Back to Fast Meet the Riders Bamacyclist Home

Day 33! Finale!

Yesterday Tomorrow

ROUTE: Keene NH to Amesbury MA

DISTANCE: 111 Miles

TOTAL CLIMBING: 5050 Feet

NOTE TO ROBERT FINNEY: We miss you man. Sorry you couldn't make it to the beach with us. Hope you are well and on the road to recovery.

DAILY REPORT: Absolutely beautiful weather...are we in the north east. High 88 and sunny all day. Wind calm early and nice tailwind as we neared the beach.

It's hard to believe we've come across the nation in such a short time. It seems just a minute ago that we were dipping our wheels in Costa Mesa and preparing for our journey. Or was it a lifetime ago? We've endured and prevailed...to here. But for now, we have one more day of riding. I told the riders to savor the last day, but we had to keep moving since we have our banquet in the evening and need to box up all the bikes, etc. But first, we have one more day to focus before we can celebrate in Amesbury.

The first order of the morning was the final luggage load...then it was off to breakfast. Everyone was in super spirits as we packed the van for the last time and rode off to breakfast in downtown Keene. We chowed down in a neat little locally owned pub and cater place. The breakfast was abundant and relatively fast. We'd told them we were in a hurry to get going since it was going to be such a challenging day, but we needed the fuel to get going.

Right after breakfast, it didn't take long for the riders to get a smack of reality and experience what stood between them and the beach...Gilsun Hill, lots of ups and downs, and Joe English. Gilsun and Joe English are 2 of the toughest climbs we'd have the entire trip. Only 3 miles from the motel, we started up Gilsun listed as a 13% climb with a 15% pitch or two thrown in. As I stood near the top of Joe English a last 15% climb, it was interesting to see how the riders tackled the challenge. Some rode it as a piece of cake while others less prone to enjoy hills struggled a bit. But struggle or not, all completed the climb and felt a great sense of accomplishment as a result. Three weeks ago, I think this hill would have been more than some of them could have completed...but not now after 3400 miles and countless other climbs already behind them. Even with their tired legs they all topped the summit with aplomb.

Everyone arrived at the rendezvous within our estimated target time and waited until everyone arrived before the final assault to the beach. We planned to take the whole family to the beach at one time. All cheered as the final rider arrived at the rendezvous point and all mounted fort he last time for the final 5 miles to the water. I took the helm in the van with all the riders in tow for the final miles. Passersby cheered us as we neared the beach. When we made the final turn to our beach head, the riders breathed a sigh of accomplishment...We'd done it! We were at the beach!!! Now the celebration began.

Emotions flowed as the riders savored the feelings of accomplishment. We all shared in the celebration taking photos of the wheel dip and water transfer formalities. Our new friend from England, Mike, did the honors of pouring the Pacific water into the Amesbury Atlantic. After the pour, he contemplated what it would take just to keep going east to his homeland. I told him to go for it not knowing he would take me literally and start swimming...hey Mike, what about your bike?! All at one time or another got swept up in a wave that filled their shoes with sand and sea water...but who cared?

After our celebration at the beach, it was time to get to work to secure shipment of the bikes and get ready for the evening's activities. We had to delay the dinner for an hour because of the long day. After boxing bikes and taking people to the bike shops for shipping, we were ready for the banquet and closure to our adventure. It was hard to believe it was over. I'll finish this page tomorrow after we've had a chance to celebrate tonight.

I'm back...Wow...it's over. Another successful crossing in the books. It was a lot of work and a lot of effort, but the riders triumphantly stormed the beach yesterday in mass celebration of the completion of a memorable journey. Friends were made and the memories will last forever. Last night's festivities at the banquet was testament to the feeling of accomplishment each had...each in some way felt a sense of fulfillment, a sense of self satisfaction, and a sense of loss as each would go their separate way at dawn's light.

Everyone had a different reason for doing this ride and I'm sure there were times during the course of the ride that they all questioned their sanity for even thinking about doing such a thing, but they pressed on. But now that it is over, they all can be proud of their accomplishment. One thing I found interesting, not one focused or complained about the tough weather or the tough terrain they encountered this trip...they will wear it like a badge of courage...well deserved. I told them on day 1 they would stretch their comfort zone beyond their imagination and they did that. They endured heat, cold, rain, traffic, and headwinds all across the nation. They rode in conditions especially into Dodge City and Springfield that if they were at home they wouldn't even think about getting on their bike. It's amazing what we'll do when we have to ride to our next meal, have an important goal, or have a group from which to draw inspiration...and this group was most inspirational. They have joined the elite fraternity of riders that have crossed the US in short order...I salute them all for their grit, good nature, and final success.

As they go their separate ways, it will take them awhile to fully appreciate what they have accomplished. Some will continue their cycling adventures while others will not want to see a bicycle for awhile. But tomorrow or the next day when they return home and are flooded with questions from friends and family about the trip, it will begin to sink in. They will start to appreciate their immense accomplishment and will begin to miss their newly adopted family on the road. They will wake up at 5:00 in the morning and suddenly realize their routine of the last 32 days is no longer applicable. I personally don't know what I'm going to do with the 2 hours a day I'll have by not doing a journal every day for awhile. But for the riders, their bodies will scream for the stress of a 100 mile ride, the taste of grape Gatorade, and the usual 6000 calories it has gotten used to for the last month. Every time they see a gold 15 passenger van, they will hunger for an oatmeal cookie and feel the need to tap the top of their head to get it to stop...it probably won't. Every time they see a white van parked along the side of the road, they will look for someone standing in the weeds trying to get that perfect photo of them riding by. They will long for the companionship and the inspiration they've had for the last 32 days and won't understand why everyone they talk to for the next 6 months can only be interested in hearing about their adventure for about 30 seconds...on a good day. It will be a shock when they get back to the regular grind, but they will all have a new perspective on life and on what is and what isn't important...for those who are going back to careers, they will have a recharged attitude to deal with the stresses of their job, but they'll have to do it without a daily rap session and support team to get them by. Maybe, they'll start planning their next ABB adventure and try to do it all again somewhere else...we sincerely hope so.

The friendships that were made on this trip were like all the other trips except maybe even a little stronger due to all the encounters they made along the way...these friendships will last forever. Barbara, Karen, Shane, and I all salute our new friends in the cycling world and will consider them friends for the rest of our lives. God bless and may they have tailwinds and smooth roads in their future...we've grown to love them all and hope they'll come ride with us again.

I hope you have enjoyed following us across the nation and I hope you will check back when we do the North Ride, and the West Ride in September. I want to thank the riders for their sense of humor and for putting up with me making fun of them on the website. It really picks up the spirits of the ride when we don't take ourselves so seriously. Until the next ride, on behalf of the ABB front office and the on road staff I hope you have a great year and may God bless. See you on the road. Mike

PHOTOS OF THE DAY
My steed got me here!	The British are coming! Don't worry, I have one of them in my sights!
Mike ditched his bike and was heard screaming, "Damn my air flight to England, I'm swimming home."	Oops...that was a bad idea...this water's cold!
"Carl still can't have my bike for his museum."	Wow...we did it!