GO THE DISTANCE...AGAIN
My recent Go the Distance bike ride from Flagstaff, AZ to Gainesville, FL covered most of the United States from east to west but not all. Therefore, in May 2010 I will fly to Cedar City, UT and pedal to San Francisco, CA to complete the Western Express route.
Then, after visiting friends and seeing San Francisco for a day I will ride down the Pacific Coast to Santa Barbara, CA. This is just one of the sections of the Pacific Coast route that begins in Canada and ends in San Diego. I will cover 1,158 miles in 14 days! That will give me an average of 82 miles a day. Several friends are talking about riding one of the weeks with me. I hope to have at least one person riding with me each week.
Once again I will be seeking partners for my ride. UFCCH took a huge leap of faith to purchase the current Christian Campus House and I am excited about helping to "pay down our loan" by doing something that I love to do. If you would like to partner with me for my ride per mile or with a donation let me know.
A highlight of the trip will be seeing friends I met out on the road. I met Jeff and Nike on a training ride to St. Augustine. They live in San Francisco. They took 6 months to ride the perimeter of the United States and Canada. They rode over 11 thousand miles! They said I have a place to stay when I come to San Francisco.
I met Stacy from Seattle here in Gainesville at the Millhopper Starbucks. She was riding the Southern Tier route by herself (she made it to Houston, TX then had to fly home to take care of her husband who became ill). She was an awesome resource for me as I planned my trip. We still communicate via e-mail. When she found out about my upcoming ride she immediately let me know that her parents live in San Luis Obispo, CA and they want to host me when I pass through.
I met Bren as I pedaled toward Escalante, UT. She drove past me and stopped up ahead. I stopped and we talked. She let me know her husband was pedaling behind me. A bit later after a long climb I met her husband Jim. We got to spend time together on and off the road over the next two days. Jim and Bren live in Los Angeles and want to host me before I fly home.
This is going to be an awesome journey. I can't even imagine the sights I will see and the people I will meet but I know God has some cool stuff in store for me...again.
The bike maps are in the mail. Please pray for me as I prepare for this journey, recruit sponsors and recruit riders. I will keep you posted throughout my preparations and ride.
For the sake of the call!
bob g.
