Elkins, West Virginia

"Dye mon, gen mon"

- A Haitian proverb, translated: Beyond mountains, there are mountains

Each day I try my best to explain what we accomplished, what we saw and how we got to our next stop along the way but sometimes it's hard to describe what we went through as a team over the miles and hours spent on our bikes.  It's easy as I sit here and type to say that as a team we went 93 miles, climbed 6200 feet, including one hill that lasted 5 miles and now our legs hurt but that doesn't begin to express what we experienced on the roads that led to our destination and only the other 25 riders will truly know. It's just us and sometimes I think that is what brings us closer together as a group.  Although we all come from different backgrounds no one else is having these experiences with us, and these experiences bind us together as a team.  It truly was a scenic day of riding as the riders spent most of the day enveloped by a wall of trees, which helped keep the sun and the heat of the day off, something we haven't had to deal with for awhile as the weather has been less than ideal.  After starting the morning on a busier highway on the way out of Harrisville we made a right turn onto county road 151 and got up close and personal with the back country of Appalachia, where porch sitting seems to be the main pastime.  It amazes me just how out in the middle of nowhere people will live, 30 or 40 miles from any type of service but I'm sure they all find some joy in being so far off the grid or they wouldn't do it. There is really no such thing as flat lands in West Virginia, just roads that lie in the valleys separating one climb from the next. We seemed to spend most of the day either going up or coming down and for some reason it always feels like more of the prior. In the end everyone survived and we are now staying overnight in the town of Elkins where we are surrounded by mountains in every direction, it truly is a beautiful small town whose main industry is the recreation that takes place in the surrounding country. The church we are staying at is cool and dark, everyone will probably crash early as I'm sure tomorrow will continue to test the strength and stamina of our legs and minds. I cant wait to get back out there.  No chain!

If you were the marble champion of USA, you would have this in your front yard too.

The sun. Holy crap.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, super creepy. Served as a sanctuary for the mentally ill during the 1800's. Housing up to 2000 patients at one point during it's prime.

Poor Katie's bike. Her derailer is broken and she can't get into her large cassette now. The guy at the bike shop told he could get a new part for her in 2 weeks.  We finish next Tuesday.  

Finally descending.

As we hit the outerlimits of Elkins. Beautiful.

We forgot to shut the passenger door at the bikeshop. We quickly got a new mascot.

If the insane asylum wasn't scary enough, Pete found a clown suit in the church we are staying at. I jumped.

Harrisville, West Virginia

                          

"Country roads, take me home

To the place, I be-long

West virginia, mountain momma

Take me home, country roads"

                                  - John Denver (You're welcome Mike Kelley)

We started the day climbing and ended much the same as we have now entered into the Appalachian foothills territory. It was a long day on the road thanks to the time it takes to climb some of those hills and a few detours due to poor road conditions. One of the more interesting moments of the day happened at about mile 30 when we were descending on a country road at about 40 miles per hour that then decided to change into a gravel road about half way down, I have never gripped the handle bars so tightly and I basically held my breath the rest of the way down, praying that I would stay up right on my bike (and alive).  We biked on back country roads, divided highways and a few gravel roads (at least 15 miles worth, not a lot of fun) to arrive in Harrisville, West Virginia, which is basically the definition of the middle of nowhere.  Chris keeps walking around humming the theme from the movie Deliverance which really seems fitting right now as I stare out the window at the rain coming down in the dark.  Wild and wonderful (state slogan) West Virginia really is beautiful country though as we are surrounded by peaks and forests in every direction and were continually today as we rode.  We ended up going up 4600 feet today, the second largest climbing day of the trip and the most since Arizona.  Two climbs in particular really put it to us today, one as we exited Athens which was noteworthy due its steep grade over about 3/4 of a mile and one just after we entered into West Virginia a long a busy stretch of highway 50 east that lasted nearly 2 miles and took a lot of persistence to overcome.  I think we were all pretty beat towards the end but we still chose to take the hillier route into town through North Bend State park rather than stay a long the main road, it added about 1000 feet of climbing over the last 7 miles but was definitely worth the effort as the views were amazing and the steep, curvy descent was a great way to finish into town.  Pete, Chris and I had ridden pretty fast all day so we knew we had some time to kill before the rest of the group arrived we stopped by an old school 5 and dime store and chatted with the owner for awhile before he recommended that we grab a bite to eat at the diner next door, Caroline's.  Some cheeseburgers and milk shakes later we biked the last couple miles (luckily that were down hill) to the 4-H campground where we are staying for the night.  Just another location to add to the list of places where I thought I would never spend a night but now have.  Big Big climbing day tomorrow, (a common theme since we've left Columbus) can't wait for the challenge. No chain!

A happy rider even 75 miles in.

One of many climbs. I've come to learn that not being able to see the top when you start is never a good sign.

Riding partners.

Berdine's 5 & Dime (the oldest 5 & dime in the country). I swear this store had everything you could ever need in your entire life. It's been in business since 1908 so people must keep finding what they need.

The owner really liked Pete so he got the biggest jawbreaker I have ever seen for free.

Caroline and her diner. A fine dining experience.

Athens, Ohio

I questioned turning my bike around and heading right back to Columbus a few times on the road out of town yesterday morning, it was hard to pull away from my bed, friends and family especially with some hard days of riding that lay ahead of us.  We cruised through downtown Columbus before heading south out of the city along flat roads for the first 20 or so miles before things really got going for the day.  After being off for a few days over the weekend the shock of the first couple of climbs as we neared Hocking Hills State Park was felt by everyones legs as our speeds rapidly dropped as we struggled up them in our "granny"/"bail out" gears.  We spent the next 70 miles climbing, descending and then doing it all over again, it really kept things interesting to say the least.  I had ridden to Athens previously with other group rides and never remembered the number or severity of the climbs we had, I think the lead van was actively searching them out or something.  We ended up with right around 3600 feet of climbing for the day which isn't a huge number but was definitely enough to up the dosage of ibuprofen that night as we hammered them pretty hard overall. It was very overcast for most of our ride, we even rode through some light sprinkles for a couple of miles early on but as soon as we pulled into our destination the sky opened up and it just poured, sometimes it pays off to ride fast.

We arrived in Athens around 2 pm and our event with the med students didn't begin until 6 so we ended up killing a lot of time in the student union in the middle of campus, we checked out the cafeteria, played some pool and grabbed some quick naps. The presentation to the students went really well and was attended  by a lot of people who were very receptive of our message and mission. We had home-stays arranged for our lodgings so Roshan and I got to go home after the event with one of the new faculty members at the college of medicine, she had beds for both of us which was a welcomed surprise at the end of a long day.  Big day of climbing coming up, No Chain!

One of the few flat sections that allowed us to form a paceline on.

When this is located on top of a hill, you know you've climbed a lot.

Our Destination.

One More Week on this Journey

"We start here, and we go there. But it's not that simple, is it? Our paths may be circuitous or direct. We may gaze excitedly ahead, or cast our eyes regretfully behind. Until we reach our destination it exists only in our minds. It is what we have imagined it to be. And yet we tend to neglect the journey, which is real, in favor of the destination, which is not.

For too long I neglected this journey. It was an obstacle to be overcome, an ordeal to be endured; for I had never chosen the journey, I had chosen the destination. But now that the journey has ended, I have discovered that here isn't so important after all. I find myself looking back with particular fondness for how I got here."

- From the book " Hot Lights, Cold Steel" by Dr. Michael J. Collins

Columbus, Ohio

And if it's crowded, all the better,

because we know we're gonna be up late.

But if you're worried about the weather

then you picked the wrong place to stay.

That's how it starts.

Where are your friends tonight?

- LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

Home. After 97 miles of riding Pete and I came around a bend in the road to one of the best things I've seen this entire trip, the Columbus skyline on the horizon.  7 more miles and we were back at Katie's house the place where we had left more than 6 weeks earlier as we pulled out of town.  It was a pretty easy 104 miles overall, especially with the endorphins flowing to get to our final destination. The first 70 miles were on a rail to trail path which is an awesome project that is spreading across the country where they convert old rail road tracks into bike paths, our was specifically part of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. The best part about old train is they couldn't climb hills or turn to well so our ride was very flat, smooth and fast. Once we got off the trail and back on the highways we had a great tailwind for the final 30 or so miles so it was a really quick day of riding in the end.  We actually finished on roads that I used as part of my training rides so it was a lot of fun to be back riding in familiar territory with all the other cyclists.  My friends (Mike, Paul and Amy) set up the final "water" stop right at mile 100 in front of their condo complex, although there wasn't any actual water provided the entire team took the time to stop and have a drink or two before peddling the last few miles.  

After pulling in Friday we didn't have to pull out of Columbus until early on Tuesday morning so all of the Ohio State based riders got to enjoy 4 straight nights in our own beds, pretty amazing!  You would think with 3 days in our hometown we would have had time to relax, recharge and get ready for the final week of riding but I feel like I barely got the chance to sit down. I managed to pack all the Ride for World Health events, errands, golf, some naps, a baseball game, bowling and going out with all my friends into a very short period of time.  

Although we weren't biking from city to city we still had to do a lot for the Ride. Sunday was one of our bigger events of the entire trip as we a long with our awesome sponsor Roll hosted a ride around Columbus with over 130 local cyclists participating.  We ran out of maps, shirts and food but I still think everyone had a good time and it was a great opportunity to spread our message to a lot of people who truly appreciated our mission and trip.  Monday was Global Health day at the Ohio State's medical campus, after having a ride in to the medical school on our bikes we gave our lecture before having the chance to hear from both our beneficiaries who had people fly in to speak to us. Getting to meet the people face to face who we have been advocating, educating and fundraising for over the past 6 months was truly a moving experience and the message and thanks they shared with us will be my motivation as we push through the Appalachians and into D.C. this next week.  Only one more week of riding until we hit the ocean, No Chain!

Mike wears jorts and has a puppy, he's pretty much my dad.

Ballgame.

Buzz, Buzz and Amy.

Great turnout for our solidarity ride.

I led the 20 mile loop for the group ride.

Bowling?

We can't take this guy anywhere.

Serious bowling.

Our welcoming crew, braving the rain at Global Health Day.

Tim and Adam made it to PJ's at bar close, they are basically OSU undergrads now.

Cincinatti, Ohio

"So maybe tomorrow,

Ill find my way home."

        - Stereophonics

We crossed into Ohio about 20 miles into our 35 mile ride today, it was pretty anticlimatic as we were on a back road with no big sign announcing our arrival.  I personally didn't even realize we had done it until I started noticing all the license plates of the cars we were passing displayed the red, white and blue pattern of my current homestate.  It was a pretty easy ride overall as 35 miles is not really even long enough ride for us to worry about anymore, which says a lot about the number of miles we have been packing in on this trip.  We even got to sleep in till 7:30 this morning because we knew it would take less than 2 hours to arrive at our destination especially with the light tailwind that was pushing us a long highway 50 at very quick clip.  We finished up a pretty decent mile long climb to reach the University of Cincinatti Medical Center which sits on a hill overlooking downtown. We were gave our presentation over lunch at the college of medicine, it was one of our best attended events yet.  I just got back from running Chris to the airport as he is the first in the group to become doctor when he graduates at Boston University this weekend, which is a scary scary thought after spending a lot of time with him on this trip.  Tonight we have a lot of friends and family coming into town to join us on our 110 mile trip to Columbus in the morning, I hope they have been training because that is a long ways to go and the weather is not supposed to be that great. We also have another presentation to some residents at Christ Hospital which is also located in town.  Big day tomorrow both in terms of the riding and the events planned so I'm sure we'll all turn in pretty early. Can't wait to see the Columbus skyline, No chain!

Team Tango leading the way into Ohio!

Just cruising through downtown.

Aurora, Indiana

"Don't, Don't you worry about the atmosphere

or any sudden pressure changes."

   - A lyric by Andrew Bird

After a good night’s sleep at Chris’s friends house the riders took off pedaling hard and moving fast to stay ahead of a coming band of showers and storms that was on the horizon. Most made it about 20 miles out of town before the sky exploded and lightening lit up the sky, the support vans quickly swept up those they could while many found shelter at a gas station along the way.  Luckily no one was caught out in the open for too long but everyone was pretty soaked while we patiently waited for the worst to pass.  We drove ahead in the vans with everyone racked to the designated lunch stop at mile 53 where we waited for another system to clear the area before they took off again.  Once the dark clouds were far enough east the weather really improved and a great afternoon of riding was possible for the last 40 miles.  Signs along the highway we were riding on warned of steep descents and sharp curves and they weren’t kidding.  Combined with the wet pavement the riders couldn’t really attack them like they wanted to but still had a lot of fun jetting through the back country roads that ran along a now rushing river from the heavy rains.  We passed through a couple of small towns before turning onto a 4 lane highway for the last 7 miles into Aurora. After the not so great hot start I think everyone was glad we waited out the storm to finish today’s ride.  The church we are staying at had a great dinner waiting for us when we pulled in which we really appreciated after such a long day in the road (especially since it meant my support team didn’t have to cook!). We gave a presentation to some of their congregation before heading to bed early to prepare for the big weekend we have coming up in Columbus!  We hit the great state of Ohio tomorrow, which means two things: 1.We have come a long long ways on our bikes 2. We are almost done. I can’t wait to get back on the road tomorrow. No Chain!

Raging river from all the rainfall.

Descending on a steep wet hill. Very very carefully.

Faster than it looks.

The main pack making a sharp curve.

Roshan & Libby celebrating the end of a tough climb.

I guess the pastor's son likes listening to Andrew Bird too.

Louisville, Kentucky

"how much can you know about yourself 

if you've never been in a fight" 

                          - from the movie Fight Club

I woke up in a barn in the middle of the county fairgrounds to sound of rain early in the morning and my cold hadn’t improved overnight, not a great start to the day, especially with 96 miles ahead of us.  Luckily by the time we were packed up and ready to hit the road to Louisville the rain had stopped and a massive tailwind had developed.  We were able to average close to 21 miles per hour before lunch even with some extremely steep climbs including one whose grade approached 20% for a time.  Riding a long the Ohio River for most of the day was the culprit for the changes in elevation that played havoc on our legs and minds.  It was beautiful scenery, though, especially crossing the bridge into Indiana, another new state for us. We finished riding along the river again as we pulled into town, including a final stretch with the wind at our back where we pushing 30 miles per hour for close to 5 miles.  The house we were staying at for night was located on a bluff so the final 2 miles of the day were basically straight up hill, during which many of the riders contemplated their ability to go backwards on their bikes while continuing to pedal forward, it was a very tough way to end.  I spent much of the day riding on my own because of the head cold I’m currently battling.  Right now it’s taking a long time for me to catch my breath because I can’t breathe through my nose and my chest feels so tight, especially when I’m pushing hard.  I absolutely had nothing left as we pulled into our destination, I felt like I had just gotten beat up in a fight which was evidenced by the 4 hour nap I instantly fell into.  One of Chris’s college friend’s family was gracious enough to host us at their compound.  I say compound because they had their own lake, forest, barns and a house large enough to accommodate 22 riders. Our hosts also prepared some amazing barbeque and a cake decorated in our honor, it was all really good!  Some of the riders hit the town to explore Louisville, I went right back to bed because I knew I had another big day coming that I wanted to feel reenergized for.  Just one more day in Indiana before we hit Ohio, I can’t wait! No chain!

Climbing hard.

The Ohio River from above, the source of hills.

Tim descending quickly to the bridge over the river.

Just another new state.

Perfect form into the lake.

Litchfield, Kentucky

The high from the weekend with my friends in Nashville was quickly subdued when I woke up with a nasty head cold this morning.  A sore throat, stuffy nose and a heavy head made for a rough start pulling out of the city, especially combined with temperatures in the 40’s and a light mist of rain.  You could see in the faces of the other riders the agony of the first 30 or so miles as we hit stop light after stop light on our way out of town on day that was scheduled for 99 miles to our final destination Mammoth Cave National Park.  I sat for a long time on the curb at the gas station of our first water stop questioning my motivation to continue on the ride for the day, knowing I still had 5-6 more hours on the bike in the cold and rain. Hopping back on my bike I told myself I would just make it to lunch and reevaluate there, sometimes thinking about the rides in smaller segments helps move the day along.  We never truly hit a rhythm in our pace lines because of the stop and go riding and at mile 44 we paid for this.  A quick cross of a wheel led to a pile up on the side of the road that resulted in one injured rider and one injured bike.  In automotive terms Roshan’s bike is totaled, as his carbon fiber frame was fractured in multiple places and Pete is dealing with a sprained wrist and some sore ribs from his fall. We ended up shivering and waiting an hour on the side of the for the support van to come up from behind us to pick the riders up who couldn’t continue.  By the time we got back on the road we were way behind schedule and losing 2 riders did nothing to boost the morale of the group.  We crossed into Kentucky around mile 50 and stopped for lunch at mile 60, which ended up being our final stop of the day as we all racked our bikes there because of lack of time and the weather.  There weren’t too many riders sad about this. 

We drove 40 minutes to Mammoth Cave National Park where we spent the afternoon taking a tour of just a small section of this truly mammoth hole in the ground.  The most extensive cave system on Earth and the second oldest national park in the country (Niagara Falls if you’re wondering) has over 365 miles of surveyed passageways and geologists think there could be 600 more that haven’t been discovered yet.  A sandstone cap prevents the formation of stalagmites and stalactites featured in Carlsbad Caverns which we toured earlier on this trip but the shear size made these caves much more impressive. The tour was also a little more hands on than Carlsbad as there were definitely points a long the way that not everyone I know could fit through or handle the terrain. It was the highlight of our day, and another National Park that I can now recommend to all of you as a definite place to stop if you’re in the area.

I’m currently typing this laying on a lawn chair in the middle of an unheated barn in Litchfield’s fairgrounds, our sleeping arrangements for the night, not exactly ideal after the day we all had. My standards for where I sleep have definitely gone down after being on this trip for 6 weeks now but with the way my body/head/sinuses feel I would give anything to be back in my hotel room in Nashville right now.  Hopefully if I take enough Sudafed the morning will come quickly, only 3 more nights until I’m in my own bed in Columbus.  No chain!

Huddling to stay warm while waiting for the vans.

Just another new state.

On the way into the cave.

Our guide.

This area of the cave is known as Fat Man's Misery. It was very tight.

My sleeping arrangements for the night.