Here the little surprise ... Our video from the bike ride in October is here... Relive the moment with us. Enjoy watching!!

The DAY AFTER

It’s the day after; we are elated to find we are without pain and will not be staring at the road over a bike tire in anticipation of yet another bump.  I must say though, by late afternoon, having realized I am not getting on that dang bicycle, the pain is setting in regardless.

 

The ride back to Miami looks different from a comfortable seat with the air conditioner running and music playing on the radio.  Outside it doesn’t look as hilly as in the days before, nor as hot.  The road seems smoother and there aren’t nearly as many cars buzzing down A1A.  Even the Iguanas basking in the sun are calmer as only cars pass by.  Quickly the conversation turns to where next year’s ride will be...

Thank you for your great support by reading our blog, leaving comments and donating to St. Jude. Stay tuned for a last surprise end of the October. We promise it will be fun!! 

YOURS, 

BIG TIME RIDERS

Day 7 - Key Largo to Key West 105 Mile

Today is the longest ride of the trip, 105 miles. To keep us motivated the mile markers are helping us track our progress.  

Luckily, our oasis in the desert of A1A is waiting at Marathon with snacks, fruit and beverages. In the cooler, there is a surprise. I find my second wind inside a can of Red Bull.  

We get back on the road at the seven-mile bridge, which comes and goes with surprising ease.  Looking over the edge, there is only crystal clear water and a few boats floating in the ocean.  When I look up at the road I see the familiar back tire of Alex’s bicycle. After the bridge, we believe we are going downhill. An illusion? We manage to keep a 21 mph pace. As I move into the front I notice many, I mean more than just a couple, iguanas basking in the sun by the road.  They bolt as one into the brush by the water as we approach and from there watch us pass by.  

Next it happens. On the next bridge a loud “pop and whoosh” breaks the silence and my back tire goes flat.  “Be more careful,” Alex says.  Like I have control over such things after having ridden 500 miles!

Soon, we come to a T-junction, the city of Key West.  As we approach the marker pointing to Cuba, we see our oasis, Diana. The Champagne pops.  Diana announces to the crowd our having just ridden from Jacksonville.  Alex and I are cheered by the onlookers who wish us well as we debate throwing all of our gear (including our bikes) into the ocean.  We made it.  We have arrived.

TWO DAYS left - here a quick summary

350 miles cycled so far (each)

4pounds lost (each)

10pounds lost from sweat (but replenished with water)

20 electrolyte packages consumed

1 pound power powder absorbed

$1000 Dollars raised for St. Jude Children Hospital (BIG Thank you to all Donors)

Help us to raise the bar: we want to finish with $2000 Dollars in donations. Every dollar counts, goes directly to St. Jude and is greatly appreciated. 

http://fundraising.stjude.org/goto/BTRiders

we will cycle 180 more miles

sweat a bit more

and loose some more weight

THANK YOU!

Day 5 - Hutchinson Bay to Fort Lauderdale 92 miles

In Johannesburg, S.A. there are tall walls topped with shards of glass interlaced with barbed wire.  In West Palm Beach, to serve the same purpose, there are hedges.  Three stories tall.  Impenetrable.  Perfectly trimmed and shaped daily by a not so small army of gardeners.  Riding this alley was also worrisome.  What with all the opaque mirrors on all the drives and a thousand watchful electronic eyes making sure that we didn't cross the perfectly drawn white line of the bike path and vier off into what lies beyond the hedge.

The other mystery of West Palm is the wind.  Yesterday it blew perfectly from the North.  Today perfectly from the south.  Go figure.  There was also a bit of a rain shower and a thunderstorm to cool us off. So we hoped to wait the thunderstorms out. Eddie playing dead.... 

 Following A1A wasn't easy either. On and off the islands, following US1, turn right, turn left, signs not visible... Even Diana, in the minibus and navigation,  got lost several times and with the speed limit averaging 30miles an hour, made it only shortly after us to the meeting point. I guess we were fast.... 

Day 4 - Cocoa Beach to Hutchinson Island 86miles

After the challenges of the previous days, today was just too easy of a ride.  Straight down the A1A, no detours, no cul-de-sacs, no head wind, no thunderstorms, nothing challenging, except...










You train your legs, your train your shoulders, but you can't train your a**. Here is the start of Eddie's  50 ways to shift on a saddle.

Way back - where the hole in the seat accommodates all the parts that really matter.
Way forward - feels good for a while but then you got to pull the saddle out of.....
Shifting left and right on seat all the way to the thigh - good for about 30 seconds then you have to chase Alex for 10 minutes.
Standing - optimum for the little climbs such as bridges, but you quickly run out of breath and change your mind.
Hovering - weight on the wrists and all the power to the pedals.  Here, you quickly discover disadvantages of bodyweight and limitation of your legs.  Still it is great that you are not really on the seat. However, you shoulders begin to hurt and like most breakaways, you get reeled right back in.

There is simply no way to train your a**! Other than (see below)

Day 3 - Daytona Beach to Cocoa Beach - 80 miles

80miles were planned. Without the little detour we took.

Who would have known that if you follow A1A near Smyrna/FL, one ends up in a cul-de-sac, and have to turn back. In a car you might say, "Argh" on a bicycle you might say, "#!@#%*&!". 10 miles back tracking is not cool. So we followed US1 for the next 60 more miles.

Fortunately weather and wind were on our side. No wind at all, but we were chased by thunderstorms.  Thanks to all of our training we were able to outrun them. With Eddie having found his strong side (legs) , we were faster than bullets, and the storm didn't catch up with us. The journey ended after 92miles at the Dolphin Inn. A wonderful little motel at Cocoa Beach with amazing views (see below).. and well,  the obligatory dive into cool water.