Belfast, London, Knoxville and Cold Beer      Day 6, 86 Miles

I have covered over 500 miles, 1/3 of my journey in six days. Of course I knew what the courses were in advance, but given my training regiment back home, any experienced biker would likely have said I was not ready and admittedly, they would have had good reason to say so. I had never strung together more than 3 rides back to back. They were more like 30, 102, 50, never close to an average of 85+ miles a day. Emotionally speaking, I knew I could do it, but I knew it would be a struggle. There was a definite disconnect, and I figured I would just deal with it when it is on my doorstep. Like most challenges that have been thrown at me, I usually find a way to get the job done, so I wasn't worried. 

I have no special stories with today's ride. I finished the 86 miles in just over 4.5 hours. The ride was very flat and mile 2 looked identical to mile 70. I won't complain about flatness. However, given that I was by myself for most of the day, a change in scenery would have been nice. For miles, there was nothing to see but crops, barns and farms. The winds were mostly at my back with the temperatures in the 80s and dry. I was number 3 for the day, coming in 18 minutes behind the leader. The landscape was beautiful as usual and if I ever had any doubt of where all America's produce comes from, I know now. Also on this run, my camera mount broke and is unfixable. It looks like I'll be going manual from now until the end of the trip. 

When I arrived back at the hotel, I immediately headed to the hot tub and pool to soak. This is my daily regiment. I didn't realize that my arms were badly sunburned, and I kicked myself for not applying sunscreen. After catching up with the kids and JoAnn, I headed back downstairs to collect my 3 free drinks offered in the hotel lobby. It is the eve of my first day off and the cold drafts were going down very smoothly.  It was my first opportunity to get to know some of the people in the group. Given that I usually bike alone, there isn't much chance for me to have many conversations. I started to feel the alcohol take the edge off and help me forget about the pain in my legs and undercarriage. 

What a great group of people

At the 'happy hour' in the lobby of the Drury Hotel in Champaign, I sat with Charley, a pilot that is dedicating his trip to help raise money for 'Angel Flights', a team of pilots that flies needy patients to medical care that can't afford to make the trip. He is in his 60s and has a great sense of humor, telling me a couple times that I will not make it (joking ... I think). I learned also from someone else that he survived a crash landing in his airplane. Then there is Sherman (one of my favorites). Sherman will turn 78 next month. He is charming and his stories grab your attention and force even an ADD poster child like me to listen like a five year old sitting on the mat at story time. He has done so many things in the latter part of his life that it's hard to imagine what he did as a younger man. Until a couple years ago, he was in the Guinness book of world records as the oldest person to climb Mount Everest. That was 6 years ago at the young age of 71! On that climb, he survived a 600 foot fall. He has also climbed the highest peak in Russia. On top of that, he is turning 100 acres of land into a farm in Massachusetts with his wife and pure bred German Shepard, Denali 'Nali'. He is kind and genuine, the kind of person that I know that I could learn a lot from. Then there is Bill, the former   mouthpiece to the press for the US Intelligence agencies during the Bush Administration. We have not spoken much, but I can tell that he is sharp and processes everything that he sees and hears carefully, old habits I guess. Lastly, there is Jeanne and Jan. Both in their early 70s, they had never met before the trip but have become fast friends.

A group of us decided to head to a local bar to have some drinks and dinner. In the hour that followed, I got to hear some more stories of the others that I am sharing this adventure with. There was Catherine, a 22 year old from Scotland. She was a competitive rower for Great Britain and was now picking up biking. I think her father mentioned that she rowed in the Olympics. Her father Chris is a British renowned orthopedic surgeon. Chris is being followed closely by British media not only because he has taken on the task of bicycling across the United States, but also because he has lost 170 pounds in the last year or so in an effort to get his life back. I spoke with him one day in the hot tub and he volunteered that he he blames his poor health decisions on too much focus on his career... choosing to write important papers for the medical community over his own health. There is Ricky from Belfast, Ireland. He is 28 years old and Catherine and him seem to be quite chummy. I guess that will happen when you spend 30+ days together on the road. Ricky is living at home with his parents, running a real estate business from their home, and just wanted a change. Rob is a Londoner who was recently let go from his position as a commercial real estate developer after 26 years on the job. On top of that news, he lost his brother and mother both to slow debilitating diseases in the space of a year and a half. I could see by the wet in his eyes that the pain still clung closely to him. Then there was Darryl, the neurologist who is from Knoxville, TN, the birth place of Jack Daniels Whiskey. I learned over the last six days that Darryl enjoys speaking about himself and his pedigree quite frequently. He is one of those people that gets so self involved, that he forgets to thank you for buying him lunch. He goes home today after doing a 9 day section of the tour. He will come back next year with the group and go to Boston. Lastly, there is Chris, the recumbent biker. He is also an orthopedic surgeon, coming all the way from London to do the 3400 miles. 

When I first met the group, I was a bit surprised at the average age. Perhaps, I shouldn't have been surprised because who else but retirees could take two months out of their lives to ride a bike. When I began to process that they have biked over 2000 miles together, through the desert, mountains and now through heartland of America,  I concluded that this is a very special group of individuals. I wondered what makes them want to do the 3400 miles from Los Angeles to Boston, and in my short time on our free night, I got some of the answers. 

Whatever the age, or level of fitness or skill, there is something in them all that makes them drive hard and push themselves to their limits. For the most part, what I picked up on was that these people want more out of their lives and are willing to do what it takes to get that. Like me, they like the feel of the rubber on the road, the sun on their neck and the satisfaction of finishing the course of the day. But all of us share something else I think ... we don't just want to do this, we need to do this. We are deeply motivated from that thing that lies under the surface and provides fuel when hydration and carbs fail. Surviving a plane crash, failing to be yield to father time, losing loved ones or simply waking up and realizing that tomorrow could really truly be your last day are all good reasons. Another thing that I have learned is that we are all equal here in this space and in this time. It is a place where being a surgeon, lawyer or pilot has no relevance. At the end of the day, the only question is, Did you do the distance?  I am honored to be here and have the opportunity to ride with them for a bit. 

Today, I will enjoy the day in Champaign, IL, hopefully finding a good massage. Tomorrow, I will cross into Indiana, my fourth state.

Thank you all for following.

One Video ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XgpcHRxdkA

A few pictures ...