Steamboat Springs

Today started off slightly different than most days. After a 6:00 wake up, which was miserable because I was constantly up throughout the night because the gym we slept in was freezing, we had our normal breakfast, and got ready to get on the bikes. But instead of getting straight on the road we had to wait around for about 20 minutes for a special guest, Mr. Bruce Rogers. Bruce Rogers is the reason we are all here. If it wasn’t for him, Journey of Hope wouldn’t be a thing, and without his company, KRG Capital, we would be looking for a different title sponsor.

Along with his son, Bruce rode with us today from Craig to Steamboat Springs, which was a beautiful ride. I rode with David Iles from the University of Iowa and Saurabh Mehta from Miami of Ohio. It was only about 45 miles but was a lot of fun. Instead of all of the ugly brown and red mountains in the desert we had been seeing for the past two weeks, today we saw lots of trees and rivers, which was awesome. After only about 3 hours we arrived at the ski town and met with everyone at the local high school. We weren’t there long enough to put our bikes inside before some of us rode back in town. We went over to the local bike shop, and then went to a Mexican restaurant, which was delicious. Once everyone was done eating we rode our bikes back to lodging and showered up and relaxed.

Today practically felt like a day off of the bikes for the team. Being done so early gave us plenty of time to explore before having any sponsored events. About 11 of us went into town and got smoothies and checked out some shops, and also saw a very wild sight. Last night at our friendship visit we were told there is a man walking a goat a cross the country and that there was a possibility we would see him on our way to Steamboat Springs. Well coincidentally enough we see the goat sitting on the grass on Main Street. I thought riding a bike across the country was crazy, but this man is walking a goat from one coast to the other.  

After a nice nap it was time for our friendship visit. We were meeting with the organization Horizons of Steamboat Springs. The friendship visit was at one of the client’s house, and we enjoyed pizza, lots of singing and dancing and interestingly enough wrestling. The guys that did Journey of Hope last year told us that one of the clients, Bruce, loved to wrestle and that he would probably call someone out if he were there again this year. Well after we took our group picture, there was Bruce, calling out Josh Preslar. Josh is one of my chapter brothers from Knoxville and he is not a small guy. He probably had 3 feet and 200 pounds on Bruce, but he did not seem threatened.

Bruce celebrating a victory of Josh in a great wrestling match! 

Tomorrow we have a tough day, so everyone has the rest of the night to do what they wish. We have another century day, and from what I’ve heard it is probably the second hardest ride of our trip. I look forward to getting over the mountain passes, because from what I hear, the down hills are some of the best of the summer! 

Craig, Colorado

After a long and exhausting ride the day before, everyone was a little slow getting up this morning. Wake up was at 5:30 and I was definitely not the first person to get out of bed. The morning went like normal, breakfast, circle up, and prayer. Dinosaur was a very interesting town to say the least, and although it was cool that every road was named after a dinosaur, I do not think I will be returning anytime in the near future.

I rode today with Michael Brooks from the University of Houston. We volunteered to be sweeps which means we were the last two guys to leave, and it was our job to be the last cyclist of the group on the road, and to try to keep the last guys going at a good pace. Unfortunately that did not happen though, and Brooksie and I were very frustrated because of it. We were stuck behind a group that was held back by a guy that was not having a good day, and that really affected all of us. We were told we had to ride 80 of our 85 miles by 1:30 and because of our slower guy we only made it to lunch by 1:30, which was at 70 miles. Because of this we had to rack our bikes on the vans and be taken into town. Once getting into Craig, we staged up about a block away from The Boys and Girls Club to do an arrival. The team got into a double pace line and rode into the parking lot together. All of the people of The Boys and Girls Club were outside cheering us on, and seemed very excited to see us. We enjoyed a few hours of playing outside, eating ice cream and signing lots of autographs before showering up and getting ready for our other programmed events for the night.

Before we could go to our other friendship visit everyone went over to the self-service car wash and cleaned the vans. Every van has a name, and along with 5 others, I am in van 1 and its name is the Sharktank. Every van has their own mascot as well, ours being a shark named Clark. Once we got the Sharktank spotless we went over to a park to meet up with a group called Horizons, and organization that works with people with developmental disabilities throughout the area. While there we enjoyed a great dinner, and spent some good quality time with their clients. I got particularly close with a girl named Ashleigh. She is a wonderful 20 year old who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, but by her wonderful attitude you would think she was the healthiest girl in the world. Along with one of my teammates David, we talked about the trip, the guys that were on it last year, as well as talked about how good the food was. While eating on of Horizons clients, Bob, and the women who sent up the event read us a poem. It was about how inspired they are by us, and it was very touching. After introductions the environment got a little wild. Water balloons were brought out, and some people learned whom their true friends, and even enemies were. I took cover behind a tree and managed to stay dry!

 

We ended our night back at the Boys and Girls Club and have a team meeting to talk about what is going to be happening in the next few days, as well as continue our new leadership program. Tomorrow we have a 50 mile ride, but I have a feeling it is not going to be an easy ride at all.

Dinosaur Land

Today was a special day, and really meant a lot to my family and myself. Everyday a team member researches a disability, and then in our morning circle up they describe it to the team. Today I volunteered and I told the team about Tuberous Sclerosis, the disease my amazing sister suffers from. After telling the team the disability, I explained Lexie’s situation and then asked the team if they could ride for her today. So after our morning prayer, everyone got on their bikes and headed towards Dinosaur, Colorado and everyone did it with Lexie in mind.

I rode with Matt Docimo from the University of Houston, and Alex Eplan from Georgia Tech. Alex is a very good rider, and I have never rode with him so I was excited to work through the 95 miles with him today. I’m not going to lie, todays ride was absolutely miserable, and the only thing that got me through it was thinking about Lexie. After starting the day with a hill that had close to a 12% incline, we had to go over two mountain passes, and ride through the desert, which was no fun. To make the ride even better, the temperature got over 115 degrees which made riding that much harder. When talking to my project manager who rode last year, he said that today was his least favorite ride of the entire summer and I can 100% percent agree with that. To make it even better, about 3 miles outside of town I got a flat tire, which made the day even worse. Towards the end of the ride the sun was really getting to me and my only thought was “Lexie cant quit living with a disability, so I cant quit riding for her”. After a long, hot, miserable day we arrived in Dinosaur, Colorado with only a hill to conquer before lodging and Alex, Matt and I hit it at full speed. We walked into the school and the first thing I did was collapse to the floor. It was such a nice feeling to get into an air-conditioned room and let my legs relax.

After showering, some of the guys went over to an ice cream shop and I got what I was craving all day; a milkshake. It was the perfect way to cool down the body after slaving through such hot weather for 6 hours. Once we got back to lodging everyone chilled for a little bit before having dinner made by a woman who has been sponsoring the team for 17 years now. It is always so nice to have such supportive people along our journey and delicious meals! After having a team circle up, our PM told us we had the rest of the night to ourselves to relax and prepare for the next couple of days. Here we come Denver! 

Duchesne, Utah

After a great day in Park City, and not having to ride it was time to get back in the saddle and make our way to Duchesne, Utah. I rode today with Chris Stubel from Georgia Tech and Mike Jones from the University of Maryland. Today was the first time I had rode with Mike so I was excited to get to know another one of my teammates better. We were the second pace line to leave lodging, and not even 10 miles into our ride Chris got a flat tire. Chris is probably our most experienced cyclist so I made sure to give him a lot of crap for making us wait for him to change his flat tire.

Once we got going again, we started playing catch up. The crew had told us we had to ride a pretty fast pace to make rack point so we were riding pretty quickly. The most challenging part of the day was a mountain we had to climb. From start to finish the climb lasted about 10 miles and we increased elevation by 3000 feet. Once we got to the top it was an amazing feeling, and once at that point we were the highest we had been all trip. After getting to the summit of the mountain we enjoyed a great decline. My bike computer wasn’t working so I am not sure how fast I went, but Mike said he was going 51 mph and I was going quite a bit faster than him. It was a beautiful ride, and it made appreciate all the awesome places we have gotten to see thus far in the trip. Although not all of them have been as nice, it is great to see all types of environments. After 85 miles we arrived at lodging which was Duchesne High School. Once everyone arrived we were told not to shower, but to put on our bathing suits. This got the team very excited, and everyone was hoping we were about to go to a pool and relax after such a long day.

We all loaded up in the vans, and once I realized where we were going I got even more excited. We pulled up to Starvation Lake, a reservoir that is used throughout Duchesne County for many things. I was so pumped to get in the water when we got there. After doing a little swimming and playing some football the team was notified that we were also going to go tubing. Everyone had an absolute blast and the lake was much needed.

After the lake we had to rush back to lodging to change for dinner. We were meeting up with the Lions Club of Duchesne who have been sponsoring the Journey of Hope North Route for 4 years now. They made us a very hearty and delicious meal, which was nice after burning off so much on the bike. After dinner everyone went back to lodging and passed out. The combination of the sun while riding, and being out in the water all day really took it out of everyone, and it was very nice to lay down and get a good night of sleep.

Tomorrow we head to Dinosaur, Colorado. Three states down, nine more to go!

Day off the bike in Park City

Today the team enjoyed a day off the road in for the first time in 10 days, since being in Lake Tahoe. Although we had a full schedule filled with different events, it was nice to get off the bikes for the cyclist, and for the crew members not have to worry about working the roads for a day.

The morning started for the team at 7:45 a.m. when we met outside to begin our first activity of the day. Although we weren't traveling to a different city today, we still got on the bikes and rode to breakfast, which we were escorted to by 6 members of the Park City Police department. We did a double pace line for about 4 miles until we arrived at Whole Foods where we had an absolute amazing breakfast. Even though we appreciate our crew chief breakfasts every morning, it was so nice to have some bacon, sausage gravy, and fresh fruit this morning. After breakfast we got back to lodging and changed so we could leave for our team activity.

Once everyone got their team tux on which is our team tshirt and khaki shorts we loaded up in our vans and drove over to the Utah Olympic Park. It was really cool being there because of all the history and great moments that had been made just years before. When we got there we were given the option to go zip lining or bobsledding. Most guys chose bobsledding, including myself and I was pretty excited. After a long chair lift to the top of the mountain, we sat in the single sleds and went flying down the mountain. It was so much fun to try out something new, although I prefer to go down a hill on a bike. Once everyone had their fun, we left Olympic Park and went to lunch at Main Street Deli which was sponsored by Ms. Barb, the owner of the Deli. She made us all delicious sandwiches, cookies, and even gave us the option of ice cream!

After lunch we were given some free time to get anything done we needed to. I went to a bike shop, bought some stuff I probably didn't need, and then hung out at the hotel for a little bit. At 5:00 we loaded up in the vans and went over to the National Abilities Center to have a friendship visit. The NAC is an incredible organization which allows people with disabilities to enjoy recreational activities. It was amazing to see a place focus on the abilities of people and go with it to create a great atmosphere and absolutely fantastic time. While there we road bikes with a few members, which was a lot of fun. I rode a little bit with a younger guy named Max. Max was struggling at first keeping his balance while riding, but after a while he got very used to it and was zooming down hills way faster than I'm sure I did when I first got used to riding a bicycle growing up.

For the final part of the night we went back to the hotel and had pizza sponsored by a restaurant in Park City called Pizza and Pasta. The pizza was very good, and the whole team really enjoyed it. After dinner I went and sat in the hot tub with some of the guys and we told stories from back at our own chapters which was really cool to hear.

Tomorrow we head to Duchesne, Utah which is our last day in Utah before Colorado. I'm excited for a long day on the bike with my teammates, hoping for a good day with cooperative weather!

Park City, Utah

After a great day in Salt Lake City yesterday, the team was excited to keep the trip moving and head into Park City, just 30 miles down the road. Our day started a little bit different than usual, starting with a wake up of 6:30, which is about an hour later than usual. The team went over to McDonalds and has breakfast there, before heading over to a park for a programmed event. Usually we wake up early and ride, and then go to a friendship visit or other programed event, but today was an exception.

The team went to Liberty Park to meet up with an organization called Trails. Trails helps people with disabilities to activities they might not be able to do otherwise such as cycle, ski, and many other activities. Today they allowed us to try out their hand cycles, which were extremely neat to use, and put a strain on the upper body which I am not used to using while on my bike. It really brought a sense of empathy and understanding on the guys, especially when thinking that this is some peoples only option, and unfortunately they aren't able to use their legs to ride normal road bikes like ours, but they continue to persevere. After a great 1:30 in the park, the team road over to Whole Foods Market, where a sponsor was gracious enough to pay for the entire team to eat a healthy and delicious lunch before getting on the bikes to ride to Park City. 

such a great experience using a hand cycle! 

The team was joined by the 5 time Pi Alpha from yesterday, Jeff to ride along with us. The first thing standing in our way to get to Park City was Emigration Pass. Once we passed the Salt Lake City Zoo, Jeremy Osbourne from Central Michigan, David Iles from Iowa, and myself started climbing up this mountain. We ended up climbing around 2500 feet over 8 miles to get to the top. It is always a great feeling conquering a mountain, and even a better feeling going down the other side. After taking a couple group pictures on the top of the pass the pace lines split back up and began the decent. Once we got to the bottom our project manager realized we were in a crunch for time, so we had to all load our bikes up on the vans and get transported the rest of the way to Park City.

David Iles and I on top of Emigration Pass 

Probably the best part of the day was finding out we would be staying in a hotel. Nothing excites the team more than beds, nice showers and WiFi. We all had about an hour to shower and get ready to go get dinner. We went to a fantastic restaurant in what I assume was downtown Park City called Wasatch Brew Pub. The restaurant made us a great tossed salad, some of the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had, potatoes, pork and chicken. And not to forget the best root beer I've ever drank, which is home brewed in the restaurant. After a very fulfilling meal some of the guys headed back to the hotel while others stayed on main street to check out some sights. I decided to go back to the hotel to catch up on some things and catch up on some rest. 

I look forward to our day off of the bikes tomorrow in Park City, and to have a friendship visit again, something I know a lot of the guys have been eager for! 

Salt Lake City here we come!

Woke up this morning and I was excited to get back into a big city. The team was heading towards Salt Lake City, the capitol of Utah to enjoy a good day with great sponsors. The theme of the trip continued, and I woke up this morning not feeling good so I traveled to Salt Lake with my bike on the roof of a van. After talking to my Mom and my project manager we decided it would be best if I went out to a clinic once we got to Salt Lake City so we could make sure everything was alright.

I spent my day with Mark Huber, our crew chief. We lucked out and got a great view where we set up for our crew stop. The ride today was about 75 miles and then guys were in a time crunch to make it to the town to meet with a group for a sponsored meal. We got to a church where we had great spaghetti made by members of the Christ United Methodist Church. One of the male members has a son who has a disease called neurofibromatosis. This disease causes tumors around vital organs and can slow down development. Travis, the guys son has type 1 NF which has caused him to have a tumor on many different places in his body. It has caused one of his legs to grow slower than the other, and he also faces a few other disabilities. Travis had a great spirit, and was extremely energetic. I also met his two older brothers, and after talking to them I started to think about my sisters and the relationship I have with them. I was explaining to the boys to always watch out for their brother, and that it is their job to protect him and be there for him always. Really made me miss my sisters and the awesome relationship I share with both of them.

After lunch we went over to lodging and unpacked all of our stuff. Soon after one of our crew members Jesus drove me to a minute clinic so I could figure out what was going on with my health. After talking to the doctor she gave me a prescription to help with my coughing and suggested getting an allergy pill. Once getting my medicine, Jesus and I had to quickly get back to the team so we could head downtown for dinner at Iggy’s where our meal was sponsored by Jeff Perlmen, a 5 time Pi Alpha. We also received mail today and I was happy to receive a package from my Mom!

Excited for the new day tomorrow, and to get back on the saddle with my awesome team. 

Payson, Utah

We woke up at 5:30 to begin our day to Payton, Utah. We were told during circle up that we were going to have to go as quickly as possible to get to our destination due to sponsored activities we were having later that day. I started my ride today with Travis Turner, a senior at Georgia Tech, and Blake Neuman, a sophomore at Texas Christian University. Once we got on the bikes, our day started going down hill. The roads we started our day on in Delta were absolutely horrible for our bikes. They were very rough, which put a lot of wear on our tires. Within 8 miles our pace line was on the side of the road repairing Travis’s flat tire, his first of the summer. Travis was very frustrated because he has gone a long time without changing a flat, and he had an unenjoyable ride the day before. Not only ½ mile later we had to stop to help two other guys fix a problem with their chain, and help another fix a flat. Once that problem was fixed, I quickly got a flat tire. It was a horrible way to start the morning. On top of all of that, I felt extremely congested which made riding pretty tough.

After about 20 miles I made it to the third crew stop and had to rack my bike for the day. I am hoping that I can make it through the 80 mile ride tomorrow, 30 mile ride the day after and then enjoy my day off in Park City.

Once we arrived in Payson, we staged up in a park with a local group, and an amazing young lady I had the pleasure of meeting today, Natalie Green. Natalie is an 12 year old girl who suffers with Cerebral Palsy and Epilepsy but still gets out on her trike and rides often. She has won 3 gold medals in the Special Olympics, and has a little sassy attitude to go along with it. Natalie, and the rest of the crew, a group of cyclist rode with us through the town of Payson to our lodging, which was a great experience. She found so much joy in this short ride, and also managed to take out one of my team members, which turned out to be pretty funny.

Matt Docimo and Michael Brooks with Natalie in her custom built trike! 

To end the day we are just hanging out, doing laundry and running errands. After getting my laundry done, we had a casual team dinner together, and then had our weekly team meeting which generally last 1 1/2 hours. During this weeks meeting we talked a lot about road safety, and expressed some feelings and emotions we had faced thus far on the trip. 

Pretty excited to go to Salt Lake City tomorrow, another new experience for me.