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Well, I only have one full day left. Yesterday I bought a roof rack to mount the bike on top of the car. I still have so many things I wanted to get done before I left that likely will not get done. I need to get the oil changed on the car, and I intended to get the bike tuned up before I left. I wanted to get Stephanie and myself new cell phones, as we have both had our phones for a while (and they have both been dropped more than once). I also wanted a new camera, as the one we bought at Christmas was damaged and our old one is… old.

As for work – I’ve spent all week transitioning my projects to other engineers, but there is much work left undone that I’m pretty certain will become a huge mess by the time I get back. It seems all the projects I have were dragging their feet on timelines until they heard I was leaving for two weeks – now everything is due while I’m gone!

But despite all of that – I’m excited! Tomorrow I plan to hit the road at 4:30am (just before sunrise). I head down to Tempe, then across Mesa, on to Apache Junction. From there it gets rough. I have a long stretch of nothing but busy highway road, then steep climbs up to Superior and on to Miami/Globe. I won’t make it all the way for several reasons – namely its over a 100 miles and the last 40 miles are all climbing in the heat of the day. So, at 2pm no matter where I am on that mountain, Stephanie is picking me up and we drive the rest of the way to Globe. We found a $40 a night hotel the last time we were there that we plan to stay at. The next day is a 90 mile day, with three big climbs but a good amount of descents as well.

This is likely my last post for a few days, but I will keep notes and post when I can. See you on the other side!

Yesterday I worked from home so that I could get some things done around that house that needed to be done before I left for the trip (in two days!!!). Well, without my bike ride to work, I felt like I was cheating my training time, so after work I decided I would go on the bike for a little while. Stephanie had been working with Zander all day with the extra task of keeping him quite while I was on the phone for work so to give her a break, I took Zander with me.

Zander was very excited to go on a bike ride with daddy. We went outside and he waited patiently while I put the bike stroller on my bike. He climbed in, carrying his Thomas book and we headed out. At first he asked the common questions you expect from a three year old –

“Are you on your bike, daddy?” — Yes son
“What are you doing?” — Riding my bike, Zander
“Where is mommy?” — At the house, son

After that wore off, he settled in and started ‘reading’ his book. My legs were finally starting to warm up and get used to the extra weight of the stroller and Zander in tow. That’s when he started singing. Zander likes to sing when he is happy and he makes up the songs as he goes along. Often times the song will mimic whatever is going on at the time – “The red light, daddy has to stop, we are driving”. But yesterday he was singing something like this:

Bible, Jesus, I eat my bananas and strawberries, we went on a boat

He went on for a couple of miles. He was finally distracted by the kids playing at the park we past by. Those few miles were the highlight of the ten mile trip. My son singing happily last night sounded better than any MP3 I’ve ever heard.

I noticed a draft on the checking account for $291.84 over the weekend. I didn’t know what it was so I asked Stephanie if she knew. When she said it wasn’t her, I got a little concerned. Turns out, I had good reason to be concerned. Somebody got Stephanie’s card number and used it to stay for a week in Wichita, KS at a Value City Inn!

He used the name Johnnie McCray with a Columbus OH address that is less than five miles from our old address. The hotel agreed to refund the funds, but we had to cancel her debit card and we still need to contact the three credit agencies to flag her social for possible fraud.

Its hard to believe that there are people out there that really do this stuff. I’ll keep you guys posted on the process…

Five days left until the newly named – D-Tour! Thanks go to Aaron Delong for the name. I’m getting shirts made up this week. Friday I rode for 62 miles, Saturday I rode for another 33. On the tour I have to ride between 55-95 miles a day. I will post the day to day agenda before I leave on Saturday morning from my house and head for our first stop in Globe.

I can tell you that we have two days planned where Stephanie will be picking me up and taking me to that night’s destination (the first day is one of them!). We are staying at camp sites for much of the trip, however we do have a few motels planned and one bed and breakfast. I start riding most days by 6am and I am completely done for the day by 2pm.

I’m very excited and I think Stephanie is actually getting a little excited as well. I know she will be excited when its over. If all goes as planned, we will be in Del Rio by Thursday morning June 7th.

I had today off because we were supposed to go to Las Vegas. That was canceled because we couldn’t get child care for an overnight trip that included a weekday. Anyway, I figured it was for the best – I miss my friends and really wish I could have gone to see them- but money is tight and I need the training time. So back to the title of my post –

I left the house today at 5:30am – I had a blast! It was cooler and I stayed in the canals for over 20 miles. I jumped out of the canals and headed up cave creek rd. I stopped after 30 miles for a short break. I had steady inclines for over five miles – but no real climbs. I was really having a lot of fun. Then it happened- my bike starting riding funny, pulling to the right. I look down and you know it – my front tire was flat. I was completely in the middle of nowhere! I had pasted a gas station like 8 miles back and I knew there was nothing for over 10 miles in front of me. I wasn’t bright enough to carry a spare tube or the tire tool I needed to change my tire, so I called Stephanie.

After walking over 3 miles (I wasn’t going to just sit there by the side of the road to wait) a guy in a truck pulls over and asks if I need help. I told him “Thank you” but said my wife was on her way. He replied, “Are you sure? I have everything you need right here in the truck, tubes, pumps – I’m on my way to a race.” I said “Wow, thanks”. Stephanie pulled up while we were changing the tire. She forgot the tire tool – but brought the replacement tube and pump. This kind gentleman only had road tubes – I needed a hybrid tube, so we used his tools to open the tire, and my tube to fix the flat.

It was getting hot – the temp was hitting 105, but I still felt good, so I opted to stay on the road despite my wife’s requests to join her for lunch. About ten miles later – you guessed it – another flat, this time I had picked up a nail in the back tire. I had Stephanie pick me up this time. I realized a couple of things on this trip today:

• Take all the tools you need to fix a flat
• Leave early in morning and get my riding done by noon

I still can’t believe I had two flats in one ride…

OK — I’ve had some great suggestions. But I’m still searching – and with the bike tour only a week away, I better find something fast! Some of my favorite suggestions from you guys –

De Ass is Sore Tour — DAS 2007 by Gena
Trip N Dale’s by Aaron
The Trek to Hell Rio by Dana

I’ve thought of a few additional names:

Blast the Ballast Bike Tour — The B3Tour
Trek of Tonnage — T-squared Tour
Push Past the Poundage Tour — The P3Tour

If you have any additional ideas – or just want to cast your vote for your favorite, please pipe in – there’s only a week left!

Ok – so this weekend was the ‘dry run’ for the 1000 mile tour. The plan was to start at 6am on Saturday, ride all day, find a place to stay the night, then come home the next day. Wait — Sunday is Mother’s Day! Stephanie was feeling like we weren’t spending a lot of time together already. She knew I needed this weekend’s ride, but I have been home late for the last several nights between riding the bike and just working late. So… We went to the drive in Friday night. We got home about 2am. So much for a 6am start. I didn’t get on the rode until 2pm!

I took the same route as my tour. It starts at ASU in Tempe. The high for the day was 103 but that is in the shade and away from traffic and black asphalt – I was neither in the shade nor away from the traffic heat. For over an hour of my ride the temperature on my bike was 120 degrees! Stephanie stayed close by to help with refilling my water and bringing me gatoraid. We did stop at a Walmart for a little while – getting out of the heat was nice. After four hours of 115-120 degree heat – I had gone 40 miles. The ride was harder (and hotter) than I had expected. Several miles of the trip were on rough pavement with fast traffic. It was now 6pm and with the sun was going down, it was time to find a place for the night.

Stephanie suggested we go on a head to Miami or Globe (where I had hoped to get to if I had started at 6am). This way, I would ride home from there. Well, the ride up was steeper than anything I have done yet. We stopped at a free camp ground only to realize that there was no water services — I needed a shower — so we heading on to look for a hotel.

Day Two – After taking longer to find a place to rest for the night I had a hard time getting up. I still got a much earlier start than day one — 8:30am. It was already 90 degrees when I hit the road, but for the first five miles it was all down hill. At one point I actually was cruising at about 45 miles an hour! Then I got to the hill. I thought it would never end! I had to get off the bike several times and walk it up the hills — much tougher than the two or three small hills I climb on my way to work every day. I may have walked my bike over 5 miles in all. I stopped to have lunch with Stephanie and take an hour or so break. After that, I scaled down the mountain back into the twenty mile flat that I stopped at the day before. It was 117 degrees and I was having a hard time. Stephanie offered to pick me up and bring me off that stretch of road. I had only gone 40 miles but it was already 3pm. I knew that once I got in the car I was done. We came home and my 150-200 mile weekend was 80 miles.

I do 40 miles a day when I ride my bike to work, but never during the hottest part of the day and never with the climbs I took on day two. It was hard – and at one point I really started to doubt my 1000 mile tour. But I’m still on board for the tour — I’m not in shape for it, I’m not sure how many of those 1000 miles I will spend walking the bike instead of on it — or worst in the car — but I am going.

Ok guys, I need your help. I just don’t feel like “1000 mile tour” has a ring to it and I really want to build some excitement around this tour. I am even thinking about getting shirts made — with the ones for my wife and kid saying “Staff” on the back would be great! Anyway, back on track – I need a name for the tour. Something really great. Send me your best ideas here. If I do get shirts made, and you are the one that came up with the name, I will even get you one too!

I’ll start everyone off with the names I have thought of so far:

• Tour de Texas
• Fat man rides across the desert tour
• My midlife crisis tour

Ok – they aren’t great but that’s why I’m asking for your help. I can’t wait to hear from you guys!

Well, it’s 2:40 am as I write this. I was asleep, but between a sick wife and a three year old kid that still doesn’t know what it means when he feels pain in his belly at night (he had to pee), I’m up. Now most of the time when this happens I just go back to bed, but I thought to myself:

Self, someone out there is waiting to get the latest blog entry from the Sackrider world.

So here I am. I only have three weeks left before I embark on my 1000 mile adventure. And considering that this weekend is all but shot, I only have two weekends left to train — and one of those I’m supposed to be in Vegas with a group of my Columbus friends. Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!

I’m frustrated with my training (or lack of it). Friday I got up early and went about 25 miles before work. I rode 19 miles home despite the fact that I didn’t leave work until just before 9pm. Leaving late was my fault however – I got in early and you know what they say: if you come in early, you have to leave late to make up.

I got home around 11pm. I was riding in the dark going as slow as 7-8 miles an hour at times due to a strong head wind. I felt like I was flying. The wind was whipping through my hair and I was pedaling at a cadence around 90 rpm (normal for me is more like 75 – 80). Anyway, I broke two spokes on my rear wheel. That’s right, two! I have been breaking a lot of spokes lately and thought to myself:

Self, it might be time for a new wheel!

So, Saturday morning when I was supposed to be riding, I was at home waiting on the bike shop to open. I bought a new wheel, a new tire, a new carriage (the gears in the back of the bike), and a new chain. It all needed to be done before my bike ride anyway, but my bike won’t be ready until noon today (Sunday). That’s right folks, my weekend of training is all but shot! My wife tells me that she has a bridal shower next weekend and as you know, Vegas is the weekend after that. This isn’t going well.

I’m going on this 1000 mile tour no matter what! If I don’t get a long ride in before then, oh well. I would rather attempt a 1000 mile ride, hoping to average around 85 miles a day – and only get 40 or 50 miles a day, run out of time before my two weeks are up having only ridden 600, 500, even 400 miles than to simply not try.

Most of the time when I see a group of protesters, I assume they are liberals because conservatives are too busy creating jobs, building businesses, and paying taxes to stop long enough to make signs and spend an entire day on a street corner, however being it was a Saturday, some conservatives do have weekends off so I wasn’t so quick to judge.

With my wife protesting my resolve to approach the activists, we parked and I walked up to ask these guys what had them so upset. They were protesting Rite Aid because according to the labor union they intimidated employees that attempted to organize and bring the unions into Rite Aid. The flier they were handing out said that Rite Aid employees were force to work over time and have no job security. I read the flier, listened to what they had to say, then went into Rite Aid so I could buy new batteries for my camera to get a few pictures while we proudly held up our Rite Aid bags!

Ok – to be fair, I know that labor unions brought us the forty hour work week and helped bring about laws that require safer work conditions, and minimum wages. There was a time in American history when we needed to join together as a work force to stand against employers. But in my opinion, that time has pasted.

Maybe I’m wrong – lets try for 20 hour work weeks, two months paid time off, and lets not forget about job security – forget all that ‘at will’ employment stuff. Maybe one day we could be as productive as France.