the hotel.  We call these "flats of convenience" or FOC's.  The FOC acronym has also been converted to a passive verb on occasion. 

River near Wilmington, VT

There is now a pervasive nervous excitement within the group that is almost palpable.  We all know that tomorrow is the last big push.  We started with 21 riders in L.A. and we have lived together for nearly 7 weeks.  We know that we are going to miss each other.  From the first day, the atmosphere has been remarkably free of any hostility.  There have been several riders who joined the Tour for a week or so.  While these riders have been, by and large, good people as well, the core of 21 has always maintained its identity.

For me, this has been a Huck Finn experience.  It's the end of summer vacation and time to go back to school.  It's been a wondrous sensation to taste the Inner Kid at my age.  How lucky am I?

Total Miles:  77       Total Vertical Climb:   6100 ft.

Aspiring to Albany, NY

This morning, once again under the threat of dark skies and ominous forecasts, we set out for Albany, NY while Diana continued on to Boston, MA.   We had breakfast with some members of the group and Diana had a chance to re-connect with her partner in crime, Michele.

Fixin' to leave

Early morning departure from Little Falls, NY.  For a first, that is me in the foreground.  (Photo courtesy of Tom M.)

 

 

On our way to Albany, we traveled through the Mohawk Valley.  It was lush and made even more interesting by the river, train traffic and Adirondacks looming on the horizon.

Traveling through a small town, we encountered an Amish entourage.

Well, our rain luck finally ran out with about 15 miles to go.  It was actually a light rain but it was also a cool day with high temps in the mid 60's.  We pulled into Albany happy too get out of the rain.

The John F. situation weighed on all of us and came up several times during the course of the day.  I received an e-mail from John today in which he stated that he was going to be in the hospital for at least 2-4 weeks and would not be able do any weight bearing activity for 3 months.  Pretty serious stuff.  Diana and I will try to look in on him in Syracuse, NY on our return trip to Michigan.

Total Miles:  71       Total Vertical Climb:  2900 ft.

Lookin' For Little Falls, NY

Today has been a day of highs tempered by one significant low, which I will get to later.

First, the good news.  The forecast was laced with high probabilities of thunderstorms both in Syracuse and Little Falls.  The sky supported those projections.  However, once again, the weather gods smiled upon us and we escaped unscathed.  The other good news: Diana left this morning for Boston and has stopped for the night here in Little Falls.  She will be completing the drive to Boston tomorrow while I continue on my way to Albany. 

Diana is driving to Boston from Grosse Pointe, Michelle is flying to Boston from Marquette and I'm cycling there.  All roads lead to Boston.

The ride out of Syracuse was not unlike other big city departures.  Since we leave at the height of rush hour, we deal with the stress of high traffic consisting of pissed off drivers in a big hurry to get some place that they would rather not be.  Very pleasant.  What makes Syracuse even more special is that it has arguably the poorest road conditions of any place that we have been on this tour.

Departure from Syracuse.  I had to wait until the outskirts of town where the road improved sufficiently such that I could hold a camera without it being shaken from my hand.

Speaking of rough road conditions, Tom had to replace a cracked wheel in Hamburg.  Barry continues to fight wheel / broken spoke issues.  I just inspected my wheels and they appear to be OK.  Major vibration and potholes will eventually take a toll on the wheels.

After breaking free of the urban area, the riding improved:

For a good part of the last couple of days, we have been tracking the Erie Canal, never very far from it.  This 363 mile long waterway was opened in 1825 and connects the Atlantic Ocean with Lake Erie.  Since the elevation change between its termini is 565', there are a series of 36 locks used to step down this difference.  The Erie Canal played a major role in New York City becoming the chief port in the U.S. as well as enabling settlement of the Great Lakes and Midwest regions.

Demonstrating that Las Vegas has not completely cornered the market on tackiness, we came across this little gem:

This 29 sq. ft. wedding chapel sits in, essentially, what we would call a bog.  How romantic.

But then we are brought back to our rural quietude:

We crossed the Mohawk River today.  This river played a strategically important role in moving troops and materiel during both the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War.

Mohawk River

As we have been riding across the country, the historical age of the various regions has crossed my mind.  In the Southwest, there are many buildings and ruins from Native Americans and Spanish dating back from 500 - 1000 years ago.  In the Central and Midwest, it is "newer" with mainly post-1820 signs of settlement.  In the Northeast, the colonial development is evident with most of the towns having been incorporated in the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Entering Little Falls, NY:

In the above video, notice how Tom is calling out the potentially hazardous sewer grates on the road.  The cyclists are constantly communicating with signals and voice warnings in a collective effort to avoid danger.

Now for the bad news.  At about 24 miles into today's ride, there was a crash involving John F. and Mike F..  Mike was stopped at a rural intersection with John approaching from the rear.  Unfortunately, John was changing his cue sheet page and, in that split second, took his eye off the road.  He collided hard with Mike and was thrown from his bike, landing on his hip and elbow.  He was unable to stand after the crash.  Mike was uninjured although his bike sustained frame damage and is not ridable.

John was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to the University of Syracuse Medical Center.  We have learned this evening that he has a broken pelvis and elbow.  Orthopaedic surgeons are coming up with a plan of action.  This is just terrible.

In a post script on Mike's bike, a Little Falls welder came to the hotel and was able to repair the frame.  He would not accept any payment.

Mike F. and Jason the welder

Total Miles:   78               Total Vertical Climb:    2300 ft.

Slippin' Into Syracuse

To close out yesterday, some of our riders went skydiving after the ride into Canandaigua.  Patty and Cindy are veteran skydivers and Patty's husband operates a skydiving business about 45 minutes from where we were staying.  So Nick and John F. joined the ladies for a jump.  Everybody came back OK.

During breakfast this morning, I was having a discussion with John K. (OH) about the tour.  The conversation turned to how it was going to feel resuming "normal" riding when we returned home.  He said that he didn't know whether he would ever ride a century again.  John said that he really enjoyed rides up to about 60 miles and that, beyond that, it became more of a test of endurance.  There is something to that. 

I had not ridden a century for over 20 years before this year.  In the past three months, I have ridden eleven.  For me, this challenge still gets the juices flowing.  Still, John has a point.  Be careful not to lose what makes all this fun in the first place.

Today was yet another fine weather day: mid 70's, mainly sunny, wind slightly helpful and not too humid.  There was a fair amount of climbing which will only be escalating as we move toward the Green Mountains in Vermont, the White Mountains in New Hampshire and the Berkshires in Massachusetts.

   

Morning departure from Canandaigua

Early in the ride, we were traveling aliong the north shore of Seneca Lake.  This is another lake that Diana and I stayed on in 2009, although on the south side near Watkins Glen.  Formed by glaciers, this lake is over 800' deep.

Seneca Lake

Seneca Lake

We passed through the village of Waterloo which is known for having been the birth place of Memorial Day in 1866.  President Lyndon Johnson officially recognized this with a proclamation in 1966.

The takeaway here is that the Super Bowl gets more play than Memorial Day.

Still a little further down the road was the town of Seneca Falls.  This is where the Women's Rights Movement had an important convention in 1848 and, for the first time, formalizing the demand for women's suffrage.  The convention was hosted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and others and counted frederick Douglass among its attendees.

No flatbed Ford in sight this time

River in the Finger Lake District

For a section of the ride today, we were paralleling the Erie Canal on a scenic park road.  At one point, I spotted a deer.  The rest of the clip gets rather humorous, as you will see. 

Near the end of the video, Tom slowed to take a photo so I had to get both hands on the bars.  We cornballed for the rest of the ride over this.  When going through intersections, the lead rider yells "Clear" when no traffic is present.  You can guess what the response was.

Total Miles:  70               Total Vertical Climb:    3200 ft.

Crankin' To Canandaigua, NY

Before getting into today's ride, I want to mention that we all enjoyed a very tasty cake at the hotel in Erie, courtesy of the Pennsylvania State Police in honor of Captain Larry.  Larry was also interviewed by one of the local news teams.   

It was a crisp morning in Hamburg for the start of our ride today.  Tracy had emphasized at the meeting last night that we should be prepared for serious climbing to Canandaigua.  How true.

Morning departure from Hamburg

And another milestone,

Robin, from the CrossRoads staff, will go to any lengths for a photo op.

The further east we travel, the reaction that we receive from people is less of the "Gee, I hope you make it" variety but rather one of amazement that we've already come so far.

The road surface today was, for the most part, the best we have seen so far.  This is important in many ways: it minimizes the vibration for the riders and the bikes, it is safer and it helps our speed a little bit.

We rode through East Aurora where the home of President Millard Fillmore still stands.

Our last SAG stop was in the charming little town of Avon.

Avon town square

Avon SAG stop

Avon Inn: National Historical Landmark (1820)

Riding through the hills,

Today was a great riding day.  The raw numbers, total miles and total vertical climb, would have suggested a real grind but there's more to the story.  There are other variables like wind, heat, humidity and the difficulty of the rides leading up to the ride in question.  In this case, we had mid 70's, moderate humidity and a neutral wind.  Yesterday was not a difficult day and the day before that was a rest day.  The above variables also interact in ways such that 1+1+1 can equal 10.  On top of all this, each of us is unique in how we handle the combinations of variables. 

For me, today felt comparatively comfortable.  Although, Mary T., I could have used another root beer float!

Just 1.8 miles from our destination, Nick (UK) suffered his third puncture (we have flats) of the day. 

Three man crew changing Nick's tyre (we have tires)

Canandaigua is a lovely little town situated on the shores of picturesque Canadaigua Lake, one of the Finger Lakes.  It is in an acclaimed wine region of New York.  Diana and I visited here in 2009 on our way back from Boston.  Our good friends, Dave and Pam, first turned us on to this area.

Total Miles:  94              Total Vertical Climb:   5100 ft.

  

New York: Eleventh State Line Crossing

It rained overnight in Erie which significantly cooled things down.  We left this morning under partly cloudy skies and a 7 mph N wind.  No big deal.  Of course, leaving cities is a far more congested, stressful experience than our pastoral small town exits.

Morning departure out of Erie, PA.  No, the cruisers on the left were not providing an escort.

Starting in Erie County, PA and continuing up to Silver Creek, NY is the Chautauqua Wine Country.  This area constitutes the largest grape growing region east of the Rockies.  There are 23 wineries in the area, which is mainly known for its white wines.

Vineyards in Chautauqua

Just before the New York state line, we came upon a nice little stream, working its way to Lake Erie a short distance away.  The stream was teeming with salmon.  In the following video clip, I was not able to confirm the type of fish.  However, I managed to get a decent photo and am convinced that they are indeed salmon.

I think this guy went at least 18-20 inches.

The ride today was one of our most scenic.  The backdrop in the east, beyond the vineyards, was a distant ridge of mountains topped by cirrus clouds.  To the west lay Lake Erie with the road affording us beautiful views all day long.  To top it off, the road conditions were among the best that we've seen.  This is a place that I could return to.

Lake Erie

They keep falling, one by one.

We do a little ceremony at each of the state line crossings.  CrossRoads gave each of us a small container of sand from the Pacific Coast.  At each state line, we sprinkle a smattering of sand.  It's supposed to bring good luck kind of like the coyote blood, which worked so well.

An idyllic little natural harbor along the Lake Erie shoreline

River gorge coming into Hamburg

Total Miles:   80            Total Vertical Climb:   2700 ft.