deCycles Mexico to Canada 2013
Journal Entry
Date: July 12
Day22: Friday
Departure: New Leipzig, ND
Arrival: Bismarck, ND

Distance:  87-miles.  16.4-mph average.
Climate:  Overcast until just arriving in Bismarck.  84-degrees.  Early headwinds.
Overnight:  McCabe Methodist Church.....right across from the ND Capitol Building.

Last day!  Oh what a relief it can be.  But hold on.....we have 87-miles to stay focused and pedal strong.  The riders were reminded again about safety and safety and safety.  The result?  They heard but didn't listen.  There was more drama and crashes today than practically the whole trip combined.  We've hardly used any road rash kits up till now.  First to go down was Mapman Robin Houze 4-miles into today's ride.  A rider swerved in front of him and they rubbed tires.  Robin is a little sore in the ribs and a cut on his thumb.  He got back on the bike later in the day to guide the group into downtown BIsmarck.  

The next crash involved 3-riders while they were fooling around high-fiving down the road.  That didn't have to happen and one rider lost the Triple Crown by having a crash, a flat, and having to ride the SAG wagon after the crash.  That's never happened before.....especially with only 30-miles to go to the end destination.  Another crash occurred when a group was passing another slower group.  We talked about this in length just 2-days ago, but a teenager's memory is short.....really short.  Their injuries were minor, but again, none of it needed to happen, especially after all the repeat reminders.

Another repeat reminder that was completely wasted and in one ear and out the other was their absolutely decadent eating habits.  This group has probably been the worst junk food eaters on any deCycles trip.   And maybe that's why there were so many riders taking antidepressants, allergy meds, food allergies, and suffering hypoglycemia tendencies.  You should see it and it is completely obvious this adversely affects their physical performance and ability to resist infectious disease and maintain good mental and emotional balance.  Free advice wasted.

On the bright side, many riders were on Cloud 9.  They accomplished something real big when rolling into the grounds of the North Dakota Capitol Building.  That was the endpoint of the trip and we had a private celebration with bubbly apple beverage.  They went crazy.  After a congratulatory speech by Cricket, we lined up for a group photo in front of the Capitol Building.  

We are done.  Then we packed up the bikes and are headed home to Indiana.  We are looking forward to our arrival in Bloomington on Sunday and having a great homecoming reception.  See you then.

Images