June 6 – By Stephen French

Knowing that we were going to leave a little later this morning I made a personal decision to sleep in a little and set my alarm for 6am. Today’s blessing came in the form of a reprieve from the usual nightly train whistles every two hours most probably due to the fact that it was Sunday. With the absence of a local eatery, most folks broke out the campstoves and made coffee and oatmeal, while someone making a peanut butter and honey sandwich made my mouth water! A real treat was that close to fifteen bicyclists came out to the campsite to accompany us for the ride in to Blacksburg where we”ll enjoy our first day off! Blacksburg is significant because it’s the town where Don Fraser, the founder of our organization lives and works so you can imagine the reception that will ensue! Our morning ride began with some nice small steep climbs as the billowy white clouds provided just the right cover from the sun so cooler weather prevailed. Midway on our 45 mile ride we stopped at a service station to meet up with even more enthusiastic folks from Blacksburg, some who rode along and some who just came out to celebrate our arrival. As I stood around eating bananas and replenishing my energy and water, my rear tire went flat just standing still amidst the crowd. This tire of mine has been a long running joke as this is now the sixth flat I’ve had. The wheel seems to be the culprit and I’ve called ahead to the Bike Barn in Blacksburg to order a replacement in hopes that the many flat tires and broken spokes will be a thing of the past and I can spend my post-ride time NOT doing bike repair. The group was ready to leave for the last leg into town and I waved them on telling them not to wait for me to fix my cursed tire. Most of the last half of the ride included beautiful lush green rolling hills of farmland with homes situated in picturesque fashion atop the hills with cattle and horses enjoying themselves as if in the wild. A quick dart to the left to avoid a large black snake crossing the road and a brief introduction to a doe as I was slowly climbing a hill and came upon her having a snack. She looked up as I said “hello”and then showed me her hind quarters as she fled into the tall grass on the opposite side of the road. The sun shone brightly and made an appearance during the final steep ascent into Blacksburg where we all met for a group ride through town. We were met with cheering crowds, balloons, and a feast of great food and friendly faces at the Farmers Market Pavillion. I met so many supporters and advocates of the MS fundraising efforts in addition to a really huge helping of that fantastic Virginia hospitality. As the skies opened up with the occasional downpour, as it happens in these parts, we all retreated to The Cafe at Champs were we quenched our thirst and celebrated a successful week of spreading awareness about MS. Don Fraser, Matt Brinkman, & Mason Cavell opened their homes as respite for the masses as we all looked forward to a hot shower, a good meal, and being able to sleep in tomorrow morning. Signing up for this event many months ago, I never imagined in my wildest dreams what a responsibility I would be undertaking, nor the amazing receptions that I would be a part of as an ambassador for this grassroots movement begun by one man (Don Fraser) with an idea to impact the level of care for his mother who had been stricken with a debilitating disease. Love is ever present here.

June 7th ( Free Day ) - Rosanne Jones

When we woke up to the smell of coffee brewing this morning, I knew it was going to be a good day. And for anyone who knows me well; not only was there coffee, but also an endless amount of honey and soy milk available to make the best coffee in town. We bumbled around our host’s house, sipping our coffee in peace before we lazily hoped on our bikes for a stroll into Blacksburg. As we were coasting along the rolling hills in the early morning sun, I dropped to the back of the group, and with a grin on my face, I thought to myself– Life just does not get better than this.

Many of us dropped off our bikes at the Bike Barn where the mechanics were gracious enough to perform free and much-needed repairs to our bikes. We strolled on down to a restaurant, Gillie’s, which is famous for its breakfast food. I ordered banana, walnut french-toast, and a large glass of milk. I find it quite hilarious during meal times on our trip. In lieu of some good ol’ chatter during meal time, we have our heads bowed down, fingers tensed, eyes focused, and mouths mechanically chomping at a dangerous pace. The waiter even commented on how quiet our group was; I chuckled to myself.

On a side note, I am by far not alone when I say that our Blacksburg hosts, Leanna and Mason, are incredibly warm individuals. I cannot thank them enough for opening their home to us. I am looking forward to another good night of rest, and another morning of delightful coffee, before a long day of riding tomorrow– 75 miles.

June 3 - Rosanne Jones

Fortunately, and let me emphasize my delight, we were awoken to the “chirping” of a train that for some unknown reason had to announce its presence to a sleepy town of only 424 people, Mineral VA. We were camping outside a fire station; they had shown us southern hospitality. As we set off in the morning, the fog was still lingering, we bid good-bye to the town, and its people (who were just beginning to stir); I thought to myself, “How lucky am I to have experienced the charms of this sweet community, which probably does not even have its name on a map.

We were all a bit stiff from the day before ( due to a wrong turn…many of us had biked approximately 90 miles), but as the sun sneaked out from behind the clouds, our muscles began to loosen and our legs began to find their rhythm. Our goal or destination for the day would be to reach Charlottesville, VA, the home of the fighting cavaliers. Thankfully, our mileage for the day would be around 65 miles; and we needed this shorter day because tomorrow’s ride will be full of hard climbs that may at times seem un-ending. After a two stops to rest, eat and load up on water, we finally chugged into Charlottesville and even passed the Thomas Jefferson famous Monticello. We knew we were near our destination when the hills began to increase drastically in elevation. There are two Charlottesville natives on our teams, Caleb and Ben– the King brothers, and they knew the hot-spot to chow-down. We had delicious bagel-sandwiches from Bodo’s Bagels (apparently this store ships in there water from the Big Apple–NYC).

After fueling our tanks, we toured UVA on our bikes and then set off for the James Q. Miller clinic. This is the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) clinic that much of the funds we raised from our wonderful sponsors will be donated to support the salary of a physician’s assistant. While we were riding into the parking lot of this clinic, my heart warmed and even melted, as some of the patients and staff were lined up with ballons, cheering us on. We migrated inside in the nick of time, alas, a huge thunderstorm was preparing to let its voice be heard. My highlight of our tour of this clinic was hearing the personal testimony of a MS patient at this clinic. I cannot recall her name, but her face still lingers in my mind as I type her words. I hope I can do justice to her speech. She began by telling us how envious she was of our position: embracing our freedom, willing to tackle the challenge and more than anything, being physically-gifted to be able to pedal 4,000 miles. She told us that before 2002, when she was diagnosed with MS, she would have liked to embark on a trip like ours, except she would not have a cause to support. The MS cause would have never crossed her mind. But, all changed in 2002. Her life and her family’s life has been emotionally affected by this unpredictable and at times debilitating disease. I began to feel the “warm fuzzies” when she spoke about the MS clinic and how it has changed her life. This woman and her husband had been living in northern VA when she received the news, and not long after, they decided to move to Charlottesville for the sole purpose of being close to the James Q. Miller clinic. We learned that this clinic is the only MS specific clinic in the state of Virginia and West Virginian that has the ability to provide a wide-spectrum of care: physicians, physician’s assistants, nurses, physical therapists, social workers and other health care providers are all working together to provide the MS patients the best care at hand. She seemed to light up when talking about this clinic, and her warmth was contagious, because I felt her fire. I felt a renewed sense of motivation to continue cycling day after day after day, because I knew that if our funds only were able to impact one person’s life, like this sweet woman, that would be enough. That would be enough to inspire me for the rest of the summer. With that said, I would like to send a huge thank you to all of our sponsors.

I am sitting now in a cozy, chair, typing away in the warmth of a kitchen. The King family our being our hosts for the evening and they are quite the hosts; we were welcomed to a beautiful home with a feast for dinner. I hope we rest up well tonight. We have a long day of climbing tomorrow!

How the tour works - Dale Johnson

We hope from time to time to provide insight into how the Bike The US For MS tour works. One of the big keys to the tour is the trailer that is the nerve center of the entire operation. Inside the trailer each rider has cubby that is 30″ x 16″ x 16″. Not a lot of space for all the equipment each rider needs to keep them going for 60 days. The cubby contains your tent, sleeping bag and pad, bike clothes, regular clothes, and your supply of food. The organizers are still trying to perfect a mechanism so that much of your equipment doesn’t end up on the floor each time the vehicle hits a major bump. The trailer also has a stereo system which allows music delivered through an Ipod. The electrical system has some really cool features. You can recharge all your electronic devices on a regular basis and it also has a WiFi hotspot. The trailer has really become our home away from home.

2010 Underway

Time to dust off the literary cobwebs and once again deliver our accounts from the field to the cyber-masses. We took off from Yorktown yesterday with the customary tire dip and an impressive crowd of friends and family to see us off and snap several thousand photos. It will be fun to compare the looks on our faces to pictures taken now to those taken at the Pacific. The first day by most measures was a huge success- nobody was lost for more than a few miles, no bikes or riders suffered serious injury, and everybody had a great time. The friendly folks at Willis Methodist Church put us up for the evening and the group had a relaxing evening to mingle and cook their noodles.

There is one problem with this year's group however: they are already too good at this. Most people were packed up and ready to roll around 7am, and each is really very well prepared to ride their bikes for long distances. There in lies the issue for the route leaders, who must double down on daily planning and preparation just to keep up. Of course this is a good thing and we hope to keep it up. Staying at the fire house in Mineral, VA tonight and feasting on pizza and ice cream. Stay tuned for more updates!

2010

In four months the 2010 team will begin the epic journey west on the TransAmerica Trail. They will spend 60 days on the back roads of America, experiencing towns that interstates left behind. For these cyclists, looking at a map of the United States will never be the same. They will face rain, mountains, coal trucks, dogs, hot, cold, wind and countless other obstacles. Concepts of distance will be challenged and the sense of accomplishment will be heightened.

If you don't have all summer to ride your bike, the next best thing is watching this video compiled by 2010 route leader, Bret Taylor. Bret had visions of creating a slide show that offered cyclists the opportunity to experience the beauty of the TransAmerica Trail without actually getting on a bike. Past & future TransAmer's have caught on, and Bret's video is perhaps the best way to get an idea of what the TransAm offers before actually taking the trip.

Yorktown, VA to San Francisco, CA

Summer 2010 is not far away & plans are in the works for one team of twenty-five to ride from Yorktown, Virginia to San Francisco, California. Beginning June 1st this group will ride the TransAmerica trail for about 2k miles, then jump on the Western Express to San Francisco.

Check out the website application to secure your spot in 2010. Looking forward to seeing you on the road!

Donald Fraser
Alumni : 2007, 2009

the end stretch!!

This trip has been going so fast!!! It is already day 57 and we have less than 2 weeks to go! We've been getting treated so well recently; a few days ago we stayed at a bowling alley that was owned by a friend of Leanna's, and they shut down the entire place to everyone but us. It was awesome! We got unlimited beer on tap and could bowl as many games as we wanted; we had probably half the lanes going at once and everyone was bowling 2 or 3 different games. It was fun! We all slept on the floor, in between lanes and everything. And when we arrived in Missoula, MT we found out that some woman who was following us on Twitter liked our cause and bought 3 hotel rooms for us for the night! It was a treat, we got to eat pizza, watch bad movies on tv and live it up. AC and soft beds have become such a novelty, especially since we live outside round the clock now.

Missoula is HUGE, especially in comparison to all the other little towns we've been in where there is only one street and its called Main. Any population over a couple hundred is now a booming metropolis! Missoula is also home to the Adventure Cycling Association headquarters (they make the trail that we are on now and print the maps and are pretty awesome), and so we stopped by to say hi. It was so cool! They have pictures and stories of other people who have embarked on crazy biking journeys, and even some of the bikes that they rode! It was neat to see the evolution of the group and of the riders over time. Some things are totally different (like the gear of the riders and the kinds of bikes they ride) and other things never change (like the mosquitos in Wyoming and the nice people in Kansas). It really makes me feel connected to the biking community, and part of something greater. I am part of living history! It was so exciting.

We are currently in Idaho, and it is absolutely stunning. We have been roughly following Lewis and Clark's trail through this part of the country, which is super cool. We even visited the only known site that they camped at. It's crazy to think that we are seeing pretty much exactly what they saw 200 years ago! And what they saw was SO beautiful. The road is very scenic; we have been following the rivers that cut through the huge rocky land. They are incredibly clear at times, so that you can see the colored rocks at the bottoms, and swift and powerful at other times, the water foaming white over the jagged rocks. Sometimes when it is super hot outside, I find a good spot and get off my bike and jump in! The cool water is a refreshing break.

Today was one of the most rewarding and beautiful days we have had in a while. We had been climbing for probably 20 miles, and the road just kept going up and up and up, painfully gradual and hot, and when we finally reached the top (you always know it because you start to see warnings for 7% grades and signs reminding trucks to check their brakes; I love those signs!) the rocky walls open up to the most indescribably fantastic view of all of Idaho I've ever seen! You could see the textured terrain for miles and miles. I zoomed down the mountain, 45 miles an hour, my head turning every which way to try to take in as much of the world as I could. I live for those downhills; they never fail to leave me in awe of the immense beauty that the world has to offer.

The count right now I think is 5 flats, 3 tubes, one broken pedal (I had to pedal with one foot for three days so dont be surprised if next time you see me one of my legs is bigger than the other!) and one very sore tushy. And 300 milkshakes! (The best ones are the Huckleberry ones; if you ever come across one I highly suggest you don't pass up the opportunity for a taste sensation that will rock your tongue.) We have crossed the continental divide 7 times, and also have crossed all the time zones (we crossed back into mountain time for a few days but will be crossing back again tomorrow I think). We have ridden across Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho. We've battled the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Great Plains, and the Rockies (the Cascades to come!). We've biked through rain, hail, thunderstorms, and heat waves of over a hundred degrees. We have about 8 or 9 days left in the trip, and will be in Oregon tomorrow! I have such mixed feelings about the trip ending. I am so proud to have taken on this adventure, and so sad to see it end (and nervous to have to go back to "real life" and responsibility!) but also so excited for everything ahead in store for me!

Becca

130 miles!?

Yesterday was a record-breaking day; almost 130 miles!!!!!!!!!! I had to tell you about it. We had the most awesome 16 mile an hour tailwind- we woke up and all the flags were ready to rip off their poles and fly straight to Oregon! And since Kansas is flat flat flat, we raced through 60 miles in about 3 hours! At one point we hit 28 or 29 miles an hour- thats HUGE. I swear, if I had stopped biking, the wind would have pushed my body like a sail forwards anyway. When we got to our final destination, we HAD to keep going forward to take advantage of the awesome wind, so we busted through another entire day's worth of miles! Everyone was pumped. It was an eventful day too; we passed into Mountain Time (gained an hour), crossed the border into Colorado, and moved into a totally different geographic region. Not to mention going over 200 miles in 2 days. Kansas has been great for eating miles; we did the entire state in about 5 or 6 days, which is 3 days faster than scheduled! 

Colorado looks so different from Kansas. Kansas is like riding through a snow globe. The sky curves around the pancake land in every direction, and all you can see is the soft tipped wheat and mesmerizing rows of corn for miles on either side, and straight road lined by electric poles shooting forward until it drops off into nothingness. In Colorado, however, there are very few wheat farms. Rather, it seems as soon as we passed the state border we entered into desertland. Luscious prairies and seas of grain were replaced by clumps of bushes and prickly pear cacti. The road started bunching together, winding up and down and around as if it were impatient of being stretched straight by commercial farming. It got so that instead of the constant straight lines, you would be able to climb to the top of hills and see the road snake in front of you for miles. You could point to a grainery or water tower in the next town up, and not get to it for 10 miles! To put it into perspective, on a bike that's watching the town you haven't reached yet for the better part of an hour! It's pretty cool.

Today was pretty leisurely; we rolled out of bed and onto the road for an easy 60 miles to Ordway, CO. The weather was nice; dry, not to breezy or hot, with a fantastic sky. Often looking up in the mornings I feel like I am at the four corners of emotions. Its amazing how many different feelings the clouds can express. The sky may hold angry purple clouds, pensive grey expanse, dreamy feathery whisps, and brilliant oasises of bright blue, all in the same morning. I just regret my camera cannot capture them all at once. The road quality wasn't great, but it was quiet and we took our time, which I appreciated. Blazing through the day at lightning speed is exciting because you feel accomplished, but for the most part I would much prefer to be present for the miles I bike through, so it was nice to lay back and notice the scenery again. The road followed the train tracks pretty much the whole way. We passed an abandoned train sitting on the tracks, and it was at least 10 miles long! Leanna and I stopped and crawled into it and explored. We climbed to the top of the ladder on the side and waved at traffic. We felt like we were on top of the world! It was fun. Tomorrow we head into Pueblo, the biggest town on the route so far! We're gonna celebrate the 4th with the town's festivities, and everyone is pretty excited about it.

Happy 4th of July everybody!

Becca

Where are all the mountains?

Seriously, Colorado, is this all you've got? Rocky Mountain State my arse! I've seen nothing but barren plains, sagebrush, and lone antelope for 2 days since posing for photographs under the "Colorful Colorado" state sign. At this rate I won't even have to change gears before we get to the Pacific. Those pioneers must have been pathetic pansies if they complained about this place. The next time somebody from out west scoffs at the use of the word "mountain" for the Appalachians, they will be met with a spirited challenge. Some of the Appalachians were so steep I felt like I'd adapted the moonwalk to the bicycle- seemingly pedaling forward while actually going backwards. We climbed practically 4,000 ft in Kansas and hardly noticed, but that's probably because we were too busy being showered with lavish hospitality by the good folks of Kansas. Even in the midst of the madness caused by the wheat harvest, they found the time to come talk to strangers and offer well wishes and anonymous donations. By the way, the next time you buy 'golden grains' bread and the bag has scenes of a golden windswept ocean of wheat, believe it. It is very golden and very awe inspiring, and these people work hard to get that wheat in your belly. *Stash Update: Dustin's moustache is approaching Civil War General status and Don's is solid but will take some getting used to, and Kevin's gets the most improved award. Others are considering facial hair novelties and by the time we get to Oregon we will all look ridiculous.* I have also matched the 2007 record for most consecutive days without a proper shower at 7, and to be honest I have no intentions of stopping anytime soon. Its not like we get sweaty when we ride 130 MILES in ONE DAY. Congrats to the group for that feather in the cap- 2nd longest day in Bike the US for MS history. Tomorrow we have a Lions Club pancake breakfast in Pueblo then set up our info booth on the Riverwalk for holiday festivities. I'm off to make a big carb feed for those huge "climbs" tomorrow- happy 4th of July to all.

I can't hear you over the sound of the grain elevator

Day 28 of this trip and we are in Kansas! The terrain has been vastly different from anything else. Flat in every direction. All you can see is proud stalks of corn and golden fields of grain and marigold-decorated prarie for miles. I swear green and gold are the only two colors that exist in Kansas. And the blue blue sky. The flat land makes it easy to bike forever though, provided its not too hot (read less than 100 degrees) and not too much headwind. In the past 2 days, we've done almost 200 miles. And still into our destination by early afternoon. Kansas is super windy, with crazy wind coming all over the place and blowing your bike every which way. I'm always convinced its coming straight at us, no matter what direction we are riding in.

We have been waking up between 4 and 5am every day, and getting on the road before the sun is up. It's difficult to get up when it's so dark, but that first hour watching the sun rise over the sleeping state and be the only one to witness the brilliant display makes everything so worth it. And the clouds are always so different. Sometimes they are soft and feathery, sometimes thick enough to swallow the sun, and sometimes the day is perfectly clear with not a cloud for miles. Often times I think it cant be real; I'm probably on the set of the Truman Show! I feel so lucky to be able to enjoy that view every day.

Biking and living all the time so close to nature makes every experience so much more intense. It can be super scary or difficult or unpleasant many times, but it reminds me that the very things that protect us from all the unpleasant parts also dulls our experience of the beautiful ones. It make me appreciate both the splendor and fury that the environment exercises on a daily basis.

This trip has also made me appreciate city pools and water parks. We have been dunking underwater as often as we can, and its amazing! Even if we are incredibly out of place on the slide behind a bunch of 8 year olds, we love it. Especially when showers are rare and heat is intense.

We have been treated so incredibly well on this trip, and it just keeps getting better. A few days ago, we were hooked up with free pizza, a free home-cooked dinner at a church, an interview with the paper, a hotel at half rate, a hotel continental breakfast, and all of our snacks at a convenience store payed for by a kind local firefighter. All in one 24 hour period. It's amazing how many people open their hearts to us. And people are genuinely interested in us. I feel like I am really getting to know small-town America, and its restoring my trust in the country.

We are flying through Kansas, and expect to be in Colorado by the 4th of July. We plan to bring fireworks to celebrate. I cant wait!
 

Becca

Livin' on a Prairie

Sometime in the last 24 hours we crossed the threshold into open grassland. Kansas is not entirely flat and there is always a good wind blowing from somewhere, but we are making good time and yesterday was our first century ride. The blistering heat isn't quite what it was last week and we were able to get a nice cool night's sleep last night. Today we go 88 miles to Nickerson, KS and we may go into the larger town of Hutchinson to set up the info booth and spread the good word about our trip. This morning we awoke to the sizzle of bacon and sausage at 4:45 am and it catapulted the group 38 miles to our current location in Newton. We are no longer staying together as a group for the rides and people are making their own schedule based on what works for them in terms of food, water, rest, and pace- seems to be working well. Kansas is one of the nicest places on Earth, and we appreciate every wave, smile, and well wish we get. Also thanks to the great people in Pittsburg/Frontenac and Chanute for organizing meals and events for us in their town- these are the highlights of the trip and the things we remember most when its all said and done. We even helped facilitate the organization of an MS support group in Chanute, so good luck to them! Also be sure to check out the video of the epic battle between the "Demyelinator" and the "MS Avenger" that we set up for Chase, a 10 year old fan of WWE Wrestling and a very young MS patient. Back out to the prairie for now- thanks Newton KS for the R&R.