Maybe getting on the bike for an hour or so in the evening might be a good cool down. But this post is not about all that, or my prep for the Regionals or anything like that; this is all about looking back at the adventures I had for those couple weeks. So, after a quick hand update, that is exactly what I will do!
So my hand. I went to a great orthopedic guy yesterday, a baseball player at Stanford in his prime, and he checked out the hand. After my third set of x-rays, he showed me that a small portion of the bone on the very upper portion of my thumb is actually completely broken off. The joint is helping to hold it in place and he said it is unavoidable that I will be arthritic in that joint at a pretty young age. He said there is some ligament damage to the lower joint of the thumb, but nothing too bad, and he said that I need to keep the thumb completely secure if I plan to use it in the future. So, he fixed up a special hard cast that allows full range of motion in my wrist and all other fingers. While this is great, it limits me to what I can do CrossFit wise. But I want to use my hand when all this is over, so it's for the best.
Now, the ride. I started this thing with as open I mind as I could. I knew I hadn't trained physically like I probably should have, but I honestly was not all that concerned about it. I knew I was prepared in terms of gear and supplies, but what I was most worried about going in to the ride, was the unknown. I just had no clue what to expect. This was both scary as all hell, and wildly exciting. So in the two days I had hanging out in San Francisco before I took off, I just tried to relax as much as possible and calm those nerves. And I was able to do just that. When Lindsey got to town, I was feeling pretty confident with everything, and knowing that she would be with me for that first week was a huge boost for me.
The First Day:
Thursday, April 1st we woke up early, I repacked my backpack and we got into the car and rode just outside of Vallejo. We literally pulled over on the side of a wide road out in the middle of nowhere and popped the truck so I could throw on my extra clothes (it was cold), get the "butt butter" on (like body glide but much thicker), then, just got on my bike and very un-glamorously started riding.
The first day was a haze. I rode from there all the way past Folsom and into the hills. It was a perfect day, the bike felt great (except for a slow leak in the rear wheel that i got fixed up in a place in Davis), and my body seemed to be fine with sitting on the bike for so long. I got a bit restless in the last five miles, but I think that was more excitement that the first day was about over. And when it was, we got the first of all the wonderful experiences I got during this trip. Carter and Amy Morrison, my good friend Blair's parents, cooked us a great meal (that ended up lasting me two more days!) and welcomed us into their great house. It was an absolute joy hanging with them, and while I was eager to get back on my bike the next day, I just wanted to stay there for a couple more day. It was a great, great first day. So of course the second had to be a bit worse right?
Yeah, this day, besides the day I crashed, was by far the worst. In retrospect it was kind of funny, and the company was great. But as a whole, it was just straight out brutal! Within the first mile I had a massive climb that seemed to just never end. And because of the location, and the elevation, the weather began to get a bit nasty. I had my books on tape, "Alice In Wonderland", I had Lindsey stopping by every now and then, giving a burst of energy to keep going. But the weather just got worse and worse. So bad in fact, that by the time I hit a road-side restaurant, I had to pull off the road with the hopes that the snow would pass over. But it didn't. We had some good food, and some fun conversation with a collection of people that passed through, then, we headed back down the mountain with the goal of driving around. But even that didn't work. After much deliberation we found to get through, we would have to get chains for the tires and just tough it out. And that's what we ended up doing. Driving thought the whiteout all the way to Carson City. The snow was gone, but the cold was still there. and in the morning we drove back into California so I could get a good long ride across the lines and beyond.
The Next Few Days:
For a few days following that debacle we were hit and miss with luck. I rode, we drove through the snow and ice of...yeah, Nevada! Who would have thought that Nevada would get hit with such cold, crazy weather. But it was a fun time. I saw some crazy towns, up in the mountains in Eureka, had a burger for the first time in over a couple years in Ely, in a total dive restaurant/casino. Got a piece of beef jerky pulled from my gum at a small dentist. Saw a huge sand dune with ATV racing going on in the gypsy-like community all around them. Saw, well, a huge tree, that had no business being out in the middle of dessert, covered in shoes. Saw roads that stretched farther than I could see, without a turn in site, mountains surrounding miles upon miles of empty plain. I listened to audio books, I got lost in my mind looking at the vast emptiness of the bare Nevada land. Every time I saw a little red dot in the distance I knew Lindsey was ahead, waiting to chat me up while I sat in the warmth of the car for a few minutes snacking on some fuel.
I learned a huge amount in the first four or five days. I learned that the weather through the mountain changes at the drop of a hat, without any rhyme or reason (to those of us uneducated in the realm of meteorology). I learned that biking is very, very restrictive. What I mean by that is, sitting on a bike for more than a couple hours actually began to make me feel a little claustrophobic. And if that was going to be the case for this entire trip, I would have to find a way to cope. I learned that having somebody with you when attempting such a big adventure is absolutely wonderful, and, a must, to be honest. I learned that carrying so much food is really not needed. If your route is planned, and mine was thanks to AdventureCycling.org, you will be hitting fuel stations all on a relatively regular basis. Having a small collection is a great idea of course, but there is no need to have cans and cans of soups and chili's and tuna and what not like I had. Also, There are plenty of places to stay. Lindsey and I had some sort of hotel every evening, it was great. After she left, I found that having a tent was a good idea, even tough I didn't end up using it, it was the kindness of many people that led to my not needing it.
My butt was killing me, my legs were all right, a little sore each morning but nothing too serious. My back was fine, which was a great thing seeing how that was always a problem for me before this ride began. And Nevada was now behind me. Utah was proving to be a pretty nice place. I had ridden (with a little help of the car thanks to the weather) clear through two states and was on to my third. Lindsey had just a couple days more with me which meant that I would be with all my equipment, and all alone with the biggest climbs about to hit in the east of the state. But having her there for the greatest day of the entire trip was priceless. I'll tell you all about that next!
Josh Courage
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