Post #17. The Wrap
It’s done.
Another epic 46-day bicycle ride. 21 riders, 5 guides, 15 states, 3,784 miles, 155,419 feet of climbing.
As the only rider this year who had already done the northern route with Trek Travel, I was asked by several of the other riders to compare the two trips. In conversation there’s really not time to come up with a detailed and thoroughly thought-out response. For the most part my response might have been interpreted as a “been there, done that” answer but with more time to ponder, I will now provide a more in-depth answer.
The people. 15 riders in 2018, 21 riders in 2022. At the risk of sounding like the dialogue from the end of the movie “The Breakfast Club” I’ll say that we were techies, entrepreneurs, doctors and one total smart ass. Could you insert yourself into a group of 21 randomly chosen people and expect to meld with all of them? Probably not. Fortunately, with 21 people there’s someone for everyone. I still communicate with riders from 2018 and hope to continue that tradition with my new friends from 2022.
The guides. With a larger group it meant more guides. The only guide who was with me on both trips was Blake. Blake is now married to Megan, another guide. Brent, Rae and Brian were the others. In 2018, Blake and Michael were joined by Tara (the massage therapist) to make up a great three-person team. There was no massage therapist this year, but the five guides were spectacular. All hard-working, sharp, friendly and fit. Since there are two of the five guides on bikes each day riding an average of 90 miles, fitness is of utmost importance.
The route. The route was nearly identical, so the beautiful parts are still beautiful, and the not-so-beautiful parts remain so. There are a lot of charming, older small towns along the way with a main street lined with early 20th century versions of what we would consider strip malls. The difference is that the early “strip malls” are made up of mostly brick buildings each with slightly different architectural elements, colors and textures. They are more pedestrian friendly than our towns are now. A few of the beautiful parts that I think everyone should see are Spearfish Canyon and The Badlands in South Dakota. The Adirondacks and White Mountains in the northeast are also a must see.
The ride. In 2018, 6 of us completed the ride without ever hopping in one of the support vans. That year, riders got a lift for various reasons….heat, cold, saddle sores and miscellaneous aches and pains. This year, 17 of the 21 riders pedaled every mile (myself included) but 3 of the 4 who hopped in the van for short sections did so because of a virus (not Covid) that affected them. The fourth rider missed a half-day because of a minor crash but went to the hospital to get checked out to be safe. Without that bug and the one crash I’m confident every single rider this year had what it takes to complete the ride without ever getting a lift. What a physically and mentally strong group of people!!
When asked if I’ll do the trip again my answer is a solid no. The cost, training and time commitment are extreme and despite loving a challenge like this trip I’ll be setting my sights on trips that Heather and I can enjoy together and that don’t require such sacrifice. Will I travel with Trek again? Definitely. For that you can thank Blake, Megan, Brent, Rae and Brian. Will I ride again with some of the others from this year's trip? I certainly hope so.
A few final pictures from the trip:
Love the dog of the day. See you on another trip for sure. Or when we come to Seattle for a hockey game.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to answer your question Rick………the Mariners did win game one 4-0 😂
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