The Last Two Days of McBRAAM

I flew to Atlanta last Wednesday to be reunited with my cycling husband!  Twenty six days apart is the longest we have ever gone in our marriage.  To say that I missed him would be a gross understatement, but I'm so glad that Les, Lance, and Pops had this amazing trip of a lifetime together!

It was dinner time by the time I made it to Perry, Georgia.  I made a quick stop at the hotel then met them at Rusty's in the middle of their dinner.  I spent Thursday and Friday playing SAG - Support and Gear - with Mr. SAGMan.  Here's a sampling of how the days played out:

6:00-6:30 a.m. - Up and at 'em! (this hurt, because it was 3:00 a.m. California time.) 
Breakfast time at the hotel.  Les and Lance fueled up with oatmeal, waffles, eggs, coffee, juice, milk, yogurt and fruit.  SAGMan headed to the ice machine to fill the ice chest that had accompanied them on the journey.  Water bottles were filled and the van was reloaded.

7:00 a.m - Final pre-ride check-in.
Short devotion and prayer led by SAGMan.  This was an important part of each day.  It lasted about five minutes, but each day the three of them focused on thanks for safety so far and continued safety for that day.

7:30 a.m. - Roll out!
Les and Lance would start riding.  SAGMan would drive 15-20 miles down the road to a predetermined location.  I followed in my rental car on Thursday and led the way on Friday.  We would ride and wait, ride and wait.  Surprisingly, we really didn't wait that long.  We all have Life360 on our phones - Les' phone was in the SAGWagon, Lance had his phone in his jersey and I had mine with me.  I had watched their progress from afar for 26 stages and it was cool to see them so close.  Les and Lance would get more water for their water bottles, eat a snack, take off jackets, tell us our next stop, and roll out again.

2:00 - Final check-in
When the guys had about 15 miles of riding left they would have one final check-in with Pops.  At that point Pops would head to the chosen hotel for the night (typically Days Inn or something similar.)  He would get checked in and bring in the bags they would all need for the evening/next day.

3:00-4:00 p.m. - Roll in
As soon as the guys got to the hotel they would do three things:  start re-fueling, shower, and upload their data.

5:30 p.m. - Dinner
Les was very consistent with what he ate most nights - chicken, pasta, pizza.  They stayed away from fried foods and heavy meat.  They needed a good balance of protein to recover and carbs to fuel the next day.

7:30 p.m. - Nightly Prep
Bikes were checked, tires pumped, water bottles cleaned.  Les would write his nightly blog.  Bedtime snack.

9:30-10:00 p.m. - Lights Out

They did this for 28 days.  Some days the miles were longer than others, but they rode every single day for 28 days.  Remarkably, they didn't have any mechanical issues and they didn't get rained on a single time!

Friday afternoon was so exciting.  Les and I had plans to stay on Tybee Island for a couple of nights while Lance and Pops were going to drive back to Cookeville, Tennessee.  I checked in to the Admiral's Inn, then Pops and I wandered around waiting for the triumphant entry.  I'll write a separate post about Tybee Island - it's a cool place!

Right about 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 27th, Les and Lance made their final left turn from Butler Avenue on to 16th Street.  They rode the Strand Avenue traffic circle where Pops and I had a small group waiting.  (I attracted a bit of attention standing on a bench, hollering, with two phones in my hand - one for pictures and one for video!)

Les took his shoes and socks off and walked right on to the beach and into the ocean carrying his bike!  It was such a cool moment - I am SO glad I was there!  So much happiness with these three.

After several more minutes of savoring the accomplishment we headed to the hotel.  Lance took a quick shower and Les unloaded his things from the van.  We borrowed one of Pops' suitcases to bring home with us - Les had put some supplies in the rental van in boxes and we needed a way to get things home.

The final moments before Lance and Pops drove away were so sweet.  We stood by the van and gave thanks to God for such an amazing journey.  I listened as these three men shared final words after 28 days of constant contact.  It's pretty cool when you love your family as much as these three do.

McBRAAM

There is an epic cycling race that has taken place for the past 36 years - Race Across America, otherwise known as RAAM.  It starts in Oceanside, under one of the longest piers in California, spans 3000 miles, climbs 175,000 feet, crosses 12 states and finishes at City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland.  I'm married to a cyclist who loves to ride and race but RAAM takes it to a level that he's not interested in.  Riding cross country, however, has been on his bucket list for a long time.  Which leads us to McBRAAM - The McElhaney Brothers' Bicycle Ride Across America.

Les and his older brother, Lance, will be embarking on an amazing journey this Saturday.  They will leave Southern California, with Savannah, Georgia on their minds.  Les' dad, Bill, affectionately known as Pops, will be driving the support vehicle.  The route looks something like this:

 

The two most common questions I have received:

1.  Are They Crazy??
Well, yes, a little.  Or maybe a lot.  However, this goal is not out of reach.  Les and Lance are both strong riders.  They will not be racing.  Pops will have water, fuel and tools in the van if (when) somethings goes wrong.  All three of them are very intelligent (it's actually kinda scary how smart they are) and they have spent months planning, researching, thinking, and planning some more.  The RAAM record is 7 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes.  These guys are planning on 25 days of riding across 28 days total.

2.  Are You Going With Them?
No.  Originally they had considered renting an RV and Les told me I was welcome to go along for part of the trip.  My response, "I'm not living in a rolling locker room for a month!"  This is a boys' only trip.  I am happy that they are doing this but I am happy to stay home.  I've got a to-do list that is growing and I hope to actually get it all done.  I will be flying to Atlanta during the final week to meet up with them and be in Savannah for the grand finale!

I'll be posting updates here from my perspective from time to time, but if you're interested they plan to blog daily at their own blog ~ McBRAAM. 

Cycle to the Sun 2017

Three weeks ago we flew to Hawaii.  Instead of our usual Hawaiian Airlines flight #1 to Honolulu, we flew to Maui.  It's been a while since we went to one of the other islands and had some down time.  Of course for us it's never just Rest and Relaxation, there's always some Recreation involved, too.  While I did a little bit of running, the biggie this time was for Les - Cycle to the Sun:

The legendary Cycle to the Sun is one of the most difficult bike climbs in the world.

The ride climbs 10,000 feet over 36 miles and reaches gradients up to 18%. As a comparison, the famed Mont Ventou in the Tour de France is only a 5,336 foot climb over 13.6 miles. It starts in Pa’ia at sea level and finishes up on top of the Haleakala Volcano at just above 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).

If you've ever been to Maui, you've seen ads for riding down Haleakala.  Les has ridden up Haleakala three other times but never raced it. We arrived on Wednesday and took Thursday and Friday as full on R & R.  Les got his bike ready and went for a short ride and I went for a short run, but there was a lot of relaxing involved, too.

Lanai island

We had an early start on Saturday morning to get to the race on time.  We both knew quite a few of the riders (the race is capped at 200.)

After an Hawaiian blessing, they were off!

I knew I would have plenty of time to wait, so I headed to the nearest coffee shop.  I ended up spending two hours with a lady whose husband was also in the race.  We shared stories about family and adventures.  My plan was to drive to the summit and hopefully see Les a few times along the way.

I stopped at the Visitor Center and watched Les go through.  Then I drove a few more miles to see him again.  I cheered for every rider who came by.  I was disappointed in most of the other friends and family members who were at the lookout.  They just stood there and only cheered when their rider came through.  I had fun with it, even asked "are you questioning your sanity right now?"  One rider said, "No, that was 10 miles ago!"  It's a grueling race and I know even a few words of encouragement can mean a lot. 

Riding strong enough to flash the "I love you" sign!

I was at the summit when Les came across the finish line.  The friends and family there were a lot more active - cheering for each rider.

He had been sick for about 3 weeks leading up to the race.  This is no easy ride at 100%, so I was happy to see him finish with a smile!  This was Les' fourth attempt and fourth successful finish on this ride.  His fueling was right on and Dramamine on Friday night/Saturday morning kept altitude sickness at bay.

It was a very clear day at the top.  In the distance are Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii...

Since the race I have heard Les say about a dozen times, "I want to ride Haleakala again!"

Have you ever been to Maui and tried the downhill? 
We rode it on our first visit to Maui in 1996.  I hadn't been on a bike since about 6th grade so it was pretty scary to me.  I'd love to do it again but don't plan on riding up!

Will You Go Out WIth Me?

 
Outdoor lifestyle retailer and co-op REI is once again closing its 149 stores on Black Friday for the return of its celebrated "#OptOutside" program.  Last year, REI made marketing history when it decided to suspend its retail activity, including online sales, on the most popular shopping day of the year while continuing to pay its more than 12,000 employees so they can have a day to enjoy the outdoors.

For 2016, more than 275 national and local organizations, including a handful of brands, have officially teamed with REI to back the "Opt Outside" movement.  "We really want people thinking about the Friday after Thanksgiving differently," said REI Chief Creative Officer Ben Steele.  Last year saw 1.4 million people participate and according to their website nearly 1.9 million people have already chosen to #OptOutside on Black Friday.

I wrote about this last year and I still love the idea!  I'm not a Black Friday shopper and I definitely love the outdoors!  Go to REI's website and create your own #OptOutside photo to share!

Our plan for this year is to go to beautiful Yosemite on Black Friday.  The forecast is a little sketchy - yesterday it showed snow, but that changed, so we're hopeful.  Even if we can't make it to Yosemite we will have our bikes with us (we plan to ride on Thursday before our meal) so we can ride at lower elevation if necessary.

What about you?  Will you #OptOutside?  #ShopTilYouDrop?  or a little of each?

Mountain Biking on Mt. Etna

We left the port of Civitavechia on very rough seas, but sometime during the night the sea calmed so we enjoyed our 11 a.m. arrival in the port of Messina, Sicily.

Our excursion for the first day of our cruise was Mountain Biking Mount Etna with Canoli Tasting.  This was the first excursion we chose and we were really looking forward to riding on an active volcano!  Not many brave souls joined us - a total of 13 cruisers were in our van with our guide, Sarah, and driver, Salvatore.  It was about an hour drive, and Sarah was a perfect mix of sharing information but not talking endlessly.  Salvatore was an excellent driver in spite of traffic and a very windy mountain road.  During our drive, we saw smoke on Mt. Etna and knew an eruption was taking place.

The top of Mt. Etna is an elevation of just over 10,000 feet.  We drove almost half way up and met our cycling tour at  Rifugio Ragabo at 4600 feet.

We were shown our bikes and told to give them a test ride in the parking lot.  Most of us needed a seat adjustment, but then we were ready to go.  As ready to go as we could be...

Our two guides, Una and Sergio, are mountain bike racers and they greatly overestimated our abilities.  We started riding and it was like watching a bunch of toddlers run around in a circle. As soon as the first one goes down, they all go down - like dominoes!  Nobody actually went down, but there were many false starts before we got spread out and into somewhat of a rhythm.

We quickly started climbing.  Up, up, up.  At one point everyone but our guides and Les were walking our bikes!  We regrouped and starting climbing again...

Hi Una!

When we took off again, Les made sure he was at the front to avoid the dominoes.  I tried to stay close to him and actually got in a good climbing mode.  At our next regroup, only Una, Les, and one other guy were there before me.

Unfortunately, several of the group were back to walking their bikes again so the decision was made to turn around and look for an "easier" route.  Riding downhill?  No problem, right?  Wrong!  Remember, we were on an active volcano.  While no lava was currently flowing our way, the terrain was very tough.  It started with small gravel, then we made a turn to our "easier" route and the trail was full of large rocks and roots.  I had to walk for about half a mile and could barely stay upright just walking my bike!

The remainder of the ride was full of starts and stops for me.  I am a cautious rider and try to keep space between me and the rider ahead of me.  Unfortunately, it became crystal clear that most of our group had never actually ridden a mountain bike before.  They had no awareness of those around them and would just stop in the middle of the trail, which meant whoever was behind them would have to stop because there was no way to safely ride around them.  Once again, the toddler domino effect!  We were very fortunate that no one was seriously hurt.  As far as I know, only one person actually went down but she was okay.  I will say, Una and Sergio were extremely patient with all of us. 

After 5.18 miles and a little over 800 feet of climbing, we were back to Rifugio Ragabo.   Una, Sergio, and the bike company owner, Daniello, were very open to our comments and helpful criticism.  I think the real problem was how the ride was described on the cruise website.  "Enjoy an exhilarating mountain bike ride on Mt. Etna, the highest active volcano in Europe."  Sounds fun, right?

Here's where the problem came from.  Every excursion that Les and I booked was labeled "strenuous," including this one.  All of our other tours were walking tours that included walking over "varying terrain."  One of the riders coined the phrase "cruise strenuous."  I think that's what we all were expecting, not real life strenuous!  We told Daniello they needed to look for a slightly easier route and the description needed to say something like "technical, rocky trail" so people would really know what they were getting into. This is the first time they have worked with a cruise line - most of their tours are people who are there on cycling trips.  I think most of the riders expected to be on paved roads.

Daniello, Una, and Sergio

We survived!  And we were rewarded with amazing canoli - chocolate and pistachio.

No regrets for me.  I didn't crash and it really was fun. Tough, but fun!  I hope they will be able to work the kinks out and make this a great adventure for future groups.

Do you mountain bike?  Are you a single track rider or do you prefer smoother trails?  The trail we have at home is not super technical but I would have been fine on this ride with a group of cyclists who had a little more experience.

Carbo Loading Our Way Through Italy, Greece and Turkey!

We are home from our anniversary trip.  It was amazing!  The food.  Oh, the food!  The homemade pasta, the pizza, the tomatoes and olives.  The gelato, pastries, cappuccinos and tiramisu.  And I'm still able to fit into my clothes!

The key to successful cruising is staying active!  I wore my Suunto on our excursions just out of curiosity and here's how it went:

Day 1 in Rome - walked 10.2 miles
Day 2 in Rome - walked 6.35 miles
Sicily - mountain biked 5.18 miles (this excursion will get its own post!)
Mykonos - walked 4.46 miles
Kuşadası - walked 2.73 miles
Santorini - walked 3.64 miles (we shared the footpath from the port to the town with donkeys)

700 feet of elevation gain in about a half a mile.

Athens - walked 3.91 miles
Capri - walked 3.8 miles
Final day in Rome - walked 7.39 miles - this included a stop at a local Italian bike shop!

Total 47.66 miles

This does not include any walking we did on the ship.  There were also times that I paused my watch and would forget to restart it for a few minutes.  I didn't do this to up my mileage for the year - it was more for curiosity's sake.  We always took the stairs - our stateroom was on deck 8, the Windjammer cafe was on deck 11, the Tides dining room was on deck 5, and the gangway to leave the ship was on deck 2.

Have you ever cruised?  Did you worry about weight gain?