Day 10: Watonga to Buffalo

June 15, 2005

Today marked the greatest physical achievement of my life, probably never to be topped in the future. And it hurt. Bad. Very Bad. Brutal even.

The day started out at the usual 5 AM, and I knew it was going to be a long day. But I was feeling pretty good and even excited to take on the challenge. Left a quarter to seven after a good breakfast. Took a step outside and found the air a little bit chilly. There had been a storm that night coming from the north and it brought the temperature way down. According to the bank, it was 59 degrees.

Started out together as a team as we made our way out of town. Found that with the storm the wind had shifted direction. Instead of being a tailwind or crosswind it became a headwind. It was quite misty and foggy, but that kept the sun away for a good long time.

It wasn't too long before Channing, Brett, JJ and myself broke away from the pack and started up a constant 20 mph. I had eaten cereal with milk and it wasn't agreeing with the sudden increase in body temperature. Or I think that was what was causing me to cramp up. Whatever the cause, I was riding with full torso cramps for around thirty minutes. Still I was keeping a positive attitude about it and insisted on pushing myself. Unfortunately, not too much longer after the cramps my front brake slipped and rubbed against my front wheel.

I could push it back, but it would just slip again. I wasn't happy since I knew that as soon as I got off to fix it I would lose the group and the pace. But it had to be done so I hopped off and fixed it up. Got back on and headed off by myself, somewhere between the front group and everybody else. Mario had passed me so he was up ahead by not too much.

Made it very rapidly to the 20 mile break and was feeling pretty good. Filled up on the water and such and that's about when the wind picked up, to about ten miles per hour, right in the face. And it didn't stop the rest of the day. Problem number two was with the elevation change. I am not exaggerating on any level when I say that the route was more than 90% uphill.

I don't really know how I could adequately describe the amount of effort it took. I'll start with the time it took: 7 and a half hours of pedaling time. So if you'd like to see what it was like then hop on a stationary bike and pedal for 7 and a half hours. Add an hour for breaks so you'll be near the bike for over eight hours.

But then factor in the wind. On a good stretch of road it's pretty reasonable to pedal at steady speeds of 20 mph for long stretches. But with a 10 mph headwind you are now putting in a 20 mph effort, but going slower (drag is a function of relative velocity squared). So while you are sweating away on the bike pushing hard at a high setting, you need to demoralize yourself in some way. Something that makes you feel like you're putting in excessive effort and not getting an honest return on the investment. Something like what it would feel like to pedal to the top of a hill, see a rare downhill and still not be able to go faster than 12 mph (even with constant pedaling) due to the wind blowing you back up the hill.

Also, since the wind gusts and such you'll need to use upper body strength in order to keep the bike going straight. So press lightly on something for the whole time. And every few seconds push harder to simulate a gust of wind. Remember to do this for 7 hours. It will start hurting after 30 minute or so, but you've got to keep it up the whole time, long after the ache and pain has spread up your arm, through your shoulder and into your neck.

But there was a sliver lining. I think I probably would have made it by myself, eventually. But Mario made a huge difference. He had split off from the front pack and was pedaling a little slower. I caught up to him and as I passed him invited him to let me pull him up the hill in front of us. We stayed together the rest of the day. For a good portion of the way we traded back and forth taking turns in front and fighting the wind and the uphill slopes together. Towards the end, though, it was all him in front.

I had been sick the day before and it took its toll on me in the last part of the day. I was just gone. I wasn't thinking about anything, wasn't trying to do anything monumental. I was way past the pain and now only fought a constant urge to stop cycling. I wanted to quit, kind of, but I refused. But it was a constant thought circle in my mind: I am tired, wondered how much longer, thought about how getting off the bike felt good, thought about how miserable I was on the bike that day, thought about how people with cancer were feeling miserable and wished they could ride a bike, decided to push a little bit further on, thought about how tired I was, and repeat and repeat for three or four hours. That is seriously what I thought about the whole last time. No deep thoughts about any grand ideas. No thinking about love or loss or happiness or sadness. Just the same 5 thoughts over and over and over.

When we finally made it into town I sat down and stared at the three people who got there before me. They had been there about half an hour. Mario and I came in fourth and fifth. There was still more than half the team on the road. The last person to come in finished in about 11 and a half hours. I can't even imagine. Every person there, including marathon runners and such, said it was the hardest thing they had ever finished.

I ate some food, took a thirty minute shower and sat down. I had to stretch for fifteen minutes since all my leg muscles were tightening to the point of pain. Crashed on my mattress for an hour or so until dinner was ready.

Once again our hosts went above and beyond with their great hospitality. Very good food. Pasta, pizza, potatoes and more. I ate my usual ton of food and thanked Mike, our host. Then went to bed. Got over ten hours of sleep and wanted so much more. In fact I relapsed since I was so drained, but that's for tomorrow journal.

In short, the day was very long and draining. There really wasn't much to talk about since after the bike ride I slept as long as possible.

I think two notable things happened. The first is the importance of friends in tough situations. Mario helped more than I can express. It meant a lot to me and it made all the difference in finishing the route in any timely fashion and in any level of good spirits.

Second, that you have to have a strong personal motivation in order to finish the summer. For me, that motivation comes in the form of cancer and its effect on otherwise healthy people. It drove me and I used it for fuel.