Day 19

Yesterday's ride had us a bit spooked, but today's seemed like a return to our old pattern. After being chased by two dogs we started our 91 mile ride with a steep but beautiful climb out of Raton through Sugarite Canyon State Park. While I expected to drop down the other side of the ridge we actually stayed up there for quite some time before a long descent took us toward lunch. A nice pre-lunch ride, but nothing especially noteworthy. I did wear my recovery tights that Sara loves so much yesterday evening and my legs felt much better at the start, so I'm starting to think it's not just psychological.

Our usual threesome led the way into lunch and then, once we'd eaten and re-applied the butt butter (I'm now committed to a new brand we all discovered called "dznuts"! An unfortunate name but a great product! I had to re-apply in a parking lot, so I imagine a few people might have been wondering why I was massaging my ass repeatedly under my shorts (ah - TMI again). But surely I digress.

Post lunch we immediately hit the afterburner and took long turns pulling each other toward Clayton. Into the wind, which was still pretty light that early in the day, we kept our speed between 20 and 25 mph and cruised all the way into the town of Clayton. If you've stayed at the Best Western in Clayton, you will wonder why the hell we were rushing, but we all had things to do that involved massages, the Internet and work - not to mention a driving need to get our butts off a bike seat. We pulled in at 1:30 and here I sit in my tights typing away post massage and shower.

Dinner tonight is here at the Best Western so keep your fingers crossed! Tomorrow is a flat 106 mile ride into Oklahoma. In addition to missing the late afternoon headwind, I have the additional incentive of being able to watch Andy's game if I can finish by 2:00.

Day 18

We started a new day saying goodbye to two of our number - Dee and Michael - both of whom are clearly more intelligent than the rest of us as they signed up for the shorter option. Despite flat tires, getting lost and then getting deathly ill - Dee managed to retain his humor throughout. Michael, the guy you should want as your doctor, left us with great memories of his quietly effective sense of humor. We'll miss both of them.

Lesson learned - never underestimate a day! After our 140 mile climb over the rockies, we were looking at 93 miles from Taos to Raton, New Mexico as a "short hop". We started by climbing out of Taos - another long but gradual climb up a beautiful canyon. We then hit a second, short climb and reached the high point for the day elevation wise. This was followed by a breathtakingly beautiful descent through Cimarron Canyon State Park. We were spread out on the way down, so I was alone to enjoy a ride with mountains on both sides and a river beside me. The descent went forever, all at ego-stroking speeds between 25 and 30 mph. We regrouped for a great lunch at the point where the rockies meet the great plains (for whatever that's worth).

We continued to ride strongly after lunch, but about 10 miles from home the group hit a headwind and some of us just started to wear down. Even Karl - doing a 93 mile ride after emptying his body for a couple of days - was close to bonking. When Jeff says he's close to empty you know it's been a tough day. I was definitely tired, but actually felt pretty strong over the last few miles - all of which I attribute to good living! That said, when I got to my room and looked in the mirror I saw a tired face caked in salt.

And now we sit here at the Holiday Inn Express. I think I've said this before, but I have learned to love these hotels. I did have an epiphany today - realizing that I need to shift my strategy. I've been fighting to keep up with Jeff (our strongest climber by far) on the hills and fighting to keep up with Joseph (our strongest sprinter by far) on the flats. This basically identifies me as an idiot. My new strategy is to stick with Joseph on hills and Jeff on flats - still a challenge but a more sane approach overall!

This was our first of nine consecutive 100 mile (ish) days, across New Mexico and Oklahoma into Branson, Missouri and our next rest day. If averages prevail, most of it will be straight into a headwind. I think this qualifies this stretch as the "just grind it out and don't think too much" section of our trip.

That's it - have to download Glee now so I can watch it tonight and catch up with Sara and Sydney!

Day 16

Ouch! 142 miles, about 9,000 feet of climbing, across the continental divide and summiting at 10,550 ft. Turns out that 140 miles is quite a long way to go on a bike!

Whose idea was this?

We started at 7:00 and froze our extremities off (yes - all of them) for 90 minutes before the sun rose far enough to provide some warmth.  Jeff insisted on warming his hands in his crotch, but I took a more conservative approach and just placed them under my jacket.

We gradually climbed until we crossed the continental divide, then got into the mountains and the real climbing began. It was like riding the Alps - about 20 miles of climbing, only to discover that the peak wasn't the peak and we had a couple of more long hills to climb. Then, the sweet reward of a long downhill followed by a fast ride into Taos, crossing the Rio Grande along the way.

My own ride was pretty straightforward. Freeze > think the altitude is getting to you > eat lunch > get lost and add two miles to the ride > scale the pass > cruise to the hotel. I actually felt better/stronger riding my last hour than I did my first hour. I managed to stay with Jeff (our strongest climber and then some) through the first climb, but when we hit the second he raced up the slope and I slowly followed in his wake. All up, a tough but very satisfying day.

It was a more memorable day for Joseph, whose girlfriend, Chiyo, surprised him by showing up (all the way from Guam) on her bike on the road into Taos. I was leading our group in and waved at this attractive biker going the other way. I wondered why she waved back so enthusiastically, then returned to the job at hand. Next thing I know Chiyo has done a u-turn and is riding next to a totally shocked Joseph! To the surprise of no one, Joseph suddenly found a hidden energy reserve and raced back to the hotel with Chiyo!

It was also a very memorable day for Dana, Britt and William - not the fastest riders in the group but definitely the most determined. They finished in the dark, and should be incredibly proud of their ride.

A rest day tomorrow and an opportunity to see Taos. This is our best hotel (by far) to date, and the Do Not Disturb sign is on the door.

Day 15

Unfortunately, the big news of the day is that everyone seems to be catching some form on bug. It started with Dee, who is still down for the count and Michael, who seems to have managed an overnight recovery. We thought it was food poisoning, but then Marquette and Karl, two of our high energy guide team, came down with all of the same symptoms last night and had to stay horizontal today. Without anything too graphic, those symptoms are primarily diarrhea and projectile vomiting, so they make riding impossible. Anything that knocks Karl on his ass this badly is serious! Both Diana and William are also feeling off, and the rest of us are sort of waiting for the next shoe to fall.

Today was a second late and very relaxed start, as we rode 60 miles from Durango to Pagosa Springs, CO. We stopped at this great organic farm for lunch and the food was great. Jeff, Joseph and I stuck together again, but actually managed to take it easy - as we kept reminding each other that we have to ride 140 miles to Taos tomorrow. 140 miles and over 11,000 feet of climbing, which includes a mountain pass at 10,500 feet elevation. Essentially, they've stuck something akin to the Death Ride (a notoriously hard century ride in the Tahoe mountains) into the middle of 34 other days of close to 100 miles a day. Fun!

Dinner tonight should be interesting, as everyone will be trying to avoid anyone else who is experiencing any symptoms of our bug. Poor Dee is trying to organize a rental car, so he can just go home, but there are none available in Pagosa Springs - so he's probably stuck in the van all day tomorrow before he leaves us (he and Michael are "just" doing the Santa Barbara to Taos section).

Think good thoughts tomorrow!

Day 14

Cortez to Durango - a short 45 mile ride, but lots of hills and we hit 8500 feet so the air was noticeably thinner at times. Guess we must be in the rockies! We were so relaxed today that we actually stopped for an Espresso - aah, the signs of civilization.

Even better than a short day, Joseph invited me to spend the afternoon and evening with friends of his who live in Durango. Durango was a great little town, and spending time with Chris and Anne (from Brisbane, Australia) and Vic and Karen (Durango) was fantastic. We just sat around the house, bought (then enjoyed) some great Australian Shiraz and grilled out on the back patio. All up, it was a great break from the routine. In the "small world" department, it turns out that Chris grew up in Hull, England - as did my mom.

Day 13

Back online - who would've guessed I'd learn to love Holiday Inn Express!

We're in Cortez, Colorado, after a 101 mile ride following yesterday's 117 miles. A tougher day due to much more climbing, but another beautiful day of riding. I loved Monument Valley yesterday, and seeing all those famous landmarks. We rode by the Close Encounters mountain, then got to ride past the spot where Forrest Gump stopped his run (that's right, there's a sign!). But that was yesterday, and this morning may have been even more beautiful, in that we saw some amazing rock formations and they were much closer to the road. 

Our usual threesome rode well with others this morning and actually looked like we were serious about an easier day given all of the climbing. But after lunch all of those good intentions fell apart as we hit the accelerator. We even managed to drop Super Dave, our lead guide and a very strong rider - then tore into Cortez and our Holiday Inn. Joseph actually called me an "animal". Believe it or not, this is high praise indeed from such a strong rider (at least that's the way I'm choosing to interpret it)! 

This is getting repetitive, but I can't believe how strong Jeff and Joseph are. I'm out of my league and loving it. This statement will come back to haunt me, but I can't believe how strong I feel on the bike. That said, I'm sitting here with ice on my knee, so my mortality is never far from the surface.

Unfortunately, we took some casualties today. Michael and Dee both got food poisoning last night and, while Michael managed to rally somehow and get through the day, poor Dee was pretty violently ill and had to lie in the van all day. On top of that, Diana - who seemed to successfully fight off a case of saddle sores - hurt her knee and also had to retire to the van. Hopefully both of them can answer the bell in the morning.

Tomorrow is a short but hilly 43 miles to Durango, which I'm really looking forward to checking out. Then another relatively short 60 miler, followed by a very intimidating 140 mile ride into Taos, where I get to spend two nights with Sara!!

It's kind of frustrating to be in Andy's state of Colorado but be so far away. On a more positive note CC won today's game 1-0, though I couldn't make it in fast enough to watch the game online.

Day 12

117 miles from Tuba City to Mexican Hat, Utah. Daunting at first, but with the help of J&J (particularly Joseph who was strong all day) we crushed it at an average speed of 19.8 mph!

This was a beautiful ride through Monument Valley, and moved us into our third state. It started with miles of rollers and ended on this long, ego boosting downhill that had us at 45 mph in stretches. Never thought I'd say this, but I felt great at the end - all those 100 mile training days may actually be paying off!

Having to write this on my iPhone, as the Internet is pretty sporadic at the Hat Rock Inn, so that's it for today and I'll try to write something a bit more interesting after tomorrow's 101 mile ride.

Day 11

A relatively modest 80 miler from the Grand Canyon to Tuba City, AZ. We started with a spin around the rim with lots of view opportunities, and everyone wondering why they were so short of breath. We were at 7500 feet! Lots of rollers and the vertical added up, but then some very long descents - into the wind but fast nonetheless - followed by lunch at a deli in Cameron. We even stopped several times to check out the views - very uncharacteristic but it'll keep Marquette happy as she keeps telling us to "smell the roses". While we missed the gourmet lunches from the van, my turkey sandwich tasted great. Post lunch it was a pretty quick 25 mile ride to our hotel and my massage.

We returned to our Jeff, Joseph, Bill and Austin foursome and the two J's were fairly subdued most of the day, though we still managed an average of 18.7 mph. Toward the end the two 40 somethings put the pedal down and first dropped Bill (who is 60 something and a remarkably strong rider for any age), then dropped the 50 something, who wanted to live to fight another day. Thunderstorms were in the forecast today, but we managed to miss them, and arrived around 1:00. Tuba City is part of the Navajo Nation and we find ourselves in an interesting position. One side of the main street is one hour ahead of the other! So, we'll be leaving our hotel at 5:00 to walk across the street to our 6:00 dinner reservation.

We have 117, 101 and 141 mile days in our next 5 - so energy conservation may be important. It's a skill I never mastered, and J&J make me ride like the 40 something I'm not, so things should get pretty interesting!

Stay tuned.

Day 10

As mentioned yesterday, Day 10 was a rest day. A hike down into the Canyon, a bus ride around the rim and dinner. An unremarkable day in all respects - except that we were at the Grand Canyon. We learned all kinds of trivia on our tour, but the one that stuck with me most as we walked into the canyon is that every foot you descend represents 400,000 years of the earth's history.

Ans one more remarkable event occurred yesterday - I didn't get on my bike all day!

Day 9

A long but very satisfying day - 105 miles from Seligman to the Grand Canyon at an average of 18.5 mph.

An interesting start to the day - a town wide power-out that hit just as we were getting ready - so no hot breakfast for me. This time I managed to find myself alone with Jeff and Joseph (not smart) and, after an unassuming, fairly slow start, the engines ignited and we flew. The first 20 miles was over the remains of Route 66 which, that early in the morning, rode like a bike path. Unfortunately, from there it was the shoulder of Interstate 40 for the next 18 - trucks going by at 70 and crap on the road everywhere. As if that wasn't enough, out Interstate segment ended with a very long climb up to the Colorado Plateau.

We actually peaked somewhere at 7000 feet - weird to think that, just out of the desert, we were at an elevation well above Denver. Off the highway at Williams, we headed to a park for lunch in a beautiful alpine lake setting - then left just as everyone else was arriving. We then took it up a notch as we rode the remaining 60 miles up highway 64 to the Grand Canyon. J & J were ridiculous, and we hit 34 or so several times and averaged 24 before finally stopping for a drink. We were moving so fast we outstripped the support van, which actually turned back because they assumed we couldn't possibly have gone that far. We flew! After a drink the engines started up again and Joseph took yet another long, fast pull. At the end of this he actually looked at me and said "I'm spent" - and I've never been happier to hear two words! By this time, I was still enthusiastic, but had limited ability to maintain the kinds of speeds we'd been doing. We then agreed to take it down a notch and entered the park.

On our way to the hotel (unfortunately a total dump) we stopped to look out over the canyon. As they say - it is grand. It's huge. It's beautiful.

Sadly, our speed got us to the hotel by 1:30, and we had to sit and wait (with a couple of well earned beers) for our rooms until 4:00. Because this area is operated by the Park Service you can't expect any good customer service principles to actually be in play. We celebrated Dana's birthday over dinner and closed out a great day of riding.

After 9 straight days of riding today is a rest day, and I need to do a bit of work, then we'll take a short hike into the canyon. We're now 711 miles into our trek, and only a quarter of the way there! Tomorrow is another 80 miler, which we've started to consider a short ride!

Day 8

Another 85 mile day, from Kingman to Seligman, AZ - on Route 66 the whole way. Thought this would be an easy day, but the wind and perhaps 8 straight days of riding said otherwise. Probably the least scenic ride so far, but still beautiful and still fun. My major tactical blunder of the day was chasing after Jeff and Joseph when they decided to go out hard. About 2/3 of the way up the hill I finally realized I'm an idiot, slowed down, then spent the next few miles trying to catch up. I caught them, but only because they stopped for water. I felt great before the lunacy started, not so much by the time I caught up with them.

Bill, the science officer for our small riding group gave us the start of a fascinating lecture on the geology of this region, focused on the formation of the Colorado Plateau. We'll get the rest of the story over dinner.

So, here we are in historic (and tiny) Seligman at the Historic Route 66 Motel, where I write this from a room with a plaque on the door that tells me Burl Ives once slept here. Be sure to ask for the Burl Ives room the next time you're in Seligman. Everything in Seligman is "historic" as this was apparently the birthplace of Route 66. It's not the General Store, it's the Historic General Store. It's not the gas station, it's the Historic Route 66 Gas Station. And so on. We'll be having a great dinner at the Roadkill Cafe which, scary as it seems, does seem to be a step up from last night's dinner at JB's. They actually have three white wines and a large selection of beer to choose from. We just hit the cafe for a round of malts, milkshakes and a chocolate sundae for me.

Tomorrow is a hilly, 105 mile ride up to the Grand Canyon - and a day off on the following day. While I'm very much looking forward to seeing the Grand Canyon (never been), I could easily live without the 105 miles!

Day 7

Just want everyone to know that Azi finally decided to take a look at the blog. I feel so validated! She also dispensed some classic Iranian advice - and I quote: "I'm glad you're taking it easy because as we say in Farsi, if you go full throttle, you'll burn off your balls". Thank you Azi!


So, somewhat surprisingly, Day 7 turned out to be the toughest ride so far. Just 85 miles, but the combination of the heat, a lousy road surface and the vertical made things pretty interesting. We left Lake Havasu and jumped on the Interstate for 9 miles. Interstates are pretty interesting. On the one hand they're flat and smooth and we did that 9 miles at 30 mph. On the other hand you're being passed by huge trucks doing 75 mph. From the highway we took the famous Route 66. Amazingly, everyone wants to promote this road, but no one wants to maintain it - the surface really sucked. We stopped for lunch in Oatman, this weird little "ghost town" with burros walking the streets being fed carrots by tourists. From Oatman and lunch we headed straight uphill - over Sitgreaves Pass - and on to Kingman and the luxurious Holiday Inn Express.


Our four man team again stuck together and performed well, joined for much of the ride by Karl - who did his part in keeping the pace high. Unfortunately, Dee and Michael went off course and apparently ended up riding an extra 30 miles - so the stories at dinner should be good.


Rest, dinner at JB's (it's gotta be good - right?), sleep - then another 83 tomorrow!

Day 6

A fun, 44 mile ride from Parker, past the Parker Dam and up to Lake Havasu City. Everyone was in good spirits as we left the hotel and rode over for a 6:15 breakfast at the Cross Roads Cafe. Just imagine, about 15 skinny cyclists in spandex stroll into this diner and proceed to double order everything on the menu. I'm sure the locals couldn't quite put it all together. Scary as it seems, a 44 mile ride in this heat now seems like a quick stroll in the park. Not surprisingly, Jeff (followed by Dave) still put his foot down on the climb out of Parker Dam - but the rest of us just let them go and I kept my heart rate below 130 for the entire ride. It's called active recovery.

Lake Havasu's claim to fame is that, in 1968, a local businessman bought the London Bridge (which was indeed falling down - sinking actually) and shipped it - stone by stone - to Lake Havasu. It's a very strange site, this old stone bridge in the middle of a desert town. Exciting - no, interesting - yes.

After arrival I chugged my recovery shake, did my laundry, spent $75 to upgrade to a "suite" (this is the Hampton Inn) overlooking the lake, then joined "the team" for lunch. We walked a half mile at most to the restaurant, but 106 degrees is friggin hot!

We have 3 more days of 80-105 miles in this heat, then we'll reach the Grand Canyon and our first rest day. After yesterday's ride, I just need to guard against getting cocky - stay within my limits and eat/drink everything that moves. Don't worry Sara, I don't think I've lost any weight yet. Time to watch Andy's game online, then off to dinner at Lake Havasu's finest restaurant.

Day 5

This was the day that had me freaked out the most. 110 miles in 106 degree heat.

It was awesome! We did it at an average of 20.7 mph and I felt great throughout. I even peed several times - unheard of when I'm cycling in heat - I'm so proud! It was Jeff, Joseph, Bill, Michael and I most of the way. Michael finally realized that the other four guys are certifiable and decided to ride with a more reasonable and fun group, leaving our usual foursome to finish up. Bill and I are the two appointed navigators (whatever it takes to stay on the plane) and Jeff and Joseph are the two engines. While Bill and I take our turns pulling, our turns probably add together to form one J&J turn. As an example, Jeff pulled the rest of us over the final 17 miles!

The Mojave Desert was beautiful and the scale was amazing. Having five of us taking turns pulling actually gave us something to focus on as we sped across the desert. Together, it was a great experience - but riding that thing alone would have been absolutely horrific! Once we reached Parker we left California and entered Arizona - one state down and a whole bunch left. My only issue was a case of "hot feet", but Karl had the solution and doused my feet in cold water whenever we stopped for water. I swear those guys have ESP, every time we started to run out of H2O the van magically appeared behind us.

Just had a great massage from Mistress Tara and everyone at Sterling is managing (prospering?) without me - so maybe I'll watch an hour of daytime TV here at the luxurious Best Western, Parker. It's a short but hilly 45 miler tomorrow then I get to watch Andy's game online. They're playing the #4 ranked DIII team, so he should be in for lots of action.

Day 4

An awesome ride through the desert - averaging 21 mph for 90 miles. Our two "engines" - J & J - performed very well, with Joseph leading me into 29 Palms with a gigantic high speed pull. Lots of sand, hills and Joshua Trees - a desolate beauty that never got old. People actually live in the middle of all of this!

I felt great all day. It certainly helps to ride with so many strong cyclists, but it felt as if I was holding my own really well today. The ride flew by and we were at our hotel by 12:30 - felt more like a 50 mile ride than 90 - thanks guys! Only potential issue so far is a sore butt (TMI?). The lunches have been fantastic, so there's very little need to eat on the bike (partly because our little group keeps reaching the lunch spot around 10:00).

Tomorrow will be hard - 110 miles from 29 Palms to Parker, AZ and the forecast is for 106 degree heat. Think the plan is to start as early as possible and get as many miles under the wheels as possible before the real heat sets in. That said, our guides are great and the van always seems to pop up just when you need more water.

More importantly, Andy just won defensive player of the week for 3 consecutive shut outs and Sydney sounds like she's already working hard - the parents are content. I speak to Sara every day and she does a great job of sounding both interested and enthusiastic about my daily adventure.

Day 3

Valencia to Victorville - 90 miles of the high desert. We started with a great 20 mile steady uphill ride, with Jeff leading the way and the rest of us tucked in behind. You're going to hear the phrase "tucked in behind" from me a lot as I blog this trip. Actually, I'll try not to mention it and we can just consider it a given that I was tucked in behind Jeff and Joseph. Michael and Bill rode with us today and helped me to keep the pace at a less than ridiculous level.

A great day at a very fast pace throughout. The climb through Angeles National Forest was awesome and the high desert was beautiful. The road into Victorville would've sucked anyway, but was made even worse by a strong headwind. The 90 miles really flew by and felt more like 50 or so. Had my first massage today - exquisite pain dished out by Mistress Tara, but it felt great as I walked back to my room.

Our guides are great. Dave is all quiet efficiency and you couldn't fluster him if you planted a bomb beneath him. Hmm - will Homeland Security check out my blog because I used the b word? Marquette (great name) is a teacher, and it shows. She definitely has the skills to keep our class in line. Karl (with a K) is this total ball of enthusiasm and energy, and fixes a flat faster than anyone I've seen. Tara inflicts pain and pleasure, plus makes an incredible lunch.

The rider group is also great, and everyone seems to get along great. There are no signs of conflict, so I may need to provoke something just to see what happens.

Another 90 miles tomorrow and it should start to get progressively warmer. Like yesterday, today was hot but very manageable. Tomorrow night's hotel is described in the fact sheet as "eclectic" - this can't be a good sign.

Yes Sara, I will post some photographs, as soon as I take my camera out of my bag.

Day 2

One down, 34 to go. Santa Barbara to Valencia - 76 miles and a beautiful ride, down the coast then eastward through thousands of orange orchards. Group shot in front of the Pacific to prove we started there (or is it photoshop?), then on our bikes and down the road we went.

Fell in with a bad crowd - Jeff and Joseph, both very strong - and will clearly come to regret this at some point in time, probably soon. We rode most of the way at 23+ miles an hour, thanks to Jeff's demanding pace up front. Beat the lunch set up and got to the hotel with four hours to hang out in my room and do absolutely nothing. Hot - but not ridiculous yet.

Joseph has a "helmet cam" and interviewed some of us while we were riding. Asked me why I'm doing this and I realized I don't have a particularly clear or profound answer. Said I needed to set myself a challenge, which is definitely true. There's also something very liberating about simply getting your ass out of bed every morning and getting on a bike. No other requirements - just ride from point A to point B.

90 miles tomorrow and it'll be hot. Can't wait! Once we climb up, we'll be in the high desert. In my mind the high desert must be cooler than the low desert, so how bad can it be?

Day 1

We all met each other today and went out for a quick "shake out ride". Short but steep! A fair bit of climbing, but a frustrating lack of eastward progress as we ended up right back at our hotel. Tomorrow morning it all starts for real - an early morning wake-up and a 80 mile ride to Valencia.

Sara is driving back to Tiburon, Andy and Colorado College tied 0-0, Sydney spent most of her day in the library and I did over 3000 feet of climbing only to end up right back where I started. Clearly not the best Sunday for the McGhie clan.

Now, on to happy hour followed by dinner at the Fess Parker Doubletree Inn - it has to be great! With all this riding and recovery, my wine intake should decline enough to alarm a couple of Californian Vineyards.