How I learned to ride a bike
Being the most inexperienced rider on our team, I find myself obligated to write a blog to encourage others to join R4WH even if they are unsure of their bicycling skills. I'm not going to lie, I had NO bicycling skills when my plane landed in San Diego for bootcamp the week before the ride. I trained on an indoor trainer and worked on my cardio, however, I learned quickly that nothing replaces the experience of just riding a bike. The saying "It takes a village to raise a child" is so applicable in my case because R4WH basically taught me how to ride a bike. These are the lessons that I learned:
- Buy a solid bike. Thanks to Jake at roll: and my friend Minh, I bought my first bike a few months before the trip. She's a silver Giant ORC 1. "Lucy" is her name. Minh believes in color coordinating your bike, with your wheels, with your helmet, with your handlebar tape... I'll leave that to your discretion.
- Check your ego at the door. Learning how to ride a bike involves a lot of falling, especially when your shoes clip into the pedals. Sadly, a lot of falling happens when you're at a complete stop, therefore your ego is more bruised than any body part. Just remember to get back on your bike after a spill. I can say from experience that it will get better. On another note, R4WH is not for those who embarrass easily. For example, farting has definitely become more of a social norm than a faux pas. Lastly, I've found that when you're feeling low, like on my first day when I had trouble riding a bike, you can always depend on another more experienced rider, in this case our CEO Joe, to make you feel less embarrassed by having their own embarrassing moment. On our first event day, Joe attempted to pick up a 10 gallon Powerade cooler by the lid and had half of the contents spill on the front side of his pants. Thanks, Joe!
- Saddle up! Nothing replaces learning how to ride a bike than actually getting onto one. Practice, practice, practice...and then practice some more! The downside of this is that you will develop saddle sores (refer to my last blog entry).
- Redefine your definition of "beauty." I used to think that before this ride, I had a good shot at winning my medical school class superlative for "best legs in Class of 2008." After bootcamp, my legs had scrapes and bruises as if I had run through a field of thorned roses and then stumbled over ten stools of varying height. After over a month of riding, I have wonderful tan lines outlining my sunglasses, t-shirt, shorts, and fingerless gloves. Grease can always be found under any of my fingernails. And I constantly smell like sunscreen, sweat, or a combination of the two. But I'm definitely starting to feel more like a biker!
- Learn proper bike maintenance. One wise person once told me that "a clean bike is a happy bike." Definitely find yourself a person like Van who will teach you proper bike maintenance and be there to answer any and all of your questions.
- Find your Sensei/ Yoda/ Dave Holder. Dave Holder, our head of logistics, was probably the most important factor in getting me and Lucy from San Diego to Washington D.C. Dave ran multiple drills with me for many hours in the Torrey Pines parking lot on the second day of bootcamp and continues to be my go-to-guy for any bicycling question. He's also a master at fixing bikes, creating daily routes, and troubleshooting any bicycling problem. I found out weeks into the trip that Dave had made contingency plans and routes for me during bootcamp because he seriously doubted that I would make it to Washington D.C. with the rest of the team. I'm glad I could prove him wrong (and save him the extra work of creating a second route specifically for me!) I could go on and on about how wonderful Dave is, but I'll stop here and just tell you to look out for this face on future cycling magazine covers.
- Surround yourself with a lot of positive reinforcement. As mentioned before, I was so nervous about riding a bike on the very first day of bootcamp that I couldn't even ride out of the parking lot of the place we were staying to our first stop at the Solano Beach Senior Center. I had never ridden in traffic in clipless pedals before. Luckily, I was fortunate to have the help of such amazing people. So, my suggestion to you is to...Find your own Bobby, Ashley, and Kel who will wait patiently so that when you actually do mount your bike, you won't have to ride alone.
Find your own Cory, who will use his military voice (but gentle spirit) to make you ride around in circles in a parking lot just to get the hang of the clipless pedals.
Find your own Tammy, who will force you to ride up the Torrey Pines hill on your first day and then guide you safely through the streets of La Jolla back to your place of stay.
Find your own Seth, who will be your personal cheerleader during your first century ride and continue to give you his positive energy when you've used up all of yours.
When all else fails, find yourself someone like Samara who can explain away all your shortcomings by pointing out some design flaw in your bicycle.
Once you feel comfortable on the bike, continue to keep these positive influences around.
Find a group of riders like Kem, Tammy, and Marianne whose strength and drive are contagious and will help propel you up 3,000 feet of climbing over nine miles until you reach the top of the Continental Divide.
Find a group of riders like Carissa, Chris, and Seth who will want to form a bright yellow jacket gang with you even though, at times, that may be the only thing that the four of you have in common.
Find a group of riders like Jen, Anuj, Nate, and Van who you hope one day to be able to keep up with but whose humility and easy-going nature make me believe that these pack leaders will never be the "biker snobs" we all dread.
- Most importantly, enjoy yourself!
Some recent photos
Samara and I at the zoo during a lunch stop in Great Bend, Kansas.
The bears "playing"
Jamie and Caitlin taking a nap during a lunch break. It had rained that morning so everyone tried their best to get warm and dry before heading back out on the road.
Sometimes we take unexpected breaks due to construction.
In Kansas City we had dinner at Jared Allen's. We got free wings and played Extreme Team Trivia.
Dave and Joe enjoying their 1 pound burgers.
Dave our logistics guy checking out the route.
A few of my favorite things
So, it's been quite a while since we've started this ride, and I feel like I have enough experience now to make a list of the best and worst things about riding on any given day. So here they are in no particular order:
Top 5 Wost Things While Cycling
1. Headwind/crosswind - hands down THE WORST. Nothing makes me crankier than not only pushing against some imaginary force that I can not seek revenge upon AND that drowns out my iPod music. Often during bad headwind days, you can come across random riders screaming and cursing and apparently nothing. Don't worry, we haven't gone crazy. We are just attempting to vent frustration at the gross injustice Mother Nature has dealt us on that particular day.
2. Rain - Rain is the gift that just keeps on giving. Not only do you get wet and cold and cranky, but then even if it stops, there is just about no way that your feet will be dry at any point during the remaining up to 60 miles of the ride. Sometimes it feels so bad that I actually fear there may be mold down there when I take off my socks.
3. Unexpected hillage - Ok, so if I were a real cyclist, this probably wouldn't upset me, but my poor legs only have so much pushing in them on any given day, and unexpected hills that force me into my lowest gear at 6 mph in Kansas, which is supposed to be FLAT can cause some serious muscle fatigue.
4. Unexpected mileage - Similar to above, while we can never predict persnickety workmen who will force us to take a 16 mile detour around a supposedly shut down bridge, these extra miles can cause some extra crankiness, especially when they keep me from my scheduled food times.
5. Cow grates/rumble strips/general road debris - Nothing wakes you up in the morning like the jarring vibrations of an unexpected rumble strip or falling into a giant pothole that probably should have been fixed 10 years ago.
Top 5 Best Things While Cycling
1. Surprise free food - Nothing makes me happier during the day than ice cream, and if it's free, well then my day is pretty much made. It is a little known fact that ice cream is actually a high performance food with similar properties to PowerBar step 2 products.
2. Appropriate girl pee spots - these are beyond difficult to find, but it is really a great day if I can make it the whole day without having to hike a half mile away from the rest stop to find some place to hide and pee.
3. Tailwinds - ok, I still maintain that these are a mythical phenomenon that will not actually occur during Ride for World Health 2008, but if they did, it would be pretty awesome.
4. Unexpected downhills - it's pretty cool to just watch your mileage go up while exerting absolutely no effort whatsoever.
5. Random interesting wildlife - turns out that people raise all kinds of animals: cows, sheep, goats, horses, llamas, alpacas, and many others. It also turns out that if you stare down a cow, it may start a cow stampede. Lesson learned. By the way, crazy dogs that chase my bicycle are NOT part of random interesting wildlife.
Hope this gives everyone a little insight into the daily obstacles/treats we have all been enjoying over the past few weeks :)
A Day On the Bike
Here's what a typical day on the bike looks like:
Wake up time is determined by the support team for that day. We typically wake up to a support team member's Ipod, the lights turning on, or if we're lucky we get to wake up to a group of high school boys listening to rap and lifting weights (thank you Salida High School). I will admit that I am never the first one up, and unless I am on support I am never awake before we have to be. We wake up one hour before we "plan" to head out for the day, which usually ends up being around 7am. We have a rule that you can't eat breakfast until your sleeping bag, mats, and bags are packed and loaded in the trailer. Without this rule I would surely never be ready to leave when we're supposed to. Typically after 45 minutes I have gotten dressed, eaten breakfast, and have begun putting air in my tires and checking over my bike. When it's time to leave, the support team for the day gives us an overview of the route, mileage, when the rest stops will be, etc. I usually listen closely for when the first rest stop will be, and our final destination for the day (always a good idea to know this in case you get lost).
The next 4-10 hours are spent on the bike. If we aren't sitting on the bike between our start and end locations, we are eating. Bars, bars, and more bars are always available. I've had more power bars during this trip than I have in my entire life.
I love riding with people, so more times than not you'll find me riding with a group of people (usually the guys). They keep me pretty entertained throughout the rides. And just as I forget that I'm a minority in the group...
Someone will pull off the side of the road to pee. Not fair. Especially frustrating when I've been holding it since the last rest stop because there is absolutely no where to squat in the miles upon miles of open fields in Kansas. I also don't join in on their attempts at racing to every county, city, and state sign. Maybe I'll join in on an unsuspecting rider one of these days 
This is my view during a day's ride. Not bad right? Haha. At this point in the trip I can easily distinguish each and every rider by their backside. Not a huge surprise, considering the amount of time we spend on the bike. So what do we do while we're riding other than staring at each other's backsides? We enjoy the scenery, share stories, play games, listen to music, and simply enjoy each other's company. One game we've been playing here in Kansas and Missouri is that if we see a group of cows someone yells "hey cow" and counts how many cows turned their heads. Some people choose to Moo (Kel). We are easily amused. These forms of entertainment are usually successful at keeping my mind off my legs and saddle sores- always a plus.
We are now in Jefferson City, Missouri. We are staying in a Church right down the street from the Capitol. We actually had to call today's ride at our lunch stop (after about 65 miles) because it started to storm. I think we all had enough of the rolling hills. I'm on support tomorrow so I should probably make sure we're all set for lunch, water jugs are filled, etc etc. This is a picture of us loading the bikes as the storm was rolling in.
It's about time for a day off the bike.
Graduating - after having left part of my belly in Utah and Colorado
I’m taking a few days break from the ride in order to graduate. Just thought I’d post this picture. I’ll add text later.
Congrats to all those on the trip that are graduating this year.
Paging Dr. Blumberg. Paging Dr. Seth Blumberg…
The R4HW Team would like to congratulate Seth Blumberg, MD, PhD...the first member of the 2008 team to graduate from medical school. On May 9th, 2008, Seth will graduate from the University of Michigan College of Medicine, and rightly take his place amongst scores of physicians who strive for little more than to make a difference in the lives of their patients.As riders, teammates and citizens concerned with the state of global health...we truly hope to follow in the tremendous footprints Seth has set before us.
Congratulations to you Dr. Blumberg.
Best Wishes,
R4WH 2008
Why Ride? - Because We Can
Today I found myself thinking of my friend and former cycling buddy Jon Lucey. He would love this trip. The sad thing is that he succumbed to brain cancer about five years ago. The last time I spoke to him, he woke me up with an early morning phone call. It was a dreadfully sad conversation as he had lost his ability to communicate sensibly, but I was honored to have received the call.
I’m not sure exactly when or why I started thinking about Jon today. Perhaps it was after our first rest stop. The day started with solid rain. We were soaked by the time we reached the first stop and unfortunately there was even a crash involving some riders (they are all okay) for which the weather was partly responsible. When I piled into the rest stop van, I knew that it was entirely permissible for me to put on my dry clothes, load up my bike and call it a day. However, every part of me said that this was not the solution I preferred. So instead, I went back into the rain and kept biking in order to stay warm rather than get too comfortable in the van. I rode as much as the day allowed and was delighted for it (We did have to load up all the bikes at one point in order to let a thunderstorm pass).
So - Why ride? It’s not an easy question to answer at times, because sometimes all answers seem to defy logic. We’re going to get across the country and we’re going to give as many lectures as we can along the way. The team is fully supportive of riders who need a break from the saddle and no one else will even know who rode which miles. The best answer I can give is that I ride because I can.
In the recent weeks - Riding has become personal. It used to be a test to see whether we could get to the finish line - but now we all know that we can complete the rides. For me, riding has become a joyful testament to my own health and a renewed resolution to live life to its fullest.
Like Jon, I have had my own battle with cancer. As a medical student I have revisited my cancer experience in emotionally challenging ways as I have encountered patients whose own experience resonates with my own. However, unlike many other survivors, I am fortunate to have achieved complete remission with minimal long-term side effects of chemo and radiation. Thankfully, thee ride has reminded me of that good fortune. It starts every morning when I hoist my bag of gear onto my shoulder and carry it to the trailer and I am reminded of the time when I could not do the same when I was battling Hodgkin’s Disease. However, the most meaningful moments are after a hard day of riding. Even though I am tired, I know that I’ll be ale to recover after a night’s rest and cycle more miles in the morning - that is special.
I’ve thought about Lance Armstrong about the trip. Have you read his book? I totally identify with his sentiment that winning the Tour de France was easier because of having had to endure cancer treatment. If I had started out as a world class cyclist, I’m sure that it would have been the same for me.
We are riding for world health and at our top priorities are watching out for each other, helping to educate the public through our lecture series and fund-raising. But world health starts with all of us individuals. There is no doubt that this ride has contributed to my health - emotional and physical.
I do miss Jon though.
“We’re out here looking for things we’ve already got.” -Randy (Mesa Farm Market - Caineville, Utah)
Life on the bike has become something of an unreality. More than 12 months of planning, and now the phrase "project deliverables" is little more than an unwelcome and distant memory. Life has become simple, and my thoughts seemed to have followed suit.
We pedal. We pedal for hours. Tens of thousands of times a day...through snow-capped mountains, only to reach the sun-battered desert...all within hours. To call this experience surreal is nothing less than insulting. This land is, perhaps, the prettiest I've set eyes on. My opinions, of course, are tangibly biased...as 1,500 miles of effort just makes life taste a little better. The mere presence of my teammates turns dead rock and sand into something strikingly more meaningful. I assign value to things that are intrinsically valueless. I've managed to personify nearly everything...my 5th grade English teacher is probably crying.
At times I feel oddly detached from my surroundings. Then, mere breaths later, I have trouble living outside of anything but the moment. A 4,000 mile journey seems no longer than the climb in front of me. My legs burn and I have little recollection of them having burned before, nor do I have the insight that they'll ache tomorrow. A lonely flower resting amongst cacti becomes more significant than entire fields of petals. A night under the Mojave moon does strange things to you.
Cell phones have become a most unwelcome intrusion...especially at 10,000 feet. Days upon days without computer access is alarmingly therapeutic. All this chat about Poverty and Health has left me thinking more about Wealth and Health. I do wonder if our life expectancies would increase simply by misplacing our phone chargers.
Clearly, I've had too much time to think. In short...I wish this experience, or its equivalent, upon all of you.
Hope this finds you and finds you well.
Team Melrose - Saturday, May 3, 2008
Today Team Melrose (Corey, Steph, Kel, and me) got through the day without any drama. We were dubbed Team Melrose because something dramatic has happened on several occasions during our support days. The last major instance occurred during the ride to the Natural Bridges. First, mapmyride.com did not have the right mileage, so a 70 mile day turned into 98-102 miles depending on the odometer. Second, grocery stores (convenience stores do not count) do not exist between Hanksville and the Natural Bridges. For all of those riding next year, make a note of this. Corey had to travel 50 miles past the Natural Bridges in order to get the basic necessities for dinner that night and breakfast/lunch the next day. Third, the third reststop was way too far from lunch considering the climbs and the heat that day.
I was dropped off on Corey's way to set up the third reststop until the sag came along. Armed with water, my green blanket for shade, and snacks, Corey drove off in search of food. When the first three riders made it to the rest-stop, they were completely out of water for the past ten miles! Luckily, Kel came along in one the vans. We then made the rolling rest-stop truly rolling. We turned the van around and started refilling water-bottles and handing out bars and GU as we saw riders. At one point we almost got the name Team Bartenders because Kel and I were filling orders for water or sports-drink as fast as bartenders getting hundred dollar tips in a crowded room.
The best green blanket ever!
Despite all of the drama of the day, Corey returned with plenty, dinner was excellent (breakfast for dinner), and the sky was beautiful. Throw in a couple of moon pictures and the night was perfect. Just like a TV show, there was a happy ending. Team Melrose always comes through in the end.
Back to today. It seems that breakfast is our specialty. We were under the impression that Ness City would not have a kitchen for us to use, so we decided to cook breakfast and let everyone fend for themselves for dinner. Before I delve into the deliciousness of breakfast, a special thanks goes out to Wichita High School for allowing us to use the facilities!
Breakfast: Steph made some awesome southern styled potatoes. Kel cooked up three dozen eggs...some with cheese. I made some pancakes with an apple topping (for those interested in the recipe, in a skillet, cook chopped apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until apples soften and sauce thickens). Since we had extra diced apple, I decided to cook up some apple fritters. The usual cereal, coffee, oatmeal, and fruit were also available. Just as an FYI, we are learning that nutrition is very important on a journey such as this. We try to have protein options, vegetarian options, and lots of variety to meet our needs.
The riders took off around 9am with very full and hopefully satisfied bellies.
The winds were much better today, though the scenery was the same for much of the 80 miles. Amber waves of grain are everywhere. You can imagine how America the Beautiful gets stuck in one's head. Other than an occasional small town, you pretty much see cows, horses, telephone poles, and other farm related equipment. Andrew (one of the R4WH founders) and Chris from previous R4WH groups, who visited us in Telluride, told us of a game they played: "Look, there's something!" Essentially you get a point if you find something outside of town that is not related to farming, telephone poles, or animals. So far my score is zero...we still have a couple of days left in Kansas, though.
Cows and HorsesTonight we are staying in Ness City HS, home of the Eagles. We did find a home ec room after-all. However, this was after everyone found their own dinner. Oops.
I glanced through the other blogs and didn't notice an explanation of why we stay in such random places like high schools and "Indian burial grounds." Just in case anyone is wondering, well, it's free. We donate the money we would have otherwise spent on motels to Doctors without Borders. The next couple of pictures gives you an idea of the accommodations.
Our communal bedroom for the night.
Another luxury we no longer take for granted. Wireless Internet access!
Overall, it's not too shabby. The showers here are hot, we have internet, and we have plugs to set up our movie equipment. The projector for the event slide-shows doubles as a movie projector, too. Maybe a movie and a game of Taboo are in order.
Here's another aside, just figured out that my blackberry charger works for my camera! Hope to get lots of good pictures now.
We head 98 miles east to Lyons, Kansas tomorrow. Can't wait to ride. The wind cut my last couple of riding days short and there was no riding for me today. Cross your fingers that the wind and weather stay nice.
Saddle Sores
Part of riding an average of 80 miles a day are the wonderful saddle sores that develop from the repetitive motion of cycling. Thankfully, some wonderful people have created creams and lotions to bring a little comfort to these raw areas. Here's a short introduction to a few of the great products that fellow riders have introduced me to:
1. Chamois Butter- Pros: Performs consistently, not super sticky, relatively cheap. Cons: needs to be reapplied at rest stops.
2. Assos- Pros: The menthol cools veeeery niiiicely. Cons: Expensive (although many will argue that the Swiss have come up with magic in a tub that is well worth its cost).
3. Vaseline- Pros: cheap, consistent, my mother swears by this stuff! Cons: nothing
4. Desitin cream/diaper cream- Pros: Great for improving healing after rides. Cons: Having to buy the cream at the store without any other baby products and having the teenage store clerk who rings you up look questionably at you.
5. Utter butter- Pros: Also good for putting on saddle sores after rides, strong enough for cows! Cons: Kind of large tub to carry around.
If anyone has any other suggestions, please pass on that information! Our bums will gladly appreciate your help.
