Okay so once again I find myself apologizing to all of you out there in cyberland. I really have been trying to post more often and keep you all updated on the twists and turns that are the Connor's Army Ride Across America. But as the Scottish poet Robert Burns wrote in his poem "To A Mouse On Turning Up Her Nest With a Plow" (composed in 1785);
"But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain
For promis'd joy."
And so it has been with this past Spring Break here in the Connor household. I had truly hoped to spend this week racking up all kinds of training miles but one thing led to another and before you know it all I had was 80 measly miles to show for ten days off.
And now I find myself 68 days away from departing from San Diego to start the journey and I think to myself, "Gee, you had better start putting in some miles - and a lot of hills." For you see, the first day of our journey out of San Diego looks like this:
As you can see from the elevation chart, I'm climbing from 0ft to over 1200 feet in the first 50 miles of traveling. I certainly am going to feel like this if I don't get some climbing miles under my belt;
Yes, like I'm going nowhere fast - or in reality, probably more like this "Wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beastie";
pedaling, pedaling, pedaling and getting nowhere fast! Of course the poet Robert Burns never tells us what happened to the mouse after it was turned up - it could be a dead mouse, not to be confused with the group Deadmau5. WHAT??? You're not familiar with the work of Deadmau5. Well for your education and edification I give you "Alone With You:
Its great music to listen to as I climb the hills of Long Island on my bicycle!
And of course, now the temperature is starting to kick up and I need to take advantage. So tomorrow will see me racking up the miles again. So far this year I've managed to log in just over 1000 miles since January and my goal is to try to get in 2,000 before I leave. That basically means I have to log an average of 120 miles a week from now until the day we leave. I figure if I can manage to put in that much mileage I'll be in relatively good shape - but then again, the best laid plans, yes?
In other good news, our major sponsor Smiles for Scott has also generously offered to sponsor our jerseys for the ride. We're now in the process of getting new jerseys printed up with all of our sponsors (and of course Smiles for Scott will hold a prominent place) and we're also getting some for the kids since they'll be riding with us part of the way as well. Can't you just see it? The kids and I riding our bikes along the road in Kansas (where it's flat) all wearing our new jerseys and looking so professional! We'll be a bit shy of a peloton but we'll manage somehow!
We've also been able to finally get in contact with a cyclist from Colorado who has advised us on the route from Four Corners, AZ to Pueblo, CO. It will be hilly and hard but doable - just as long as we plan for it (ah, there's that word again).
In other news, we are going to start blogging for the Syosset Patch soon. We'll be doing a weekly update for them and there is a possibility that Northport Patch will hopefully pick it up too! That way we can share with more of the good folk of Long Island what is happening on the road. Aaaaaaannnnddd, once we actually get Skype loaded onto our Notebook, I'm hoping we can work something out with Sunrise so we can Skype to them every Friday from the road!
We're still seeking sponsors to help us underwrite the cost of gas for the trip since there is most likely no way I can do this unsupported in the time I have available so if any of you reading this would or can help us in that regard, please let us know - we could really use the help. Of course, donations to help us reach our fundraising goal would be nice too! Or, if you are a new reader to this blog show your support to the kids of Sunrise Day Camp by going to our facebook page and adding us to your likes. We're hoping to get 3700 likes (one for every mile of the journey) to show the kids they are not alone in their fight.
In further positive developments, we have recently been in contact with some good folks in San Diego who we are hoping will help us get a media event together for the kick off in San Diego and perhaps a few California folk will join us as we begin our trek! Now if we could only get the New York/Long Island media to cover us!
So, what's the plan? How do I anticipate making God laugh next? I'm going to just plug in my Deadmau5, get on my bike and ride a lot!!!! I'm hoping all you good folk out there will help me do the rest. And now, because we all need a little vintage Pink Floyd in our lives, I present to you "Bike". And if you listen closely to the lyrics, in keeping with the theme there is a homeless mouse named Gerald;
And there you have it my friends, Pink Floyd's "Bike"!
Stay well my dear friends, I WILL see you on the road , hopefully a LOT!
No comments:
Post a Comment