Friday the 28th

So today, we took a bus to cover three days of biking. It was, of course, disappointing that the tour was suspended for these days. It must have been a difficult call to make. I felt really sorry for those doing only the one week. One third of their biking days were cut, whereas for me it is only three days out of nine weeks. But it does mean I cannot claim to have cycled completely from sea to sea. There will be a gap. That's disappointing, as I wanted to do the whole thing.

But if we attempted it in this heat of 120 degrees, it would have wiped us out, especially the Monday ride. We drove it by bus and it would have been the most challenging day of the tour. Even in cool conditions, it would have been a great challenge for many of the riders, including myself. But in these conditions, one strong rider guessed only two people might have made it and he did not include himself. So it was probably wise to have suspended the tour.

Instead, we took the bus. As we waited for the bus, we amused ourselves in the community Center (see pictures on Smugmug). At 10 we boarded the bus. In Phoenix, we made two short stops: at the river and for a shake. We arrived at Payson at 3:30, but the gear truck only arrived at 8. In between I walked with three others for ice cream. Pizza was ordered for the group. Tents set up in the dark. We are staying on school grounds, with no access to the main building. We do have washrooms, but have  improvised outdoor showers. No Internet here, but am presenting using it at Denny's with Saturday morning breakfast.

We now have the weekend to spend in Payson.

Major Change

Today it hit 113 degrees. It is expected to get hotter for next several day, up to 120 degrees. Residents are advised to stay indoors.. As a result, the ride has been "suspended." We will bypass Phoenix. Tomorrow we will be driven from here to Payson, our Monday night stop. This is where the ride will restart. A lot of logistical arrangements have been made and are being made to make this significant change. A change that is disappointing, but necessary. While some riders would have been able to do it, it would be risky to send out riders in those conditions. Safety needs to be the first concern. Please pray for the organizers as they had to make this decision and as they seek to implement it. Library is closing, but I wanted to write this important update.

Day 4

Today there was a real concern about the heat, as we were heading into extreme temperatures of up to 45 degrees. As a result, the riders were encouraged to leave early. By 5:30 most had taken off. I had sweep duty, which started last night. I had to help with dinner, this morning with breakfast and pack the gear into the truck. Usually, as the last riders we would sweep the slow riders into camp (I.e follow them, going at their pace). But today, a truck did that duty. This meant that when we came to slow riders, we could pass them and go at our pace. In addition there were additional SAG stops so that everyone could refill their water bottles. At some stops wet towels were used to cool people down.

In terms of the ride itself, we followed I-10 from Desert Center to Quartzite. The shoulder is wide, but there was one section, where there were bumps every bicycle length. At one point we crossed the Colorodo River and entered into Arizona. The last section was a steep climb, as even some trucks had to use their four way flashers as they ascended.  We are staying at a community Center, with AC. This was a pleasant surprise as we were told we would only have a football field to use and it was recommended to find a motel. (Of course, that is easy for some to do, but not for the young adults. I did not book a room and am glad not to.)

I began today at 6:10, after packing the truck. We did about 120 kms and I arrived at the community Center at 1:15pm. It had no showers, but they set up a canopy in the football field, with garden hoses to wash down with. The water was very hot, because the hose was lying in the sun!

When I arrived, we were given towels to cool down, as well as snacks. Since there was no WiFi at the community Center, I walked to the library, a block away to write this.

Day Two and Three

Day two
Our group of six riders left at 6:50am. In the first section of the ride, we encountered our biggest hills so far. I managed them quite well, appreciating now the training I had done. After a short very rough section of road, I had my second flat, which I quickly changed. We had the wind behind us and in the middle section, we were cruising along at 50k, without much effort and only a slight decline. I reached my highest speed so far at 59kph, and it wasn't a steep decline. I am still not the most comfortable at those speeds, but I have to get use to it, as more will come. We then entered the Palm Springs area and began to feel the heat, as it was getting around 110 degrees. We arrived at our campsite, a Christian school, with a pool (but no wifi), at 2pm, having done 125 kms.

Day Three
Because of the heat, we left at 5:45, meaning I woke up at 4am. There were three distinct sections today:
- going through the flat valley, with its grape vines and other types of agriculture
-going through Box Canyon, which is very beautiful. The road was quite, but a steady uphill climb.
-going on Interstate 10. I was a bit concerned about biking on the freeway. It is legal here because it is the only road. Actually it is quite safe. The shoulder is a lane width of pavement, with rumbles strips. It was safer than going through towns and all those stoplights. (Yesterday in a town, a truck turned right, just before the six of us. I was in front and hit my brakes, coming just a few inches from his bumper.)
We arrived at Desert Center at noon, to avoid the heat of the afternoon. We are staying at a Golf resort, having a AC room to sit in, access to  Wi Fi and a pool. I'll enjoy these perks, while we have them.

After three days of cycling, doing 350 kms, I am surprised how well my body is doing. It is clear that the training paid off, but we are only half way through the way.
It's been great to bike as a group, something I had to get use to, but the benefits are good.

First day completed

Just a short note, as I got on Internet late and I am tired. I'm tired because I finished the longest ride of my life, going 121.3 kms. It was a little longer than expected, because my group of four riders first went to the beach. One rider did not make it to the beach on Sunday because of a flat, so we had our own ceremony at the beach. It added an extra 10 km.

I also experienced some wet weather. It was cloudy and misty, almost raining. But it did not last long. But thankfully it kept things cool. But noon the sun shone brightly and it turned warm.

The first and last section followed the Santa Anna River trail, a bike trail that follows a dry river, which at times is a concrete canal, though there is bird life in some of the wetlands. The middle section was on streets, a good portion of a road that was stoplight after stoplight. Both types of riding venues made it difficult to make time.

We left at 7:30 and arrived at 3:30. Then it was time to put up the tent, shower, relax a bit, eat and have a group meeting. Finally got Internet to work and wrote this. Now time for bed, as I got very little sleep last night.

Sunday worship and dipping in Ceremony

After breakfast, we had a short devotional, followed by a very short safety course. We had to manoeuvre around a rock, go through some pillions, take a turn, pick up speed and then do an emergency stop. This was not a pass/fail test, but was intended to help develop some of our skills. It did not take long.

At 2pm, we had a worship service, which included greetings from the three sponsoring organizations, reflections from Claire Elgersma from her previous rides, as well as a message from a local CRC pastor. A praise team helped lead the songs. While there were visitors, the bulk of the people were c2c people.

Afterwards, we all drove together as one group to the beach. While we did not have a police escort, we did have motorcycles, guiding us through, as we continued to go though lights even if they turned   red. It took a good half hour to the beach. There we dipped out tires in the water, took pictures, and had a circle prayer, ending by singing the doxology.

Most headed to the pier area for supper and then it was a ride back to the university, getting there just before 7pm. At that time we had a group meeting that explained tomorrow's ride.

And so the ride is about to begin. In this short time, I have met lots of interesting people. It's amazing how community is quickly built up. I am eager to get going, though there are still butterflies in my stomach. Tomorrow's should be the easiest all week, so that is a nice start.

The WiFi access here has been excellent so I have been able to keep the blog and the picture website constantly updated. I can't guarantee that will continue.

Saturday: Last free day

Today was my last free day for the next nine weeks, as after this, each day is filled with either riding or a celebration service. After breakfast, I went back to the same spot as yesterday, but with a different rider and a different route. After lunch, seven of us rode to Huntington Beach Pier. Because I knew the route, I got to lead the group.

Being at Huntington Beach brought back memories of when I was there for Kimberly and Greg's wedding. The beach was very busy, as it was a Saturday. There was also a Christian festival/concert happening at the Pier. There were a number of people handing out evangelistic tracts. One person came to us and discovered we were a Christian group. He asked us many questions about the faith and how we would respond to Mormons or JW's. At the end, we had a circle prayer as he prayed for us and I prayed for them.

After supper, the first official tour event took place, as we had a two and a half hour meeting, with opening devotions and introducing all the various people involved with the tour. After a short break, there was a discussion about bike safely: we must wear a helmet and safety vest. They discouraged drafting, though they know most will. They also didn't want anyone to bike alone. (They basically made that a rule). This can be a challenge, as it is hard to find a person who not only goes at the same pace as you, but wants to leave at the same time and has the same attitude in getting to camp. There was also concern about the dessert portion. All this indicates their priority of safety.

After the meeting, which ended at 9, I hung around and talked with a few people. Soon it was 10 and time to blog and sleep.

Packing and Traveling

There were two components to packing: First, all the bike gear, including the bike. The bike was packed by the bike shop, after a tune up. The rest of the gear was pretty obvious. But the second component of packing was less clear, namely the camping gear. Yes, there were the obvious stuff: tent, sleeping bag, mattress etc, but in terms of clothes that was more open ended. Because we were limited in weight, I went very conservative. I figured that I could always buy clothes, if I needed them. By Wednesday morning, I was basicly packed.

But I didn't travel out until Friday morning. I got up at 2:45 am, after a restless sleep. It was a 6 am departure, going to Chicago (a two hour flight), then a transfer to Orange County Airport (a four hour flight.) I landed just past noon local time (3pm  EST). Thankfully, my luggage came with me. I took a taxi to VanGuard University, which was a short ride away. I quickly unpacked the bike and put it back together, with the help of a few others--though mainly on my own. I was very happy to see that it was back together.

After dinner, which was at 5pm, four of us decided to do a short ride to the beach. The beach was great, though not the traffic to get there. On the way back, I got a flat, as a piece of wire punctured both tire and tube. With the help of the other three riders, who were all more experienced than I was, the tube was soon changed. I'm not sure what it means that I get a flat just 12 kms into being here, but  there are benefits of being part of group.

It's now past 9pm here (midnight EST). After a long day of travel and poor sleep last night, I am heading to bed. We are staying in dorms at Vanguard University, for three nights. It's nice that we don't have to start in tents.

Training Done

On June 15 I finished training. Whether it was enough to be able to have a good ride, only time will tell. But here are some final observations on the training:

1. Total distances: I did 1087 kms inside training followed by 2014 kms of outdoor training, for a total of 3101 kms. That's about half the distance of the Sea to Sea ride.
2. I did two rides to Maitland and back, which are my longest rides, at about 120 kms. The next highest was a 90 km ride, plus 6 in the 70 km range.
3. I tended to do three rides per week, less than the chart, but with more mileage than the chart, so that the weekly total was around what the chart wanted, with the overall mileage more than expected.
4. Gatineau Park was my real training Center. While I did my blocks around here, it was the 45km loop up and down hills in Gatineau that was my real test. The park is a jewel in our backyard.
5. While the bike trails in the city of Ottawa and Gatineau are not designed for high speed, they were wonderful to ride on and see the city from a very different perspective. In fact, it was hard to believe that I was actually in the city.
6. The weather: I was a fair weather rider. Why ride in rain (which we had plenty of) when I could work on rainy days and ride on sunny days? So I had little practice in the rain. Nor much in the heat. And heat will be the great challenge in the first week of the ride.

Am I ready? As ready as I'll ever be. Besides it is too late now to any more training. Now it is time to do the real thing.