Wrap Up
Well, I've been home for three weeks now
and am finally getting back to normal. For some reason, whether a
bug, pent up exhaustion, the time change, going from the wide open
spaces back to a windowless office, or all of the above, I was pretty
wiped out for the first two weeks back. Pam even out scored me on
the front nine on the golf course (argggh!) the first time we played
but my golf universe is now back in order. I've ridden a few
times on our regular after work route and then last weekend in the
local hills; riding 3700 miles in two months has certainly improved my
speed and hill climbing.
Has this ride changed me? At our orientation in Astoria, Mike
("tour boss") suggested that this would be a life changing
experience. That's a bit strong, but I can say that it has
energized my riding. I will probably do more to search out new
local routes to ride, put my bike in the back of the truck and go to
new starting points more often and not ride just the same century every
year. Will I put away my golf clubs and skis? No.
Starting out, I really didn't know what to expect on this trip.
Sure I had some inkling from other trip journals and my general riding
experience, but before this year, I'd rarely ridden two days in a row,
certainly not back to back 100-mile days or eight days straight.
My middle-aged carcase made it through with only a few aches, no bumps
or bruises. There were times when I was dragging, others where I
was flying. My bike absorbed the many bumps in the road and just
plain worked. The weather was better than we could reasonably
expect--only one day of moderate rain and few really hot days.
I can certainly see myself doing a ride like this again. ABB is
laying out a West Coast route that sounds interesting. And if I'm
still in good shape when I retire, another America North trip would be
a great retirement kick-off.
Regrets. My one regret is
that I didn't take more time to explore some of the side streets along
the route and the towns we stayed in. With working on the web
pages and attending to the off-bike chores, there wasn't enough
time. And I was a little tired too. Still I saw more than I
can remember.
Gripes. The ABB on the
road staff--Mike, Barbara, Karen, Mike, Cov, Susan and Josh--did a
great job of supporting us. Their concern for our safety was
evident, which I hope gave the folks at home some comfort. The
mechanical support was more than up to any of the problems we had.
ABB Headquarters has a few things to work on, though. My first
complaint is about the use of motel continental breakfasts in some
towns. They are not adequate to fuel a cyclist. I read a
similar complaint in a rider's journal from the 2001 tour; mindful of
that, I specifically asked the ABB office if they were still relying on
continental breakfasts and was told that they supplement them "when
necessary." On occasion, they did supplement them by offering a
choice of a restaurant breakfast but not always. That should be
the standard practice, not the occasional exception. Breakfast is
too important to short change.
Secondly, on a few occasions, we had to be shuttled to dinner, even
though there were perfectly decent choices within walking
distance. (It goes without saying, I hope, that the Port Huron
dinner spot will be replaced--that was beyond awful.)
On this point, I learned that on the "fast" rides, ABB provides lunch
at one of the SAG stops and riders are on their own for dinner.
That may make sense on this ride too. It would allow the early
arrivers to go out and get a big meal when its right for them.
Those who want to go upscale could do so. It might encourage the
formation of cliques, but they are pretty much a given, anyway.
Breakfast could remain a communal affair.
Finally, a few of the motels could stand replacement--Henrietta,
Mitchel and LaCrosse come immediately to mind. Perhaps Rochester.
Weight. For a while, I
was afraid that I wouldn't lose any weight on this trip, even riding
six plus hours nearly every day for two months. To be fair, I was
certainly taking in a lot of calories. On the longer days I would
consume the equivalent of 6 small bottles of Gatorade, 10 to 15 fig
bars/cookies, 3-4 bananas, plus breakfast, lunch and dinner.
During the last two weeks, I tried to moderate my intake at dinner and
laid off the desserts.
I didn't weigh myself on ABB's scale at the start so, lacking a frame
of reference, it was hard for me to know where I stood. One of
the first things I did when I got home was to get on our scale and, I
am happy to announce, I lost between 10 and 15 pounds. People who
hadn't seen me for the seven weeks immediately noticed it, primarily as
a reduction in my upper body mass and to some extent in my hips.
I've also completed my Frequently Asked
Questions page. There you'll find answers to questions about
comparing the various ABB rides, whether these rides are for you,
training and packing.
Here is the final mileage tally on my
trip computer. It didn't start right away each day and missed a
few miles but it picked up some others beyond the route sheet.
Finally, thank you for riding along with me and for your emails and
comments.
