Big Ride Across America

Monday the 23rd it the kick off of this great adventure. I will be leading a team of 38 riders and 3 support staff 3,300 miles from Seattle to our Nation's capital. To date the riders have raised just about $250,00 to help the with lung issues breathe a little easier. The staff here in Seattle are friendly, talented and very professional. It I a real pleasure to be working with them this summer. Our gear is sorted and today i will shop for the food for the trek. Then it is a a matter of a few hundred small details to get ready for the 7 am start.

Seattle

The Northwest is even more beautiful than I left it. The last few day have seen me driving from Santa Fe to Wilmington to leave my things then traveling to Seattle all in 5 days. I am sitting here in the offices of The American Lung Association of Washington surrounded by dedicated talented, and experienced staff.
We are spending the week getting all the last minute preparations ready for out departure on the 23rd. Just one week and the ride begins.

Training and preparing

The human body is an amazing thing. Within a week I could feel my cycling groove coming back. Granted the first days are always hell. I live outside of Santa Fe and so there is a nice 10.2 mile climb to get up to Santa Fe. Elv. 7800ft. I am riding 30-50 mile loops each day. I think I find training so much easier since I am not pulling an 80lb trailer along. I can't belive how easy and fast you can knock out 30 even in the hills around Santa Fe just on a bike with no gear aboard. Did I really pull that thing across America last year? What was I thinking? I have managed over the winter to keep my weight at 165lbs even with all the rich Northern NM cooking. My first ride Across America in 2003 I started at 205 lbs, what a porker!


My bike is in fine shape, I spent yesterday tuning it and replacing cables. The only thing I don't like about cycling in NM is the dust sure can wear parts down quickly. I live on dirt road and it is 1/2 mile uphill to the first pavement, and I swear I can feel the dust grinding down my drive train I am always releived to get up that first hill.
Northern NM with all the moutains and the strong winds at this time of year is a challenge. I often will ride up to Santa Fe with a brisk head wind and by the time I get there the wind shifts and I face headwind again on the return leg.
But in the end after a long ride looking at the vista of the mountain desert it is all worth it.
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