The final day, the final blog

Today is day 50 and the final day of the Bike Across America ride.  We rode 51 miles from Manchester to Wallis Sands beach in Rye, NH.  It was a pretty easy day to ride and everyone was pretty relaxed and enjoying the accomplishment of riding their bike across the country.  We were due to be at Rye Junior High at 1130 so we had plenty of time to get there.  We rode through Exeter, NH and everyone stopped at a bakery to get something to eat and kill some time.  Then it was on to the junior high to finish the ride.  Lots of pictures were taken.  First it was the riders over 60 years of age and then the ones who were over 70 years of age.  There was also a group picture taken of all of the foreign riders.  A group picture finished the picture taking time and then it was time for our police escort to the beach for the final three miles of our journey.  It was really neat to have the road to ourselves and not worry about traffic or anything else for those final three miles.  We were led into the beach by Terry who inspired everyone during the ride.  The accomplishment finally hit me when I viewed the ocean.  I thought back to our start in Astoria and there was some symmetry in that a light rain was falling similar to the day we rode to the Pacific.  We walked to the beach with  our bikes and dipped our front tires in the Atlantic to complete the symbolism of the rear tires in the Pacific and the front tire in the Atlantic.  An announcement was made over the speaker system at the beach of the accomplishment and the people on the beach gave us a hand.  Lots of family and friends on hand to greet the riders.  Katy, and the kids, Shawn, Brendan, and Bridgette were there to greet me along with my brother Bernie.  Thanks to all of them for showing up and supporting me.  Then it was more picture taking and hugs as we all realized that the journey had ended and we would be going our separate ways.  We would always have the shared experience and the memories of what we had done.  The final thing we did was empty the bottle of water that was taken from the Pacific Ocean into the Atlantic Ocean.  This was done by Terry, our oldest rider, and Sharon, who had overcome the most in completing the ride.  Then it was pretty much over.  Some people rode back to the hotel, some wanted to get another state under their belt and went into Maine and others took a van ride or went with friends or relatives.  It was a real learning experience for me and a privilege to ride with all the other cyclists.  This is the final blog.  Thank you to all of you that bothered to read this and offered their support during the ride.  There were times when I didn't believe that I would be able to finish the ride but I did and as much as I missed being away from home and seeing my family, I am glad I did the ride, met the people, and saw some amazing things that I will never forget.

Day 49 Sunday, August 7th

Next to last day of the ride took us 77 miles from Brattleboro,VT to Manchester, NH. We crossed into NH one mile into the ride. Photo ops at the welcome to New Hampshire. We were told that this would be an easier day than yesterday but it seemed harder with a lot of climbs during the ride. We rode through a lot of back roads and the riders from other parts of the country were amazed at how rural it was and some felt that they were transported back in time. Tonight we had our banquet to mark the end of the ride. There were a couple of skits and then each rider had the opportunity to say something about the ride and what it meant to them. Some of them were pretty articulate but it ended up being a pretty late night with an early wake up tomorrow for our final 50 miles. We lucked out again with the weather and stayed dry. It would be nice if we could keep that luck up for one more day until we complete the beach arrival.

Day 48 yes day 48

The ride today took us out of New York state and into New England as we rode 79 miles from Latham to Brattelboro, VT. Photo op at the state border at around the 32 mile mark. We returned to climbing with almost 6000 feet of total climbing. We began a 10 mile climb coming out of Bennington, Vt and had another 2 mile climb at 60 miles. The last 10 miles into Brattleboro was all downhill which was a nice treat after all the climbing. The weather was threatening for a good part of the day but we managed to stay dry again. Two more days of riding and that's it. Hope some of you will be able to make it to the beach on Monday morning.

Day 47 Friday, August 5th

A 74 mile ride from Little Falls to Latham, NY. The ride started out with a climb that was supposed to provide us with a panoramic view from above. Unfortunately when we got to the top a heavy mist obscured not only the view but the road ahead. It eventually burned off but by that time we were back at the lower levels. We were riding in a group today with Michel, Mary, Blythe, Russell, Barry and Mike. At the 43 mile mark Barry's front tire blew out at about 25 mph and he went down and got a pretty good gash in his head that required 16 stitches. He will sit out tomorrow and then hopefully finish out the last 2 days. He is one tough guy. He wanted someone to fix his tire while he was lying there with blood spurting out of his head. At the 49 mile mark we got on a nice paved bike path that almost took us into our hotel. We are real close to both Mass and Vermont but will be heading to our next to the last state tomorrow morning. Another good day of riding with the exception of barry's accident.

Day 46. Thursday, August 4th

Today's ride was a 78 miler from Liverpool to Little Falls, NY. Everyone got off to an early start and the weather was mostly overcast with a slight head wind. It didn't seem to bother anyone as we can all see the finish line ahead. A little climbing today as compared to the past couple of days but nothing major. We continued to ride along the Erie Canal for extended periods. We also went through the town of Canastota which I thought was the home of the boxing hall of fame but didn't see any signage for it. The rest of our rides will all be less than 80 miles unless we make navigation errors which happens to someone on a daily basis. A couple of riders yesterday did over 100 miles after making a wrong turn instead of the scheduled 94.

2 flats, 2 new tires, rain and I still had a great day

Day 45 was a 94 mile ride from Henrietta to Liverpool, NY. First about yesterday. When we arrived at Henrietta we were lodged at a Days Inn. To call it a dump would be to give it too much credit. Our room had mold growing on the bathroom walls and all over the shower enclosure. We along with a bunch of other riders requested and were given new rooms. Not much better but no mold. Then the tv in the room wouldn't work. When I woke up this morning I had a flat rear tire and needed a new tire. After getting that fixed we started biking and spent most of the morning on a bike path alongside the Erie Canal. The weather was light showers off and on. As the day wore on the rain got heavier. About 5 miles from the end of the ride I got a puncture flat that destroyed the tire. Second new tire of the day and the rain pouring down. I was the last one into the hotel and in spite of everything I had a great day on the bike. The days are quickly dwindling down as we make our way to NH. Thanks to Lucy for hanging with me today.

Day 44 Tuesday, August 2nd

Today's ride was 81 miles from Niagara Falls to Henrietta, NY. Yesterday was our day off and almost everyone played tourist for the day. My roommate Michel had his wife and daughter visiting so I had the room to myself for 2 nights. Yesterday I went on the Maid of the Mist boat ride into the falls and the Cave of the Winds walking tour beneath the American falls. It was a perfect day weatherwise and the crowds were way down from Sunday. Rainbows were everywhere and I think I got some really good pictures. A good day off and a chance to recharge for the final week of the ride. It was an unwelcome back to the northeast as two of our support vans were broken into in the parking lot and their GPS units were stolen. The night before we all went to see the light show on the falls and the fireworks display. Since we missed the fireworks on the fourth of July it was nice to see them. Today's ride had rolling hills and otherwise was pretty flat. We had a nice tailwind and I believe everyone was in the hotel by two o'clock. Not the nicest accommodations we have had and not too much around to see or do.