A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Dec 2, 2015 at 6:03am PST

The plan was to ride from San Fran to New York, 3200 miles in 4 weeks. I wanted to replicate a charity bike ride my father had done some 20 years earlier. I chose to fundraiser for two charities, Action on hearing Loss (because I’m deaf) and CLIC Sargent (because my mother had cancer), my aim was to raise £10k.

T-Shirts are here!!!!! #rideforthechild A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Aug 23, 2016 at 1:57am PDT

It’s mental now to think that I only started cycling a year before the ride. Once the ride was announced a common question would be, “what’s the furthest you’ve cycled”. I wasn’t a cyclist and I hadn’t rode a bike for maybe 7+ years, I didn’t even own a bike! I was out of shape, drinking far too much and probably a bit overweight. One of the best decisions I made was get myself a trainer from week one. I would have just hammered myself on the bike but he got me started on strength stuff, doing squats and such, to help strengthen my very weak legs. I can’t explain how important this was, the core strength was fundamental to me riding a bike for that amount of time.

  Some pain on the turbo. Fifth and final set of 7 mins riding in HR zone 155-165. #volerocycling #rideforthechild   A video posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Feb 28, 2016 at 1:35pm PST

I had some dreadful experiences in training, take January for instance where I was struggling so bad with my back pain on the bike that I swam for a month. I was so worried as I couldn’t do more than 20-30 miles with my back in agony, how on earth was I meant to cycle America. I didn’t tell my trainer but I passed out a few times on the bike, I would hammer myself to the ground and have absolutely nothing left. Amazingly it wasn’t until April when I rode my first 100 miles, a mere 5 months before I was expected to do 28 on the bounce! I was absolutely bricking it, but my trainer was calm about it, I couldn’t understand it. If I had a night out or slacked I would kill myself in training after. For the last two months I got up at 5am and rode for 3 hours before work, 4000ft uphill in only 30 miles, I couldn’t walk some days. However everything seemed to fall in place in the last couple of months, it was impressive to watch my body adapt. It has to be said that my training was harder than the actual ride.

  This sums my day up well!   A video posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Aug 20, 2016 at 9:54am PDT

In addition to my trainer I met so many other fantastic cyclists. One of the best things I did was follow @ukcyclechat on Twitter, it’s basically a twitter group for cyclists. I asked the most ridiculous questions – I knew absolutely nothing – but yet the community would always be friendly and helpful. I found so much inspiration and the friendly rivalry spurs you on every day! They did a weekly Strava challenge and I would constantly think about when I made it onto this leaderboard, alongside some awesome cyclists who are doing amazing miles every week! I spent hours on that twitter account and none were wasted! Highly recommended!

  LADIES!!! Ive not had a hair – or beard – for a year since I’ve been training! I’ve also always had long hair to hide my hearing aids. However, it’s all gone now!! #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Aug 28, 2016 at 7:37am PDT

Off the bike I put a lot of effort into marketing and RFTC generated a huge amount of interest. I was featured in various national and regional newspapers, including the Guardian. I was showcased on dozens of websites, including the UK’s biggest bike shop, Evans. My proudest moment was appearing on BBC Two’s See Hear, the fifth longest running BBC programme. To date the website has attracted almost 40k viewers and was reaching as far as Asia. I have many people to thank for all of this but special thanks to Emily from Action On Hearing Loss, who sorted some amazing leads.

Top of the Rockies. 6h 20 mins climb! 68 mile! @volerocycling @actiononhearingloss A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 3, 2016 at 8:23am PDT

The ride itself was absolutely unreal. There are too many memories to mention, hopefully the individual posts describe these in more detail. My favorite places were the Nevada Desert, the Sierra Nevada mountains, the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian mountains (I like mountains). It’s hard to describe these places and pictures can’t fully capture your surroundings, they’re just unreal and you feel so alive cycling through them.

  Day 16 done, wind gone thankfully! Wet and cold, much like the UK, but the fastest ride of my life. 121miles in 6h 40min! Will try get blog up tonight. I’m on day 17 now and been chased by dogs 3 times this morning! #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 17, 2016 at 8:13am PDT

New state!! #rideforthechild A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 8, 2016 at 8:31pm PDT

It was absolutely roasting some days, reaching temperatures of 40 degrees. However I have to admit I am well suited to the heat. I felt really comfortable riding in those temperatures so long as I was hydrated. As we got further East I was quite cold some days even though it was still relatively hot. The lads in the van – and Jordan when he rode with me – were sweating buckets (and getting naked)!

This is what the lads get up to whilst I’m riding. A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 6, 2016 at 5:40pm PDT

I think I’ve actually put weight on during the ride, I was eating – and drinking – constantly. It wasn’t uncommon for me to have 4/5 meals a day and I would snack like a monster in-between. I ate until I could eat no more and on the days where I didn’t eat enough after crawling into bed, I would struggle badly the next day. Moral of the story, EAT!

The mosquitoes were a problem for all of us, especially when it was in a area that rubs on the bike. I got some on my feet and groin area and they were quite painful. Our van was full of them and we spent hours killing them. They were often full of blood when we hit them, makes you cringe a little knowing they’ve been sucking on you.

  Day 10 done! #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 10, 2016 at 7:20pm PDT

The most painful parts of my body were not my legs, but probably my hands and feet. The palms of my hands were so sore from leaning on the bars, they are still very tender now. The soles of my feet were so numb from constantly pushing on the pedals, especially uphill. In addition they would swell in the heat, which multiplied the pain. I would bathe them in cold water on my food breaks. I was cramping badly in the last week, having to ride for hours with cramp. That was awful and I think my body was telling me I was reaching my limits, or maybe it wanted to punish me before the end!

  Seen thousands of these crossing the country. I realise the large cities are more densely populated and I don’t know about those, but he has a huge following right across the USA. I’ve only seen ONE Hilary sign in almost 3000 miles, no exaggeration. #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 25, 2016 at 12:14pm PDT

America itself was a huge eyeopener, I wrote about that here. I know the cities are bigger but crossing the country I seen only ONE Hilary sign, Trump seems to have a huge following across America. It will be interesting to see the results of the election!

  Team photo! #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 8, 2016 at 8:46pm PDT

  Day 27 of 28 – We’ve reached the East Coast! We’ve crossed the whole of America. Just a short ride into NY to finish tomorrow! #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 27, 2016 at 12:42pm PDT

Off the road the memories are priceless and I’m so grateful to my team, I moaned so much and they were brilliant for me all the way through. We had some truly amazing times mixed in with some tough times and plenty of beer, it was a proper lads trip. It’s crazy to think that we lived in that van for 4 weeks. I would love to tell you more, but what happened in the van, stays in the van!

  Day 25 done!!!! #rideforthechild   A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Sep 25, 2016 at 2:52pm PDT

HOLY f*%k!!! IT’S MASSIVE!!! A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Aug 31, 2016 at 8:40am PDT

The ending was surreal and I was completely lost for words with so many people seeing me cross the line. We spent our final two days in NYC and it was brilliant, so too was the company!

I wasn’t confident about the ride, but I was even less confident about raising 10k! I initially thought it would be easy, but for every 500 emails I would get one negative reply, I had massively underestimated how hard it would be.
Millions of people are doing charity work, which makes it incredibly difficult to attract the attention of potential donors. Ten grand is a huge amount of money and requires a large amount of people to donate.
I did some good fundraising activities at work such as a Bootcamp and FIFA tournament, we raised around £1k there. I had some unreal single donations, some people were very generous indeed. The biggest event was my leaving party, a race day/night in my hometown Scarborough, which raised over £2000.
I was still a few thousand pound short when I started the ride but then it started to suddenly roll in and I hit my target of 10k in the second week, which gave me a huge confidence boost! The money has continued to roll in and is current at £11,700, I’m incredibly chuffed I raised that much. Thank you to everyone who donated, raising that amount meant more to me than completing the ride.

@steinias POWER!!!!

A photo posted by Shane Prendergast (@rideforthechild) on Aug 27, 2016 at 2:01pm PDT

I’m not sure whether I would do anything like this again (although I got off the plane and the first thing my Dad said to me was, “Do you fancy riding Australia in 2 year”). I’m not sure I would be willing to sacrifice such a huge amount of my life again. You see so many people get the “bug” after their first event, but I’ve not caught it.
I’m going to stay fit and do some running and swimming and maybe a little bit of cycling! I’ve some weight to lose after all those cakes!

A special thanks to sponsors Azolt and Homebuilder, without them I’m not sure the ride would have happened.

This is the end of the ride. I completed everything I set out to achieve and there are so many people to thank. I could say thanks until the cows come home and I will say it one last time. THANK YOU!

Shane x

If you’re reading this and planning a ride yourself here are some of my thoughts….

• If you’re going in an RV, and taking a support team, it’s incredibly expensive. I totally underestimated how much it would cost. For example, the RV hire for 4 people was almost £6000.
• Be careful with the gradients, they can’t be compared to the UK. You might only have 3000ft to climb, which I might do in an hour in the UK, but in America they aren’t steep but go for miles. You are literally climbing for hours and hours and it really takes it out of you.
• These gradients will massively impact your speed, some days I could only manage 12-13mph when I wanted 15. Lets not get started on those bloody headwinds! This means I’m losing 10 miles every 5 hours, it really adds up!
• I only got around 12 hours of light and we decided as a team not to ride after dark. This might sound a lot but when you add in the hills, food stops etc it was a struggle to finish some days and I went until dark and then stopped short. Also bear in mind the time zones, you automatically lose an hour.
• Go easy, unless you’re in a race of course. My most successful day was my first, but I killed myself doing it. Just take your time and listen to your body, when I took it easy my body rewarded me.
• Nothing beats real food for energy. Bars and Gels are great but real food is better Also bear in mind that real food can be hard to find in the USA.

If you’ve any more questions feel free to email me (contact@rideforthechild.co.uk) or get me on twitter (@rideforthechild).

After paying the obscene amount at the RV place for the crash, I set out on my final ride, a short 44 miles into NYC. The plan was for the lads to get a taxi and head to my works office, where they would meet me on my arrival.

The roads were, white frankly, abysmal. It was outrageously dangerous and had I been on any other day throughout the ride I would have asked them to come pic me up in the van. But now we were van-less and I had to reach that city on my own! There was no cycle path and I was basically on a dual carriageway, a very busy one. I wasn’t really sure if I should have been on there, but several police drove past and didn’t stop me, so I carried on. I was right near the airport so huge trucks were coming past me, leaving a very small amount of room. I was thinking how lucky I will be to survive this!

I had a map which was set to stick to the roads, but avoid any motorways. As I approached Manhattan I got a message from Rob saying how I wouldn’t get through the tunnel I was heading to, and that I should try get a boat. I read these messages but in typical Shane fashion, I believed I could get through the Holland tunnel. I approached the entrance and it’s like a toll thing, where cars pay to enter. I found a gap and shot round the barrier and cycled around 50 meters, before I started to notice the cars slowing on my left, where I enter. I looked to my right and two police officers were chasing me, I slammed the brakes on and pulled over, I wasn’t going to get through this tunnel!

I honestly hadn’t seen a “No cycle” sign, so I thought I would be alright going through. One was quite aggressive and took me to the side, asking me to produce some ID. I had absolutely nothing on me and explained that I had just cycled from SF, he looked at me in dismay and probably thought I was lying. They just took my details and let me go. He refused to tell me how to get over the bridge!

I set about asking some people how to get into Manhattan and ended up on the tube to the World Trade Center. I text Rob to let him know I was around 2 miles from the office and he asked me to slow down. I pull up to the side and suddenly became really nervous, I knew there might be a lot of people and I wasn’t sure how to react. I stood in NY sticking out like a sore thumb in my cycling kit and waited for the signal to proceed.

On the way to the office I seen a fellow colleague, she was on her way to the office so I waited a bit longer so she was there. I was really nervous and when I turned the corner and seen perhaps 50 people holding banners and such I was completely overwhelmed. I thought I might cry, or shout, or celebrate but – probably for the first time in my life – I was speechless.

I probably wouldn’t remember much from the end unless I had this video. It’s definitely a moment I will cherish for the rest of my life!

We did it!

I left Lancaster in Pennsylvania and headed East through a few large towns. I noticed a few horse and carts but thought nothing of it. However after a while drafting behind a horse carriage, I noticed I was in a Amish settlement. The area is called Pennsylvania Dutch Country and covers a fairly large region. There were buggys everywhere and horses were parked where cars should be. I said hello to all of them but the women didn’t seen to acknowledge me, I’m not sure if this is because of their culture?

I left the town and hit some hills before I received a text message…… “Stop we’ve crashed”.

I was getting bits of information while I cycled the 13 miles back to the crash site. Naturally I was thinking the worst when I received the message but Rob assured me everyone was ok, which is the most important thing. It turns out Rob had crashed into a car and basically wrote it off. The woman was uninjured but her car was in a bad way. The police came and she was towed away while the lads waited until I came. Strangely she had told the lads that she had no insurance, or no insurance that covers a crash. She left uninjured and with no complaints. The bumper on our van was smashed in and was catching on the wheel when it turned. We got a local garage to force the bumper away from the wheel and we were back on the road.

It could have been far, far worse and although we might lose a few quid, things are ok! I think Rob was a little shaken but it will be quickly forgotten. It’s unfortunate this happening on the second to last day, considering we’ve covered 3000 miles.

Tomorrow is the last day/night in the van as we hand it back early on the 28th. I cycle 70 miles tomorrow to reach the East coast and are staying at a place called Long Branch in New jersey. The plan is for the lads to take all the gear to NY while I cycle the small 50 miles (50 miles seems so small now) into the Big Apple. We’ve had an amazing time in this van and it’s been absolutely brilliant. It’s a bit overwhelming to think how far we’ve come and how many roads/states/towns/cities/Walmart’s we’ve seen!

This might well be my last post until I finish as we will be having a good time tomorrow and getting ready for the big day. Of course I will write another to let you know how it ends! I’m feeling a bit emotional writing this it doesn’t really seem real, have we really just crossed the USA! I think we have!!

Night from yet another Walmart, in Warrington Pennsylvania!

I woke late again as we had a late night. The weather was really mild and I wore a jacket setting out. There were 3 or 4 climbs before a whopper, which was where the lads were meeting me. Chris jumped on the bike and descended down with me, it’s an awesome feeling shooting through the Appalachian Mountains at 40mph. We did this thing where I go first, Chris sits on my back wheel, into my slipstream. He will then have less air-resistance so will go faster. He overtakes and then I sit on his wheel, and repeat!

I rode for a few more hours and then had 2 decent sized climbed before a whopping big one. It was 6-7 miles long and quite steep in parts, it took me 48 mins. The 1600ft descent on the other side took a lot less!

It was nice doing a 70 miler today, it means less cycling and more rest. I’m sore today after two hard days climbing. Tomorrow is my last ride which is over 100 miles, which is a really strange thought! Getting mixed emotions at the min but I’m not really thinking too much until I complete day 26, it might sink in a little bit more then.

For those of you who are aware of Strava (it’s like a fitness Facebook), I’m in 9th position for miles cycled in September. We are all relatively tight up to 2nd position where the top two have done over double my distance. How is that even possible?

Day 25

Still in the mountains I was in a bad way this morning. I’m struggling to sleep and wake up several times a night. I was half asleep setting off this morning. I can’t stand cycling when sleepy, it’s the worst. It’s even worse when you’ve a 20 mile climb to start the day.

On a more positive note the scenery today was unreal, Philadelphia is stunning. I cycled past vineyards and some unreal scenery. That was until I hit a place called York, which was as rough as a baboon’s a%$e. People were drinking in the street and one dodgy looking bloke purposely walked one inch from my wheel at a crossing. We’ve just been in the supermarket and they don’t sell beer as “they have enough problems as it is”.

On thing I mentioned today on Instagram is that I have seen thousands of signs in support for Trump since crossing the country. I have only seen ONE sign for Hilary, and that’s no exaggeration. I realise the larger cities are more populated but Trump has a HUGE following right across the country. I seen a funny sign outside someone’s house that read “I don’t really like Trump but if you’re supporting that two faced rat Hilary please unfriend me on Facebook”, I giggled.

Another thing I’ve noticed is how many towns have the names of other places. I’ve seen London, Scotland, Manchester, Carlisle, East Berlin, York, Amsterdam and many many more. Did they just settle there and pick a nice name from the world map? Tomorrow we arrive at a very special – to me anyway – named town so keep your eyes pealed for that!

We’re all on the beers tonight and having a game of poker, I’m going to have a few so I will sleep (any excuse). It crazy how my mood can swing depending on my condition, I feel sorry for the lads with me moaning. We’ve only TWO more nights in the RV, holy moly! I’ve a final tough-ish day tomorrow but the final two are relatively pain free. I’m feeling a bit weird at the moment, it doesn’t feel real and I’m trying to think where the month has gone. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far I honestly never thought I would still be going!

Goodnight from Lancaster, Pennsylvania! xxxx

I set off with the lads snoring their heads off, they were drinking whisky late into the night. I was climbing pretty much straight away and didn’t stop until I finished 10 hours later, when I ran out of light. The climbs are short and steep and roll up and down, you don’t gain or lose much height. It wasn’t as hard as Day 2, the worst day so far, but it was still tough! I’m undecided if I would rather just go uphill for ages or have rolling hills. With the former it’s hard but your body gets used to climbing. With the rolling hills it messes your rhythm up and after a descent your legs are dead when you hit the next climb!

After the halfway point Chris and Matty decided that they wanted to ride a bit with me. We agreed that Chris would do 4 and then Matty jump on. Chris did really well, finishing on around 10 miles, and then it was Matty’s turn. Unfortunately Matty’s 4 miles were quite a bit tougher than Chris’, he was blowing like a good un! However he didn’t help himself by absolutely blasting it at the bottom of the climbs and blowing up halfway. Chris on the other hand was slow and steady away. They both did really well! They loved the descents, they both said how awesome they were and I’m glad they enjoyed it and I could share a short ride with them! I’m still trying to get Bobs down one, maybe tomo!

I was a bit sore on the hills yesterday. The palms of my hands are really sore and so too are my arms from pulling on the handlebars. My feet swell in the heat and the constantly pressure from climbing is leaving them in a bad way. I put some new soles in my shoe yesterday, that improved things. I’m still doing ok to be honest but I can feel myself having a little bit less energy than the previous day, especially if I didn’t eat well.
I was on the last hour of climbing yesterday and I started to feel a bit funny. My breathing got heavy, my HR started rocketing and my vision was blurry. I’ve had this earlier on in the ride and I panicked but today I realised I was just bonking and had no energy left. I ate some stuff – especially sugar gels – and lay down for five mins, on a gravel road in the middle of the Mountains! Five mins later and I’m back up and completed the day. The human body is amazing! What I find weird is that everything now packs up before my legs, which are going strong. I don’t get tired in the physical sense, it will be something more fundamental that’s making me stop or suffer.

I’ve only 5 days left now! I’ve two hard-ish ones for the next two days and then a not-so-bad one on day 26, which is the only ride left over 100 miles. Should I get to the end of day 26 in theory I should be home and dry as they’re pretty flat and short. Day 27 is more of a procession, like the tour de France.

Today I got to the top of the biggest climb of the day to find out that my rugby team, Warrington Wolves, finished top of the league. They’re now through to the semis in a knockout and should they will they will be in the grand final, which I’m attending the week after I’m back. Turns out the semi final is next Thursday at 3pm NYC time! Looks like we’re in for a bit of a session that day!!!

Thanks to everyone for your kind messages of support. I haven’t had chance to reply to everyone, but I’ve read them all and used them as motivation!

Five more days to go! We’re in a new State now, Pennsylvania. I haven’t been able to get the photos up as the internet is too poor!

Today I’ve decided to do a Q & A……

What do you think about when you’re on the bike?

When I first started all I thought about is quitting, now I’m a bit further on I think about the end a lot! I find that being on a bike is the perfect place to think, especially if I’m riding in silence with my aids out. I’ve reviewed every aspect of my life multiple times in the 160+ hours I’ve spent on that saddle.

What’s the RV like?

It’s very homely and I’m very happy with it. I could have saved a few grand with a smaller one but I wouldn’t like to have anything smaller than this, it’s a good size. Naturally I’m very happy with the master bedroom, Rob’s probably happy with his bunk bed too. I’m not too sure about the other two smaller beds, I have to dodge feet sticking out of the ends each morning, they are bigger than the bed! The bathroom is small but it’s got a shower and toilet, you need a gas mask to enter tho. The living area is a decent size and great on the nights! The front cockpit is awesome and very spacious, I think the lads like driving about!

What do you do on a night?

Initially we were in bed quite early, but as the ride has progressed they’re getting later and later. Common nights now include BBQ’s, Poker, Monopoly and beer (although I’m not drinking too much myself, yet).

What do you eat?

This is extremely varied as it’s often hard to find restaurants that will sell anything other than deep fried stuff. During the day it depends what we have in the van. I try to have at least 3 meals a day with foods such as bars, gels and fruit in-between. A typical lunch is pasta, sausage and veg, or perhaps just a  plate of boiled veg with seasoning. I try eat lots on the night, anything I can get my hands on, so that my body can turn it into energy ready for the next day.

Why do you still look fat?

Ha! Although possessing relatively good fitness levels, I wasn’t in all that good shape before. My biggest regret over this past year is not eating well, but it was tough enough to find time for everything and that was was my one weakness. In addition, I am eating a lot here! Literally stuffing my face with cake, crackers and biscuits all day long. I eat 5000+  calories every day, easy. When I get back I’m dieting, honest!

What’s that thing you wear on your chest?

It’s a heart rate monitor. I can tell a lot about my body from my readings as I know what it should be most of the time, for example if I’m climbing. If it’s not right, say it’s not coming down quick enough after a climb, there’s an issue and I might need to eat more or whatever. Although my HR has been amazingly low throughout this process. Some rides have been an average of 100BPM which is ridiculously low to cycle 100+ miles. However my HR is always low when I’m fatigued, so it’s a bit of an illusion!

What animals have you seen?

Mostly mosquitoes, in our van. I’ve seen a huge amount of roadkill and it absolutely stinks, beavers, snakes, racoons, birds, deers and many others I couldn’t identify. Rob and Chris removed a “biting spider” from our air con unit this morning. I’ve also seen some beautiful horses, deer, tortoise, hares and my fave has to be the Golden Eagle! I also thought I saw a bear in Walmart, but it was Rob.

Favorite state (not based on how easy the cycling was)?

This is a tough question as I’ve seen some unbelievable things in almost all the states. I think for me, the most memorable was Nevada. It’s hard to imagine riding through a desert and it’s even harder to believe your eyes when you approach huge towns in the middle of nowhere. You can see for miles, and the views on top of the climbs are sensational, even if it’s all dry land! It was also the hardest state to cycle, so far!

What does your bum look like after all of this riding?! / On scale of 1-100 how sore is your butt ??

I was going to post a photo but thought better of it!

If I’m honest this has been far better than expected. I have lubed it up nicely 3 times a day – I’ve got through about 5 pots of the stuff – and it’s holding up really well. Don’t get me wrong it’s still sore, I’ve a few bites and spots and they rub a lot but the pain is manageable. In the second week I had to wear a dirty kit for two consecutive days as I had none fresh, this was not nice and I started to get some bad saddle sores, they hurt me for two days but have since cleared up.

Are you tired? / What part of your body hurts the most?

Hmmmm as I said in yesterday’s post, I am tired but I’ve been tired and in pain for so long you just get used to it! Some days I’m worse than others, it depends if I ate well and how difficult the previous days ride was. I get a lot of aches and pains but they generally fade out after a while. I get a lot of cramps, especially in my shoulder. It was with me for 4 hours today, that’s not pleasant. My hamstrings pull a lot and my right ankle hurts at around the 6/7 hour mark. When it’s hot my feet swell and that hurts too, I bathe it in ice every 3 hours or so, such a good feeling! I was moaning, and worried, about everything in the first week but your body – and mind – adapts to it.

Would you do something on this scale again?

Hmmm I thought a lot about this when I’m riding. My main aim throughout this process was to follow in my father’s footsteps and cycle across America for charity, I wanted to raise 10k and make him proud in the process. It was never really about me, I could have done something at home but I wanted to do what he did 20 years ago….

With that in mind I’m not sure I would. It’s consumed 13 months of my life and although it’s absolutely awesome and will change my outlook on life, I have missed out on, and sacrificed, lots of stuff during that period. You see a lot of people who get “the bug” once they do an endurance event, but unless I can integrate it into my life a little easier I’m not sure I would be willing to dedicate that much time again. Not right now in my life, when I feel the time could be invested better elsewhere. I wouldn’t really be willing to do half and half either, it has to be all or nothing.

I have thought about ways in which I can keep Ride For The Child living without me punishing myself though. Only ideas at the moment, but watch this space!

Can you log into my strava account & ride the remaining days as me?

Absolutely, we’re looking at a donation of around £1 per mile. By next Weds you will have roughly 600 miles and around 20,000ft of elevation. A sound investment!

Have the Americans embraced bobs? Is it true there is a cult of bobs?

Robert a.k.a Bobsy (RV support manager) has taken America by storm. They have warmed to him like butter to toast. I will finish this post of with a collection of classic Bobsy ones liners!

Why don’t u take her to that Henry’s bar?
Oh no sorry not Henry’s, its Oscars innit?
(When talking about Olivers bar, St. Thomas Street)

Its not the man with the hammer is the hammer with the ma..
No thats wrong, its not the man driving the nail its the hammer tha…
Oh f%*k it
(When trying to recite the famous quote ‘A workman doesn’t blame his tools’)

Oh Stacy don’t be hasty!
(After hearing two entirely different songs and getting mixed up)

Big Ben has 5 clockfaces. One on the top for people on the London Eye
(Needs no explanation)

Come on Steve, How many Scandinavian women live in Brazil?
(After been told the Scandinavian women in Riga are hot)

I can hear them now Danny, wedding bells are SINGING
(When tryin to suggest that Wedding Bells are RINGING)

I tell ya what Steve, if thats a quarter of a pound,
then i weigh 2 stone
(Bobs not happy with Macdonalds portions)

Don’t worry son, i will be in attendance.
Am working till 4 so the night should go ‘smooth as a whistle’
(Bobs assures me all will be ok)

Bobs: Smooth as a whistle is a saying!
Me:No its not there is clean as a whistle and sweet as a nut.
Bobs: Oh well i’ve fu&^ed up again then haven’t i?
(Bobs accepts he’s not the brightest spark)

Joe: Are u out tonght Bobs?
Bobs: Ha, is the pope Jewish?!
Joe: Erm, no
Bobs: Oh, erm, well, yea ,yea i am going out.
(Just when u think Bobs has lost his touch)

You think about  a lot of things when you’re riding and I’ve thought a lot about pain. Naturally everyone will have different levels of pain and when I’ve been close to stopping I’ve often thought people have got through pain far worse than this! I’ve thought about people in war, people in dire situations and then, eventually, my mind drifts to the people who I’m raising money for, especially those with cancer. They can’t just get off a bike and it’s all over, they have to recover or die, it’s life or death.

Today we started late, having played poker until about midnight. I’m really having trouble sleeping and I’m waking up several times with the back of my head covered in sweat, if anyone knows why then let me know. I was late up and didn’t set off while ten. Everything went went really well until we got close to Indianapolis, the traffic was absolutely ridiculous and totally dangerous for cycling. I eventually pulled up and decided to wait for the van. It’s made me quite worried about getting into New York, so I need to review the routes.

Once we got back out onto open roads I jumped back onto the bike and road until the sun came down. I’m feeling really happy right now, I’m enjoying getting up and relishing every mile as I know I’m getting closer to the end. The mood in the van is class and there are going to be some good times in a weeks time. The lads seem to be getting drunker by the day!

I’m less than 700 miles to New York now, and whilst that’s a long long way, it’s not much compared to how far we’re come! It’s crazy how we’re saying “I will see you in 50 miles” or “we will sort it in 2 days”. Some of the days in the last week are shorter so I’m in for a bit of an easier ride! I might even try get some extra miles in!

Goodnight from New Palestine, Indiana.

P.S Many people have been asking me the same questions, so in the next few days I’m going to answer some of those questions in a post. If you’ve anything you want to ask then shoot me a message on Facebook, or leave a comment!

Day 18

Day 18 began in Jacksonville. Shane did his usual trick of asking Rob to wake him up at 6 a.m. before continuing to nap for another hour. We tidied the van and then drove to the day’s starting point in Franklin Illinois. With Shane fully stocked up on water, clif bars and his daily banana, we arranged to meet him along the route in two hours time.

After the standard leaving photo shoot we gave the van a quick tidy and set off in search Wal-Mart and a Laundromat! We had planned to have a BBQ the night before but finished too late, so were hoping for better luck today. Chris wouldn’t stop going on about LED lights to decorate the van with and to his joy and utter excitement we found some in the Halloween isle.

Wal-Mart seems to sell absolutely everything and we spend at least twenty minutes each time perusing the various weaponry. Matt tries his hardest to convince Chris and Rob that we don’t need a $600 compression hunting bow but the jury is still out on that one. After finding all items on Shane’s extensive shopping list akin to that of a heavily pregnant lady we returned to the van and tidied up.

We’re now operating as a fairly well lubed machine, meeting Shane every two hours or so and getting him fed and watered. At the end of the day we found an RV park, tidied the van and set up the BBQ ready for Shane’s arrival; he was absolutely exhausted by the time he arrived but the fairy lights cheered him up quite a bit!

Rob went off in search of bug spray and returned with a bottle of Jim Beam and twenty Marlboro. The campfire was roaring, spurred on by the occasional squirt of lighter fluid. After our feast we decided to save the rest of the liquor and firewood for another night.

Day 19

We awoke to find the remainder of the wood burnt to ashes, along with an empty bottle of Jim Beam.

After Shane set off we tidied the van and got on with dumping the waste drain/toilet water – Rob loves this job especially so we always allow him to do it. There are a lot of jobs to do during the day and not a lot of time between rendezvous points. When we do have down time we try and occupy ourselves by playing cards, however the constant worry for Shane’s whereabouts, wellbeing and mental stability sometimes affects the quality of play.

We began to play I-spy when driving but after road, sky and tree we found we were unable to spot any new objects. Chris is cooking a hearty pasta dish tonight and everyone is excited because he is the most talented chef on the trip. We’re playing poker later but after Shane was knocked out first in three consecutive games we have decided to increase the stack size so he can play for more than five minutes.

While tidying the van seems like a full time job, we feel our main duty is to keep morale high. We are still amazed every day by the distance that Shane cycles in near unbearable heat; his determination and drive is truly astounding and we’re all proud of him. We’re having a great time and feel privileged to be a part of Shane’s journey.

Right, time to tidy the van again…
The buoys.

Anyway, I felt a little run down when I woke and we were late setting off again, I was in a mood to be honest. However after setting off I felt half decent. Also, I was absolutely delighted that the wind – which had caused me so much trouble – had finally subsided! Today was not just a good day, I absolutely killed it. 121 miles in 6h 40min, 18mph average speed, it’s not only the fastest ride on the trip but my fastest ride EVER in the year I’ve been cycling, in addition it was a relatively hilly course. I was going like an absolute train, I could have towed the RV! Thanks to everyone who left messages of support, they meant a lot and I thought about every single one when smashing those pedals.

After 3/4 miserable days I am absolutely on cloud 9 tonight, it’s the first time I have thought I might just complete this! It’s the first day I haven’t had any issues with my body, no aches, no pains, no tight muscles, just a sore arse but that’s normal! BUT, I don’t want to get carried away as I know things can change very quickly the next morning.

We now have Chris in the vehicle, he’s Rob’s cousin. So we’ve me and my cousin Matt, then Rob and his cousin. In the same way when Jordan arrived Chris is an absolute breath of fresh air! The RV is so clean you would think my mother had been! We’ve now got some chairs and a table so we can sit outside, a poker set and Monopoly. This might not sound like much but when you’re sat on saddle for 8-10 hours even the tiniest thing can cheer you up!

Today has been my most enjoyable day of the whole ride, after a few really tough days I have felt so relaxed today. We’re now setting down to play some poker! Lets hope we get more of the same tomorrow! The countdown is on!! 12 days left!

Day 17

We had no signal last night so it was only about 10am, when I had been on the road around 1.5 hours when I received a message to let me know that Mark, who has been a friend since primary school, has had a baby! Little Alice Aylett came into the world at some point, congratulations Mark and Jane! The day was only going to get better after that news!

I was feeling yesterdays effort this morning but still feeling really strong. The roads are now like rolling hills, so they just go up and down for miles. I’ve now come to terms with the fact that America is not flat! I don’t really mind these hills, I’m not too bad climbing providing I’ve not got a headwind!

My dad had told me about dogs chasing him and today I had a good taste of that these past two days! Five separate experiences in total, although only 3 gave chase. One was two little dogs, I laughed that one off. Then I had an older limping dog, again that got laughed off. Then I had one which frightened the life out of me. I was approaching a dual carriage way and a dog came from the side, in front of me. I accelerated to get past but the thing was the carriageway was getting closer and I had to cross to get onto my side. I shot past it and was literally 20 meters from the carriageway. Thankfully the dog fell momentarily and I was able to check the path was clear before shooting over the road. I have no idea what they would do if they caught me, I would like to think they are just having fun but I’m not so sure! The are not contained in any way and just left to roam – and guard – their area.
The other two occasions where the dogs didn’t give chase were still quite scary to think about. One at the end looked like a bullmastiff, a large one. That was near a busy road so doubt that would come out, but it was a big one. However the worst one was on a very quiet road, I seen 3 dobermans on my right and, having been chased twice already, started to get really nervous. There were in the garden of a large property and had a kennel each, they didn’t seem to be leashed but I can’t say for sure. I would say they were trained guard dogs, should anyone step on their territory they would attack! They just sat and watched me while I peddled past, my heart rate went up a few beats!

I’ve had a bit of bad luck for a few days now, mainly getting caught in thick mud which requires me to take wheels off and unclog it. Today’s issue was hitting a country road, I had to walk perhaps 3 mile as it wasn’t fit to cycle. I could have tried to find an alternate route but we have to be careful as there’s limited signal and following the same route is essential to ensure we don’t get split up. This bad luck means I waste an hour or so, but instead of kicking off I now just sulk for a bit!

The van has been wonderful today, we had a great night last night (maybe one too many beers) and the mood is improving by the day! I don’t want to think too far ahead but should I get through tomorrow there’s only ten days left! This means we would be over 2/3rds of the way across America with perhaps 1000 miles left! On that note I’m going to grab myself a beer and get a massage off Rob!

New state tonight! Goodnight from Illinois!!!!