Pedal for Peace 2008

Hey All… sorry its been so long… Computers are mad scarce in the Zona and the space in between towns is days of pedaling. So I plan to update you all way more than once a state, but out in the dessert its pretty non-cubicle-esk if you will! But now we are in UTAH!!!!

There is soooooo much to type that I don’t even know where to start… so I’m gonna try and bring the info to you via numbers… here goes!
118 - the highest temp. that we have ridden in… quartzite AZ

5 - gallons of water consumed by me the day we ventured through the hardest and most desolate part of the dessert - sand dunes

10-25 - people that tell us we are crazy, nuts, out of control, etc… each day

1 - pairs of underwear I brought on this trip

1 - time I have worn them

30 - dollar amount I am spending/day thus far

1 - average # of showers I take/week

4 - the first # on my alarm clock when it goes off each morning followed by :00

6 - times/day we ask for a place to find water

8+ - meals consumed/day

1000 - calories consumed/meal

28 - bungee cords we have seen laying on the side of the road thus far

20 - dollars given to us by Pat at the Canyon…thanks man!!!!

85 - miles/day we are getting right now

3500 - feet climbed over a mountain today to get to this library

5000 - times/ day I think about riding into boston to finally see my friends and family

1 - minimum # of people I want to positively affect the lives of due to this trip

1 - restaurant meal I have consumed thus far - gonna do it every other state!

1000 - the motel/hotel mileage reward we get for pedaling this distance - my family members each gave me a night in a hotel for my 30th B-day (July 8th) - I love you all!!

100 - dollars I will spend on gotorade powder this summer

0 - dollars I will spend on gas this summer!

infinite - how many times/day I get tingles knowing how truly blessed I am to have the health, determination, support, respect, resources, and love I need as I ride these amazing roads through this jaw-dropping scenery!!!

Riding through the Grand Canyon yesterday was absolutely fantastic… I can’t describe it and won’t even try!

you can live your dream if you truly want to… This trip is proof!

See ya in Kansas!

We don’t have much time for a post today, the library closes in 8 minutes so just a stolen write up from Pete’s e-mail to people!

After crossing the Colorado river today from Cali into Zona - Patch and I pedaled our ankles off to get to this library in quite possibly the dryest and hottest town in all of the USA. Quartsite, AZ!

We spent the last 3 days pedaling through the desert of Cali. We camped on the tops of some hills where I had my water bottle mouthpiece nibbled off by some thirsty desert rodent. Getting up at 4:30 to get as many miles as possible before the heat hits is getting easier, but the “heat of the day” starts around 8 am and stops around 7 pm. At every chance we get - we get water and AC and the locals look at us and all say the same thing. “You guys are crazy, nuts, loco, ridiculous, sweating,…” and whatever else spills out of their mouths, when they see me standing next to my bike.

2 nights ago we coasted into a tiny desert town called Seeley CA where the center of town consisted of a market and a bar. Fortunately for me, the bar was playing the Celts game. So I sat in that tiny air condidtioned paradise watching the celts trounce the lakers. All of the mexican locals (did I mention that our path graced the mexican border?) were cheering against me, but they were amazingly friendly. The bartender asked me not to pay for my for two 7-ups (with tons of ice) and wished me a happy travel! I will never forget that night where I sat proudly with the only non-bike riding shirt I brought on this trip… My Kevin Garnett jersey!

As we came through the desert yesterday we rode up through the most amazing set of sand dunes I have ever seen. It was just lush sand as far as you could see. Nothing growing, no rocks, nothing… just 2 ridiculous white boys pedaling through it with more water than Sea World attached to the bikes!!!

Well, I hope you are all enjoying your summer… you know I am. I thrive on the challenge of this stuff. If you want to know how I really am doing, please don’t ask my dad.. \He tends to get down on the negative aspects of the trip!!! What is wrong with some delays and unexpected expenses?… that is why I worked 5 jobs all year!!!!

Well… I’ll shout a big Hi to all the cactuses for you all!
Much Love and happiness.. the librarian is breathing down my neck…

keep the emails coming!!!

thank you kurt, kendra, graham, danna, and tope for all your help!

108 in the Shade!  (At 10am!)

Shade comes in the form of a palm tree?!

Welcome to the Dunes!!!!

And now we’re riding through ‘em!

Can you feel the Ocean breeze?!??

The Eagles have landed! We’re writing to ya from the Left Coast!!!

It’s been quite an adventure already! Pete’s buddy Kurt picked us up from the San Diego airport and we spent the night with him and his wife, tracking dirt and grease all throughout their home as we assembled the bikes in their garage! Thanks so much you two, we really appreciate it!

Then it was up bright and early to pack up all the gear, load up the bikes (they’re as heavy as an 18 Wheeler!) and then it was time to roll off to PB! (That’s Pacific Beach for everyone not from the area!) Thanks to UPS’ fine shipping skills, we were on a mission to find ourselves a bikeshop to true the wheels they were banged up on the journey over here. Other than the wheels, the rest of the bike was perfect, thankfully!

We’re already meeting the most incredible people on this trip! Jim rode up along side us going up this big hill and directed us to an amazing bikeshop with super friendly people who HOOKED us with repairs! Thanks so much Jim and the guys at UC Cylery!

Today was also the wheel dipping ceremony! 22+months of planning and we finally did it! After 30 miles today, we’re ready to tackle the DESERT (as in…. sand everywhere!) tomorrow! Check out some photos from the trip today, and we’ll write more soon!

Thanks for reading!

Putting the bikes together!

Kendra helping Pete check out his wheels

Packing up in the AM

The odometers are ZEROED!

The bikes all loaded up leaving Kurt and Kendra’s… we’re off!

Pete’s bike gets a new cassette and chain at UC Cyclery

The wheels are dipped!

That’s all for now, check back some for some new stories!

What up Patchy… 4 days before we are left coastin’! Kurt sent me the route from his place to the ocean and how to catch our route west. From that point on - every rotation of the wheel will be one closer to the Atlantic!! As I told you yesterday.. I am feeling like a boxer right before a big fight. All the preparation is done, everything is in place for this event. I feel a calm running through my entire being and I am officially ready. Plus… I finished my 179 report cards today! My body is in rest mode after some rides in the 95 degree heat this week to acclimate to riding in heat. I’ll rest until the big ride with a relaxing “goodbye to VT roads” ride around my town tomorrow. Then the next ride will be with you in CA.

Its the calm before the storm. The 65 day storm that will have us swimming in the atlantic on Aug 20th!!!

see ya when I’m still 29
PD

I’m lovin life!!

Wheaton just wrote up an article about the P4P! Check it out here!

(Thanks so much to Sandra Coleman for all her help!)

Pete and I just did some serious riding. The hardest training rides we’ve done up to this point: 45 miles (for me) on Friday, 106 miles on Saturday, 104 miles on Sunday. Since we sent the bikes off Thursday, we were riding our “backup” bikes—not loaded down, but the miles were still the same distance!

On Friday evening after work, I rode back over Terrible Mountain (twice in one week is enough!), but this time w/o 35 pounds of extra weight on my bike! The 45 mile ride was no problem at all, though the feel for it was decidedly different. Instead of meandering at 14mph, I was instead stomping on the Willier at ~18.5mph—things don’t look quite so picturesque at that speed! That difference in speed is something that I was definitely aware of throughout the following rides and a perspective I really need to get into my head. As I wrote about earlier, I need a paradigm shift in my attitude towards cycling: it’s a journey, not a race!

Of Course, we had to have extreme weather warnings going off Friday night, with the weather channel showing that dark red forecast for southern Vermont and western Mass—no way to start off a weekend than 100 miles in torrential rain! Pete and I were prepared for the rain, to say the least, our first century we did together took us through the same route (down Rt 5) in an other torrential downpour!

Though, we both weren’t disappointed when it was a beautiful, albeit overcast, day! 100 miles of real, easy riding. We averaged 14.1 miles on the way down—not bad considering we wanted to go around the average speed we want to hit come June 16^th (12mph)! It was a beautiful ride replete with cider donuts and much shenanigans on the bikes.

Debbie and Tobe—Pete’s parents—threw one heck of a send off party! BBQ ribs, chicken, pasta, cake, champagne toast, and a whole bunch of Pete’s friends from high school! It was great to see many of them before the send off and to put some faces to names in Pete’s stories he’s shared through six years of lifeguarding!

Sunday morning, and it was back to the races—and the legs felt fresh! Though, my butt and wrists were KILLIN me! (Gloves and a much cushier saddle are the prescription for the coming journey!) Pete and I soldiered on through beautiful sunny day. Our stop in Brattleboro was a great halfway point—the Co-Op there is one of the best places in the world and I got myself a heck of a bagel with cream cheese, tomato, lettuce and avocado. Oh, and I picked Delilah up a bottle of salad dressing for her birthday, all in all, Brattleboro is the place to be (and were I’ll be after getting back from Nica in January 2009! Can’t wait!)

Pete and I rode 73 miles together and then we parted to go our separate ways. Me on 103 back to Weston, and Pete continuing up 5. And when we both made it back to our respective locales—we both told each other how we couldn’t possibly think of going across country without the other! When I turned onto 103 and rode towards Chester, I was hit dead-on by a 20mph headwind—I was going only 20mph down ½ mile long 8% gradients! It was so tough to do it by myself, and I sure wished Pete was there with me!

Those were some good miles to get in—get the legs a bit stronger before we fly out on the 14^th!

Finally! I finally got a chance to get out on the road with the LeMond fully loaded! And for 45 miles no less! Yesterday I rode the bike I will be taking across country over to Pete’s place in Hartland, VT from where I’m currently living in Weston, VT; a trip of 45 miles.

Man did it feel so good to get out there! The bike route took me over “Terrible Mountain” (No joke, that’s the name!) 5 miles uphill with the last 2 miles at a 12% grade! Wow, do I love my triple geared bike! Just cruising up it at nice even 5-6mph, not difficult fully loaded, it just takes a little bit longer than usual!

This was the first time I was able to get the LeMond out on the road and get a feel for what I’ll be riding for 65 days. And man, did it feel good! I was really apprehensive during December 2007, because every previous experience I had with the LeMond were decidedly negative, from pulling a hamstring while riding it to just a general uncomfortableness and uneasiness on it. When I bought my Willier and had it fitted at ATA Cycles in Concord, my whole perspective on the cycling world changed as the new bike fit like a glove because it was custom tailored to my biomechanics. So, instead of continuing to feel apprehensive about the coming bike trip on a bike that didn’t fit me properly, I did something about it. I took all my measurements from my Willier and fit it to the LeMond. What a difference! And today, I just felt good! I averaged about 14mph to Pete’s house. Real slow compared to the normal stomping average I do on the Willier, but real good considering the 35 extra pounds of weight and the big hills that central Vermont has to offer!

Pete and I had quite an ordeal getting the bikes all boxed up and ready to go. We got to his place at about 8pm-we had a list of about six things we wanted to get done before he drove me back to Weston later that evening. Wow, we only got through two of those things on the list, and I didn’t get dropped off in Weston until 2:30am! Pete didn’t get to bed until 3:45am! (Thank you so much Pete!) But we did manage to get the essentials together!

Pete’s bike got new tires, a new cyclometer, and new handlebar tape. And the simple process of changing tires which normally takes 15 minutes turned into an hour and a half ordeal as the tires he ordered are (figuratively) bullet proof and so thick that we kept popping tubes while trying to fit ‘em on! Those tire’s shouldn’t ever get a flat during the trip!

Most importantly, we got the bikes BOXED UP! We had to take off the saddles, turn the handlebars to the side, take off the pedals, remove the front rack from my bike, and wrap the bikes in more bubble rap than is necessary. The bikes are taped, reinforced, and ready for shipment tomorrow!

It’s hard to believe that a journey that we started counting down 22 months ago is really going to happen in less than 22 days! It’s getting real!

Pete and I have a HUGE ride planned this weekend to make sure that our legs are in shape come the 16^th of June. We’re doing back to back 100milers this weekend, from Hartland, VT to his parents in South Hadley, MA. Can’t wait to spend 7+ hours in the saddle with Pete this weekend!

It’s really happening!

In the previous post, I talked about Peter and myself’s tendency towards competition and our need to not be competitive and instead work as a team to achieve a common goal over succumbing to egoistic demands. With that goal in mind, there’s one story that has stayed with me throughout my years at college that I read while I was training for my black belt in Kenpo Karate at New Generation Martial arts during my time in highschool. It’s titled ‘Try Softer’:

Try Softer

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.

“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.

“I wish to be your student and become the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”

“Ten Years at least,” the master answered.

“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy.

“What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”

“Twenty years,” replied the master.

“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”

“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.

“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.

“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”

- Anonymous

While Pete and I will be working hard each day turning the pedals, we will both have to remember to try softer and allow the Way, the path, and the means to be revealed through our travels. While the ultimate goal is arriving in Boston safe and sound, we need to leave each moment open to figure out how to get there!

There’s a term in the cycling world that encapsulates one of Peter and myself’s biggest challenges for the coming bike-trip: “Half-Wheeling.”

‘Half wheeling is what they call it when two riders, side by side, are subconsciously trying to beat the other rider. One will inch forward just enough that his wheel is a half wheel in front of the other’s, who, in response, does the same thing. A typical addendum is that both riders start off after agreeing to go for an “easy ride”. So they start out at, say, 16 mph.

Then one guy slides forward just a bit, edging up to maybe 16.5 mph.

The other guy responds likewise, maybe upping the ante to 17 mph.

And, in 15 minutes, suddenly they’re furiously time trialing at 30 mph, trying to get half a wheel ahead of the other guy.’ (From Aki)

Peter and I are both extremely competitive individuals. It’s a trait that extends into both of our lives and is both a positive and negative aspect of our personalities. So, when we get together, naturally we’re both sure to want to beat the other person, though not in a mean-spirited or bad-natured sort of way, but in the friendly competitive, we’ll both work so hard to bring out our best. But when riding 4,600 miles across the United States, Pete and I definitely cannot be half-wheelin’ the whole time! This is one of the areas where we will both need to grow the most, to really make ourselves into the team we want to be. A team that leaves the ego at the door so we’re both working for the support of the other.

Because it’s bigger than our egos now. It’s about the goal, the destination and everyone that has helped us get to this point. After 22 months of planning, we’re less than 22 days from departure. And even if we flew out to the Left coast and were only able to make it a week, it wouldn’t be a failed trip in our books. But, that said, successfully riding across the country in 65 days is our largest goal. The goal that will be motivating us each day when we wake up with sore bodies, the air temperature being over 100 degrees, and 70 miles to go across the never ending straightaway that is Kansas (with a headwind nonetheless!).

To draw this thought of a goal back to the idea of “half-wheeling,” we’re going to have to learn that in order to make that goal, we’re going to have to conquer our latent tendencies to always want to work our hardest and go the fastest. The only way we’re going to make that goal is with the steady 12mph forward motion—when the legs are feeling great, and when the legs are feeling terrible. Steady and constant.

We’re ready for the challenge. And we’re only going to make it as a team.

We are officially less than a month from departure. I have 15 days of school remaining until I tie up my golden shoes and ride the bus in with the kids for my “Last Day of School Celebration!” Then it’s less than 24 hours until we are boarded on that mechanical bird that will take us to the Pacific in 6 hours. Hopefully within 65 days I’ll be back in this very location in vermont having dipped my wheels in both oceans!!! There in nobody in the world I’d rather tackle this challenge with than the one and only Patch-Daddy!!

Of all my travels and adventures…My mind has NEVER been more consumed and focused than it is on this bike ride.

When you stop taking risks, you stop living!!!

Pete Drix