52 Miles Daleville Va.

there was not a whole lot to see on this day

Still a little beat from yesterday so i am taking it a little easy today with a short ride on another perfect riding day. The temps or only in the low 80's  sunny with a little breeze.  Hoping to get a good nights rest and attack a fairly flat ride tomorrow into Kentucky.  Later

Day 3 Lexington Va. 72 miles of hills

what is to come

she was not home

view from the top

As expected I knew this days little trek over these Blue Ridge Mountain Range was not going to be easy. It was not the steepness of the climbs but more the length. Almost 2700 ft of gained elevation in all. I simply took my time, stayed in a very low and comfortable gear, and very slowly attended to each and every climb with total success. The weather was very much on my side, sunny,very little wind and humidity and only warm temps. I also took several breaks as well. Maybe an easy day tommorow as i am well ahead of schedule. (what schedule?????) Many pics.  Also a kind lady and her husband upon hearing my story in the hotel parking lot suprized me by paying for my dinner.(COOL)

day 2 90 miles charlottesville va.

glad we dont live here

This day started out real nice, cool and sunny. I realized that if i am going to conquer this first mountain range tomorrow i am going to have to lose some weight (gear). I decided to stop by a post office and mail home the sleeping bag and stove. While i was preparing to enter the post office a fairly well dressed person asked me where i was going. I gave him the short version about Domenic and raising money for great strides. This guy was so impressed he called the local newspaper and arranged to have a reporter come down for an interview. Every one please check The Central Virginian.com for this article. Time to hit the hay. long day tomorrow.

DAY ONE IS IN THE BOOKS 101 MILES GIVE OR TAKE

Big day to start off. Woke up to wet roads and got a little concerned that the whole day was going to be a washout. It stayed overcast for most of the day but no rain. It got a little warm but i will take warm over wet most any day. The fully loaded bike was a little bit more of a struggle than i had anticipated. I am considering ditching some of the camping gear, or at least the bulky sleeping bag for the $36 a nite air conditioned room i am sitting in right now. I am really concerned when it comes to pulling the trailer over the blue ridge mountains. Another cyclist was finishing up her trip just outside of Yorktown when she shared with me a story of 2 of her friends from the Netherlands who had to be hospitalized because of dehydration issues. Needless to say i am drinking plenty of liquids.

FAREWELL PARTY AND FINAL PREPARATION

Linda and I are on our way to the launch off point in Yorktown Va. We are headed  south on rt.95 on a sunny sunday afternoon. Had a great time yesterday enjoying the company of family, friends and of course the zany neighbors. We all spent the day eating and drinking and going over the details of the trip. It was great to be the subject of such an outpouring of friendship and support. In about 18 hours the fun starts, the ride begins, if i have forgotten anything i will pick it up along the way. Enjoy the pictures.

Bicycle Revolutions

Thanks to all the staff of bicycle revolution,756 s 4th st. in phila. This is where i purchased the surly long haul trucker that i will  be using to ride across the country. Everyone was very helpful. The bike is all serviced by there master mechanic Vinny (great name) who gave it a clean bill of health. One or two more short training rides and i will be on my way.

outpouring of support and charity

Thank you to all who are supporting me on this adventure. Many customers, friends ,neighbors, family, or just total strangers are always taken aback when i tell them of this undertaking.  You are going to ride a bike where! You are going to do this alone! You are going to camp!  And on and on and on. Once I reveal to them that i have placed my godson as the inspiration for this endeavor everything seems to be a little more clear. 5 days to the start. Ready to go.

2 weeks and counting

Just returned home from a 2 day 165 mile overnight camping trip . Good chance to try out the camping gear to see what did and did not work. Everything went well except for the weather. It rained friday nite into saturday morning when i got up. It is pretty nasty making breakfast and packing up in the pouring rain. I guess that i will just have to get used to it. Otherwise i feel good and am looking forward to getting started. Even on this short trip i am meeting people who want to know the story and follow my progress. I will have cards ready to give out to folks with the blog address and C.F.F. info. Thats all for now.

Three weeks to go

Thanks to all who have supported me so far. I'm getting a lot of miles in training. Recently we held a fundraiser at Cheeburger Cheeburger, we were able to raise $100 toward my ride. I'm taking a little time off this weekend to spend with my lovely daughter Kirstin. Training is fun, but I know it won't be anything like the real thing.

Just a reminder, if you are interested in supporting Cystic Fibrosis research, please visit my homepage on their website to donate directly to the organization. In addition, my tech-savvy daughter has added a widget to the sidebar that you can also use to donate directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Thank you for all of your continued support to help end Cystic Fibrosis.