Preparing for the Home Stretch

I've been watching from my Facebook page for the last 9 weeks as my co-cyclists have worked their way across the northern US, mostly struggling through rain and flooded areas, going miles out of their way to detour the floods.  I've enjoyed seeing every one of their photos and wishing I could be experiencing it all with them.  In 2 days, that wish will come true.  I will be reunited with my fellow cyclists for the last 5 days of the 2015 Bike the US for MS Northern Tier ride.

July 4th Ride

After finishing up in June, I left you - my donors and blog readers - without an update for far too long.  I had a nice ride home with my family, but a physically painful ride.  My left IT band, hamstring, pyriformis muscle and siatic nerve were all inflamed and very angry with me.  I could barely walk on my left leg for a few days and when the pain wasn't so excruciating, I was finally able to see a physical therapist.  Unfortunately, that time was cut short because my company changed insurance carriers.  So, I worked hard with The Physical Therapy Zone up until my last day on the insurance they accepted.  I worked out, stretched and did more strength-training for my hips, hamstrings, glutes, ab- and adductors than I probably ever have.  I also experienced the wonderful healing heat of ultrasound to break-up adhesions and scar tissue, and e-stimulation (mild form of electrocution) while icing down to reduce inflammation.  It was an intense couple of weeks, but I've been pain-free since the end of June.  I was nervous the following weekend to go on a long ride, but I knew I needed to know if I was going to hurt while bike riding.  I didn't have any pain, which made me very happy and restored some of my confidence!  I was, however, exhausted. 

 

I was also able to get in a short, but steep ride out in San Diego, but that's still 10 days before riding with the group.  I hope my legs can keep up, so I'm now more worried than ever about not being able to keep up with the group, who have been riding 70+ miles/day everyday for 9 weeks.  They're going to smoke me up the Cascades Mountains!  Regardless, I'm excited to see everyone and it's surely going to be an emotional experience for everyone as their journey together comes to a close.  

 

San Diego Ride

I head out by Greyhound to what seems like the middle of nowhere to join the group on Thursday. It's going to be a beautiful ride, but we're starting out with 105°F heat and it'll drop to about 50°F at night in the mountains. Hopefully I'll have some cell service to blog, but if not, then I'll update afterwards. 







Day 6: Bread Loaf Mountain climb into Middlebury, VT

We awoke in the community center nearly 30 minutes later than usual - all of 6am instead of 530am! There were almost no early birds on the TransAm ride last year, so this has been quite the change. As mellow as this group is, they really love to just get up and tackle the miles. Hard core!  Someone from the local community in East Thetford had made us something like 4 or 5 dozen donuts and sent along maple cream (similar to icing) to top them with! So delicious! We delayed heading out so that we could present Meg with the Bike the US for MS Silver Award for her repeatedly amazing hospitality when the Northern Tier riders come through town each year on June 1st. It was a very special moment. Check out the video here.

Since I had taken the previous day off to rest my sciatic nerve, my bike needed a fresh chain lube from all the rain it had been put through on top of the van. As usual, I was one of the last ones to depart from camp, but oddly, never later than the time we are supposed to depart by. I'm just not an early bird. :)  Stefanie and I had a nice ride out of East Thetford, VT with some lovely scenery to the first rest stop in South Royalton, VT. It was chilly and misty, so I was bundled in multiple layers and my rain jacket. Our stop was in a cute little town where I got homemade chicken soup and a banana at a local market. It warmed me right up!

After leaving this rest stop, I wasn't more than 5 minutes of out town when I heard a strange squeaking sound and it was to the tune of a flat front tire. So, I pulled over and two of the other riders, Al and Gayle, kindly pulled over to offer assistance, as well. It was a pretty easy and quick tube change, and I was happy i had changed a tire the previous day and was fresh on my skills. Seeing as this tube had already been patched 2 or 3 times, I wasn't surprised it had a flat. I used my Air Kiss CO2 cartridge to fill the tire, but later discovered I only let it fill the tire half full. It seemed ok while riding another 15 miles on it, with a significant hill climb included. I was lucky to not get another pinch flat riding on it that way.

Our 2nd rest stop of the day was in another cute, little town called Rochester. By this time, my sciatic nerve was feeling more pinched and my knee was really starting to ache. I decided to see if I was ambidextrous and unclip with the other foot than I usually do. It turns out I'm not podiatrically ambidextrous when it comes to actually stopping and being able to put my free foot on the ground. Unclipping was not the problem, but correct balance was. So, I went injured-sciatic nerve-first into the pavement right next to a bunch of riders. So graceful. It felt kind of nice, in a sick way perhaps, to have such direct pressure on the pain point. I'm alright, just have a fresh bruise to match the other "cheek" from a few weeks ago.

Once dusting myself off and straightening out of my crooked seat, I ate delicious French toast (with pure VT maple syrup of course!) and drank a bottle of milk at a local bakery. When the massive plate of food came out, I wasn't sure if this was the correct choice before climbing Bread Loaf Mountain, which was a 2-3 mile climb at 12% grade. Oh well, I certainly wasn't going to NOT eat it.

Once again, last out of the rest stop, I stripped out of my rain jacket, gloves, sunglasses and hat (all items that could cause me to pour sweat on such a mountain climb) and off I went. I wasn't exactly sure when the climb officially began, but I felt strong, like I had adrenaline and maple syrup fueling my veins. I surprised myself and caught up to a number of riders, reaching the summit with others I don't normally get to ride with. We took photos of our achievement and then were immediately passed by the men's Olympic biathlon team who were training on the same mountain and looked way more badass. So, to keep my adrenaline going, I got on my bike and hit 40 mph riding down the other side of the mountain at a 15% grade. I pedaled so hard, but forgot it was actually a 15 mile ride to camp. I felt great and crushed that day of biking, but I think part of my success was due to knowing it was my last day, as well as 6 pills of ibuprofen to get me through the day.

We stayed at a local sports facility in a building called The Warming Hut in Middlebury, VT. It was smaller than the previous night's community center and then we found out there was no hot water for showers, so 27 stinky people were packed in a small room. It smelled anything but lovely.

My parents arrived just in time to see me come into the parking lot on my bike, but yet they didn't even recognize me in my cycling gear. They let me use the shower in their hotel room, thankfully. After my first hot shower in about 3 days, it sure did make me sleepy. And then the ibuprofen began to wear off.

We met most of the group at the popular,  local Two Brothers Tavern and the night evolved into karaoke and fun times together. The next day was a rest day, so nobody was anxious to get to bed, despite the exhaustion. I lost my ID somewhere in the mountains, probably stolen by a moose, so I didn't get to go to the bar. Ibstead, I met others back at camp and Mr. Sandman and full leg pain hit me pretty hard. I barely slept for the 6 hours I layed on my sleeping pad on the floor and winced with pain any time I turned over. As sad as I am to leave tomorrow, my body is ok with taking time to heal and I can't wait to come back healed and stronger when I meet the group in 8 weeks in Washington state for more mountains!

Anytime I've had this pinched nerve pain while riding, I always think back to the rider pledge we signed where one of the lines says, "Before I complain about feeling tired, hurt, or dirty, I will think of the millions of people living with MS and the struggle they go through each day." And then I do my best to press on through the ride in honor of all of those I've spent this week riding for.

Vermont scenery 

Delicious cafe in Rochester, VT

Milk gets me up mountains 

At the top of Bread Loaf Mountain; conquered!

Hanging with some of the gang at Two Brothers Tavern in Middlebury

Day 5: Summit of Mt. Kancamagus and down into VT

We are only spending 1 night in NH, and it will probably be the coldest, wettest night of the entire trip. We stayed at Jigger Johnson Campground last night about 10 miles up Mt. Kancamagus. Half of the group woke up to sleeping in puddles or flooded tents. My hip and knee ached all night long and I could barely sleep. Despite wearing nearly everything I brought, I shivered all night and was thankful to have a mummy style sleeping bag. It's rated to 45F, but it didn't quite get the job done because it was probably 40F with the wind chill. Pretty quickly I knew that I wouldn't be able to climb the 2 mountains today, riding 80 miles total, in the cold and pouring rain while being in pain. Part of the problem is that I can't wear my cycling shoes to clip in and out because it shoots severe pain from my foot all the way up to my hip. It really seems like my psciatic nerve is being pinched. Oddly, it is directly opposite where I fell on my right hip just over a month ago. So, instead of it being truly knee pain, I'm wondering if my fall misaligned my hips and is pinching my psiatic nerve when I ride. It had been feeling better after being off my bike, but today it's just constantly hurting and ibuprofen has stopped working. As heart broken as I am about not riding with the group today, I am more concerned about not making it worse and also risking falling if I can't unclog (or slipping off my pedals on the ascents or descents while only wearing sneakers). Emily is a massage therapist and is kindly going to work on my pyriformis tonight to try to loosen the pressure on my psiatic nerve. 

The group is doing amazingly today. They all have such fantastic attutudes, despite all the frigidity and wetness they are experiencing. Though most didn't have smiles on their faces, 2 guys (Will and Zach) actually gave us in the van a smile as we passed them. After a 12 mile steep descent into Lincoln (slippery and in the cold and rain), everyone stripped down and went into a local laundromat to dry their gear (sleeping bags and some tents, too!) before having lunch and hitting the road again. 

The rain let up a little bit as the group headed across state lines into Vermont. A few folks had falls coming down the mountain and someone who broke both of his rims, so we are up to 4 riders total in the van who had to give their bodies a break.

The rest of the day included a few more stops in the rain and our final destination in Thetford Center, Vermont, which is where we had a great host named Meg who has MS. She rallied the community to bring all kinds of wonderful food for dinner, tents, showers in their homes, and let us stay inside in their Community Center. This is one of the nicest towns I've ever been in. This is also one of our riders' (Ryan) hometowns, so we said our goodbyes to him tonight, as well. Most people were able to get showers, and we are all set up in the same room, so we will quickly find out who snores tonight! 

I'm so bummed tomorrow is my last day of riding (until late July when I rejoin the group for the last 5 day!) and I'm going to try to bike, despite my knee. We are in a warm room tonight and I'm really hoping that helps my knee feel more loose by morning.

Flooding tents

The van and trailer 

Drying ourselves

Days 3 and 4: Newcastle to Naples and halfway up Mt Kancamagus

On Day 3 (Saturday), we had our longest day yet at 76 miles (unless you got lost, so give or take 10 miles). It was a pretty hot day, too. We started out early from Newcastle where we stayed in a church. The first of three stops was in a cute town called Bath. There was a local farmers market where we taste tested some great local goat cheeses, and had coffee and danishes. Everyone asked if there was a bike race, so we had plenty of opportunities to talk about Bike the US for MS and even collected some great donations!

It's been pretty rough riding so far through Maine. Most of the main Maine roads are pocked and cracked, probably from the harsh winters. Many of the side roads are nice and quiet, and some even freshly paved, which is always a treat! There wasn't much shade and the day was full of rolling hills. Our 2nd stop was at the top of a hill after following a river for a few miles that I just wanted to swim in. The last destination was a town called Naples, which had a town a few miles before our camp site. Stefanie (whom I rode with last year on the TransAm) and I stopped to have a burger at a local place. By the time we finished, it was getting to be dark. My rear tail light had bounced off and got crushed by a truck on the first day of riding when we crossed over a bridge on a steep down hill that had a big bump. Stefanie lent my one of her lights, but then we spent 30 minutes searching Rite Aid and the small local grocery story for cable ties to attach it to my bike, but nobody had any! Usually I bring them, but I had forgotten them this trip. Finally, she was able to tear it off and reuse the one she already had on her bike and we headed down the road. It ended up being nearly 5 miles, which took about 30 min riding in the dark. We got into the campground well after dark and set up our tents, then showered and headed to bed. It took me forever to fall asleep because I was so wound up from riding up until bedtime. 

Day 4: It was a humid night with a little rain in the morning. I was so efficient getting ready that I was ready to leave camp nearly 30 minutes early, until I discovered a flat on my rear tire, which is always way more of a pain to change. Then it started to rain... a cold rain. Another rider named Ryan and the mechanic Lucas helped me get my chain and rear derailleur set correctly. Stefanie and I finally left, this time way later than we had hoped. By now, we were hungry for 2nd breakfast, so we swung into a Subway in the next town of Bridgton. By now, it was a steady, cold rain. I had my rain jacket on, but just my shorts and compression calf sleeves. We rode to the first rest stop in a full on cold downpour. Notice all the emphasis on cold! The temperature had dropped significantly since yesterday, and we were headed upwards in elevation into the White Mountain Forest. I put on my rain pants and better gloves, but the chill had already set in. I powered it through the next 20 miles to the next rest stop in Conway, New Hampshire. I wanted to stop and take a picture at the state line, but I honestly just didn't want to stop at all. I got to Conway by 1pm and the route leaders advised everyone to stay in town for a bit to get warm and wait for a break in the rain. By this time, the cold was making my knee ache really badly, so I ended up riding in the van to the campsite. I feel like a total loser for not riding the last 10 miles of the day and also missing the first few miles up Mt. Kancamagus, but I want to be able to ride the next 2 days and just felt like my knee needed a break. 

At the remote campsite in the White Mountain National Forest, we worked together to put up tents in the rain, then cooked under a pop up tent we had. It's fun to see everyone's different cooking gear. We had a team meeting (in the cold rain because there's no where you can fit 25 people together here) and then most folks went to bed before dark.

Tomorrow will be both a long day (80 miles) with 2 climbs and more cold rain (45F). This is so far, far out of my comfort zone, but I love everyone on this trip and they're awesome attitudes make it still such a great time. 

Time for bed!

Waterfront Farmers Market in Bath

Beautiful lake somewhere...

Ready for a rainy ride, complete with trash bags to try to keep my socks dry (they didn't work for long)

Hiding from the rain in the trailer

Hanging out at an abandoned gas station

So sad I finally had to throw in the towel and take the last 10 miles of the day off to give my knee a break

Cooking at the campground 

Day 2: Rolling hills from Belfast to Newcastle

Since the sunrise in Maine is 4:55am, the group woke up early as we were getting baked in the rising sun in our tents. Due to the rain storms, it took a long time to dry out tents and get packed up. Oddly, the women's restroom was locked at the campsite, so we all had to share the men's room, which slowed the process of getting ready a bit.

Everyone left camp by 9 am, with an immediate hill climb out of camp and then we proceeded to bike up another hill in the wrong direction, so we had to turn around and ride up the other side of the same dang hill to get back on course. It was a shorter day of riding (54ish miles) through country roads to Camden, Maine, along busy Route 1 to Waldoboro and a combo of quiet and busy roads into camp in Newcastle.

The highlight of the day was meeting my co-worker Ryan at Moody's Diner in Waldoboro. Ryan is a local and recommended the place, so I recommended it to everyone else. It turned out that the one of the owner's wives has MS, so it seemed almost serendipitous that we stopped there. They want to put us on their website and Facebook page!  We met the owner, but not his wife, unfortunately. She is apparently not using a wheelchair, which is great that her MS still seems manageable. I hope her body stays as healthy as possible for a very long time! They were so thankful at the diner for our riding cause that everyone got a free whoopie pie, my first one, too! And it was delicious, as was the rest of the food.

Coming into camp, my knee pain was really flaring up. We set up our sleeping bags in a local church that kindly welcomed us, then we to eat at a local seafood restaurant. I could barely walk after dinner and had to go to Rite Aid to buy some knee braces. I've never had pain like this before, so I really hope it doesn't keep getting worse. Thankfully, between the physical therapist, the massage therapist and the mechanic, I might be able to get it figured out.

Tomorrow is going to be a very long riding day at 74 miles, so I hope it feels better by morning.

Random field between Belfast and Camden

Camden, Maine

Moody's Diner and my delicious whoopie pie

Group stretching session at the end of the day 

Day 1: Bar Harbor Hills and T-Storms in Belfast

The Northern Tear 2015 ride has officially begun! With a 9am group photo and rear tire dip in the Atlantic, the group said goodbyes to whoever had loved ones make the trek to support them and set off westward. Within 500 ft of the departure point, we had our first hill leaving town. The entire Desert Island was rolling hills and head winds, as was the rest of the day, it seemed. It was about 10 degrees warmer than we thought it would be, so it was a beautiful and sunny day, no tights or ear warmers needed.

The first stop of the day was in Ellsworth, a cute little town and we got smoothies across the street. After hanging out for an hour, we headed west right up another mega hill. This trip is already way more hilly than the TransAm. It's ok; I eat hills for breakfast. We made a few stops on the side of the road along the way to give our... chamois and legs a break. We only had 2 people take falls today, but everyone is ok. My knee that's recently been bothering me really made today hard. I wonder how it'll feel for the rest of the trip.

The 2nd stop was in Orland, which wasn't much but a gas station where we took our break. I actually ate chicken tenders from the gas station and guzzled a delicious bottle of chocolate milk.

The last 20 miles were particularly tough for me. I had reached my exhaustion and pain points, so I slowed down a bit, but made it into camp with the group I had been riding with.

Immediately, we pitched our tents and took showers at a local park along a bike path in Belfast, Maine. It's beautifully scenic along the water. A friend from last year's ride, Stefanie, and I had burritos at local place called Bay Wraps and they were fantastic! Thunderstorms rolled in while we were eating, so we relaxed on the couches and I charged my devices while we waited. After the storm, we headed to a local waterfront brewery called Three Tides, which was a perfect end to the day.

It's only 930 and I'm so ready for bed! Thanks for reading and thank you for your support!

Tire dip and group photo in Bar Harbor

Side of the road selfie stop

Tents before the storm

Three Tides Brewery 

Sunset from Three Tides Brewery 

Welcome to Ba' Habba'

My folks and I got into Bar Harbor yesterday  (Tuesday evening) after a long drive up from Danbury, CT on Monday evening. It was nice to see family Monday afternoon and evening after we left our family farm where I worked remotely on Monday. As I-95 started turned into rolling hill after rolling hill in Maine, I started saying, "Uh oh, it's gonna' be hilly!" And my parents laughed at that, partially because they might be evil, but also knowing I already knew what I was in for. Tuesday night, we stayed at a house where some of the other cyclists were staying in downtown Bar Harbor. It was a fun way to ease into the trip and meet a few people at a time, also so I could remember names.

Today (Wednesday), we had a group orientation at noon at the Village Green park in Bar Harbor, which is when the excitement really began! There seemed to be so many more people than I expected. It was fun to meet all these new, excited cyclists. Some have a close tie to MS and others are just learning about the disease. No doubt everyone will feel close to it once they meet many folks along the way who are living and dealing with MS.

During the Orientation, the Founder Don Fraser introduced himself and explained founding this organization because his mother has MS. He then introduced Cassie who runs so much of the logistics of all the Bike the US for MS trips. She then went down the line and introduced all the route leaders for the trip, who jokingly all say you are "one of them" if you quit your job and are homeless while doing this trip. We continued on with individual introductions, explaining where we are from and our connection to MS. I said I was really touched back in college at JMU when my Advisor (and favorite professor) told me of how MS has changed his wife's life and his, too. Since getting involved with this organization, I'm constantly being touched by people who's parents, friends and even their dogs have MS, and I had never known how prevalent it was before. It's pretty incredible how this organization has brought me closer to other people in unexpected ways.

Next, we moved on to various stations to discuss logistics, such as trailer etiquette, communications with the route leaders, basic road side bike maintenance, and map reading. I even got real maps this year! The trailer has even more improvements and sweet lights inside now than last year. Cassie designed our awesome jerseys. The front is the same as the back, minus the sponsors.

We have yet another great group of riders this year. It's so nice to reconnect with alumni friends from last year, but also not be a total novice myself. My roommate is pretty nervous and I told her I had a meltdown last year the day before the start because my anxiety just broke me down, but that she will totally get the hang of it and that I feel extremely differently about it this year.

After Orientation, my family and I drove around a bit of island, through Acadia National Forest, and back in the road I'll ride out on in the morning, which had some decent hills to start us of with. My sister Meg flew in today, also, so she and my parents will go exploring and meet back up with me in a week in Middlebury, VT. After a waterfront lobster dinner, I headed to the hotel to start prepping my gear for tomorrow. Everyone is excited, but sleepy, so hopefully we can all get a good night's rest.

If you'd like to donate, please do so here: http://biketheusforms.org/cyclists/detail.asp?cid=727

Me at sunset 

The house we stayed in

Orientation 

Don, Cassie and the route leaders

My elevation profile for the week

Our sweet jerseys

Downtown Bar Harbor, Maine