Some questions answered...

Here are some questions that folks have been asking that I thought would be helpful to answer.

What was the longest time we rode for in one day?

The longest time I spent on the the bike seat in one day was about 7 hours. With breaks and lunch, this amounted to about 8 hours of biking on our longest day (Big Sur).

Did we stop for food?

Yes, we had a lunch stop around mile 60 of each day. Lots of sandwiches, pasta salad, cookies, salad, and other things to keep us fueled. Other than that, we carried gels, granola bars, and anything other food item we could fit into our jerseys.

How many people did the ride?

100 QMDC rides and 11 Challenged Athletes.

How many miles did we ride in total?

The computer on my bike said 627 miles when we rolled into La Jolla.

What was the fastest we went?

I think on one of the downhills in Big Sur, I hit 48mph.

Didn't your butt hurt?

After the fourth day, I couldn't feel my butt much. But thank god for chamois butter!! It's amazing!

What was our daily ritual?

In the morning we'd wake up, and have a great breakfast. We'd get our gear on and drop off our luggage to the luggage truck (Thank you luggage angels). We would then find our bikes on the rack and get ready to ride. We would ride for the day, stopping for pictures, food, pie, lunch, and bathroom breaks. When we arrived at the hotel, we would hand our bikes to the mechanics who took amazing care of our bikes (Thank you OnSupport). We then picked up our day bag and got our hotel room keys. We signed up for a massage and grabbed some food and drinks. We ate for a while, got a massage and then went back to our rooms (which were really nice) and freshened up before dinner. At dinner, there was usually a some cocktails and a program with guest speakers. After dinner, everyone hit the sack around 10 or 11pm.

It's all over... what a ride!!

It's over. We all finished. And it was, in short, amazing!
It's taken some time for the ride to actually sink in, but I loved it and really thought it was a once in a lifetime experience. The people I met all had such great stories, the friends I made were great, and the scenic views of California were breathtaking.

So how did it feel and what does it all mean? For one, it felt great to accomplish something like this. I have never trained this hard for an athletic event nor have I taken on this type of challenge. When I first started, I could hardly take my fat butt up the hills of San Diego. But at the end of the ride, it felt so good to finish strong and hang with some of the fastest rides on the trip.

Two important things I learned on this journey. 1) Never give up. So many of these challenged athletes have had all the reasons in the world to give up. To stop trying. To stop pursuing something. But they never did. They never let anything stop them. Duane, a double-leg amputee, said one day that losing his legs was the best thing that happened to -- because of the doors it opened up.
2) Anyone is capable of doing anything. The challenged athletes on the ride are anything but challenged. They are individuals who have adapted to their situations and become stronger from it. To be honest, I had a skewed perception when we first started our training that the challenged athletes were actually "challenged". After the ride, my perception has become that they are just like you and I. It doesn't even occur to me that they are challenged in any way.
I loved the ride. I am excited to do it again, and hopefully next year I can. I really believe in CAF and that what they do helps in a tremendous way.
Thank you to all my friends and family who supported me on this ride. A special thanks to those who could come out during the ride and show support. It definitely lifted my spirits.
I hope you consider doing this ride next year. If you think you physically can't do it... you are wrong. You can and I'm sure you'll have a great time on the ride.

It's time to wrap up this portion of the journey and move on to the next one. Maybe an Ironman or half Ironman is in the picture. Maybe some crits in San Diego... but I know one thing, I can't wait to get back on my bike!