It’s great to be back on tour! One year after completing the first two-week segment of my coast-to-coast ride in the small college town of Pocatello Idaho, I’ve joined up with the 2019 tour to continue the ride. On this opening day of year 2 for me, I’m reminded of the old English bridal advice of ‘Something old, Something new, Something borrowed, Something Blue’.

Something Old: Four of the six-person support crew are back for 2019: Judy, Karen, Rob and Robin. And last year’s oldest tour rider, Bob, is back for another full tour. Just one year shy of an octogenarian, Bob is an inspiration for all of us – and a strong rider to boot. So good to see Bob and the returning America-by-Bicycle support crew. ABB’s tour journals are both old and new, with pictures and commentary on both the 2018 and 2019 tours. Here’s a link to a picture of me and tour mechanic Rob riding to Idaho Falls today:

https://blog.americabybicycle.com/aan/2019/7/7/day-14-pocatello-to-idaho-falls-id

Something New: A brand new band of cycling mates to share in the cross-country adventure. I was curious to see how this year’s batch of riders would compare to the 2018 bunch I started with – and they are remarkably similar. So welcoming and encouraging. An instant spirit of camaraderie somehow develops among a group of like-minded adventurists, evidenced by this wonderful new crew. And, I’m on a brand new bike this year – but more on that in future blog posts.

Something Borrowed: I borrowed a friendly local Lyft from from the 2-gate Pocatello Regional Airport to the Pocatello Best Western, borrowed the expert skill of tour bicycle mechanic Robin to re-assemble my bike from it’s shipping box, and borrowed the electronic route maps from tour leader Judy to guide me though the myriad of picturesque Idaho farm roads today. And I borrowed the restroom of a laundromat in the sleepy town of Blackfoot where the attendant was absolutely thrilled to chat with riders passing through.

Something Blue: The Snake river is so aptly named as it slithers through the countryside and reflects a brilliant blue Idaho sky. The river has been a companion throughout most of Idaho, and it was nice to be reacquainted. I also sported a streak of blue on my jersey from George’s Bicycle shop in Boise – a memento from last year’s ride and a perfect shirt for kicking off this year’s 1,000 mile segment.

Great to be back in the saddle.

~Dan

Hello Blog, time for a 2019 training update. Over 1900 miles logged in preparation for the next segment of the Coast-to-Coast ride. I’m feeling pretty good, especially after an epic Colorado ride from the foothills town of Evergreen (7,500 ft) to the Summit of Mount Evans (14,130 ft). Cycling up the highest paved road in North America is sort of a right of passage for crazed Colorado cyclists, and a litmus fitness test for both legs and lungs.

Oxygen becomes somewhat scarce at 14,000 feet above sea level, especially when you are mashing pedals up a 6% grade. Even trees have a hard time breathing air up here, so they generally prefer to hang out below 12,500. On a bike, there is no shame in stopping a few times to catch a breath – as long as your oxygen-depleted brain remembers to apply the brake so you don’t roll backwards, or topple sideways down a rocky mountainside.

At the summit, a celebratory feeling of triumph washes away any climbing pains – and nodding smiles are exchanged with a few other congratulatory cyclists. While the hoard of motorists stare wide-eyed at us strange lycra-clad aliens and ask the remarkably dumb yet well-meaning question: “Wow, did you ride your bike all the way up here?”

So with a mountain summit, a city century ride, dozens of weekend jaunts, and scores of commuting trips – I’ll hopefully be able to keep pace with the 2019 America-By-Bicycle group as I join them mid-tour in Pocatello Idaho to pick-up where I left off in 2018. I’m eagerly looking forward to continuing the journey and sharing the adventure. Thanks for tuning in.

~Dan