Joining for the Last Leg

Kevin started his biking adventure with his bike tire in the Pacific Ocean. Maureen and I joined a little east of Buffalo, New York. So we brought some Pacific Ocean water and sprinkled my tire before our first ride.

It is intimidating joining Kevin after he has ridden for over 3000 miles – averaging 60-some miles per day – for 49 consecutive days. We rode the Erie Canal for much of the first day – it is a body of water maybe 100 feet wide in most places, the path is sometimes paved and it goes through many little towns. Then we rode some small county and state roads for a total of 82 miles on my first day. I did get a flat on my first day – and at that point Kevin had not gotten a single flat. Subsequently Kevin did get a flat – a single flat after having crossed 10 northern tier states. We have ridden over 250 miles together in four days. And as Kevin says, “he can see the end!”

Riding in this adventure is different than other riding I have done. Your eyes are constantly on the pavement scanning for things that will puncture your thin, road bike tires. (It was blindly drafting that led to my first-day flat.) We practiced “team-riding” – where one person drafts closely behind the other until the person leading is tired and then you switch. This takes practice and communication to keep it going. We probably rode this way 20% of the time. Sometimes you feel strong and pull, (Andy early in the day when he is fully caffeinated and fresh) and sometimes you are just hoping for Maureen to show up so you hang onto Kevin’s rear wheel (and be amazed at how Kevin never seems to tire out.)

This riding adventure is only part of the story. The everyday support crew (Suzi and Maureen while I am riding with Kevin) make all of the logistics happen that allows the riders to ride. The need to find a site, book it, drive to, pay for, back into, hook-up and then open the trailer takes hours each day, in addition to shopping, fix-it tasks, etc. The support crew is like the logistics side of the military – it is not what people think of when they hear about the adventure, but without it the adventure never happens.

“It’s hard to be here and not also be there.”

Andy to Maureen in the small, shared trailer space.

Traveling the country in a travel trailer and staying in RV parks is a new experience for us. We have often watched the “tiny house” shows and wondered what it would really be like to “live tiny.” I feel like we got a small taste. The space is incredibly well organized and the trailer is well designed. We enjoyed the simple routine of each day and seeing such a variety of campgrounds and RV parks. But at times you still chuckle at the dance that four adults do trying to move around one another in ~70 ft² of open floor space.