A grown man cries

I did not cry because I had crashed my bike. Robin and I became grandparents in September when our daughter Lisa gave birth to Amy. Lisa and Brian gave us a photo that mimicked one I had taken of Robin and Lisa 34 years earlier. They found the same spot in Boulder and Lisa struck the same pose with Amy. Upon opening this special gift on Christmas Eve, I was overcome with emotion and had to leave the room to cry by myself. I told them my experience the next day. Having children and grandchildren is wonderful.

Road Music

Staying in a different hotel every night for seven weeks sometimes induces panic. My first instance was when I noticed that my heart rate monitor was not registering. I felt my chest and the monitor was not there. Did I leave it in the hotel? I called the staff who had just left and asked him to check my room. After a couple of minutes I found the monitor secured snugly around my waist. Had I lost weight or had I not moved it to around my chest?

Or, where is the bathroom in the middle of the night? To my right or the left as I get out of bed? I really need to go! To my surprise, I have no idea where I am in the middle of the night for a week after getting home from these long trips.

This past year, I did not have my wallet in my jersey at some point during day. I was more rational about it though figuring it was in my duffel. It was.

I have been researching music for the road to put on a mix CD for our SAG stops next year. This YouTube video will be a hit at the route rap in Riverside. For the un-initiated, we start the cross-country bike trip in El Segundo. Have a listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WILyWmT2A-Q

Was that funny? Staff will be doing a sing-a-long.

All things are temporary

Cold weather does not last.  Today it is in the mid-50s and the outdoors became my playground.  My cold tolerance is about 30 degrees but the day will have to be reasonably devoid of wind.  Sunshine makes it more tolerable.  The roads also have to be free of ice.  They were not on Monday and Tuesday.  I did have one slushy spot to go through today.  Thankfully, I know that snow and ice linger in that spot so I rolled through it with no problem.

Congratulations to Barbie.  I wish you a love of life and a long life full of love.

Winter at last

This was the longest Indian summer that I can remember. But it has finally turned cold and for a few days, the workouts have moved indoors. At least, I have a few options. Rather than wearing my bike out on a trainer, I have a nice spin bike. Mr. and Mrs CrossRoads gave us a treadmill. Larry is leaving running behind as have I. Robin and I will use it to walk.

I do have mixed feelings about the colder weather and snow. It was a very dry year and all of Colorado can use the moisture. I just do not want it like 2006-07 when I could not take the bike outside for six weeks for the icy roads.

What I feel

Why do I spend so much time on a bike?  Looking at a hot-air balloon this morning with "Freedom" on its side brought to mind the freedom I feel on the bike.

Old friends

Gary Broughton from XC 2005 and ES 2008 as well as Don Berens from ES 2011 came to visit and ride from Latham to Brattleboro. It was great to see old friends.

A typical day

I set my alarm for 5:45 for most mornings. But it has awakened me only once. I shave and dress quickly and am out the door to put out the pumps. I collect the tour map, easel, and sign-in sheet from the lobby and put them on the truck.

I have some breakfast and then go to my room to get ready. Up to 15 riders are on dawn patrol early release so we load their bags onto the truck. At 7:15, the faster riders' bags get loaded. I typically ride to the first SAG. After a short break I go to the hotel in the truck and deliver luggage to the rooms. When the vans come in, I get the drink coolers ready for the next day and fill the ice chests.

I am off dinner duty now, but paid the dinner bills most of the time for the first month. It is a busy day and I am more tired on many days than if I was just cycling. I do enjoy all aspects of the day.

Rain at last

We have not had a drop of rain while riding until today--five weeks into the tour. Even then, the rain did not happen until the later part of the ride. The locals need it. Marysville residents had their first rain of the month.

Helmet decorating

A CrossRoads tradition is to decorate helmets upon departure in Champaign. The riders gathered for a photo. They were quite creative.

I decided to just decorate my head with a large pipe before we arrived in Champaign. Perhaps that is why I appear in a pensive mood if not a painful one.

I had to put on a tall hat to cover the pipe. I feel better now as lots of Tylenol helps relieve the pain. By the way, many riders are existing on Vitamin I (Ibuprofen).

Last few days

We awoke in Quincy to the sound of thunder. The day's ride did not start until 10:15 when the storm had passed. The mileage for the day was 107, meaning that all riders were not at the hotel until after 6. Several of them called it the best day of the tour. A tailwind likely helped after the previous day's tough headwind.

The ride to Champaign the next day had a nice tailwind the last 40 miles. I was off the bike by then. Carol, Robin, and I had a nice dinner with Champ Walker and his wife Roni. Champ pedaled a hundred miles to see us averaging over 20 miles per hour.

Quincy

I missed this leg six years ago. It was 48 degrees with a thunderstorm at the start. Not my idea of a day at the beach. So I had only my second day of full-day cycling on this trip. And it was a hard one with difficult headwinds all day. I cannot remember being this tired after a day of riding.

Jeff and Roberta on their tandem. Always upbeat, even on days that are not friendly for tandem cyclists.

Mike, Rich, and I having a laugh at the SAG today.

Chillicothe

I often wondered what the name of this town meant. There are four other towns in the US with the same name I asked our server tonight. He said that it is the name of an Indian tribe.

We stopped in Mayville today. The locals had prepared delicious cinnamon rolls up until 2009. Three people asked why we had not notified them in the past three years that we were coming. Apparently a lack of communication. They would love to serve us again. We are one of their few contacts with the "outside" world.

My friend Barry crashed outside St. Joseph in 2005 just a few minutes after I left the tour. We rode together in 2008 on the Eastern Seaboard tour. Robin and Carol took Wendy out of town last night to find the scene of the crash. The photo is of Barry and Wendy at the scene this morning. I was very happy for them today.

Lots of climbing today. I counted 75 hills through 47 miles when I got into the truck. It is just a warmup for tomorrow when there are 148 hills. No wonder, we will pass near thousand hill state park.

St Joseph

The riders crossed the Missouri River today. I was driving the truck so could not look at the river. The bridge over the river is in horrible condition. The road is only two lanes without a shoulder. A new four-lane bridge is being constructed adjacent to the current one and will be a welcome replacement. I remember being a little terrified crossing the bridge on the bike in 2005. With no shoulder and impatient drivers, it was nerve-wracking.

St. Joseph marks the city where I left the tour in 2005 due to numb and painful hands. I thought at the time that I would never again do another long distance tour. I am so glad that I reconsidered that thought. It is not just the riding, but the many wonderful people that I have met in the intervening years.

Topeka

I think that the ride to Topeka is my favorite of the tour. I really enjoy the scenery and the rural feeling of the route. I believe that it is the most rural portion of the trip across America. Riders saw bison, elk, guinea hens, and coyote.

Abilene

A day off for staff is not necessarily a day off. Up at 6:15 to clean my bike and then off to the car wash to clean the vans. In the afternoon, I must fill all the drink coolers and fruit coolers and get ice. Craig helped but the afternoon chores still took ninety minutes. All but one rider went to the same dinner establishment tonight. It was three hours before I got back to the hotel. Dinner on an off day is not paid by CrossRoads so preparing twenty plus tickets took the better part of an hour.

Picture taken at Pawnee Rock and a license plate in last night's restaurant parking lot:

Making our way through Kansas

We spend a week in Kansas. Great Bend is our home for tonight. The city is named for a big bend in the Arkansas River which originates in Colorado. Although I can see evidence of the river in the never-ending line of cottonwood trees as we pedal along, I have never seen the river. A local told me today that the river is frequently dry in Kansas as Colorado frequently takes all the water. He blamed the cantaloupe farmers in SE Colorado. I did see a dry riverbed entering Dodge City yesterday thinking it could not possibly be the Arkansas. I picture how full it is in our mountains and what a draw it is for white-water rafting.

A peloton of CrossRoads riders:

Tossed about and tuckered

One of our British riders was discussing the meaning of knackered at breakfast. I mentioned that a blog title should be titled "knocked about and knackered." I am using a similar title. The wind was strong from the start. As Craig and I clipped into our pedals at the hotel, tornado sirens sounded. Fortunately, it was only a test. We averaged only 14.5 mph over 40 miles to the hotel in Liberal. One of the fast five said he averaged 12.5 mph. Craig and I left an hour early so we could ride and deliver bags. We beat Tracy to the hotel.

Kansas means south wind people. The weather is for more favorable winds out of the south tomorrow. I joked to Craig on the road that I expected today's wind to switch as we crossed the border five miles from town.

The photo will remind ES11 riders of our day into Myrtle Beach. It is of hwy 54 out of Tucumcari a couple days ago. The road was re-paved last year with a smaller shoulder and added rumble strips. Not as much traffic, but many more trucks.

I feel like Champ

I was the last one to leave the hotel, as usual, due to loading bags on the truck. Off into the headwind I went in pursuit. The fast riders were taking their time warming up. I was back with them after 3 miles. The pace was leisurely for a few more miles until Mike F. started a rotating echelon. Two of the nine riders wanted nothing to do with it. I did a few rotations until I noticed Chuck dropped out also. I went back to him and we rode easy to the Big Cowboy.

I had a chance to go as the others snapped photos. I had a two minute head start and rode TT style. The fast four wanted to catch me and it was not a fair fight. On John F.'s urging, they caught me 1/4 mile from the sag. Mike said I made them work too hard as he went by. Now I know what Champ felt like being chased by the Dalton Gang. Cheers to my XC09 mates!

H stands for

Headwinds. The ride to Dalhart is memorable to many of my readers for all the wrong reasons. In 2005 and 2009, we were faced with terrible headwinds, particularly the latter year. We had them again this year though they were somewhat tamer than in the other years. Several riders said this was the hardest day of tour.

DT and TD

Darrel Thomas and Tom Dunn
Yes, Darrell is officially a big dog. He moves right on down the road now having lost fifty pounds since I met him on his first CrossRoads tour in 2009. Although I also call him little dog because of his weight loss.

Teamwork

What I enjoy about bike touring is watching the bonds that form between the riders. Today five of the riders stuck with another rider to see that that he got to the hotel without problem. It was a 108 mile day. Temps at the departure for the dawn patrol were in the low 40s. It was almost 90 at arrival in Tucumcari. Our strong winds of the previous days were benign albeit a slight headwind. Nothing to worry about.

Windy days

We have had five very windy days of riding. As in steady winds of 25 mph with gusts much higher. It is not too bad unless you are in a crosswind. It spooks me as it does other riders. Mild winds are forecast for the ride to Tucumcari. H-winds are expected for Dalhart. Helping winds or head winds? Stay tuned.

It adds to the adventure

We came across construction on interstate 40. We waited while Tracy worked her magic. She convinced the construction bosses to let us walk through two work zones. In between the zones, we rode our bikes right down the middle of the highway.

Everybody does it

Takes a photo standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, that is. I took a photo of Carol's husband
Hank three years ago, so it has come full circle now.
Tracy predicted high winds coming into Holbrook and they materialized. Only eight riders escaped a flat tire today. One rider had four punctures. None for me as tire liners do their job. Since I started using them three years ago I have had just two flats while touring. Cross my fingers.

Lucky riders

The ride today was from Prescott to Cottonwood. We went over Mingus Mountain. While we were climbing, the driver in a a descending vehicle lost control and went off the road. Fortunately, he split the gap between two riders. The car rolled three times while going down a boulder-strewn embankment. The driver was unhurt. I had passed the two cyclists earlier on the ascent and did not know what happened until the hotel.

Up, up up

Three days ago, we were at 14 feet below sea level in Indio. Two days ago, we stayed in Blythe at only a couple of hundred above sea level. Today we are in Prescott and a mile above sea level. So you can see the riders had to put on their climbing legs. Tom M asked me why I looked so fresh at the top of the first climb. I told him that he had been on the bike for over 400 miles while I had only 100 miles under my belt. Not that the work aspect of the trip is easy on the staff as our work has extended as late as 9:00. When you start at 6am, it makes for a long day. But we love working for a great bunch of clients.

Hot hot hot

The low desert crossing is over. Thank goodness. The high temperature was 111 in Indio and Blythe. It was a "cooler" 102 high in Wickenburg today. They covered 304 miles in these temps and without any visits to the emergency room. Bring on the mountains and the high desert now.

XC 2012

Robin and I will be on the staff for CrossRoads Cycling's cross country bike ride.  We have been helping out on the organizational aspects for several weeks. It is amazing to see how much has to be done to get ready for a seven-week ride across America. The vehicles are just about ready to depart on Wednesday morning for the two-day drive to LA. We will have 21 riders this year who will ride the full distance. Another seven riders will join along for part of the distance.

There is a great sense of anticipation among the riders as they introduce themselves via e-mail. It will only build over the rest of the week. We too as staff are anxious to get started. We look forward to helping the riders accomplish their goals and dreams.

Recap

Note:  I wrote this last October and just noted that I never published it.

My 2009 mates.  A great group of men who bonded like only two days had passed rather than two years.  I miss them already.

The Eastern Seaboard tour ended a week ago.  Life goes on now for everyone.  The cyclists had to compete for a lane riding into Daytona Beach with over 100,000 motorcyclists who were there for their fun and games.  Many of them are in the same demographic as our cyclists.  To each his own, but the pedaling lifestyle is much healthier.

The final banquet was great.  Each of the riders expressed appreciation for the comaraderie and support of the group.  Larry Friedman received the map.  Larry was a guest of Al's and had never completed even a single overnight bike trip.  I enjoyed reading his blog leading up to the tour.  If I ever get some spare time, I will go back and read all the blogs.

Robin and I went to Atlanta for three days after leaving Florida and visited family there.  We arrived home on Wednesday.  I went to CrossRoads world headquarters on Thursday and helped to offload the truck.  It was amazing to see how everything is put together.  Everything has to be placed in the storage unit just so to maximize the efficiency of putting a truck back together next spring.

I went out for a ride on Friday.  It was nice to ride on my home turf again.  In a one-hour ride, I saw more riders than on any single day of the tour.  It was great to ride up and down hills again after the very flat last two weeks of the ES tour.  It was great to ride on a 55 mph highway that actually has a six-foot shoulder.  I thought it would be great to use the smaller chainring on a hill, but did not need it, even on a six percent grade.  Must have become stronger.  It was great to see 30 mile and more vistas rather than have vision obscured by dense forests on every side.

Opening day

As I was pedaling toward downtown Denver today, another rider told me he was going to the Colorado Rockies home opener.  I thought I would see if I could capture some familiar smells of a baseball game -- popcorn, hot dogs, candy cane.  It was nearly 2 hours before the first pitch and the crowds were still outside the gates.  So there were no familiar scents to be had there.  It was not a good opener as the home team lost -0.  It seemed as if everyone else was half my age, a familiar experience these days.  I have a young mind that enjoys young persons' experiences, but there seems to be a big disconnect at times when I look at everyone else.  I had the same experience on Friday night going to a first Friday art gallery walk.

It has been a warm spring so trees are budding, flowering, and leafing out much earlier than usual.  I missed baseball scents but these trees told me my olfactory senses are still working.

It was a glorious day for a bike ride.  I covered 51 miles today, the most for me in over a year.  Robin and I will be staffing the CrossRoads tour this year and I will have the opportunity to pedal all day at times, so I thought I had better getting prepared for the long rides.  It has been a very windy spring as the picture below from last week shows.  It was nice to not fight the wind today.

A weather change

I last wrote about a mild January.  February in Denver has been a much different story.  Lots of snow and plenty of cold weather.  But Robin and I are in Mexico and enjoying it very much.  We rented a casita for the month in Los Barriles, about one-half mile from the Darlingtons.  We are having a blast.  The casita is on the water.  Here is a view from our patio.

We went whale watching and saw many whales.  Some of the whales came right up to our boat looking for a scratch on the head.  I was able to do that.  Our captain for the day got in a kiss.

We go kayaking with Hank and Carol.  I am finally getting the hang of it.  We saw dolphins yesterday morning from the kayaks although they were quite far off.  Robin and I saw some this morning from the patio that were closer to shore. 

A rather dark picture of the four of us:

For my fellow riders from CrossRoads, please keep Tracy in your thoughts and prayers.  She is having back surgery on Thursday.

A mild January

Riding in January is a hit and miss proposition.  The average high temperature is 42 degrees.  I rode outdoors 14 times this month.  Today was the best day as the temperature was 60 at the end of my ride.  Still, 60 in January somehow feels a little cooler than it does on a summer morning.

Several of the riders on the Eastern Seaboard tour had a "smell the roses" attitude.  Somehow, I have lost that attitude over the years.  I decided that I would stop a few times today while cycling.  I had never stopped at the Dinosaur Ridge museum while cycling.  Today I did.  Not to go into the museum, but at least to take a couple of pictures and read some signboards.  It is amazing what you see when you stop.  I had never noticed these dinosaur replicas while riding past just 25 yards away.

 Upon the return trip, I pedaled up the Ridge.  There are many exposed fossils.  I did not stop to see them as who wants to get started up again on a 6 percent grade.  I did look off to the side, though, and spotted quite a few.  I promise to stop next time.

One of the signboards described coprolite.  I will let you look this up.  A neighborhood man when I was a lad was an avid rockhound.  He showed me and my friend some coprolite.  I guess he was not BS'ing us after all, so to speak.  I thought it ironic that this particular signboard was next to the loo.

Publicity for CrossRoads Cycling

The Denver Post has a daily pullout section that focuses on different parts of the Denver metro region.  One of the features is an article on a local small business.  CrossRoads Cycling was featured in today's edition.  The article with pictures can be found at:

http://yourhub.denverpost.com/southjeffco/business-focus-crossroads-cycling-adventures-south-jeffco/qfcDguxTSdH5qqHhUOoTJN-story-0

I highly encourage interested readers of this blog who have not toured with CrossRoads to cycle with them.  They also offer the opportunity to bicycle tour across regional sections of the country.

The Interview:

Business: CrossRoads Cycling Adventures
Address: 8613 S. Lewis Way, Littleton
Hours: Call for appointment
Founded: 1996
Contact: 303-859-6662 or crossroadscycling.com 
Employees: 8

Interview with Tracy Leiner, owner

How did you get involved in this business? 
In 1995 I left my job to ride my bicycle 3,400 miles across the United States. During that tour, I realized that it was impossible to put my experience into words. So, when the company I rode with closed, I decided to start my own business. By organizing long-distance tours, I was giving others the opportunity to experience what I could not explain.

What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category? 
As the owner, I still go out on the road with every group. This allows me to oversee the entire process and share my excitement and know-how with our cyclists. My leaders have all ridden across the country and are seasoned cyclists who understand the challenges our cyclists will face. We also provide services that are not offered by other long-distance tour operators, such as luggage delivery right to hotel rooms, energy bars and gels, pre-trip newsletters, etc. Our customers’ experience begins the day they register for tour.

What do you like best about your line of work? 
Watching people reach beyond self-imposed limits to achieve goals they never thought possible. We challenge riders to pedal across the Mojave Desert, cross mountain passes and strive for what may be the biggest accomplishment of their lives. When our journey ends at the Atlantic Ocean near Boston, family and friends of our cyclists cheer as if they are watching the biggest, most exciting event they have ever seen.

What is your business’ biggest challenge? 
Helping people understand that our customers are not super-athletes, that they are average cyclists they see pedaling around town. Our riders range between 25 and 80 years of age, with the average cyclist being about 54 years old. Riding a bicycle from Los Angeles to Boston may seem like a daunting task, but every year we successfully take another group from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic, one pedal stroke at a time.

Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business: 
After 15 years of taking people across our country, I still wake up every day on tour excited to venture to another town and meet people along the way. I am continually reminded that our country is full of wonderful people ready to sit and chat about life in their hometown. Our busy lives back home do not always allow for these types of visits and one of my favorite gifts that I can offer our cyclists is the opportunity to meet Americans — on the front porch, eating ice cream. Riding my bicycle from Los Angeles to Boston changed my life in ways that I never could have imagined, and my biggest joy is in helping others do the same.