Day 4 – June 20th

The day started out with a 5 to 6 mile climb right from the get go. Gary is getting better at using his heart monitor and altering his speed and cadence up the climbs in accordance with it. As Brian (my brother and fellow biker) can attest to, the heart rate monitor can be your best friend during a ride or run. It is an unbelievable tool when it comes to telling you what kind of damage you are doing to your body. I never ride or run without mine attached; it’s too powerful of a tool to not have on.

After our 1,500 foot climb up to an elevation of 4,200 feet, we leveled out and got into a pretty good rhythm. The only pain I was experiencing up to that point was my right knee. That being the only pain, however, was about to change; and not for the good. At mile 11 I had the great luck to match blows with a hornet. Let’s just say the bout ended with the Hornet = 1 and Matt = 0. Damn little bastard; it’s been years since I was last stung, and I hope it’s a lot longer before I have to experience it again.

Over the next several miles we encountered numerous cyclists on the road. This was the same group of 50 riders going across the country with the organization America By Bike (ABB). We also encountered numerous smaller groups that were doing self supported rides across the country. One of the groups we talked to, after our first climb of the day, said that the baggage on each of their bikes weighed between 40 and 80 pounds. Unbelievable! I can tell you that on some of those climbs my 17 pound Trek feels like it weighs in excess of a ton; I can’t imagine strapping on 40 or 50 more pounds and trying to get it to the summit. Amazing!

We had started the ride 60 miles outside of our hotel, and had to pack the SUV in the morning and then drive to our starting point (where we had ended the night before), unpack the car, get the bikes ready, get ourselves ready, and then start pedaling. This equates to later than normal start times. We paid the price today, as the temperature rose to 92 degrees, and we spent a long time in its strength sapping rays. Our goal for tomorrow, and most of the days to come, will be to get on the crank earlier.

Safety on this ride, so far, has been great. Some of the cyclists we have talked to have not been as fortunate. One man, doing an unsupported 7,000 mile ride from Washington State to Florida, was hit by a car earlier in his ride and had to get a new bike. He had been riding a hand-built Italian carbon frame, but had to settle for a Co-Motion frame after the accident. He was not hurt, but I am sure he is sorely disappointed to lose his bike. Another cyclist told us of one of the ABB riders that was struck in the chest with a beer bottle that had been thrown by a dumbass driver. The cops were looking for the vehicle, but so far their search has been fruitless.

Another ABB rider I spoke with had a different sort of luck with his bike prior to his ride. He is a sports psychologist, and retired Pro basketball player (over seas) that had met the president of Trek a few years back. Somehow word got out that he was doing this ride, using his aluminum Trek 1200. Trek’s president, after finding out about it, sent Tom a brand new 2008 Madone (full carbon) for him to have for the ride and to keep afterwards. What a present!! (The cyclists reading this will all realize how lucky he is.)

Getting into Mt. Vernon proved impossible for us today, as the city’s crew was laying fresh rock and oil on the only road going into the town; they would not allow bikes on it for any reason. We were forced to pack the bikes into the SUV and Larry then drove us into town where Gary and I then began to ride again.

At around the 83 mile mark we went into a 7 mile climb. Gary, watching his heart rate and responding accordingly, set out at his own pace as did I. We both have very similar cadence (his is slightly faster than mine on the flats, and mine is slightly faster during climbs) so we broke up to climb and then regrouped at the top. I felt great during the climb, and Gary seemed to be fairing well also.

At 101 miles in we went into our final 4 mile climb of the day. Again at the end we were both overjoyed to see Larry and the white SUV. But this was not the high point of the day.

Along the route today my gorgeous bride gave me some great news as well. The angioplasty with my dad went very well, there does not appear to be any problems with his heart, and he will be back home in Texas this Monday. We are all greatly relieved at the wished for news. All I ask is dad not do that again!