Richard has been riding now for 6 days, and is over a third of the way finished. Lily and I (Rachel) are very proud of his accomplishment so far and wait each day to find out the news of the day. We have been sending him various notes of encouragement along the way - one for every stop. Lily draws him pictures and we mail them to each hotel.
Lily recently won an award for practicing the cello 75 days in a row (no small feat for me, the parent in charge of that goal...) and we put a sticker on her chart for each day finished. We decided that we should make a chart for Richard's ride also, to help him along. Lily has been choosing a sticker for each day accomplished, along with some words of encouragement, and we fax it to his destination each day. It's turned out to be something she looks forward to every day after breakfast, and seems to ease the fact that her dad is away for so long. While she is young, and doesn't really understand to the full extent what an incredible thing her daddy is doing, she is very proud of him and has been telling all her friends about his ride.
Richard and I would like to thank all of you who have been sending your own words of encouragement. I read them to Richard every night when we update the blog, and he is very touched that you have taken the time to reach him. It is something he looks forward to every day - and I believe- helps make his goal easier to achieve.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Thursday, June 14, 2007
June 14, 2007 (Day 5)
Today's ride went from Springerville, AZ to Socorro NM. Right off the bat there was a climb of a couple of thousand feet over the first 22 miles as we crossed into New Mexico. I felt I was at home, having grown up in New Mexico. It felt great! Much of the rest of the day was relatively flat, as we were riding along at about 7000 feet through Ponderosa and Pinon forest. It was really beautiful. They don't call this "The Land of Enchantment" for nothing! In the last part of the ride, we dropped down a couple of thousand feet into Socorro. Today was so much easier on my legs than yesterday, and in spite of the fact that I'd just gone 158 miles, my legs feel surprisingly fresh!
In cycling, the speed that you generate has so much to do with the amount of climbing you do and the direction of the wind. As there was not an awful lot of climbing today, and a 10 mile an hour wind was at our backs much of the time, today could prove to be one of our easiest. In fact, I averaged 20.3 miles per hour today while on the bike.
Although I was the fourth rider to arrive in Socorro today, as this is of course not a competition, I don't believe it's important that I mention my place in the pecking order in future posts. My concern when I first arrived here was that I might be one of the weaker riders and wouldn't be able to keep up. But since I trained well, I feel that I'm going to be able to continue to ride strong. Besides, Marc Pattinson continues to ride every day by himself, out front - arriving anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes ahead of any other rider. He is still the only rider among us that I would label "Elite".
I don't know about other people, but when I'm physically tired I tend to be a little more emotional. As much as I like Cleveland, when I was riding down into Socorro, I felt like I was coming home. I was thinking about the fact that my mom and dad would be there waiting for me, and about Charles. My eyes watered up a bit, but I had to get it together pretty quick, since I was going down hill fast. I had a really nice dinner and visit with my parents.
In cycling, the speed that you generate has so much to do with the amount of climbing you do and the direction of the wind. As there was not an awful lot of climbing today, and a 10 mile an hour wind was at our backs much of the time, today could prove to be one of our easiest. In fact, I averaged 20.3 miles per hour today while on the bike.
Although I was the fourth rider to arrive in Socorro today, as this is of course not a competition, I don't believe it's important that I mention my place in the pecking order in future posts. My concern when I first arrived here was that I might be one of the weaker riders and wouldn't be able to keep up. But since I trained well, I feel that I'm going to be able to continue to ride strong. Besides, Marc Pattinson continues to ride every day by himself, out front - arriving anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes ahead of any other rider. He is still the only rider among us that I would label "Elite".
I don't know about other people, but when I'm physically tired I tend to be a little more emotional. As much as I like Cleveland, when I was riding down into Socorro, I felt like I was coming home. I was thinking about the fact that my mom and dad would be there waiting for me, and about Charles. My eyes watered up a bit, but I had to get it together pretty quick, since I was going down hill fast. I had a really nice dinner and visit with my parents.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
June 13, 2007 (Day 4)
Today's ride was from Globe AZ to Springerville, AZ. Phew!!! A tough day. It was all about climbing, climbing and more climbing. We began the day at 3700 feet in elevation and climbed to 6500 feet in the first 24 miles. We then descended into Salt River Canyon. It's incredibly beautiful - sort of like a mini Grand Canyon. Of course, when you ride to the bottom of a canyon, you have to climb out! So, over the next 25 miles we went back up 3500 feet. Lunch was great today - I don't know how they do it but we had grilled cheese sandwiches! After lunch, still more climbing all the way up to 9230 feet. It was hard work, but the scenery was well worth the effort. Most of the afternoon I was riding through Ponderosa Pine forests, and even got up into the Aspens.
The pay-off today was at the end of the ride, as there was an easy, 15 mile descent into Springerville at 7000 feet. Once again I was the 3rd rider in today - which I must admit I am very proud of because I've worked very hard at my climbing. Tomorrow morning, after about 15 miles, we cross into New Mexico and ride to Socorro. I'm looking forward to the end of the ride, as my mom and dad will be there to meet me for dinner.
Some unfortunate news to report. Fred Metheny and Ed Pavelka of Roadbikerider.com were riding together yesterday when Ed's front wheel touched Fred's rear wheel and Big Ed went down. It turns out he broke his hip and will need hip replacement surgery. I had dinner with Fred this evening and he said Ed is doing just fine - but terribly disappointed that he'll miss the rest of this tour and the cycling season. We heard the news at breakfast this morning and all the riders and crew here on the Elite tour are wishing Ed a speedy recovery.
The pay-off today was at the end of the ride, as there was an easy, 15 mile descent into Springerville at 7000 feet. Once again I was the 3rd rider in today - which I must admit I am very proud of because I've worked very hard at my climbing. Tomorrow morning, after about 15 miles, we cross into New Mexico and ride to Socorro. I'm looking forward to the end of the ride, as my mom and dad will be there to meet me for dinner.
Some unfortunate news to report. Fred Metheny and Ed Pavelka of Roadbikerider.com were riding together yesterday when Ed's front wheel touched Fred's rear wheel and Big Ed went down. It turns out he broke his hip and will need hip replacement surgery. I had dinner with Fred this evening and he said Ed is doing just fine - but terribly disappointed that he'll miss the rest of this tour and the cycling season. We heard the news at breakfast this morning and all the riders and crew here on the Elite tour are wishing Ed a speedy recovery.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
June 12, 2007 (Day 3)
Today’s ride was from Gila Bend AZ to Globe AZ. The ride began with a long, steady climb from the desert floor up to the high desert, which was more scenic. The day began with the winds out of the south, but by late morning it had shifted to the west, making for more favorable conditions. Most of the middle of today’s ride was flat, but then, approaching Globe there was a long, steep climb of over 3000 feet. I rode 145 miles today in exactly 9 hours. While I was the 4th rider in today, Marc Pattinson has established himself as a truly elite rider. He arrived here 45 minutes before I did. My legs are a little sore, but so far, I believe that I’m riding at a pace I can sustain for the tour. While tomorrow is our toughest climbing day with over 11,000 feet of climbing, I’m looking forward to it because we leave the desert for awhile and will get into some pine forests.
I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it yet, but Lon and Susan, the tour directors – as well as the entire crew, are simply fantastic. Everything is so well organized and I feel well taken care of. Yesterday, Tom, one of the crew members who I has spoken to about why I was doing this ride, said to me – “Good job on the ride today Richard, your buddy would have been really proud of you.” I was very touched. Charles’ spirit is out here with me always.
I can’t believe I haven’t mentioned it yet, but Lon and Susan, the tour directors – as well as the entire crew, are simply fantastic. Everything is so well organized and I feel well taken care of. Yesterday, Tom, one of the crew members who I has spoken to about why I was doing this ride, said to me – “Good job on the ride today Richard, your buddy would have been really proud of you.” I was very touched. Charles’ spirit is out here with me always.
Monday, June 11, 2007
June 11, 2007 (Day 2)
Today we rode from El Centro California to Gila Bend, Arizona. Mileage-wise, this was the 2nd to the longest day. I should learn to never trust the weather forecast. Last night all the riders were excited because 10 to 15 mile winds from the west were forecast, but when we began riding this morning, the wind was coming from the east – blowing right against us. This made the first half of the ride pretty tough. But by mid-afternoon the wind had swung around and was blowing from the southwest, so we got a little help. Three must be my lucky number, as once again, I was the third rider into the motel today. The two riders ahead of me, Marc Pattinson from NY and Charles Breer from St Paul are very strong. I knew if I tried to keep up with them I would have made me too tired for the days ahead. The ride today was basically across the desert, mostly flat, with only two short climbs. But it was very hot. I was on the bike from 5:30 am to 5:00 pm, making for a long, hot day. After a big dinner at a local Italian restaurant, however, I’m feeling refreshed and looking forward to tomorrow’s ride to Globe, Arizona.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
June 10, 2007 (Day 1)
Yesterday I arrived in San Diego. After getting my bike put together I rode out to the Pacific Ocean from our motel. Later there was a meeting for all the riders, and then a buffet dinner with lots of pasta dishes. I got to bed early.
This morning I got up at 4:30 am. Breakfast was at 5:00 am and we all headed out together at 6:00 am. Leaving San Diego there was a long climb from sea level to Tecate Pass at 3800 feet. I was in my lowest gear a considerable amount of the time. Then there was a steep 10 mile descent down to the desert floor. The last 50 miles were relatively flat. I rode with a fellow named Mark from New York for quite a bit of the day. The route was fantastic – we rode most of the day on Old Route 80, which runs parallel to Interstate 8, much the same way Route 66 runs with Interstate 40. The shoulders were wide and the asphalt was smooth. We got into El Centro at about 2:00 pm. As it turns out, I was the 3rd rider to arrive. Weather-wise, it was an interesting day – when we left San Diego it was about 60 degrees and foggy and by the time we arrived in El Centro the temperature has risen 40 degrees!
Today I rode steadily, stayed within myself, and am looking forward to tomorrow’s 190 mile ride to Gila Bend, Arizona. The forecast is for 10 to 12 mile per hour tail winds… Oh Joy!
This morning I got up at 4:30 am. Breakfast was at 5:00 am and we all headed out together at 6:00 am. Leaving San Diego there was a long climb from sea level to Tecate Pass at 3800 feet. I was in my lowest gear a considerable amount of the time. Then there was a steep 10 mile descent down to the desert floor. The last 50 miles were relatively flat. I rode with a fellow named Mark from New York for quite a bit of the day. The route was fantastic – we rode most of the day on Old Route 80, which runs parallel to Interstate 8, much the same way Route 66 runs with Interstate 40. The shoulders were wide and the asphalt was smooth. We got into El Centro at about 2:00 pm. As it turns out, I was the 3rd rider to arrive. Weather-wise, it was an interesting day – when we left San Diego it was about 60 degrees and foggy and by the time we arrived in El Centro the temperature has risen 40 degrees!
Today I rode steadily, stayed within myself, and am looking forward to tomorrow’s 190 mile ride to Gila Bend, Arizona. The forecast is for 10 to 12 mile per hour tail winds… Oh Joy!
Friday, June 8, 2007
About My Hero
For the purpose of this post, I shall refer to the tallest mountain in North America as Denali, its original name, not Mount McKinley. It was so named by native Alaskans and means "The Great One".
In 1989, my climbing partner was making plans to go to Alaska and climb Denali. Although he had much more experience than I did in the mountains, I begged him to let me go with him and he finally agreed. He took me under his wing. He had me read several books about how to safely climb the massive peak and come home alive and well. Although I was much younger and I thought much stronger than him at the time, he was genuinely concerned for my safety and well being on the mountain.
On the route we took, the climb goes from base camp at about 7000 feet, to the 20,320 ft. summit. It took us a few days to get to our camp at 11,000 ft. We had to wait out some bad weather. There were other climbers on the mountain with us. I specifically recall a group of six Italian climbers at the 11,000 foot camp. They were obviously sponsored, as they all had matching climbing suits and gear with the sponsor's various logos sewn all over their suits. They too were considerably younger than my climbing partner. The weather broke and we began our big haul up to the 14,000 ft. camp. The group of Italians had left before us, headed to the same place. They were pretty far ahead of us up the mountain. My climbing partner must have been feeling pretty strong that day. We caught and passed the Italian group before we were even half way to the next camp. My partner was leading on the rope all that day. It was everything I could do to keep up with him. My ego never allowed me to ask him to slow his pace a bit and by the time we reached 14,000 feet, I was completely exhausted; totally spent.
A few days later we were at 17,000 feet on the mountain when a huge storm came in. It was so bad we didn't even bother with our tent and dug a large snow cave instead. We waited three days and nights in the cave for the weather to break. We had conversations like we'd never had before while in that cave and the experience brought us closer than we'd ever been. When the weather finally broke, we went to the summit in the most calm, beautiful weather that was experienced on Denali all that climbing season. My partner had to work incredibly hard that day and I know there were times when he suffered physically. But his mental toughness was something like I'd never seen before in another human being and we both made it back to our cave at 17,000 feet, safe and sound.
A few days later we were off the mountain enjoying a steak dinner at our motel in Talkeetna, Alaska. Because of my partner's meticulous preparation, attention to all the details, and incredible toughness, we had climbed the tallest mountain in North America and had done it smartly and safely. My climbing partner for that Denali climb was none other than my father, Hank Waugh. He was 63 years old at the time. The Denali park rangers told us that at that time, he was the oldest to climb the mountain without the assistance of professional guides. Before that climb, I'd been through Infantry school, Airborne school and Ranger school while I was in the Army. I'd been through the toughest imaginable basketball practices at the University of New Mexico. But it wasn't until I observed my father, my hero on Denali that I truly understood the concept of mental toughness.
My father learned of adventure and love of the outdoors from his father and wanted to pass it down to his children. In the outdoors, my mother and dad gave my sister, two brothers and I the best childhood imaginable. In the summer we were backpacking and climbing mountains in New Mexico and Colorado, and in the winter we were skiing in those same mountains. My mom and dad will both be 81 years of age on their next birthdays. They are healthy and well, living south of Albuquerque on a pretty little piece of land, with three horses. My dad still gets to the outdoors, only with his artificial knee and bum hip, its usually by horseback these days. He is a member of a group called Back Ccountry Horsemen. They sometimes go on rides just for fun, but are more often out doing maintenance work on trials in the National Forest. Its hard work, and the younger members are still amazed when they ask my hero's age and he tells them. They are completely amazed by what a tough sun-of-a gun he is. But I've known it all my life.
In 1989, my climbing partner was making plans to go to Alaska and climb Denali. Although he had much more experience than I did in the mountains, I begged him to let me go with him and he finally agreed. He took me under his wing. He had me read several books about how to safely climb the massive peak and come home alive and well. Although I was much younger and I thought much stronger than him at the time, he was genuinely concerned for my safety and well being on the mountain.
On the route we took, the climb goes from base camp at about 7000 feet, to the 20,320 ft. summit. It took us a few days to get to our camp at 11,000 ft. We had to wait out some bad weather. There were other climbers on the mountain with us. I specifically recall a group of six Italian climbers at the 11,000 foot camp. They were obviously sponsored, as they all had matching climbing suits and gear with the sponsor's various logos sewn all over their suits. They too were considerably younger than my climbing partner. The weather broke and we began our big haul up to the 14,000 ft. camp. The group of Italians had left before us, headed to the same place. They were pretty far ahead of us up the mountain. My climbing partner must have been feeling pretty strong that day. We caught and passed the Italian group before we were even half way to the next camp. My partner was leading on the rope all that day. It was everything I could do to keep up with him. My ego never allowed me to ask him to slow his pace a bit and by the time we reached 14,000 feet, I was completely exhausted; totally spent.
A few days later we were at 17,000 feet on the mountain when a huge storm came in. It was so bad we didn't even bother with our tent and dug a large snow cave instead. We waited three days and nights in the cave for the weather to break. We had conversations like we'd never had before while in that cave and the experience brought us closer than we'd ever been. When the weather finally broke, we went to the summit in the most calm, beautiful weather that was experienced on Denali all that climbing season. My partner had to work incredibly hard that day and I know there were times when he suffered physically. But his mental toughness was something like I'd never seen before in another human being and we both made it back to our cave at 17,000 feet, safe and sound.
A few days later we were off the mountain enjoying a steak dinner at our motel in Talkeetna, Alaska. Because of my partner's meticulous preparation, attention to all the details, and incredible toughness, we had climbed the tallest mountain in North America and had done it smartly and safely. My climbing partner for that Denali climb was none other than my father, Hank Waugh. He was 63 years old at the time. The Denali park rangers told us that at that time, he was the oldest to climb the mountain without the assistance of professional guides. Before that climb, I'd been through Infantry school, Airborne school and Ranger school while I was in the Army. I'd been through the toughest imaginable basketball practices at the University of New Mexico. But it wasn't until I observed my father, my hero on Denali that I truly understood the concept of mental toughness.
My father learned of adventure and love of the outdoors from his father and wanted to pass it down to his children. In the outdoors, my mother and dad gave my sister, two brothers and I the best childhood imaginable. In the summer we were backpacking and climbing mountains in New Mexico and Colorado, and in the winter we were skiing in those same mountains. My mom and dad will both be 81 years of age on their next birthdays. They are healthy and well, living south of Albuquerque on a pretty little piece of land, with three horses. My dad still gets to the outdoors, only with his artificial knee and bum hip, its usually by horseback these days. He is a member of a group called Back Ccountry Horsemen. They sometimes go on rides just for fun, but are more often out doing maintenance work on trials in the National Forest. Its hard work, and the younger members are still amazed when they ask my hero's age and he tells them. They are completely amazed by what a tough sun-of-a gun he is. But I've known it all my life.
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