deCycles Southeast America 2014
Journal Entry
Day 23 ... Sunday, July 13
Start: Louisville, KY
End: Bloomington, IN
Distance: 103-miles. Total trip distance was 1668-miles pedaled in 19-riding days and 4-rest days. This includes the mileage on Day 0.
Terrain: Rolling hills of Southern Indiana. Headwind, crosswind, slight tailwinds at end of day.
Climate: Sunny in morning. Increasing heat and humidity. Unbearably hot mid-afternoon. Rainstorm in Bedford 25-miles from home.
Last day!! The student-riders were giddy with excitement. Everyone was ready to reach the final destination. The morning circle was devoted to remembering and reminding. Key West seems like a long time ago. When stopping to think about it, wow ... we have pedaled a long way starting out in the middle of an ocean 90-miles from Cuba and here we are, in the heartland and 100-miles from home. But it's not in the bag yet. Strange things happen when losing focus and looking past the NOW. We have to get in our groove and get serious gameface because today is no free game. A century ride of 103-miles in hilly Southern Indiana just might be our toughest day on the road.
First we had to get out of Louisville. We were up at 5:30am and out the door by 7:00am. We escorted through downtown Louisville and crossed the newly opened pedestrian bridge over the Ohio River. Our first break was in Borden, 25-miles. So far so good. No wind or traffic yet. The next segment was a little tougher. Steeper hills, more traffic, and headwinds. We had lunch in Salem compliments of adult-rider Bob Costello who is on the trip with his daughter Ava. Bob is another strong adult-rider who contributed much to the success of this trip. So the deCycles enjoyed a BBQ lunch at the Miracle Pig in Salem. The owner opened his restaurant on Sunday morning as a courtesy to deCycles. Thanks so much to the Miracle Pig ... oink, oink!
The next stretch will be a challenge. It was getting really hot. And the humidity rivaled if not exceeded that of any afternoon on the entire bike trip including sultry Florida Keys and Miami Beach. Reaching Mitchell seemed to take forever and the riders were beginning to wilt. Gotta press on and stay on schedule. We were expected to reach Bloomington between 4:30-5:00pm. We had a short food break before hopping on SR37 in Mitchell. But something we hadn't planned was looming off in the distance. The western sky was starting to darken. DANG! It's a weather system and we were pedaling right into it. Getting wet was no big deal since we were all wet with sweat and and a rainstorm would be a welcome refreshment. But hopefully it won't rain on our parade in downtown Bloomington. The weather prediction varied from 50-100% chance of rain in Bloomington at the very time of our arrival at the downtown square. Now we had to make contigency plans along with an impossible distance to cover before 4:30pm. We arrived in Bedford and got under shelter just in time to avoid getting drenched in a major T-storm. Back in Bloomington, the banquet setup crew were scurrying to determine whether to move the banquet indoors. At 2:45pm, due to adverse predictions, it was decided to move the banquet indoors but to continue with the outdoor homecoming parade as planned.
The deCycles then headed home leaving Bedford on wet roads. Halfway to Bloomington, the sun popped out and the surroundings became like a huge sauna. It was blistering hot and humid. By the time all the riders rolled into Bloomington South High School, we were dripping wet and exhausted. We made it! And we were on time. The police and fire department were waiting to escort the deCycles to the downtown square to meet their families and friends. Wow, what an experience. There were tons of people in the crowd ... perhaps the largest ever for a deCycles homecoming parade. After a victory lap around the courthouse square, the riders stopped to greet their loved ones. Hugs and high fives everywhere. Lots of excitement under partly sunny skies. The parade didn't get washed out. After blocking the streets for about 15-minutes, the sirens started up again and the deCycles escort resumed to the indoor banquet facility at Unity of Bloomington church. The banquet was a food bonanza, the best we've ever seen. Fortunately everyone moved inside for the awards ceremony before the rain let loose.
The awards were plentiful. So many riders were deserving of recognition. There were 21-recipients of the Triple Crown Award (no flats, no crashes, pedaled entire distance). That's probably the most ever. There are usually less than 10 each year. Achieving the TCA is not easy and indicates a good, steady, predictable, strong, and lucky rider. The most improved rider awards went to rookies JD Night and Claudia Diaz-Gonzalez. Rookie Rider of the Year awards went to Oliver Hannel and Becca Belcher. 7-trip veteran Thomas Ruf and 4-trip veteran Emily Carrico were voted the top veteran riders for 2014. Multi-trip veterans Jared Arthur, Rachel Schaefer, Nick Perhala, and Maggie Kennedy were all former winners of these top awards. Thomas Ruf also received the Mapman Award along with 5-trip veteran Addison Elkins and adult-volunteer Christy True. The Crippled Crown for the most crashes went to rookies Ripley Russum and Luke Burks. Rookies Sam Durnil and Carmen La Bella had the most flat tires. Veteran Group Leader Jared Arthur was also recognized for leading the paceline of his daily groups for the entire distance. That's never been accomplished in the past 21-trips. And Sadie Farmer was unanimously picked for the Grease Queen of 2014. Unfortunately there were several female rookie riders who spent significant time in the SAG wagons for various reasons. The trip goal was to pedal every inch of the way. 56 of 72-riders did pedal the entire distance. Congratulations to all who acheived that goal.
Perhaps the most heartwarming part of the awards ceremony was the public marriage proposal of 6-trip deCycles veteran Colin Henry and 5-trip veteran Liza Horton. They both first met on the deCycles 2003 trip which was a carbon copy of the this 2014 route. Colin and Liza were strong and enthusiastic student-cyclists who made pedaling on the road a pleasure. They are now engaged to get married and we rejoice in their love for each other. It was great to have them announce their engagement publicly at this awards banquet. See the attached photo of Colin and Liza when they first met on the deCycles 2003 bicycle trip that started in Key West and ended in Bloomington.
Thanking everyone for their part in deCycles 2014 will be a full time job. We especially thank Unity of Bloomington church for providing an indoor location at the last minute for the awards banquet. The sanctuary was hot because of the last minute change in plans, therefore the AC was unable to catch up. Many thanks to Curt Durnil, father of rookie Sam Durnil, for providing the police escort along with the Bloomington Fire Department. It was an excellent parade into the center of downtown. Also, many thanks go to Bob Austin, Jeff Grissom, Dave & Nancy Seiling, Paul Farmer, Dan Criswell, and Christy True for showing up on Monday morning to unload the deCycles cargo trucks and put everything back in it's place. The riders will be informed in the near future of the many things left behind.
Now we rest. What's next? We go on to the next challenge. Cycling is life ... on or off the bike!
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