Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Finish Line - Washington DC

I am writing this blog from my room at the State Plaza Hotel in Washington DC.  My tent is set up in the room drying out so I can pack it and load if in the truck for the trip back to Seattle.  Charlton and Lynn are driving the cargo truck back to Seattle so I am having them haul my gear and bicycle with them.  I crossed the finish line in Freedom Plaza around noon on Saturday August 3rd after a 40.7 mile ride from Poolesville Maryland.  All 14 riders who started the ride in Seattle finished today.  One by one we entered Freedom Plaza to a cheering crowd.  When we got to the finish line we dismounted our bikes, took off our helmets, and were presented a medal from Charlton and Lynn and a Certificate of Achievement from Tom( our mechanic).  The ride capped a 48 day, 3332.4 mile adventure across our great country.  The friends I have made and the experiences we shared together will not be forgotten and will become part of the fabric of who I am.  Special thanks to Charlton, Lynn and Tom for keeping us safe and helping us along the way.  And thanks to everyone who supported my dream of cycling across America.  The dream has become a reality.  I will be flying home on Monday August 5th on the direct flight from DC to Seattle.  What took me 48 days and countless calories will be 'undone' in a mere 5 hours and 40 minutes.  I look forward to going home and being with Kirsten, seeing my kids, and going back to work again.  But the adventure will continue on...I will be meeting on Monday morning with one of the riders who competed in the Race Across AMerica (RAAM) this year to get the scoop on the race and start planning for 2015. 

Charlton DuRant - Ride Director


At the Finish Line in Washington DC

Friday, August 2, 2013

Day 47 - Maryland

Friday August 2 is the second to last day of the Big Ride.  We entered our 12th and final State today, Maryland.  Only 8.8 miles after leaving Gettysburg we reached the Maryland State line along SR 134.  The roads we busy but in excellent condition.  The terrain was hilly, but nothing like what we saw the few days before Gettysburg. The total distance traveled today was 62.6 miles.  The weather was cool when we started out at 0630 and warmed to about 82 degrees by the time we reached Poolesville.  We arrived in plenty of time to take advantage of the county pool and even out our tans.  Tomorrow is a mere 40 miles to DC and the end of the Big Ride. 

Lynn Petrotte, Assistant Ride Director


Tent City Outside the Poolesville High School
 

Maryland State Line

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Gettysburg!!!


Ok, it is really hard to imagine that we have ridden our bicycles 3,229 miles from Seattle to Gettysburg in 45 days, but we have.  Day 45 was one of the tougher days of the ride, 102 miles and over 7300 feet of climbing.  And that is after a 90 mile day with 7,800 feet of climbing.  Pennsylvania is definitely the toughest state we have had to cross.  Now all we have to do is ride 100 miles in 2 days to arrive in Washington DC on August 3rd.  Thanks to the Hannover Bicycle Club for providing dinner to us on Wednesday night and for the guided bicycle tour of the Gettysburg Battlefield on Thursday (our last rest day)!  We were once again blessed by good weather on our ride to Gettysburg, cool weather and a light tailwind.  The forecast looks good all the way into DC!

Hannover Cycle Club Tour guides!!

Pennsylvania Memorial at Gettysburg

Gettysburg Battlefield from Little Roundtop