Thursday - Austin Texas

***NOTE: PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON "COMMENTS" AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH POST, TO READ SOME GREAT REPORTS IN THE RIDERS' OWN WORDS, ALONG WITH MESSAGES FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS***

------------------------------------------------------------------------

10am
Sunny, 27

I don’t have the words to describe how much different the scene is from a few days ago.

Last Sunday I was witness to 5 teams of riders who were taking turns riding through wind, rain, sleet, on uneven pavement. Cold, tired, but somehow still strangely positive. The sense of humour never flagged, even at the worst of times.

Today, as I sit beside the pool at the Mountain Star resort in Bee Cave near Austin, it’s a scene so removed from a few days ago…riders and volunteers relaxed, rested, happy and well fed.

The ride into Bee Cave took about 7 hours longer than we had anticipated when the course was designed. Instead of arriving at 4:30, team 5 pulled into the parking lot after 11pm. As it became apparent Team 2 would not be the finishers (they started their shift at 12 noon), other teams became involved. They rode until 4pm then Team 3 took over until 8. Team 4 spelled them off at 10, and Team 5 took it home from just outside Bee Cave up some of the toughest hills of the whole trip.

So now the riders and volunteers relax. A few stand on the balcony taking in the Texas morning. Others read their papers or swim a few languid laps of the pool. It’s early and the temperature is already in the high 20s. In about an hour, we’ll make the ceremonial ride into Austin and this part of the adventure will be over.

But while this is an end, it’s also a beginning. Tomorrow we will all stand together at the Austin airport to greet the Warriors – the men, women and children who we rode for. We all know that this will be the very best part of the journey.

Bring on the Warriors!

Tuesday

***NOTE: PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON "COMMENTS" AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH POST, TO READ SOME GREAT REPORTS IN THE RIDERS' OWN WORDS, ALONG WITH MESSAGES FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS***

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Medical driver Don Fix (this is his third year as a volunteer) said it best, year one; "You harden into the routine."

That's what it feels like today - it feels like I've been doing this for months - but at the same time it feels like we just started, and all things being equal, we'll arrive in Bee Cave just outside Austin tomorrow evening.

What a trip it's been! The snow, sleet and wind through Montana and Wyoming have made the teams even more appreciative of the superb weather we experienced today. Little or no wind, and any that blew up came from the flank; sun and warmth was welcomed by all.

I caught up with Team 2 around 9:30 this morning and rode with them for a few hours. It's quite the treat to get behind Ty Rhyno, the Rhyno express. It's like drafting behind a wall.

They rode until noon, turning in 125k, then were followed by the wild ones, Team 3. The group had a great ride going until the road conditions got pretty precarious. A kiss of her front tire to the back of another brought Ann Corbett to the pavement. She cracked her helmet in half, ripped her jersey and suffered some road rash to her right side. But in the tradition of the others, she was back on her bike and finished the ride. What a trooper!

We left the group as team 4 moved south along highways 385 and 87 toward the finish of this great ride.

The alarm is set for 3am, and we'll get some shots of Teams 5 and 1 as they do their last rides of the big trip.

Monday Night

***NOTE: PLEASE MAKE SURE TO CLICK ON "COMMENTS" AT THE BOTTOM OF EACH POST, TO READ SOME GREAT REPORTS IN THE RIDERS' OWN WORDS, ALONG WITH MESSAGES FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS***

------------------------------------------------------------------------
11pm

You never know how a day will turn out when you set out in the morning, when you’re on a trip like this. We left Burlington WY just after 9 to motor to the noon hour transition in Lamar. But just as we left, we got a call from Mike Eby to say the Ambulance broke down near Granada WY. We met Mike and Sara at a small garage where the Ambulance was towed after it just packed it in. We waited for an hour or so to find out that the main computer on the vehicle needed to be replaced. We’re looking at at least 3 days before it will be ready. So let’s go to plan B!

We all piled in the Crape media mobile and headed down the road to Lamar to find a rental van that could be our ambulance for the rest of the trip. We found one at the Car Palace (with a front licence plate that reads “Stolen From The Car Palace”). It’s a Voyager mini-van, but Mike and Sara fixed it up to be a mobile medical mobile. I lost an afternoon of shooting, but realize the safety of the riders is first and foremost. The new Ambulance is now in position to follow and do anything the old one would do. Thanks to HSC for making this all possible.

I got to ride with Team 4 for a few hours and was there to record the transition at the Oklahoma border. Team 5 had a surprise for the group… some great top hats in honour of the classy work of the team, and a Pirate’s hat for the team leader, Jim Long.

It’s been a great, great day of cycling that is better, I think, because of the bad weather every cyclist has faced on this trip. After a night of cold, darkness and rain, anyone who gets a chance to ride on a warm sunny day will appreciate it even more.

By the way, here’s the team breakdown, and the list of volunteers on this great journey.

Team1

Mike Newson,Maureen Bildfell, Lisa Prowse, David MacGregor, Laurel Shuttleworth, Wes Tatebe

Team 2

Brian McGregor, Ian Loughran, Chad Ziegler, Tye Rhyno, Adrian Marcano, Arthur Earle

Team 3

Pat Murphy, Bill Reber, Scott Linklater, Bill Darling, Ann Corbett, Kelsey Wiens

Team 4

Jim Long, Doug Rogers, Chris Goodman, Graham Reiser, Vanessa Fischbuch, Pam Hauck

Team 5

Chris Elmquist, Warren Walstra, Patti Morris, Bobbi Fridfinnson, Maurice Walch, Norbert Hollman

Medical team

Mike Eby, Don Fix, Erin Reid, Tim Whyte, Sara Smith

Motor Home

Fried and Gloria Ziegler, James Cameron and Dave Young, Mike Pascoe and Cheryl-Ann Orr

Media Van

Marilyn Hnit, Don Marcotte

Monday - Day 6

3:00am

So this is the life! Marilyn and I are following team 1 as they move south along 385, just past Burlington, Colorado. It has been nothing but good roads and good weather since I last posted Sunday at 10am.

We passed through Wyoming at great speed after a night of terrible weather for team 3. The high winds and cold rain/sleet that dogged Team 2 until midnight just got worse. Paramedic Mike Eby said there were times he could hardly see Team 3 in front of him because of the sleet, and that in the three years he’s been doing this, it was the worst riding weather ever.

But hopefully, that’s behind us. We lost some time with the wind and rain, but started making it up on a glorious Sunday of riding. Team 4 had a strong ride and gained some ground. Team 5 was on the road when we caught up with the Peloton around 1:30 pm. They had already put 50k on their speedometers. By the time they finished at 6, they were over 150. Team 1 then put up similar numbers, enjoying favourable winds and cool but not cold riding conditions. Team 2 is on the road now and I think after everyone’s experience with the cold wet weather, that spirits will be high as we make our way through the states of Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas.

Saturday/Sunday

Saturday Morning

Low cloud ceiling,

North Wind, 9 degrees

Well, well, well…small mercies. Yes it rained overnight, but everyone is very happy. Why?

Tailwind!

It’s 7:20am, and we’ve just finished shooting Team 5 as they pedal through the early stages of Wyoming. The transition from team 4 to 5 was right at the Montana/Wyoming border at 6am. Marilyn and I missed the transition by about 15 minutes because Teams 3 and 4 both put in some great numbers. We had left Miles City Montana just after 4 and drove hard for two hours before we caught up with the pack. Most of our drive was through a heavy mist that was bordering on rain. It did not bode well for the riders, but when we caught up with Team 5 at the transition, they said they only got a little of it. Right now there’s a grey mist hanging over the hills of Wyoming, but wind is kind, and the pavement is new and fresh. The guys on the road are having a great time!

11:45

As Team 5 concludes this part of their journey, they’ve left one behind for the final hour. Norbert Hollman took a spill as he left the parking lot of the town park in Gillette WY. The team had just taken a well deserved break and were just leaving the park when Norbert turned too sharply and did a classic face plant. There was some concern at first, because he hit the pavement pretty hard. Triage at the Campbell County Memorial Hospital resulted in a couple of stitches to the cheek. Norbert’s reaction – mad at himself for letting it happen and determined to get back on the bike as soon as he possibly can. Once again, Mike Eby and the medical crew were there when it mattered to take care of the situation.

2:00

Back on the road, on the way to Douglas, WY. The clouds envelope the sky, but there’s no sign of rain in the air. The warmest it’s been today was at 6 this morning when it got up to around 10. It dropped as low as 5, but is holding right now at about 8 degrees. So we’ll have to wait a little while before we get out of the woolies.

Norbert was in the Medical Centre for about an hour getting stitched up. The rest of the team finished the ride then doubled back to pick him up. We were all there when he came out of Emergency, with 9 stitches to the left of his right eye. “You should have seen the other guy” was how he greeted us. It appears from talking to his team mates that he flatted just before he turned out, and that caused his front wheel to slide out. He’s planning on being back on the bike tomorrow.

The nurse who took care of him is from Milk River, AB! She was very appreciative of what the CTAPP riders are doing, and asked me to send along her support.

Sunday Morning

Sun breaking through clouds

Calm, 4

Every morning we wake up, look at the sky and say…maybe today will be the day it changes. But this place is like Alberta – wait 15 minutes and it will be different.

Team 1 had cool temperatures, but fantastic tail winds and did over 140 kilometres yesterday afternoon, ending up in the small but interesting town of Douglas. Railway museum, home of the State Fair.. and the most confusing directions thus far. We were supposed to take a service road, but ended up on the Interstate for about an hour of treacherous riding.

The weather took a surprising turn around 5 in the afternoon. About the time the course switched from due south to due east, the wind shifted from north to west. That was the good part. The other side of it – it started to rain in the parking lot just as the riders were suiting up, and to coin Peter Tryon’s phrase, started to “blow like a bastard”. The wind was so brisk that for the first 2 hours or so (I chose the worst weather to ride with these guys), we really didn’t have to pedal, and had to use our brakes to keep the speeds under 35km/h. It was full rain, pitch dark, but the wind at the back made it bearable. I stayed with the guys until about 8:30 when I got back in the truck to take shots.

The experience of riding in the rain in the dark (and I think all teams have had to do it by now) was scary. You can’t let down your guard for even a second – and you’re on high alert for the full six hours. The riders are totally reliant on each other – a piece of debris on the road is called out from front to back “ wood, on the left” is the call that would guide the bikers to the right side of the shoulder to avoid one of the common obstacles – pieces of 2x4, shredded tires from the big rigs, dead rabbits, raccoons, porcupines, deer and elk. And bungee cords. Lots and lots of bungee cords. I swear I could open a store and just stock it with bungee cords picked up from the side of the highway.

This morning I’m writing this from the Outpost Trucker’s Stop in Lusk, MT. Americana exposed. It’s hunting season and the boys are filling up on the “Trucker’s Special” – 2 biscuits with ham, 2 bacon or polish or Cajun sausage topped with 2 eggs and sausage gravy - $5.25.

Ummm…sausage gravy. Is there anything more healthy??

Frday Night

Well it's another night starting with rain - about 9 pm it started to trickle down on the riders from team 3 as they moved out of Miles City, MT. Up until then, it's been a good ride for them. The winds are finally shifting to the flank, so there's some good road to be chewed up. But riding at night in the rain is not for the faint of heart.

The question that Marilyn and I have been pondering all day, as cyclists - would you rather ride in rain with no head wind, or head wind with no rain. I'd take the wind over the rain, but that's just me.

Team 2 started from Jordan with a very strong headwind, and lots of climbs. By the end of their run, the winds had gone from the front to the side, and lo and behold, the sun came out for about an hour. A celebratory supper was had at the Pizza Hut!

There's been some chicanery between the teams - water bottles spiked with vinegar, door handles vasolined on one van and some removable spray paint on another. I can see this turning ugly by the end of the run .

I'm keeping this short tonight, as we're gong to chase the 6am transition from team 4 to team 5.

I have made some corrections based on some good comments, and have not had time to post the teams. If someone could do so in a comment, I'll place it in the body of the blog.

Friday, Noonish

Friday October 5th

Temperature 10C, winds, 35k

It’s 10 in the morning on a blustery Friday in the heart of Heartland America…I caught up with Vanessa Fishchbuch and Pam Huack from team 4 after their 6pm to midnight ride. It was not a great evening. They felt pretty lucky that they avoided the rain until after 11 – lots of headwind, but no rain. Then the clouds opened up, and they spent the last half hour head to head with Mother Nature.

This morning we finally contacted the ambulance about half an hour ago – Mike Eby said the guys on Team 5 rode through rain and strong headwinds until about 4:30, when the moisture abated. It’s a slow day, but progress is being made. With each pedal stroke, and each breath, we inch ever closer to our goal – Austin by next Thursday.

I’m waiting right now in the Hilltop Restaurant in Jordan for some take-out. We’re going to bring a dozen Ham ‘n Eggers and a carafe of coffee to the riders and support team. I’m sure after the cold morning, some warm food would be welcomed.

12:30 pm

The Ham ‘n Eggers were a hit! It was a welcome respite for Mike and Sara in the ambulance, and Cheryl-Ann and Mike in the Motorhome.

We caught up with team 1 about 20 kilometres west of Jordan. They were 5 hours into the ride, and pushing about 18 km an hour toward their destination. A tire kiss caused Maureen Bildfell to hit the tarmac. Aside from being surprised, she was back on her bike in about 5 minutes, and the team continued.

Team 2 has just left en route to Miles City. They’re looking at a 40 km/hr headwind, with gusts to 60. Barring rain, it will will be a slow, steady day. If the rain kicks in again, it could get really unpleasant.