Friday - Assembly day

Well, we are off to an inauspicious start. I opened the box that had my work-stand and tools in it only to find out that it had no tools in it. There was a hole across one end of the box but the strapping tape was intact across the hole. Further investigation revealed the bottom seam of the box had split and apparently the two boxes of tools had escaped through that.

Okay, no tools. I opened the box with the bike in it and discovered that the small box inside that contained my pedals, computer, front quick-release and front brake caliper was also missing. Same thing. Sp;lit seam on the bottom of the box. Now the bike isn't rideable and there are no tools to fix it!

I was able to borrow pedals and a quick-release from one of the guys at JAARS. A quick trip to the bike-shop and $200 later I can ride and have a very basic toolset to work with. So now I have to go round and round with Fedex to document what they lost and what it cost. (Sigh)

Oh, yeah. I woke up with a sore throat. Swine flu, anyone? Please pray fror me. I need it! ;-)

Final Prep

My brother gave me the cycling jersey I'm wearing in this photo. I've done alot of training going on solo rides, but it's a reminder to me that this journey that we depart for tomorrow is not me going at it alone. My brother has the map of our route and he's promised to pray for me each day. Thanks for being a part of "Going the Distance"

Time is short

I miss the good old days when you could show up at the check-in counter at the airlines with a boxed bike and just check it as a piece of luggage. It used to be pretty painless to travel with a bike, but those days are long gone, alas. Soon the equipment will be in use, and that will make all the hassles of boxing worthwhile (I hope).

Hope the box of tools arrives with the rest so we can get them all put together more easily. See you jokers face-to-face soon!

Last Minute Details

It's just 3 days now before the BIG ride. I'm trying hard not to show my nervousness. There are always so many last minute details to think about. But the time has come to put away those many concerns, concerns such as: did I pack all the right things? what am I forgetting? will I actually be able to bike all those hundreds of miles? will I fit into the group? etc. The mind wanders aimlessly at times. But Jesus' words speak loud and clear, clearer than my own: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest." Matt 11:28a (NLT). Ahh, those are the words of real encouragement that I need. Thank you Father. We go in Your name for Your people, that all may come to know Jesus as the Christ.

Last Rides...

It's hard to believe that we are down to the last 7 days before the ride...

I have a full day tomorrow. Part of it will be a 'last ride' on my bike before I box it up and ship it out Monday morning to JAARS. I've never done that before but think I have everything that I need. Another task for tomorrow is to finish my presentation for Sunday morning at church. I'm able to have a small table up in the 'missions hallway'. It will be up for a few weeks starting this week and go for several weeks into May. I'll also get a chance to share about the ride on Sunday and after I return; and hope to be a part of raising $6,000 (only $10 / mile - and my middle daughter is going to be the first on my pledge sheet at $.01 / mile! :-)

I rode with the jersey today! It worked Great. The shot below is one that I'm going to use in my PR for this as it includes my bike and Bible (and me - but it won't be cropped due to the limits of the Blog as the one below is).


The physical phase of preparation for this ride has come to an end for me. I've had lots of encouragement, but am still a little nervous about the great physical task that it will be.

I fly out to JAARS on Thursday ... it's going to be here before I know it! Please keep praying for all who are involved in this event - I'm calling it a missions trip. It's going to be 10 days of serving God in ways that are going to challenge and stretch us. I'm certain that we will see God's hand: I'm very excited...

On today's ride, at several places, I noticed that the weeds on the side of the road were very pretty! Like I wanted to stop and take photos, but the conquer mentality wouldn't allow me to during the first notice of these 'weeds'. More beautiful weeds followed and I eventually had to stop - my conscious wouldn't let me continue. I took just one shot of a weed and it's shown here. It made me think of the scripture that talks of Solomon in all his splendor not being dressed like the grass of the field. They were just weeds, but they were striking and worth stopping to enjoy for a brief time. It was a good reminder to make time for the things going on on the sidelines.

Tomorrow should be a full day - but I'm expecting it to be nice too! Especially if I take the time to appreciate the weeds on the side of the road. Or to say the it more clearly: especially if I take the time to appreciate and notice all that God is doing around and despite my schedule. My life is more than what I do!

Another Shot @ the Midlothian Walgreens

We love it whenever there's a drug store or gas station along the way! Taking a break from the saddle is also a great way to connect with the other riders. This time was no different as Dan and I were able to unclip and take a few minutes getting to know one another. Ride on!

Sat: Not long ... but not easy.

It's been a little over a week since I first spoke with Ed on the phone - in preparation for riding together while he's here for some work related business. The hope was to get at least 1 ride in together on Saturday and we'll see what happens with the rest of the week.

Ed and I had talked about doing the 40 loop twice, but due to time and riding conditions (strong winds) we did one 46 mile loop together. It was fun being the 'host' and taking Ed on my regular route so he could experience what my route is like, what the riding conditions have been like and just to share some time together.


The ride south was into the wind: pretty tough going. We had a very brief light sprinkle, but not enough to become dangerous. We left from my house and stopped at Walgreen's at the turn around point about 1 1/2 hours later. The return trip went quicker with the aid of the wind. We saw speeds in the 20's, 30's and even 40's. There are parts of this route that have some rough road and since I'm pretty familiar with the roads it's safer for Ed to lead so he can navigate with the benefit of seeing the whole road (we also took turns leading so the other could have a rest from pulling into the wind).


It was great meeting Ed for the first time. We've communicated a couple times by email but it was nice to meet face to face, to have him in my home briefly, show him the quick family photos and head off on a ride together... both taking turns praying to our God with thanksgiving and requests.


The riding conditions were tough, but it was a Great ride!

Old Stomping Grounds

Our family went to Pennsylvania to visit family over Easter break. We left warm N.C. for 50 and 60 degree days in PA. It was a reality check for me to commit to training in cooler temps and to have peace that God had a plan for my training. It couldn't have worked out better. PTL. Here are some of the highlights. One of the highlights was a climb up King's Gap (4 miles of gradual climbing, but the view was well worth it!




A few days later, my good friend Todd and I got to ride 57 miles through some serious rolling hills of Central PA. It was really nice to have someone to share the ride.

Finally, I got my first 100 mile ride in my life. 7 hours 15 min with 30 minutes for rest stops. PTL for the energy and for friends in NC praying for me. God blessed with energy to complete the ride and to go out to dinner with my wife afterwards. Now that's a win-win!! One of the roads on this ride was Easy Rd, which was early on. After 75 miles, it really did seem easy! PTL!

Synergy

Riding with another member of the team creates great synergy. Ben drove up from North Carolina to visit family in Michigan and headed over to Holland to spend the day biking with me along the lakeshore. We had a good tailwind on the way down to South Haven (35 miles one way; actually 35.00 miles to be exact) averaging about 18 mph; we averaged about 14 on the way back but we got the 70-miler in. Temp was about 55, dropping somewhat the closer we got to that BIG body of water called Lake Michigan. We had some great views of the lake as well. To many, it looks as big as an ocean. You'll notice that we're still layered up. Ride on!

Last training Week 1 of 3 -- Over

Saturday started with a meet at the Dam for two loops on the 40 mile route. The plan was to do one loop and then eat something similar to a lunch, and then do another loop. That would give a feel for what it will be like to ride before and after lunch on the up coming ride.

Steve and I rode together today. Numbers: we rode for 79.4 miles and 4:59:48 time. Our average speed was just under 16 mph. Not bad considering the wind and the distance (and a few hills). My Garmin says I burned 5377 calories. (I use 1000 cal / hr as my normal estimate, so this is reasonably close.) My avg HR was 122 and my max was 170.

The intent for Saturday wasn't speed, but rather it was doing the distance. This was the longest ride for both of us this year. The distance for day one on May 9th is 112+ miles, through the hills. So it was good to finish the ride: for the distance, continuing to get used to eating while riding, getting used to being on a saddle for that long, mental accomplishment, ... it was good.

I've been eating a PowerBar each hour and that seems to be working for keeping some calories and fuel coming in. Today for 'lunch' I had a Peanutbutter and Jelly sandwich. We stopped for 30 minutes and about 10 minutes every 20 miles.

This last week was a record week for me on the bike. I spent an hour on the trainer and ~15 hours on the road: ~260 miles total this week. It's a lot. But it's crunch time: 3 weeks of training left before day one of the ride in just 4 weeks from yesterday. I rode 5 days in a row, with a rest day, then the long ride today. If all goes as planned, next week will be another record week. I'd like to ride 6 days in a row to simulate the 6 Day ride. I'm considering bumping the 40 mi loop to 50, and I'd like to see 100 next Sat instead of 80. But we'll see how it all shakes out.

As I've been putting in the extra time in doing what I can to be prepared for this ride, one thing I'm mindful of and thankful for is my equipment. [I have a photo of the 'twin' flashers that I use when riding-even in the daytime. I want to do what I can to be seen.] My bike has worked flawlessly, something I do not take for granted. When my tires needed to be replaced, I bought good quality tires (just as I did when I rode a motorcycle on the street). When you have a quarter of an inch (or less) connecting you with the road, and you are going 30+ miles an hour, with automobiles with in a few feet of you at times...you just can't risk saving a few dollars on a lesser tire (or so I think). I guess I'm trying to say that I'm doing what I can to be safe (in what I buy and how I ride) and am aware and thankful for God's help in this too.

I'm thankful for a safe record week this past week and hoping for another next week!