journal

The ride has ended the journey has just started

I am home...the ride is over, its ended, kapput...the journey has come to its climax! I am a little confused today, Monday, not knowing what to do. My body was screaming let's go, let's go! We have more left in the tank! My thighs ached all day wanting to get on a bike and cycle.

It was an extraordinary feeling, confusing, torn between what I wanted to do and what I needed to do...
yesterday. Sunday was the day I had waited for for 31 days. It almost seems impossible looking at the map of America that I cycled all the way across...all the way from Los Angeles to washington DC.
It saddened me terribly, however, to hear that my wife, Laurie, had kept an incident from me as not to discourage me on my journey. Someone had sent an anonymous E-mail suggesting that I had not cycled across, but had, in fact, spent the trip relaxing in the RV! If it were not for the fact that I had met hundreds of new people on the road. If it were not for the fact that hundreds of thousands of people had driven past me on my journey, many of them waving. If it were not for the fact that many people had helped me and talked to me along the way, shopkeepers, police officers, traffic wardens, truck drivers, strangers who changed my tires in the middle of the desert, people that I helped like the lady on Interstate 40 that had a blown tire. If it were not for the fact that hundreds of cyclists were invited to ride along at certain stages, and many did through Oklahoma, Tennessee and Washington DC. If it weren't for the fact that Charlie Luessenhop rode the entire first 5 days through to Flagstaff AZ with me or that my father-in-law, a christian of the highest moral values was with me, looking after me, for the last four days through the toughest and longest sections going through Tennessee, Virginia and into DC. And last but definately not the least, that Chris Brown, the most excellent and loyal companion of my journey, was there all 31 days watching and supporting, a gentleman of high integrity...I might not have believed it myself. It was the achievement of my lifetime.

To question my tour is to question the integrity of hundreds of people and thousands of witnesses...to throw calamity into the adventure of a lifetime. This ride was a celebration! The accusation that was brought to light including the accident in Bristol TN, was the only sour note. But as sour as it was, nothing could change nor spoil the taste of achievement of having accomplished the goal of crossing coast to coast and the life changing experience's I encountered. The Journey was not the point, the cause was and still is The cause of curing all blood-related cancers is the most important value of the journey. Winning the title of Man of the Year was never a consideration as those close to me know, the heightening of awareness of the cause I sent across America was the most satisfying achievement I have ever had.

The people I met, the places I saw, the memories I stored, the friends I made and the bonds I sealed are going to be the most precious I take with me forward for the rest of my life. Next to my marriage and my childrens birth, these memories are the ones that will always remain with me.

Touring on a Bicycle at 15 mph, the beauty of America brought an appreciation of this land that we call home, sweating blood and tears and exerting the passion I did through each town, and each state, allowed me to take part of each with me...the feeling that part of California followed me to Arizona, and Arizona to New Mexico, through to Texas and Oklahoma..how can I forget beautiful Oklahoma and the Angel that came to me to boost my spirits. Each state is sealed on my heart, a badge I sewed onto my sleeve, as I wove my tyres across the landscape of America.
I have done something that in the great scheme of things few have done, I knew it was never going to be unique, but it was going to be unique for me, and that is what mattered...I was able to achieve a goal, and enrich my life, and if it were not for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the high standards set, I would never have contemplated such a remarkable feat. So I thank you for allowing me the opportunity in my life to help me help others. I hope that I have been able to fulfill the standards you have in your organization. For me, I exceeded the standards in my life and you helped me, as did everyone I met on my journey to raise the bar in my life.

The last day was more of a parade for me, it was my homecoming, I set out from warrenton along route 15 to get to Leesburg, a simple ride of 30 miles. At Leesburg I met up with 10 other cyclists who dared brave the potential downpour that had threatened all day. It was an amazing feeling to be cycling down the W&OD bike path into Rossyln. It had been a mainstay of my training, when I needed miles and endurance this was the path I took. Today it was going to be a gentle ride back into town.

I thank everyone who came home with me, and brought me to the end of my journey..thank you..Michael Long, thank you..its the first time I have seen you outside of the Business Suit ..thank you, thank you so much. Thank you Bruce Deming for your companionship on Saturday and again on Sunday with all your organizational skills to make the final ride happen. The ride ended with us being escorted through DC with an escort by the DC Park Police, parading around the town, Carol, you were awesome girl...I know it was tough for you...it was all for you Carol..I could have dedicated the whole ride just for you....you were my Rock. Lucy my neighbor, i know it was tough for you, but thank you, I will ride with you anytime..thank you for seeing me home...

We were home 2830 in 31days.... it averaged out at 91 miles per day....just a little bit short of the 100 miles per day we set, but you know what..it is not 3000 miles from coast to coast! I don't think anyone will mind..Of the 31 days, I achieved 19 days in excess of 100 miles..and 3 days that just fell short of 100 miles...thats almost 21 century rides in 31 days...
The naivety of the ride is what helped! If I had known then what I know now, I probably would not have attempted the ride. I am glad I was such a novice, as a cyclist, this was a baptism of fire..in at the deep end. Not knowing what pain I was going to go through helped me look at every day as an adventure. Every hill and mountain I climbed was one step closer to home, even though it did not seem that way most of time, it brought me closer to what was important in this life, our ability to give to society. Society is what it is all about, the bonds I feel with my fellow friends has been tightened like a vice that wrap around me.

I am home, I have helped in a small way, I know that someone somewhere has been touched by my journey, if I have given just one person inspiration in life, then I have achieved something by default that I never thought of at the start of my journey. The awareness of our goal has been spread across America...from East to West and then back again...the badge I wear today is not that of hero, or inspirational, or candidate for Man of the year...the badge I wear today is that of husband to my wife and daddy to my children, to see my two children awaken this morning and see me in the bedroom with them, was like having 30 Christmas mornings all rolled into one moment.

If anything, the joyous moment of seeing my family again was worth the entire journey. I sacrificed thirty days away from my children, just to hope that no parent has to give up the feeling of ever not seeing their child in the morning...every morning for the rest of their lives.

The Cause goes on....but for this moment it is time for my family..just one thing to say before I go to bed...this is important..please go to this site ..http://www.rideofsilence.org..

I cycled across the United states, I was amazed at my journey, yet I was stunned at the ignorance of many car drivers as to the awareness of cyclists on the road. I had encountered this in training, but the stupidity I encountered in certain states particularly, was disturbing. One day in just one moment, this journey could have ended differently..be aware..cyclists share the road with cars...it is not our privilege..it is our Right.

Cycle on and please don't forget the Cause..make a donation if your heart tells you to www.tonysbikefight.com if you are linking from another site...Tony

Coming Home

Well...guess what? I am finally here! Its Saturday night and we are in Warrenton, Virginia..a little bit of fenagling with the route..having to drive across some roads, we ended up just south of Charlottesville Va last night...Friday was a blast...it was the day I got my confidence back riding..I was still hurting from my neck all the way down to my hips..but I rode through pain. I knew I had a 120 mile run to do, so we set out early on a beautiful day.We were headed through the Blue Ridge mountains of Blacksburg through Roanoke and on to Lynchburg..that was our plan....then from Lynchburg we would cut across from route 11 to route 29 by car to get on Lee highway for our last two days back to DC...

The Blacksburg area was everything I feared it too be, tough, uphill, and hot..the mountains around the area were gorgeous to look at, but hellish hard to cycle through..the pain in my hips subsided with a good dosing of Advil so I rode freely through the morning.
There was no slacking off, I had my father in law in the RV watching very stride I was taking! The route from Pulaski to Shawille through the Blue Ridge mountains, was exceptioanlly hard to climb, yet what was amazing was that the downhill runs were like a straight drop..fast, fun and furious...

At one point closing in on Shawville, I clocked my fastest time ever on a bike, 48.5 miles per hour...it was thrilling and scary all together, as I rose over the crest of the hill, and saw the sheer drop off on the other sid, I literally gulped and said..here we gooooooooooo...and there it was, as fast as I have ever been.
I actually had to slow down because I caught a pic of stone in my front spokes that kept on jumping around the front wheel, the spokes were going so fast that the stone could not exit, and I was worried it might shoot out like a bullet and hit me..!

The day was much like that long uphill trudges and quick descends through one of the finest panoramic views you could witness, if hills were going to be like this, this is what you wanted them to look like..

Lynchburg was there for us at the end of the day, we had ridden a massive 120 miles that day, taken a short skip through the city center of Roanoke, and ended up just about where we needed to be for the night...

Friday was over, Saturday was the penultimate day..we set out early, knowing that basically I was making a run towards the last day..we had actually crossed the whole country by now, West to east had been done..I was now showboating and getting any required miles to get close to my target distance...we had figured out some time ago, that it was not 3000 miles coast to coast, but 2880 miles, so we were trying to add miles by cycling to towns and places off the beaten track..this was achieved in previous days, but in the last few days it became increasingly difficult to do, as we were hitting more populated areas.. and hilly terrain..we just had to get done what we could.

We drove from Lynchburg to Charlottesville to get us onto the right road, and then we were off again. We had a media event set up for the day in Culpepper VA..which was important to meet as the exposure of the cause is more important than the ride itself...we had planned that the day would still provide us with a mileage in excess of 100..and this was a day I was going to enjoy..I was coming home..this was a road I had ridden on many times in training and it had been the road that kicked my butt into gear...

You know what..it was not that bad, riding out of Charlottesville through the infamous Madison moguls, that I had feared in training, was simple...I could not believe how easy this leg was..I averaged a speed 4 mph faster than I had done in training and the ride over these hills that had previously been so daunting I took in stride without hardly breaking out of my middle gears...Good Lord, I had a measuring stick finally, I was way ahead of the game...

The 50 miles to Culpepper, was one of the easiest hill rides I had had to date..I could not believe I had been so daunted once upon a time. We gave a great interview to the press in Culpepper, I know it's only a small local paper, but they wanted to cover me, and the more exposure the better...now it was on to Warrenton where Laurie and all the support team were putting on a small welcoming home dinner at the Outback Steakhouse.

At Culpepper, Bruce Deming , one of my cycle coaches joined me, it was great to have another rider with me, I had missed Larry's company...( hey good luck larry on your serious event this weekend...I ate your dinner for you at the Outback) Bruce and I cycled the rest of the miles taking a hilly detour over the Skyline drive area before we turned around to head to Warrenton...

I was greeted by my wife and children, it was so awesome to have my family around, my daughter is now walking...she is actually walking she started just today...my son, well he was so happy to see me again, he just did not want to let me go....

I walked into the Outback Steakhouse in Warrenton, and to my surprise, really...the whole restaurant, workers, managers and patrons all stood up to give me a rapturous round of warm applause for my endevour..it was thrilling to be greeted in such a fashion....

Thank you guys at the Outback for such a warm reception..it was tearful and warm to my heart.....

In ending my log..which will be one of the last logs on the journey... in the last two days we have covered 220 miles..120 miles yesterday and 100 miles today..it gives us a total of 2752 in 30 days....tomorrow we have our last leg..100 miles to go....!

A Message From a Witness at Tony's Accident in Bristol

I just received this letter from the gentleman who helped Tony yesterday after his accident. One of the most beautiful letters I have ever read...enjoy...Laurie

Hi, my name is Travis Campbell from Bristol, Va. I work at Bill Gatton Chevrolet in Bristol,Tn. Today I was taking a test dive with a customer on a dreary day heading north on Commonwealth Ave toward Wytheville, Va, when I noticed a cyclist traveling in the same direction we were, attempting to cross the railroad tracks about half a mile north of the Tenn. state line. Then all of a sudden this Chevy Blazer crosses over in front of the cyclist to the right and hits this guy suddenly and then stops. We go around the Blazer to see the guy and there he is laying still in the middle of the road motionless in the pouring rain looking straight at the front of this Chevy Blazer that just struck him and threw him approx. 40-50 feet. When this took place I noticed how hard the cyclist hit and bounced on the pavement.

I thought to myself this guy is hurt bad. I ran to him and was trying to get a response out of him... there was no response, NONE! I looked around and Tony's things were lying around, sunglasses, POWERade water bottle, bicycle, walkman.. spread out everywhere. I helped him up slowly and we start toward the curb of the road to get to safety away from the speeding traffic that was whipping by about 5 feet from his body. Let me remind you, we are in the pouring down rain in the middle of the afternoon in a heavily traveled highway in Bristol, when he falls again due to the slick cyclist shoes he was wearing! At this point in time it's appearent this guy has some pretty sharp pains in his hip-pelvic area not to mention the bruises all the way up his shins from the pedals and a little swelling on his right eye. This guy was soaked, in pain, had no clue where he was at, who we were, and no clue what just happened and how close his life was almost changed forever.

When we finally got him on his feet and he finally spoke, it was very clear he was not from this area. I asked him where he was from and then a big grin came on his face and he began to explain why he was here and for what he was doing in our town. He said I'm riding for kids. I'm riding to fight cancer. I stood back just for a second and I realized this guy is really doing it, he is putting people he has never met before in front of his life, his kids life (if any), and how in the world can someone miss this much work to ride a bike across country for all these people of whom he has no clue who they are... and taking this much abuse.

As we are talking to Tony the customer noticed the grey Blazer leaving the scene. Oh my God, can you believe this?!! He's leaving the cyclist, that he has just plowed over, on the side of the road . We notified the authorities and here came the ambulance. By this time we are starting to draw a crowd. The paramedics arrive and they are trying to get him to go to the hospital. Reluctantly, he declines and starts to explain his goal and how bad he wants to meet his goal and why he is doing this. This guy is GREAT. He cares about people, he must have a loving caring family for him to be gone so long for this cause. I don't know what drives this guy. I know I sure would like to have some of the same thoughts and qualities. I'm thinking this is just a little too far fetched, and then this huge support bus (motorhome) pulls in and his support team gets out and run to him to check on his safety. When I see the tourbus pull up and I saw his picture on the bus and all of his sponsors on the side of the bus, I realized this guy is taking this stuff serious and I just helped one the greatest inspirations of my life and what an uplifting experience I gained by his pain. I would like to donate to this cause, help in any way, and express my appreciation to Tony for what he has done and will do in the future, Thank you Tony! If someone would please pass this on to Tony and the sponsors that made this happen I would greatly appreciate it. I'm not a good typist so this work took a great deal of time for me to complete.


Sincerely,

Travis Campbell
Bill Gatton Cheverolet
Bristol, Tenn.

Sirens Blazing in Virginia

Today is Thursday....these are the words I hoped I would never hear in my journey...it was just a small part of the last few days, but perhaps the most significant part of the journey to date, that important that I had to let you know first..

The words went something like this..." Sir, stay on the floor, please don't move..the ambulance is on its way..can you tell me where you hurt ? Can you move your hands...don't try and move your head ...!
These were the words I heard over and over in my mind, as I lay sprawled across the highway, laying first on my stomach, then trying to move out of the oncoming traffic, flipping myself over with all my strength but finding it almost impossible to move..it took all my strength and determination just to get on my back, but I could not get up..I lay there waiting for what seemed like an eternity, as rescuers, both ordinary heroes and paramedics were quickly to the scene...thank you Travis..today you came to my rescue...

Today was the day that I had in the back of my mind, a day of dread and fear, it was the fear of every cyclist, the day you get hit by a car....for me, the irony of the matter was I had just crossed the state line from Tennessee back into my home State of Virginia..I was home, literally I was now cycling into my home State. Having entered into Bristol, Virginia cycling through the town, with moderate bouts of rain for the past hour, I was elated to have crossed into my Home state, and then it happened...

As I approached a railroad track that cut through the main street, I slowed down to take it with caution, I moved to align my front wheel with the track so as not to be going across the track at an angle...a car came right past me to my left, forcing me to move sharply to the right....why ..why did you not slow down, why were you overtaking me on a crossing, why did you not give me the respect as a cyclist on the road and give me the room..if I had been a car you would have given me the room....but no..you decided to run me off the road by clipping my foot sending me spinning through air....don't you know you could have killed me with your stupiditity?

There I lay on my back, my crumpled bike lay 15 feet away from me, I could only think I needed to get out the road before oncoming trucks hit me...I put my hand up...I knew I was not dead...I knew I could move..the gesture prompted the response..." Are you sure..man, you were hit hard, your head bounced off the road, your body was was twitching for at least 10 seconds..we should wait till the ambulance gets here..."
"I am okay ..will you help me up..." Travis held my hand in friendship and compassion..and pulled me to my feet....
I was okay...three people had called the paramedics and police..after seeing me being knocked flying ...the ambulance had arrived, I was in shock and taken to ambulance to be checked over...
My hips, my back and my neck were all hurting, my shins were cut, my face was bruised..I had a huge muscle knot on my calf..but I could walk, and talk and converse freely as I was being checked over...the paramedics wanted to take me to the hospital...I probably made a mistake by not going...but I insisted that I knew I was going to be fine I just needed to wash up, and calm down.
My blood pressure was taken my vital signs were normal, there was no sign of concussion even with a bouncing head on the road...The paramedics reluctantly let me go after hearing the story of me twitching and being semi-comotose for a minute..." man..he was just bounced all over the road, and his body was in spasms and he was just laying there, unable to move...."

Thank you to the driver whoever you were for writing the tag number of the driver, that was quick thinking, Thank you for the police officer first on the scene who calmed me down and soothed me, thank you to the paramedics who cleaned me up and made sure I was still working...and thank you Travis for consoling me and helping me to my feet...

My bike did not fair as well as me, the handlebars were destroyed, crumpled, completely bent around...I was distraught even more..Chris and my father in law were just pulling up to the scene of the accident having been informed and seeing the ambulance and police sirens, they were expecting the worst and hoping for the best...My bike, my bike...its all I could think of, my trusted Cannondale that had brought me 2500 miles was in a bad way...

I absolutely know I had my guardian Angel on my shoulder today...not only did he save me from serious injury...people had commented, " How did you get away with only a few scratches " Literally after skidding and tumbling across the road, I walked away with no blood being lost...But I crashed within walking distance of the biggest Bike shop in Bristol ..repairs were at hand..
After I finished giving the police officer all the information about the incident, he informed me that one of the gentleman who helped me was also a police officer, just not on duty...and had witnessed the whole scene..he informed me of the bad news that the driver had stopped, looked at me..got back into his car and drove off...

Can you believe that...he assured me, that after having the information from the witnesses on the scene, they had enough information to serve a warrant and charge this person with a felony for hit and run with injuries....

I don't know what upset me more, my bike being crumpled or hearing that that the man who hit me was a much elderly gentleman...I could only think of my own father..

We went to the bike store, Mountain Sports in Bristol to have emergency repairs done..two hours later with a new set of handlebars, grips, and makeover my Warhorse Bike was ready for another shakedown...

It had given me time to settle my nerves and gain my disposition..I was jovial and pragmatic about the incident, what was done was done..I just had to thank my lucky stars I was not more seriously injured...even though I was in pain, I had to get this ride finished and I was so close to the finishing line...
The loss of over three hours in cycling time had seriously dented my abilty to get the required mileage today...but having managed to get back onto the bike and cycled into the dusky sunshine and warmth of the retreating sun, I was still able to get 90 miles riding today.

Now let me briefly tell you about yesterday...yesterday was a welcome home from my family in Greenville TN. Greenville is where my brother in law, Bill and sister in law live, Sharon (not forgetting my nephews Blake & Mitch!)...right off Old Lee Highway or as it is in TN State road 11 ...it was exactly as the guys at Cookeville said it was going to be, hard steep and grueling...Ohhh and to think I have driven it hundreds of times and never noticed how much it went up and down...it was a ride and a half...but it was a pleasant day and there was a reward at the end of it, I was getting to see my extended family for a few hours, take a bath and sleep in a big bed for one night....

We packed up early Thursday morning, for this last leg of the journey. My father in law was joining Chris and I for the leg up to DC...my father in law brought with him some of the most delicious home baked walnut cookies...I was able to eat them throughout the day whilst riding..they were much tastier than the protein bars I have been used to...

In ending my log for tonight we have now covered 2532 in 28 days...we have just over 330 miles to go and three days left...
Tomorrow I have to find out how my body feels, I am on pain killers now, there is no doubt that I have hurt my back neck and hips...the adrenaline was keeping the pain away for most of the day, but now that I am relaxed and sitting in the RV everything is beginning to stiffen up...
I at least learned today that a) there are stupid people on the road...b) I have a hard head, c) I am lucky...and finally d) someone really wants me to finish this ride....

Got to go for now ..see ya'll tomorrow fingers crossed...

No mountain high enough

Well..here I am again..safe and sound, thats the important thing...the last few days have been very difficult, especially today.
Let me start with yesterday, monday...monday we had great intentions...however the first thing I needed to do was get a new seat, as my saddle had broken making it impossible to ride...we were in luck, of course, as the only bike store between Nashville and Knoxville was right on our doorstep..I walked tentatively into the store, Cookeville Bikes in Cookville, to be met with a group of cheerful young guys, I was sore, and trying to hide it...more about that later. " I need a new saddle I proclaimed, mine has busted..and I am cycling to Washington DC..."
" Let us help you!" proclaimed one of the guys back at me! We engaged in conversation ...
Soon, I was talking freely to all the guys telling them about my exploits, the fun, the pain, the frustration the experiences of my cross cycle ride....One of them suggested calling the local newspaper and having them come out to write a story and take our pictures, as my wife knows I love the opportunity for a camera shot and so Chris and I and the gang from Cookville Bikes had our picture taken together for the local newspaper...

Whilst inside the store we met another lady. I do not remember her name, but I remember that she actually came from McLean, Virginia, and used to live about 5 miles from where my family lives.
She had been a cancer research scientist and her husband had been an avid cyclist, as was she, hence her being in the bike shop....until he passed away after a battle with Lymphoma. It was sad to keep on hearing how many people are effected by this illness, yet it still seems to me, that on the whole, society turns more away from this than anything.

I believe that I have come to the conclusion that people do not get it..! I watch men and women buy dollar a pop Lottery tickets hoping to win a jackpot, and yet what I should tell them is that they have a million more times chance of dying from leukemia and lymphoma than they do from winning the Lottery...so why not give money to research than wasting it on dreams...

Anyhow, the guys in the bike shop were terrific...and I know they are reading this...I gave them my website and they checked it out right away...lol...so I know they are impatient for the posts of today and the one I missed yesterday...

Well after I had the bike seat fixed, the tyre rechecked the gears all given a once over, we were able to get on our way..however the weather looked like it was turning nasty...heavy afternoon showers had been predicted and the prediction looked like it was accurate...

We set out in hope, after an hour of riding, forget it, the heavens opened up, the entire atlantic ocean looked like it was coming out of the sky...forget riding, you could not keep your eyes open with the volume of rain hitting you...we packed up the bike and set off back to town..it was closer to go back to Cookeville than go forward...the afternoon was rained out, overcast and we had not accomplished very much riding.

Tuesday morning was upon us....I needed an early start....I was sore, now let me revisit this...I have ridden almost 2400 miles so far across country..there is a part of my skin that is almost worn out...I mean raw, red and almost blistered...I have been in pain for the last three days with terrible chaffing...yesterday at the bike store..they recommended a product to me...it was called Chamois BUTT (er) ..it is literally a cream that allows the fabric of your shorts to glide over your skin, and keeps it from chaffing...
Now I was kind of sceptical as I have played sports for years and used all kinds of products, but guys from Cookeville..you literally saved my behind! I cannot express just how awesome that product was...I mean it was like I could ride all day long...it was amazing stuff! However, the ride I had today from Cookeville to East Knoxville was something else...local knowledge rules the day..so I can only imagine that the guys from Cookeville decided to make me work for my supper that night...Guys come on..were you trying to punish me..lol...I guess you forgot to tell me about Monterey.." the town that meets the clouds.." and OZONE..I wonder why its called Ozone..maybe because its in the ozone layer..lol...

I have to say though that it was the most beautiful of rides, even though it was a tough day riding...
I was very paranoid that we were going to get rained out again with predictions of heavy rains in the afternoon, it was why I left early..I went fast and smooth, but 40 miles into the day, just after acting like a Tour Pro...my hamstring went...I mean just almost exploded...I had a cramp so bad, that my leg felt like it had been twisted up like a pretzel...

I was in so much pain, I had to get off the bike and roll around the floor in pain for at least 5 minutes in writhing pain..I could hardly walk..I limped...I limped more...that was it folks,,, that's all she wrote...I had torn my hamstring, it felt like someone had stuck the back of my leg with a knife....the journey was over...

However, I had to reach Chris, he was still 4 miles down the road, and out of cell coverage. I was just getting his voicemail..okay..let me just get back on the bike and cycle gently ..and walk up the hills I thought...!

I hopped back on, and started out tentatively...it was bad..it really was bad...there was no way I thought I could continue..but I figured, well let me tough it out for a mile or so...I was heartbroken...less than 650 miles to go....and an injury had ripped the finishing line from me...I have to tell you, that I was listening to the radio at the time, and I had on a mild station that was playing a rather soppy song...and the tension just broke in me..I was missing my wife and children, I was hurting in pain..I was going to end the ride as a loser and the music was making me emotional. Everything about me hurt, my pride, my muscles, my dedication, my leg..my emotions...every pedal was torture. I must have looked a sight to oncoming traffic, with a pained tearful grimmace on my face..pushing myself just a little more up a hill...! What..up a hill...hang on....rewind...I was going up a hill...I thought I was dying a minute ago. Okay it was sore, but I was moving up a hill and working myself through the pain...then on the radio came the song that changed my mood altogether......and all I could do was think of my beautiful wife waiting for me urging me on to the finish as I listened and worked through my pain......

Listen, baby
Ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough, baby

If you need me, call me
No matter where you are
No matter how far
Just call my name
I'll be there in a hurry
You don't have to worry

'Cause baby,
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

No wind, no rain

My love is alive
Way down in my heart
Although we are miles apart
If you ever need a helping hand
I'll be there on the double
As fast as I can

Don't you know that
There ain't no mountain high enough
Ain't no valley low enough
Ain't no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you

Please everyone ....I want you to go to this web link address..it will make you all smile for the rest of the day...

http://www.superlaugh.com/1/mountain.htm

Anyhow, I met up with Chris and managed to get some pain cream rubbed into my hamstring, took a few antiinflammatory tablets and rested for a few moments..I was good to go...not once for the rest of the afternoon did my leg bother me, even though it was very much on my mind..as it is now.

As I rode the rest of the day, something else bothered me, I had been riding across the entire country from west to east...and have seen many states to date..Tennessee has become almost like a second home to me, so I am very proud of the state's heritage...so this bothered me....guys..you have to pick up your litter...Tennessee is one of the most beautiful natural states you could ride or drive through, yet it has to rank as the worst state I have ridden through to date for trash thrown from cars onto the beautiful areas and surroundings...please...don't ignore the Do not litter signs...have a little more respect for your most beautiful of States!

So late afternoon...the rain comes..ohh boy..the rains pour down on us again...this time it is just for a 30 minute period, but the rain came..heavy, sheeting, nasty and cold..spring in Tennessee..Chris came back for me, it was just too rough to ride..I dried up, put a new set of clothes on waited the rain out and set off again.,,With the lack of riding yesterday, it was important to make up some miles, and make them up handsomely we did..with the new formula for grease on my behind, my new saddle in place..and that is so so comfortable..I was pushing the miles..Knoxville was almost upon us..and then it was gone..we had blasted right through Knoxville to the east side...today was the longest ride I have done in terms of hours..for almost 9 hours today I sat on a bike saddle moving my legs going up and down hills...I am going to regret it I know....

Tonight we sit in our Walmart parking lot, in a little town of Chilhowee having covered a wonderful 130 miles today, tomorrow I pick up my father-in-law from Bill's house in Greenville TN..
I have driven from Greenville to DC and vice versa so much in the last 7 years that my car knows the way blindfolded..this time I have to do it on a bike..but every town I pass after tomorrow is a town that has a memory etched in my head ..I am coming home....

With yesterdays little accounted for 30 miles and todays monster ride...we have covered 2357 miles in 26 days....

A happy mothers day

The weekend was a tough one...with everything going on in the world, I was out here giving it all for my cause..Did anyone check the weather report for Tennessee..guess what Today Sunday was ? 93 degree's..I hate playing Golf in that kind of heat, but I still had to cycle my long legs off..
Larry, Larry, Larry...Larry drove all the way from Pensylvania to Nashville TN..thats over 800 miles..to join me and give me support for the weekend. Larry and I are both team members of an online virtual cycling club, that has over 2000 members from around the USA www.bikejournal.com, all talking to each other and logging mileages and swapping stories, and occasionaly meeting up with each other..I am just like the novice in the pack, the novice nonetheless was worked my socks off to get the mileage done.
Larry has an online name of "Zurichman" and being from PA, I considered him to be a localish rider that I could compare statistics with, especially as we were sharing much of the same hostile winter weather..I always figured that if I could catch up to Zurichman, I would be in good shape...
Little did I know that he himself would be the first one from the club to meet me, and meet and greet we did..it was awesome to have a dedicated cyclist travel so far to come and keep my spirits up...
Larry had agreed to meet us at exit 209 on interstate 40 which happened to be somewhere in downtown Nashville...Chris and I arrived early at around 11 pm and we knew we had to wait until 3 possibly 4 am for Larry to arrive...the area was, less than desirable and after seeing several entertaining characters in the course of the next few hours, we decided it not best to stay in the same place.
We moved the RV 10 miles further down the road and found a Walmart parking lot that made us feel much more secure. Larry would have to call us when he arrived and we could let him know where we had moved to..
Larry did phone at about 6 am and then drove to the Walmart to meet us where upon he relaxed for a few hours catching a nap in the RV..for the previous 3 hours Larry had slept in his car outside a rather fruitful nightclub in downtown Nashville watching the parade of nightgoers peering through his window in merriment...
My sleep is imperative after these long days, so with the broken sleep pattern of the night I was trying to get just another few hours before I had to start the day..Larry was just like a caged greyhound waiting to get out and ride...he later admitted he thought there was no way it looked possible for us to be serious about doing any serious riding, and had initially felt a little disappointed that we had not made an early start..his disappointment was soon forgotton when Tony finally was awake, and raring to go...and did we go! Blasting out of the racing gates we were going to do a 100 mile ride today...or so we thought..it was Saturday...day 23 ..and no sooner had we travelled 10 miles on the Interstate than we were pulled over by a State trooper insisting we got off the Road and go find another route...in 23 days and over 2000 miles this was a first...anyhow we complied, and headed back to State road 70 ..what a disaster it was..it was like going over ski jumps..winding winding country roads up and down around and around...it was horrible..and the sun just poured on our heads.the rest of the weekend was no better...mountains, hills, the sun, more mountains, more sun....but we prevailed...
Zurichman pulled me along with his fresh legs over the weekend for just over 200 miles from Nashville TN to Cookesville TN..that puts us approx 100 miles just west of Knoxville...we rode and rode and rode..and Lord did I need the support.

I have been to TN at least 50 times over the past 5 years to visit family, and I never paid attention to how hilly the mountains are around this part of TN, we are coming up to Knoxville and the mountains are getting higher and higher and higher, the road up was hard over the weekend, blistering heat on my back and burning pain in my thighs, but I pushed and pulled my way up to the top of many hills this weekend...we would have done more if truth be told, at the end of Sundays riding, it was not mileage or tiredness that stopped us, we were in the groove...my seat broke..Georgetown Bike shop, if you are reading this..my awesome seat went kapput..one of the rear supporting struts suffered from metal fatigue, I guess from all the uphill cycling, and it sheered. I was so very very lucky, the whole saddle could have fallen off and me with it, or worse still the bike stem could have easily pierced my body ...they warn of fitting bike saddles properly and that incorrect installation could even result in death..this played heavily on my mind as my saddle was broken and I had to ride the last three miles standing up...!
Chris was there to meet us, the weekend was over, and Larry gave us a big hug a big handshake and was thrilled to have ridden with me, as I was equally thrilled to have him here, a new friend forever....

In conclusion what did the weekend bring us, it made me miss my wife terribly, it was Mothers Day today and I was not there for either my wife, the mother of my two children, or my own mother, who is having a hard time with my fathers illness...it brought me a new friend in Larry...it brought me two sore legs...well that's usual these days, it also brought me an answer to why I have been getting so many flat tyres! But thats for me and the wheel manufacture to discuss when I get home, needless to say, it took an expert cyclist like Larry to help solve the puzzle and with a bit of duct tape remedy it...
Finally it brought me 210 miles closer to my family....we sit just a day's ride from Knoxville, I can almost visualise home from here, I have driven from Knoxville to DC in a day before, I am really almost finished..I just have to be patient and keep on toughing it out..but I have almost completed my excellent adventure...

On a closing note, I wanted to tell all the people that write to me, how much I appreciate your notes, some of them bring a chill to me when I read them, some of them bring me close to tears, I do try to respond to you all, but if I don't or have not, I will...you are all friends ..and I admire you all..

Knoxville here I come...but first I have to get a new saddle....2197 miles in 24 days

A huge cycling day, day 22

The Volunteer state of Tennessee is a place that I have become fond of, over the last five years, as my wife's family live here, and Laurie actually went to college in Chattanooga. I have spent many wonderful vacations with my brother and sister in law and their family down here. Reaching the Border of TN made me feel very glad, it was truly a feeling of coming home, despite being a very long State, and crossing it was going to be a tough task..it is the neighbouring state to Virginia and that made me feel very like the journey was nearly finally over.
We started this morning early in Memphis TN, the home of Elvis Presley, and we were heading north east towards Nashville...we had chosen to continue on route 70, a quiet and pretty road, with light rolling hills...the sun was strong already and would later, during the afternoon, hit 89 degree's...temperatures I expected in the desert not in Tennessee.

Nashville was 220 miles from memphis, it was a long road, although I was not going to cycle it all today, we had planned to be in nashville by nightfall. We had arranged to meet another cyclist who was leaving work early from Pennsylvania and was going to drive all afternoon and night to meet us in Nashville to ride the weekend with us...

The least we could do was make an effort to drive a to Nashville to pick him up....how far we would have to drive would depend entirely on how far I rode today...

For the first time this week, I did not have a puncture all day, the bike rode perfectly, and the wind was at our back. After spending the morning riding on the country road route 70...I came to an intersection where 70 and Interstate 40 met each other, I was at a crossroads..Okay let's give the Interstate another whirl I thought...

What I had in mind was simple, the heat was stifling and having it push you meant that you did not get the benefit of it cooling you down. At least on the Interstate the trucks blowing past you would cool you down with their draft....

The only reason we had not been on the Interstate in recent days was that posted signs of cyclists prohibited were all around, even though many cycling colleague's had told me to ignore them, I was daunted at the signs prohibition. The heat made up my mind, I cycled down the on ramp and onto the Interstate I rode..what a relief and good decision it was....

Speed was up, wind at my back, cooling breeze from the trucks and Memphis long gone....the day was a cyclists dream...I managed to cover 130 miles at an average of over 18 mph...that was moving fast..

We packed up the bike and drove the remainder to Nashville where we now wait in the RV for our new companion to arrive sometime in the early morning ....the plan is then to drive halfway back to Memphis to ride back up to and beyond Nashville over the weekend...seems a bit complex I know, but the whole journey is about the abilty to send a message ..and this is the all part of the big plan...
With todays good wind and marathon effort, I have now cycled 1987 miles in 22 days..

Tennessee here we come !

Three weeks of cycling..this is my 21st day on a bike, I am still amazed that I am in pretty good shape, a few bumps, bruises, a stiff neck, and tired legs once in a while, but everything seems to be in working order....

Memphis TN, here we come, roughly an 88 mile trek from Brinkley, over the Mississippi River, into the state that has become my second home...I find it hard to believe that once in TN, I am only one state away from Virginia...albeit a long state to cross, the countdown would definately have begun.
First we had to get out of Brinkley, but as usual, there were things to be accomplished, one of those was running out of clothes again, I had to find a laundromat to wash all my cycling clothes. Hygeine is exceptionally importantly, as any form of bacterial itch can become infected very rapidly and that will be the total end of the ride. My clothes must be washed with anti bacterial soap to prevent anything happening...so the first part of the morning is domestic time...
Its time to have a good breakfast whilst the clothes are being washed and dried, plenty of fuel for the upcoming day in the heat...and its going to be a scorcher again today..plenty of sunblock...
After all is prepared done, cleaned, washed, RV cleaned, bike prepared, we are ready to exit Brinkley Arkansas and head towards TN, ..yet I think Brinkley wants to keep us for no sooner than I cycle 10 miles down the road I receive another flat rear tire...now last night, I had just put a new tire on the bike, not just a new tube, but a new tire too, just in case ..yet right through the tire went a small piece of sharp something enough to make the tire go down again...
Chris had gone ahead, but I had the tools to repair the damage .. what a funny sight..I was by the side of the road next to a stream, leaning over the water with the tube in the pond water looking for bubbles in the tube....what a site...I found the hole and was able to repair the damage with my a new instant repair kit...within 15 minutes I was back on the road...but as usual these things have always happened in two's...5 miles later I had another busted tire..this was getting ridiculous, Five flats in the space of 25 miles over two days. I was running out of innertubes and we not even out of the Brinkley town limits...
Chris was way down the road somewhere, and out of cell service ..I was contemplating a long walk to where he was...however, I decided after 5 minutes, maybe I should hitch a lift...I flagged down the first Pick up truck that passed me, and a lady, Tammy as was her name ...with her two teenage sons stopped to assist me..." We saw your picture on your RV up the road there...we would be glad to gie you a lift ..." Chris was about 5 miles up the road, not too far, and for the next few miles I happily chatted to this charming family about my exploits of cycling across country....it was redemtion from the idiots I had encountered a few days previous who tried to run me off the road....! My faith in Arkansas had been restored ...Nevertheless I was very annoyed that the day was being wasted, the wind was in our favour, I wanted to make the best use of it, yet I just kept on destroying my tubes...
I replaced the tube again when I reached the RV, after this, we needed to find a bike store to stock up again but there was not going to be a bike store till we reached Memphis... I was down to my last replacement ..I have gone through 10 inner tubes on this journey..it goes to show how bad some of these roads are..I prayed that this one would hold out..

Thankfully it did....I was able to make great time and mileage the rest of the day..there were no further problems ..the Arkansas State limits were well in my site, finally Tennessee was obtainable...
The big bright city lights of memphis were there somewhere within cycling distance, I just had to keep on riding...we came to the end of state road 70, as I had nicknamed destructo highway ..and we were now entering the last town of Arkansas before the Mississippi river, West memphis...cycling through this town, you undoubtedly realised a big town was approaching, the further you cycled, the busier it got...and then it ended. Route 70 was now going to turn into interstate 55, with a million cars going a hundred miles an hour...it was time to get off the bike...and get into the RV.
And here we are...parked for the night just on the outskirts of Memphis, the Home of Graceland..we drove through downtown Memphis right past the Old Presley mansion...it was dark, it is unfortuante that I cannot visit in the morning...a brief stay in Memphis tonight and tomorrow we head somewhere towards Nashville...with todays 88 miles we have covered 1857 miles in 21 days...

Little Miss Brinkley

So another day in paradise...after getting up early to check the map as to where we were, somewhere near north Little Rock, we had to find a way of backtracking the miles we needed..how inconsiderate of those RV parks not to have a place for us when I needed to crash out the night before...never mind we had found our route and with a little jiggery pokery, we determined that we needed to be heading towards a little town of Brinkley, Arkansas..

Having to backtrack a little bit, I was able to take a delightful little route through some small out of the way towns, heading in a direction that I really did not know, I just went any way I fancied..I would tell Chris, ohhh just drive down there another 5 miles and lets go see what was there...unfortunately, some of the roads were in terrible conditions...and the obvious happened..my rear tire kept on getting punctured..
I have come to the conclusion that with my general body weight, even though I am much lighter after almost 3 weeks of cycling, is just too much for the rear tire to take, and to keep on going over bumpy richety roads is a problem...
Anyhow, the scenery was delightful, and Arkansas, is without question a beautiful state...but now was time to hit the road properly and get through Brinkley and beyond...

I had gently ridden the make up miles, and had changed my tire, nothing was going to stand in my way..a gallant cycle pace was in me today, with wind in my favor, it was pretty easy going heading east again towards Brinkley and the ultimate aim was towards Memphis, TN across the wide expanse of the Mississippi river...

The sun was up, it was a good day to be paying attention to fluids, it is amazing how much you drink, and how little food you desire when you are riding in the heat...the heat index must have been touching 100..high humidity and 88 degree's on my back...

We were following old route 70...it was a road that basically followed interstate 40..but with much less traffic ..or we thought...what we did not know was that there was huge construction going on the interstate..and the trucks heading west to Little Rock were coming en mass down route 70...although I had few cars following me, there was a constant stream of trucks coming in the other direction...
This would not have been a problem usually, except for the fact that the cars caught between the trucks were generally impatient, and kept on truck hopping, pulling out onto my side of the road speeding up to overtake several trucks before pulling back in...this caused me to panic several times as drivers would pull right in front of me..and I knew they could not see me with the heat haze in front of them until they were literally 50 yards in front of me..when they would obviously panic and try to avoid me....the trails of travelling down a single lane highway were very apparent...
Drivers are so impatient..and I have come to the general conclusion that truckers who live on the road know how to handle themselves with a great deal more competancy than the standard driver who thinks the road belongs to them and nobody else..

The afternoon went by without much to report in the way of incident or alarm...and infront of me I saw the sign for Brinkley...what was funny was that I was listening to Billy Joel ..and of course Billy Joel was married to Christie Brinkley...ohh how life throws these funny ironies at you...

A short stretch of 15 miles to go..Chris was there at our final checkpoint ...I loaded up with fuel, and hit the road..see you just East of Brinkley Chris ..I was off...

Chris pulled away in the RV and I was left to meander down the road for the last 15 miles or so for the day....then it happened again....and again.....twice in the space of 20 minutes, 2 flats...what on earth is going on...this route 70 was just ripping up my tubes.Was I doing something wrong, was I installing the tubes incorrectly...no, everytime I pulled the tube off to check it, low and behold, a small little hole caused by a sharp object..it was lucky I was carring the required tools in my bike pouch to fix it..
The second time I blew out, was right in front of someone's house next to the road, the older gentleman, came out to talk to me, " Its not often you see cyclists breaking down outside your house...thought I would come and check see if you are okay....How you going to fix that flat...? "
He charmingly engaged me in conversation for 10 minutes intently watching me take the wheel off and strip the tube out, replacing the tube and putting the wheel back on.." How you going to inflate that tire...you don't have no pump..."

" watch this " I told him, as I pulled out a small two inch cannister of compressed Air, stuck it over the tube and pressed, shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....the tire was inflated in 3 seconds...
" Ohh my Lord, whatever will they invent next..that was so amazing..what was that.." I showed him the little steel cartridge of compressed air, where he looked at it back to front upside down, inside out...." How do they get all that air in that little shell " he said..." Do you mind if I keep it, I want to show my wife when she gets home...."

I left him with the momento of meeting a stranger on a cross country ride, with my little magical air cartridge in his possession..I was off on my travels again....

Only two miles down the richety road, it happened again...another blown rear tire...this time I was in trouble, I had just used my last cartridge..I had no way of inflating this tube a third time.not to worry..Chris was only a few miles down the road...

Meanwhile, Chris had unwittingly parked the RV in a swamp ! There I was phoning him, and my calls were going unanswered, little did I know Chris had enlisted half the Brinkley national guard into towing the RV out of his mud patch....and so was otherwise engaged...I add just a little bit of humor, but the RV did get one wheel stuck on a wet siding and was almost stuck...Chris had enlisted the help of some passers by to help him get out of the mud, so I waited patiently by a stream watching fish swim as the sun went down behing me to the west from whence I had cycled...
Forty minutes later Chris came trundling by in the RV to pick me up...Brinkley was only 3 miles further down the road...

We found the town had no RV parks, but once again, to our rescue was a Walmart ..with a big open and empty Parking lot...our home for the night....we had covered in a round about way 101 miles that sunny day, even with three blown tires, getting stuck in the mud, and battling through high humid temperatures....1769 miles ..20 days of cycling...

The trouble with Arkansas

So...Fort Smith Arkansas.. (Goodbye Oklahoma) was our new destination...we left the beautiful RV park in Henryetta..they were so wonderful, all RV owners coming through this area should stay here..not only were the people polite, they were most beautiful in nature and helpful as could be..they wished us well and saw us on our way...
Fort Smith is the second largest city in Arkansas outside of Little Rock... and we were heading for it on Route 40...we had checked the weather map at the RV park to find out that for the 4th consecutive day we were heading into frontal Westerly winds...albeit lighter than the past days, the winds were not going to be any help to us...
Chris left me at the intersection to I-40...we were off..another day in front of us...as you may have noticed, I failed to post my log last night..there was a reason...the day was brutal, as soon as I finished riding, I ate and passed out with exhaustion..literally falling asleep on the sofa to the RV with a half eaten sandwhich in my mouth.
I was broken, beaten battered bruised and depressed...for eight hours I rode along the interstate going up hills, not monster hills, but just going up and up and seemingly never stopping...seeing the crest of each hill did not inspire me, because I knew coming down would only last a few moments before I ascended up the next incline...and the wind just blew in my face all day..hour after hour after hour after hour, thighs burning, triceps burning, hands aching, my backside was getting sore, this was the longest single day ride since the start of this adventure..I had become used to 5 hours and even six hours on a bike..but 7 and 8 hours was new to me, especially in these conditions...feel free to send your checks to..The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society..lol...
I could not give up, I just pressed on remembering what I was doing this for....I had in my mind all the emails I have received in the past few days from special friends and from people I hardly know...it was a big help...but I was nonetheless ready to drop off my bike ..
I kept on saying to Chris..just 5 more miles and we will check what the light is like...then again just 5 more miles...it seemed it would never get dark.....

I had passed the 100 miles almost an eternity ago, it seemed like i had ridden another 100, but the last 15 miles was just only that, fifteen miles...I had spent the last hour and half of the day virtually standing upright to take the pressure of my backside..I was geting sore..but the extra pressure on my thighs was beggining to really wear me out...it was time to quit...without realising it..I had cycled right past Fort Smith missing the exit...and we were now in Van Buren..a few miles past ...as a side note...and I am sure none of the readers knew this useless fact....but..Van Buren was the 7th president of the USA...not that that is the point, the fact that most people do not know, is that van Buren was the first President to be born an American Citizen..the previous 6 were all British...!

Well we were here...I literally had to crawl off my bike...we packed up, I was so tired we could not be bothered to find an RV park, but there was a WALMART parking lot, we drove in, and set up for the night....I quickly made something to eat..the rest was just about sleeping.... 118 miles today....1573 miles total...18 days of cycling...

We awoke early and packed up the RV, I headed to the walmart to pick up supplies, I was surprisingly refreshed with a good nights sleep, our goal today was Conway Arkansas..now getting to Conway would take us through a famous little town called Clarkesville...made famous by the Monkeys song..mickey Dolenz et al..." Take the last train to clarkesville, I will meet you at the station...etc.etc...."
We made a decision to stay off I-40 today because the long uphill sections of the road were draining me..we decided to check out State road 64...which ran for the most part next to the interstate...

When I drove out to california and I came through Arkansas, I truly believed I was going through one of the most beautiful states I had seen, now getting onto route 64, my vision had not changed, but was only reinforced..Arkansas was beautiful, lush green, lakes everywhere, glassy waters, soothing, and it was also the hottest day of the journey today...88 degree's in the sun...
The wind report was not good for the morning with gusts coming from the east again, however the wind was supposed to start blowing from the West in the afternoon...I could handle the morning , knowing it was going to ease up later....
Less than an hour into the ride, Good Lord...I figured I was in deep trouble...we had just hit the foot of the Ozark mountain range...the roads were single file, and weaving up hills that just took all your effort...up and up and around we went...not too bad though..I had more strength than I thought..I was making good time even through the inclines...it was very hot though and the sweat kept stinging my eyes...
The hills were intermittant..steep going up..but long declines the other side..this was not to bad at all...I was actually enjoying the climbs and the view was breathtaking...then it happened...an incident to totally spoil my day, my week, and the only incident to date that soured the whole journey...

Just as I was coming towards the town of Ozark.. I heard a car behind me..not paying much attention to it as cars are always overtaking me, I just rode on...this car however, was not passing me....it was following me..! I turned around, and saw it just a few feet behind me...then when it the driver saw me turn around, he just hammered his horn behind me for a full 10 seconds..it was only lucky that another driver came up behind him and he was forced to overtake me..but as he overtook me, the passenger leant out of the window and in a typical Arkansas thick accent...swore profously at me, to " Get off the **** road you stupid *****" and then proceeded to imititate shooting me...!

It just goes to show you, how sick people can be, and how dangerous idiots like this make life for everyone....my complete passion for the State of Arkansas was destroyed by two louts acting like idiots...

Despite this, I met Chris further down the road...calmed down, only my wife knows what I would have done if I had been able to pull one of the idiots out of the car..! but I did calm done, unfettered..I filled up my drink bottles with Powerade and got back onto my bike...

We were heading to Clarkesville...the 50 mile point...we made it in awesome time...it was only 15 miles away and I was getting that train ..lol....I just entered into the town limits and my complete chain fell off...just fell off, the worse thing was I was going up a steep hill..at 8 mph, changing up a gear...and completely lost my balance...I could not get my feet out of the peddle locks quickly enough..and fell completly off the bike onto my hip and elbow...I was only lucky that I was going so slow and more importantly that no car was right behind me...but I was now covered in road dirt and hurting badly...I called Chris on the phone..he was only half a mile away..he turned around to pick me up...
I was praying that there was a bike store nearby I was sure I was okay, just bruised and shaken, but I did not have a chain tool to fix the chain...the nearest store was 20 miles away...
We drove there in a hurry...the Highlander Bike store..fixed us up in no time at all...and get this..the manager had actually worked in the Bike store from Flagstaff Arizona..and had been informed by Flagstaff that we might be on our way heading east..can you believe that..what a small world...anyway .. the brief resbit did me a world of good...but it was 5 pm and I had just travelled over 50 miles...I needed to get another 50 in before it got too dark..could I do it !
The bike store manager told us to stay on route 64, it was clean flat and fast..and the winds had finally turned in our favor..I got back on and the wind took me....

I was sailing once more, 17 miles an hour, 18 miles, even at stages 20..not as fast as I had been going in the high winds, but a big difference from the past 4 days...three solid hours of riding saw me catch the last of the sun in Arkansas..I had come close to the 100 miles for the day but fell short at 95...Conway was just around the corner...1668 miles total...19 days of cycling...
There were no RV parks in the area..what a bummer..tired cranky and sore, hungry and bruised..I just wanted to eat shower and go to bed...but we had to drive another 25 miles up the interstate to find an RV park....the problem with that is tomorrow we have to start further back down the road....we skipped 20 miles to find a Bike shop and jumped 25 miles to find an RV park..so we are technically 45 miles further into Arkansas than we should be...we have to double back tomorrow 22.5 miles only to ride back to this point..lol....

Well all else is as should be.....today..Arkansas took a little bit of my blood...it could have been worse...maybe Laurie can understand why I was not in a god mood today...can someone go give her a hug for me....I do miss her so much..especially on days like today...

Love Tony