Home is Cincinnati. And, while we enjoy wandering on our bikes in and around our fair city and countryside, it's time to venture farther afield.
So far afield, in fact, that a group of us have decided to start riding from Seattle, and head east, for as long as we're each able, with a few of us reaching St. Louis.
Some of us will stop after two weeks and 820 miles, some after five weeks and 2100 miles, and a few will continue for almost 6 1/2 weeks and 2600 miles. We'll start from Seattle on June 1st, and roll into St. Louis on July 12th.
Along the way, we hope to enjoy the spectacular landscape that makes up the fabric of this beautiful country, and share in the adventure with some incredible cyclists with whom we've had the unbelievable opportunity to ride for more than ten years.
This is our most ambitious ride to date, as a group, although a few of us have struck out and done extensive rides in the past. Our most experienced rider has logged several treks across the country, and a few others have several long distance expeditions in their logbooks. The remainder of us haven't done anything longer than four or five days.
We are Katherine, Laura, Mary Kay, Rebecca, Steve, Carol, Mary Jo, and Kathleen. Our ages range from 52 to 74 (NOT a typo: Mary Jo is an amazing role model for how the rest of us want to welcome life in our 70s!), proving age is a number and never a clear indicator of what a person can and can't do. We've been planning and training for months during COVID, so that we can adventure forth together, strong and confident(ish) in what we are about to do and the bonds we've forged through a common goal. We've worked with mechanics and bike fitters, bought lots of cool gadgets that we'll let you know if we ever needed them. And, we have a tendency to talk a LOT about all things bike related. In fact, its pretty much consumed most of us for the past several months, as we've spent hours in the saddle and planning what to fit in our bag for however long we're riding.
Our route is planned, and our cue sheets are printed/cycle computers loaded. We will be riding on asphalt and gravel, climbing mountains, and soaring downhill (because there HAVE to be downhills at some point, right?). We will be staying in hotels, motels, lodges, hostels, and airbnbs along the way. It will rain at some point, and we're ready for that, too (but not so much looking forward to it, to be honest).
It is not an exaggeration that NONE of this would be possible without the amazing Support and Gear (SAG) drivers who will rotate in at various sections of our ride. They will be there to not only carry our stuff (Did I mention it was only one medium sized duffle bag per person? I have NEVER packed so light in my life for such a long trip!), but will be following us and keeping us from becoming a danger to ourselves and others: Pete, John , Kurt, and. There are no words for what their gift of time, energy, support and patience means for being able to tackle this adventure.
This blog will be a place for us to share our adventure with others, and remember it better ourselves after we head home and give our bikes a rest for a bit. We will (!) be taking turns writing and posting, and we hope you can stop by to say hi from time to time.
Prayer for a Ten Speed Heart
- Barbara Hendryson
Let the fire of my body
propel and warm me
and let each darkness
reveal its plenitude.
Let the hills
flatten under my wheels
and let the eloquent curves
yield up their good surprise.
Let my heart be obstinate
when I need to climb
and let my lowliest gears
restrain my spinning down.
Let there be flatland, too,
and into that glittering place
let me stretch with the heart of a lover,
at full speed, blind and intent.