Ride to the Ocean CUT SHORT... On Saturday I started what was supposed to be my final day of the ride. I drove from the hotel to the home of Matt Starr where my bike was waiting. The goal was to leave Matts house at 6am so the Matt could ride along from mile 30 to 105. The ride would be a total of 115 miles with 5500 feet of climbing. It would be my longest day of the ride. The day was chilly but clear and I got off just a little behind schedule. Right from the start I was on the steepest climb of the ride for about 3 miles. Just before the crest I aggravated my right leg. On the last day of my backpack I strained my quad muscle (vastus medialis) the last few miles before Timberline Lodge. It had 2 days to heal and felt good but the cold, long climb was too much. I kept going and hoped it would work itself out. As I rode, I thought of the pain faced by children with cancer and the struggles that face their families. It was the day I thought the most about St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and how the importance of the donations made by my supporters and all the Dominos customers in NEPA who participated in fundraisers. I figured I could work through some pain myself. As I went on it became harder to continue and by the time I reached Matt at the 30 mile meet up point I was using just my left leg to power the strokes. I gave Matt the bad news that I could not go on. My Dad was there so he gave me a ride and Matt went by himself on part of the route we had planned. I have included a picture of my dad outside a Portland restaurant and the two of us at Timberline Lodge. I took today off and will try to finish the ride on Monday. Since I no longer have over 100 miles to the coast I am changing my route so I only have 50 miles to go. It is the shortest possible route but on a busier highway. I drove some of Hwy 26 for a preview. Towards the coast it gets narrow at spots with no shoulder and through a tunnel and over one bridge they have a system where you push a button and as you cross, warning lights flash. My dad is nervous about the road.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 23:10:37 +0000
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