6/25/09 Nelsonville, Ohio
Athens was real hilly so moved down the road to flat ground in Nelsonville to tack on a couple more miles. I heard many honks from people driving down US33. I crossed US33 at a light and one guy asked me to do trick some tricks so I did a quick circle on the sidewalk. Another guy called me over. It was T-Y who was hanging out with Trevis and John. I chatted with them for awhile about the unicycle trip and then they told me a little about themselves. John recently graduated as a music major and wrote the score for a Huckleberry House commercial. I told him I knew about the great things the Huckleberry House does and thought it was great that he could help them out. T-Y is playing basketball at Columbus State. Trevis is trying to figure out how to move to Florida to be by the ocean. I asked if they wanted a picture and gave them some Mophe Racing cards. John gave me his phone number and email address if I need anyone to do any music. Take care guys!
6/25/09 Athens, Ohio
It was a beautiful evening so I decided to stop in Athens. There weren’t many Ohio U students around since it is summer break. The streets were pretty steep. A lady driving a car pulled over and the guy in the passenger seat took some pictures. A minute later he said he was taking video so I told them what I was doing for charities. He said he’d try to get his video in the Athens Online.
I caused a little issue on the street. A truck heading west through a light was stuck in the intersection waiting for cars ahead of them to go. The light changed and a car coming north honked and waved at me. The passenger in the truck flipped off the car because he thought the car was honking at them for blocking the street. A young lady at the corner asked me if they were flipping me off and I told her what really happened. She laughed.
I met Katie and Jess who asked what I was doing. When I told them I am riding 1,000 miles around the country for charities Katie said, “No way!” I said, “Way!” I guess most people think I’m helping some local business or going to some party. Once they find out what I’m really doing, they are amazed and have tons of questions.
6/25/09 Charleston, West Virginia
I just HAD to stop and get a picture of the gold topped capital building in Charleston WV! It had rained earlier and was very humid. The car read 79 degrees so I thought it was going to be better than the 90’s I felt in the Carolinas but found out how humidity can actually be worse!
I met a guy on a bike and told him about unicycling around the country. He told me about riding bike from Cincinnati to Memphis on his old Trek bike for St. Jude’s. I thought he was pulling my leg but it all sounded realistic – St. Jude is in Memphis, he said he was riding a nice bike (a Trek). Anyway, his story was as plausible as a clown unicycling around the US! His ride was for a great cause – the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospitals.
Later, I met a guy in a wheelchair and a lady that was giving him drinks from a cup. After I told him what I was doing he thanked me for stopping in Charleston!
6/24/09 Charlotte, North Carolina
I drove by Pfeiffer University but it didn’t look like there were too many people there for the summer so I backtracked to Tyvola Road to ride. There were a lot of people by the Smith International Language Academy that spoke Spanish. I’m glad I learned that “payaso” means “clown” when I was in New York City since I heard it a couple times in Charlotte and receive big smiles when I turned and waved! It was a pretty long ride up Tyvola Road and back. The freeway overpass was a bit challenging to navigate with all the traffic but we made it!
6/24/09 Columbia, South Carolina
I rode around downtown. There were seven to eight news trucks with satellite dishes parked along the street near what looked like a park. I thought there was some big event going on until I saw the ABC news building and figured they were just parked for some meeting. I guess a clown unicycling down the street is normal fair in Columbia since nobody stopped me to find out what was going on.
I did meet two very nicely dressed folks (a man and woman) who invited me up to their office to say, “Hi” to the folks working at Price Waterhouse. I’m sorry that I don’t remember their names. It was either because the names were a little bit different or more likely because I went back out into the 97 degree temperatures to ride for another 50 minutes. I’m glad I had the break from the heat while I was inside their building – though I got a chill going into the building because of the temperature difference. A lady helped me with the doors on the way out as she giggled to herself!
I rode around town for awhile and up by the University of South Carolina. I had one lady ask me if I was performing at a kids event that was going on. I said, “No. I’m just riding Uni here a 1000 miles around the United States for charities!” She said that was great! There was a man driving a jeep with his two kids that were calling for me across the street. They drove by me a little later, so I think the dad took a detour to show the kids the clown!
SIDE NOTE: I found out later what the news truck were all about. The South Carolina Governor was holding a press conference about why he was gone for a few days without telling anyone, including his security guards! He also confessed that he was with his girlfriend in the country of Argentina the whole time! It is amazing what love can make you do!
6/24/09 Florence, South Carolina
Florence was an unscheduled stop too, but essentially my first in South Carolina. The city was a bit further off the highway than I expected, but the GPS helped me find it. The first thing I saw was the McLeod Medical Center. One of the signs showed that they had everything from cancer facilities to a children’s hospital. I thought, “Hey, I should go in and cheer up a few patients. They might like to see a clown.” I waited in line for the receptionist as people watched. One lady brought in flowers for a patient ahead of me. I told the receptionist how I was traveling around the US on Uni and asked if I could see some of the patients to cheer them up. She gave me a visitor’s badge that said “3rd Floor” and pointed me toward the elevators.
A lady caught me before I could make it to the elevators and said her kids just had to see me. I told her I would see them on the way back down. She insisted and brought me up to the second floor, which was for labor and delivery. She brought me around by the arm to where you could see the newborns, but her kids weren’t there. I told her I’d see her later on the 1st floor. All along I got smiles/grins/laughs from nurses down the hallways.
Next, I went to the third floor, got off the elevator and saw that it was the Children’s Hospital. I thought to myself, “Oh No!” A doctor writing notes smirked and three nurses at the stations laughed a little. They had to call someone about my visit. After a couple minutes a head nurse and a woman dressed like she worked in an office showed up. The office lady asked me several questions about what I was doing there while she focused with piercing looks into my eyes. She was obviously trying to size me up. I told them about the trip around the United States for charities. I told them twice that I understood that I did not meet protocol and was more than willing to leave their floor. The office lady told me twice that normal protocol was for someone to make an appointment, show up in street clothes, and then change into the clown outfit there. The head nurse decided that I was okay and asked the office lady if she could give me a tour of the facilities.
The office lady was nervous but she showed me around. They recently opened this new area in the hospital for kids. They had it designed in river themes for the different sections. Next, she brought me into this HUGE playroom. It looked bigger than a high school basketball gymnasium and had all kinds of activities for the kids to play with their parents while they stayed in the hospital. I wouldn’t wish anyone to have to go to the hospital, but if they did a kid would sure like to stay at McLeod’s.
Near the end of the tour, the head nurse caught up to us and said that I could visit one patient in the critical care unit. She was a little three-year-old girl. The little girl smiled as soon as she saw me. The office lady raised the girl’s bed a little so she could see better. We chatted a little bit and she gave me a couple more smiles. I could tell that she is a very brave girl! It is this courage that I am sure will make her well! The office lady told me I could visit anytime – as long as I call ahead for an appointment with her and follow standard procedure.
I almost forgot! On the way into the elevator, I saw the lady that wanted her kids to see me. She said they were on the fourth floor. The elevator down closed and I decided to leave since I had already stretched the hospital staff enough for one day! Sorry I didn’t get to see your kids – perhaps another time!
I took a short ride following my hospital visit. Several kids coming out the hospital with their parents were excited to see me. It was pretty hot out, 93 degrees, so I didn’t ride too far, but I did have a great visit in Florence!
6/24/09 Fayetteville, North Carolina
I stopped in Fayetteville to take a short ride to stretch my legs. I started down the sidewalk and heard, “Yo! Come here!” I rode over toward the van only to see it full of kids ranging from about five to eleven-years-old and all of a sudden there were hundreds of questions all at once. I rounded the van to find an SUV parked next to it, also full of kids. They must have been from a camp or something. I did a couple spins and answered a few questions then rode off down the street. I ran out of sidewalk, so turned around the other way. The kids saw me again and went wild in the two vehicles! I hit a bump on the sidewalk, jump to the ground, and caught Uni. Some of the kids saw and said I needed to be careful. Another one told me to fall off again, so I acted like I was having troubles riding. I heard this, “Whoah, Whoah, Whoah!” coming from the van as they thought I was going to fall! I sure enjoyed them!
6/23/09 Raleigh, North Carolina
I started late (8:00pm) so there weren’t too many people still in downtown Raleigh. I got pictures of the Fallen Firefighters Memorial. I rode down to North Carolina State University and saw a few more people. A couple college girls were talking to me from a VW Beetle. It sounded like they thought I was some type of fraternity prank! I met a really nice guy peddling a pedi-cab (I think that is what you call them!). He kept asking me more questions as we stopped for each light!
ON THE ROAD
I thought this one young lady was going to hit her head on the roof of the car she was riding in, since she was bouncing up and down from being so excited to see me driving down the highway! Her guy friend that was driving was pretty excited too, smiling from ear to ear!
6/23/09 Richmond, Virginia
Whoa! What a long, steep hill up Main Street. At least I remembered to go UP first! I rode for a little while around town. There were some brick sidewalks that got pretty bumpy. I ended up at the historic Virginia State Capital. The guard there was really nice and told me where the key places were to take pictures. I first took pictures around the outside of the State Capital where I met a group of college students that converged on Richmond from around the United States to meet and discuss how to help the world. I sure hope they come up with some good answers! They got a lot of pictures with me and even streaming video.
I next took some pictures of the governor’s mansion and then rode down the path to the entrance to the State Capital. I was told by the guard earlier to ask for Lady Gwenevere at the front desk and tell her that King Arthur sent me. We all had a great laugh with that. I got to go through the museum and even got pictures of the statue of that George Washington posed for and that is life size at 6’ 2” tall!
6/23/09 Washington, DC
It took me a long time to figure out parking, but once I did Washington DC was just incredible. I got to see the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. I just love history! The Lincoln Memorial was my favorite, not just because I got to interact with so many people, but because of the power and presence of Lincoln sitting there and the words from his Gettysburg Address and inauguration etched in the walls. I also imagined what it must have looked like when Martin Luther King Jr. looked out at half-a-million people to give his “I have a dream” speech. Ooh, it gives me goose bumps!
I understand that “Payaso” means clown in Spanish now so when I heard someone say it at the Lincoln memorial I turned and waved to the father and little boy! I’ve never seen such a happier face!
I talked to the guy at the parking lot when I first parked and when I was leaving. He had a lot of questions about my journey and wished me a safe trip. Many people have wished me a safe trip, which could have so many meanings — be careful who you meet, be careful riding Uni and don’t fall and get hurt, be careful about the heat, etc. I really appreciate that so many people are interested in my wellbeing. The heat is a concern. It was forecasted to be 81 degrees today, but the car read 87 when I was leaving, so it got a bit warm. My big concern is that I still have the heat of the south and then the desert out west to deal with during the hottest time of year, summer!
6/22/09 Wilmington, Delaware
I started my ride in downtown Wilmington late in the evening. I made the mistake of riding down a huge hill again and ultimately struggled to get back up. There were these three boys with their parents that really enjoyed seeing me and receiving a Mophe Racing Picture. One that couldn’t have been more than four years old said, “You’re not real, I can see part of your nose!” It is funny what kids think is “real” at that age.
6/22/09 Baltimore, Maryland
I got a late start from Ohio (10:00am) so I didn’t arrive in Baltimore until close to 5:00pm.
It took me a little while to figure out where to park — an issue with many big cities. It was 93 degrees out so a pretty warm ride. There were large hoses (like 8” inches high) snaking down many of the sidewalks around the neighborhood where I parked, but I have no idea what they were for — maybe testing the water? There were some smaller hoses connecting the large hoses to “water” plates in the sidewalk. I had a carry Uni over a few of these hoses.
I headed to downtown Baltimore and rode around a little while until I ended up at the harbor. They have replicas of two mariner ships “parked” in the water. They also have a lot of shops and places to eat along the water. It looks like a nice place to visit! There were quite a few people and many of them I am sure were wondering why I was there. I waited around to pick someone out to film me — I’m starting to video a little “spot” in each city to show a snippet of the town and the fact that I was there. I picked this guy out that was taking a bunch of pictures with his camera. He thought it was a joke and expected something to jump out of the camera – clowns are known to do tricks! He was great at taking the video. A bunch of kids and adults started coming over to get pictures with me, which I love to do! There was a little amphitheatre there and someone said people were waiting to see if I was going to perform. I couldn’t let them down so I did a little performance with Uni — riding in circles, figure 8, and backwards. We even got some applause at the end!
ON THE ROAD
There are countless stories I can tell about driving on the highway dressed as a clown! I was driving with a couple trucks for a while in PA. I looked up and saw a boy looking down from the passenger window. I was glad to see he got some time to be with his Dad (or Mom — I couldn’t see the driver). Truckers spend so much time on the road delivering all the things we buy, so they are away from home a lot. Take care all of you and I’ll see you on the road!
I also stopped at a rest area on the far west part of Pennsylvania. On the way out of the building, a women said, “I thought I had seen you driving down the road, but I couldn’t believe it at the time!”
6/16/09 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
I decided to head back to Columbus from NYC. I needed to get gas and go to the little boy’s room so I stopped in Bethlehem PA, home of Bethlehem Steel. I rode Uni a little distance through town. I was surprised when a school bus stopped right in front of me and let out the children since schools have closed for the summer in Columbus already. I got a lot of high fives there!
I rode past the Boys & Girls Club and there was one guy trying to hold in a mob of kids that wanted to see me. A couple of the kids asked me to cross the street and come in. The guy shook his head slightly like that was a bad idea. I told them I would ride down to the light and back, but they had all left the doors by time I got back. Sorry I missed you!
Later I was talking to a couple boys, a girl, and a mother. They asked a lot about what I was doing. It takes a while for people to understand that I am driving to the 48-states and then doing the riding. I guess most folks don’t realize that it is roughly 3,000 miles across the United States, which is well beyond my 1,000 mile goal!
I saw a couple kids in a window of an apartment above a store. I asked if they wanted a picture. They called
their mother who reached down for the Mophe racing pictures.
The hardest part about riding in Bethlehem was the fact that the sidewalks have drains cut out of them from the houses, so they are very bumpy!
SIDE NOTE:
I just realized with doing all these updates all at once that some people may not realize that I’m talking about them because I don’t use labels like Indian, Asian, Chinese, African-American, Japanese, Hispanic, etc. I understand that everyone is different. They are made of all different colors, shapes, and sizes. They speak different languages, they eat different foods, and they celebrate different holidays.
But it doesn’t matter to me. They are all the same. They breathe, they eat, and they sleep. They hurt, they worry, and if cut they bleed. And most of all they love, they hope, and they dream!
6/16/09 Times Square, New York City, New York
It took me a long time to drive into NYC but it was worth it. Time Square was unbelievable and I imagined myself being there for New Years Eve just like I’ve seen on TV. New York is just like the entire world all on one small island. I heard people speaking so many different languages. One called me “payaso” and I had to look up later that that is “clown” in Spanish. I realized that I should learn the world for clown in many different languages in case someone calls for me.
The people I saw were much more reserved than the other cities I have visited. I did receive many head nods but not too many waves or smiles. I guess they are just over sensitized from all the media they are bombarded with everyday.
My unicycling came to an end when a New York police officer told me I couldn’t ride on the sidewalk. He told me to ride in the street. I thought he was crazy – a clown riding a unicycle on the streets in New York. I was sure to get killed. We bantered a bit about the rule being for bikes vs. unicycles. Of course, I followed the rules and walked Uni back the few blocks to where I parked the car.
The funniest thing happened next. I followed the GPS to the Lincoln tunnel only to find the ramp closed —blocked off by cones. I followed street signs to the tunnel for cars turning left, and left again onto a street where 15-20 construction workers were taking a break. They noticed the clown and yelled out to me. Well, I was supposed to make a left on I believe 10th avenue and then an immediate right, but I missed it. I ended up going back around again. The construction workers were yelling, “Hey, it’s that same clown again!” Anyway, I made the quick right this time but made a mistake somewhere and it brought me back to the coned off area of the Lincoln tunnel. I thought to myself, “I can’t drive through the construction workers again!”, so I decided to make a right instead of left at the light like last time. Taking three quick rights brought me right into the tunnel – it was so easy after I did it. The bad part of this whole tunnel finding mission was listening to the GPS saying, “recalculating” and trying to make me head back to the closed ramp! Uuuuggghhhh!
6/16/09 Piscataway, New Jersey
Since I stayed in Piscataway, I decided to take a little ride in the morning to show my appreciation. The landscaping guys looked at me like I was crazy, but still smiled and waved. I kept running out of sidewalk so I stop after a short ride.
6/15/09 RAINED OUT
Well, I wasn’t going to give up on Time Square due to a wobbly wheel so I decided to drive on to New York City. As I got closer, traffic really slowed and it started to rain. It took a very long time to even get close NYC. I decided to drive to Jersey instead to spend the night and try NYC again in the morning.
6/15/09 Stamford, Connecticut
I drove directly to the Cycle Center in Stamford for assistance. The service guy there took a look and said, “the bushings are shot” and that it would be at least a day before he could get parts to fix it. My schedule was in jeopardy, so I decided I’d go to New York and then head back to Columbus to fix Uni and to catch up on my journal while I took a little break.
I was really amazed. I always pictured Stamford as a city of towers like Boston and NYC only to find a town very similar to one out in the mid-west. It was very homey and seemed like a very nice place to live!
Since I was already in Stamford, I decided to take a little ride around town. I met some really nice folks coming out of Rite Aid where I parked in the back lot. Later, the guy I met earlier came running around the corner with his niece and nephew so they could meet me! It is just amazing how excited people get to see me. I guess if I really thought about it I would have loved to have met a “once in a life time” clown unicycling around the United States when I was a kid too.
6/15/09 Providence, Rhode Island
Rhode Island seemed like one big city when I entered from the north through Pawtucket and then drove into Providence. I ended up 0 for 3 on finding a bike shop to fix Uni’s wobbly tire. The Hub is closed on Mondays, another one was vacant, and I couldn’t find the address in the GPS for the 3rd. I called in reinforcements and the guys at Gift Card Donor called ahead to Samford for me.
I rode (wobbled) around downtown Providence for a little while. Most people enjoyed seeing me though like always I get a lot of difference reactions.
6/14/09 Boston, Massachusetts
I have been randomly choosing places to stop in cities as I get off the highway. This time I got lucky and landed on Massachusetts Avenue and found a meter spot immediately. Plus, it was Sunday so I didn’t have to pay the meter!
I rode for 4.5 miles down Mass Ave and everyone loved seeing the clown unicycling. I really enjoyed looking into and waving to people in cafés, restaurants, and bars. I love to see that quick transformation to a smile!
I saw a college-aged girl leaning on the rail in the middle of the bridge looking out at the sunset. She looked a bit forlorn, like she missed home, and I asked if I brightened her day and she nodded yes. Next there was a guy outside bar joking with me about not being allowed to ride on the sidewalk. We had a good time!
On the way back, I met a young lady here from England on work-study for the summer. She was walking across a bridge with her new friends. Later, I met two other young ladies that asked a lot of questions about what I was doing and where I was going. I told them all about the 1000 miles across the United States and they thought that was wonderful! I told them they would be in my journal. Idea: I really need to bring along something to record people’s names!
It was shortly after that Uni’s wheel started to wobble a lot. I wasn’t sure what I did or how to fix it. I just needed to get back to the car. I drove to my hotel in Danvers across a labyrinth of roads, bridges, and tunnels. One time the GPS showed three separate colors going the same way since I was on the top part of a two-tiered bridge. I’m glad GPS could keep it straight!
6/14/09 Kittery Point, Maine
My first ride in the rain! Okay, it was just sprinkling, but that still made it challenging. I drove into Kittery Point and wasn’t sure where to stop to ride – a bit hilly and not too many sidewalks. I got all the way up to McClary’s Fort and stopped to take a look at the harbor with all the boats. I then backtracked a little until I found a place to park.
The ride wasn’t too bad, though my feet slipped off the wet pedals a couple times. No big falls though, so that is good!
My new friends at Irving’s gas station were really nice. It looked like a family run business with a teenage boy that was really curious about what I was doing and his parents. I had actually just stopped to put some air in Uni’s tire and went inside to get change for a dollar. It was nice chatting with them.
The cool regular rain reminded me of England. That must one of the reasons why they call the northeast “New England”.
6/14/09 Peterborough, New Hampshire
I consider Peterborough to be one of the kindest places in the US – at least to clowns! Uni’s tire had worn down to the threads during the Parade the Circle. Dave at Eastern Mountain Sports replaced my tire and fixed my odometer so it now works properly! Thanks again Dave!
I rode a few miles around Peterborough. The amazing thing was a sign a saw just before I returned to my car. It pointed to “All Saints’ parking” across the way and had “The Serendipity Shop” as well! It was definitely serendipity that I ended up in Peterborough.
ON THE ROAD TO PETERBOROUGH
I was planning to go to Manchester and had a bike shop in mind to fix Uni’s tire. When I called, they said they were too busy. It was just after I hung up that I saw the sign to switch highways to go to Peterborough – my second option. I stopped in a parking lot to change the GPS address. There were two couples taking a break from riding motorcycles there as well. They got a couple of pictures with me and the girls.
6/14/09 Bennington, Vermont
I was amazed to see so many kayaks on top of vehicles in Vermont. I’ve always thought of Vermont as a great place for snow skiing but I never realize they have great rivers for kayaking! I got my car washed from a group that was raising money for a Relay for Life. It was great to get all the bugs off the front window!
I rode Uni around town and visited my new friends at a 2nd car wash! I think they were raising money for a wrestling team. Two girls were asking me to do tricks. After they showed me how, I did a double cartwheel and then a toe-touch. They enjoyed that and wanted me to do more.
Bennington has 15-20 moose statues around town — many are painted a different colors and patterns. Cool! I also saw “Moose Crossing” and “Snowmobile Crossing” signs on the highway. You don’t see that back in Ohio!
6/13/09 Niagara Falls, New York
You have got to go see Niagara Falls at least once in your life time. The incredible power of millions of gallons of water rushing over the falls is awe inspiring! The parking attendant just had to get my picture so I came back to her booth riding Uni after I parked.
There were a lot of people on Goat Island to see the falls. Many parents asked for pictures of me with their kids and some adults wanted picture with their friends. I accepted all the requests. I rode the bridge over the river to see the falls up close — it was unbelievable!
6/13/09 Buffalo, New York
It was pretty quiet in Buffalo. I must have arrived too early or too late. I had some fun with the people waiting in line for the baseball game. There was a big guy in a leather jacket from Chicago that asked me for directions. I said I wasn’t from Buffalo either. I decided to make a detour to Niagara Falls!
6/13/09 Cleveland, OH — Parade the Circle
Wow — what an awesome experience! The costumes the kids made for the parade during the Cleveland Museum of Arts workshops were incredible. There were red fire birds, robots and space ships, huge 7-8 foot peez dispensers, people on stilts, people playing instruments, and so much more! I had a blast with everyone while they waited for the parade to start. I did knock-knock jokes with some of the kids. I tried to do the “learning to ride Uni” routine but lost a bunch of my racing pictures during a tight spin. The boys dressed as firebirds asked me to race down to the end of the garage and back. They all circled around and asked for autographs when I asked if they wanted Mophe racing pictures.
The parade was a bit difficult. I was sandwiched between two units which most of the time gave me about 2-feet of room to cycle in. I started to circle around 1-2 positions back and forward so we didn’t all collide! Anyway, the crowd really enjoyed us.
Fan: While I was riding through the New England states, Javier (a boy that was in the parade with me) called Gift Card Donor and asked where I was and how I was doing! Hi Javier, I’m doing great now that Uni is fixed!
6/6/09 Westerville, OH — Tour de Cure
It was just the most beautiful sunny day and 79 degrees. I arrived late 11:35am and the last “tour” — the 12 mile Family Fun Run — had already started at 11:30am. I tried to sprint as fast as I could go to catch up. After a few blocks I realized that I was never going to catch up to anyone riding their bike, so I decided to enjoy waving to the folks driving by – just like one of my previous city rides. It was nice riding on the bike path most of the way instead of sidewalks!
I did run into a few other riders that weren’t in the tour. A couple asked if I was doing the race and I said, “Yes.” A gentleman driving his card with his two kids in the backseat stopped me to invite me to ride in a 4-mile charity race on Labor Day.
I sprinted up a long hill on County Line Road and I saw a bike rider up by the light at State Street. I knew she was part of the Diabetes Association Tour de Cure since she had a number on her back. I think it was 473. I talked to her for a couple minutes while I ate a half a granola bar and drank some water. I was getting ready to say goodbye and I started to get woozy. I stood there and starting to get ringing in my ears, so I knew I was getting to a low-blood sugar moment so I told her I was going to sit down. I sat down and ate and drank some more. After a few minutes I started to feel better and got back on Uni to continue the ride.
I didn’t make it more than I couple blocks and I ran into the biker again. She wasn’t making much ground. She was really tired so I decided to walk with her to make sure she was okay. She didn’t have any water so I asked someone in the neighborhood who was kind enough to go in his house for a bottle of water. He even apologized that it wasn’t cold. I did discover that she was riding in high gear and I think that is why she was so tired. I showed her how to use lower gears on the bike, but she still wanted to walk. I offered her a granola bar but she wouldn’t accept. When we got on Spring Street there were a lot of people honking and waving at me. She said she felt like she was with a celebrity. We ended up skipping the last loop of the course and cut across the grass to the High School. I thought it was okay for a medical emergency. She did make it back though!
I was a little disappointed because I didn’t get to ride Uni for the 3.5 miles that we walked, but I will not leave someone behind! I drank a bottle of water and then decided to make that last loop that we skipped. I just measured the miles I rode and they come to 7.0, so I am one-half mile short of 100 miles!
Originally, I was a little perturbed at the folks running the event because the rider I helped didn’t have water. However, after I finished the tour I overheard someone say there were still 30-40 riders 50- iles out. This was at around 2:30pm when the race was to finish at 3:00pm. What I realize is that these riders and the young lady I assisted were in error. Many people (and even clowns) overextended themselves in these races. She didn’t have her cell phone and she didn’t bring water, though she thought from event materials that water would be available along the way. I was told that was for the longer routes. She also told me that she had rode a couple miles in her neighborhood so she thought this would take about an hour.
Tip: My suggestion to riders is to work up to riding at least 80% of the miles you expect to do in a race like this before you participate. For example, the young lady should work up to 8 miles in her neighborhood before her next attempt at the 10 mile family fun run. Be sure to ride small loops near your home so you can stop at any time!
