Astoria...Finally!!!

After a wonderful day and a half in Portland (awesome city, great restaurants) I finally made my way to Astoria this morning.  I guess I should have looked at a map, because I did not realize that Astoria was the most NW point of Oregon. 

As soon as I got to the hotel, my excitement level skyrocketed.  I put my bike back together and we had registration and bike assembly.

Now for the good stuff:  About half of the group was here today and after just meeting everybody, I know it will be an amazing trip.  I think most people feel like me, excited and nervous (and relieved to finally be here.)  We didn't really have too much of a chance to get to chat yet, everyone was busy with their bikes, but I guess we have the next 7 weeks.  After meeting the ABB team, I think we are in great hands.

Many of my fellow riders are also doing blogs so I have added their links below - I hope you take the time to look at these blogs too.  I think you will get an idea of why everyone is doing this ride and get a peak at everyone's personalities.  Plus, most of them have a route map and/or our daily route sheet with miles and elevation - two things I have not figured out how to do yet.

Dan Swanson: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/aan2011

Travis White: travisbikesamerica.com

Steve Berthe: berthe.squarespace.com

Leslie Latham and Ann Wengert: http://talesfromthesaddle.tumblr.com/

Bob Grasa: bob2wheels.blogspot.com

Adrienne Andreae: www.adriennelives.com

Portland - Safe and Sound



My bike, all boxed up and ready to go.



Last night I tossed and turned all night.  This week I was very tense because of my bike.  What I did not share earlier in the week was that I went to ship my bike out on Monday and there were issues.  Fed Ex would not guarantee that my bike would be in Astoria by Friday - if it did not make it by Friday, I would not be able to start the trip with everyone else.  It was going to cost over $800 to get a guaranteed delivery date this week.  So as you can all imagine - I was quite stressed and tense (The word "unacceptable" came out numerous times!)  After speaking to the company that makes the bike packaging box - I was desperate and was looking to anyone for advice - they said - just bring the bike with you on the plane.  Well, that made a lot of sense but all week

long I built it up in my head that there would be a zillion issues with Delta.

It was the exact opposite - my bike was checked in and I was through security in about 6 minutes after getting out of the car.  As soon as we pulled the box from the car, a skycap came over and picked it up, brought me to the front of the check in line and it was done.  In Portland, I asked about a skycap and 5 minutes later one arrived and took me, my bike and luggage to a van.  It was so smooth, that I am still in total shock.

So here I am - I did a lot of exploring this afternoon in Portland and I am looking forward to another day of relaxation tomorrow.

Last night I received my first trip e-mail from the tour leader, Mike Munch.  He said because he knows so many people are coming in to Astoria on Saturday, they would have an early bird registration and bike assembly on Saturday afternoon for any interested.  I immediately let him know I would be there - hoping to meet everyone even earlier.

Taking the day off tomorrow from blogging (I know - my life is so busy) but I should have some great info and pics to share on Saturday.

Just checked in for my flight....

Wow, It's really happening. 

"The closer the ride comes, the bigger it appears!  However, it gets easier once we start riding together eastward from the Pacific."  I keep telling myself this over and over.  I truly believed that I could distract myself from thinking about the trip today with my birthday - but that didn't happen.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes. 

On a scale from 1 - 10 with 1 being the least nervous and 10 being the most (Remember - I'm in marketing) I would say I'm about a 7 today.  I really only have to pack tonight - laundry is done, shopping is done - everything is just in piles, waiting to be put in my suitcase.  Hopefully, when I get to Portland tomorrow I can just relax - knowing the list has been checked off.

Next time you hear from me I will be in Portland - the first step of my journey - Ready or not here I come!!!

Lessons Learned from Training

In the trip kit that we received from America by Bicycle they wrote:

"The fantasy of crossing the country on a bicycle and the reality of doing are two different completely different things."

I have definitely been in fantasy mode a bit and now that I am just a few days away from the start - reality is setting in.  I hope that I remember and put into practice everything I have learned in training.  So here is a list of what I feel will be the keys to a successful trip.  ( I wonder when I look at this list in 7 weeks if I will feel the same way.)


1.  Hydrate...Hydrate...Hydrate

2.  EAT (often and before you get hungry - otherwise it may be too late)

3.  Get a professional bike fit (it will change your biking life)

4.  Lots of Chamois Cream (Believe it or not - probably the #1 topic of conversation when people find out I am doing this trip)
5.  Always unclip from your pedal BEFORE you stop (Otherwise you will ALWAYS fall - I know this from lots of personal experience)
6.  Wind can be your best friend or your worst enemy
7.  Sunscreen
8.  Slow and steady will get me to where I need to be (This is a bike tour, not a bike race)
9.  Carry bike tools (Yes, I have actually used my tools - shocking - I know!)
10. Enjoy the ride!

Tomorrow:  The eve before I leave

Trip details...

First, THANK YOU to everyone for all of your phone calls, e-mails, texts and comments.  I truly appreciate all of your support and knowing that my friends will be "with me" along the way is truly motivating!

You know what they say - "Your worst day biking is better than your best day in the office!"

I will be leaving this Thursday, June 16th and flying to Portland, OR.  I will stay in Portland for a couple of days and then head to Astoria, OR on Saturday morning. 

Sunday, June 19th is our official first day.  We get to meet everyone (FINALLY!) and have orientation.  Monday is our official first riding day - 69 miles from Astoria to St. Helens.

My trip is fully supported.  This means that we have a van that takes our luggage from hotel to hotel, we have van support on the road with scheduled stops, we have a bike mechanic, and we have trip leaders who ride along with us.  Each night we stay in hotels and we have breakfast and dinner together.  Lunch is on the road.  Yes, I will have a roommate.  That should be interesting!

The trip is 50 days with 5 days off.  So 45 days of riding.  We have 6 century days (Over 100 miles.)  We will ride through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario (Canada), Upstate NY, Vermont and New Hampshire.  (I am trying to figure out how to get a map on here.)

My days off are in Boise, ID, Casper, WY, Sioux Falls, SD, Ludington, MI and Niagara Falls, NY. 

It would be great if anyone wanted to meet me along the way:  Dolly and Carolyn will be riding with me in Wisconsin, from Fond du Lac to Manitowoc.  Martha will be meeting me in Niagara Falls on my rest day.

I also hope to see the Treanor family (and maybe the Crompton's too) in Manchester, NH on my last night - August 7. 

The trip ends in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Monday, August 8.  I already know that a number of my Boston friends plan to meet me there for the huge celebration.  I can't wait to see everyone!!  So I wanted to let my NY friends know that Portsmouth is an awesome place to come for the weekend - tons of shops, restaurants, etc. so it would be a great long weekend and it is an easy ride from NY - so think about meeting me at the end of the journey (You know who you are!)

So these are all of the details that I know as of today - Can't wait to fill in the blanks on Sunday.

By the way - a few people have asked about how to leave a comment on the blog.  The easiest way is on the select profile drop down box - select Name/URL.  Then a box will come up - just put in your name - you can leave the URL box blank.  Then press continue and you should be all set. 

Next Time: Lessons Learned from Training

One week until the journey of a lifetime begins...



Me and my new awesome bike.  This picture was taken on June
9, 2011.  It was 52 degrees and crazy winds. 



Welcome to Sharon's 2011 "Pushing it to the Limits" Bike Ride.  A cross country bicycle trip that will take me 3,668 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Oregon to the Atlantic Ocean in New Hampshire. 

What does this mean?  I will be biking with the group - America by Bicycle on the Across America North Tour.  We will meet in Astoria, Oregon on Sunday, June 19, 2011 for orientation and start our trip on Monday, June 20.  The trip will take 50 days and we will cross 11 states.  We will ride anywhere from 60 - 100 ish miles per day.  I promise you I am not crazy!!

Where to start??    Back in the Fall, when I decided to leave Boston and my job, I said to myself - I need to do something that is a once in a lifetime experience, because who knows when I would have another opportunity like this.  I had heard about people who have completed awesome bike trips and I thought - I like to ride my bike, I like to travel, I like to meet new people - so after a little research - the idea stuck and here I am today.  So as you can imagine, I have become quite obsessive about my upcoming trip and as it has gotten closer everyone asked - How are you going to share the trip with us?  So here I am - writing my first blog.  Over the next few days, before I leave, I will share some details about my training and much more about the trip but for this first entry I wanted to say THANK YOU!!!

Many of you have been part of this process - from the initial decision back in the Fall till today...And it has pretty much "taken a village" to get me here.  I have had a lot of ups and downs while getting ready for my ride and I definitely did not do it alone...

First, I would like to thank Mari, Adam, Andrew and Rachel for welcoming me into your home, for understanding how important this trip is to me and for taking care of Boomer for 7 weeks (Yikes!).
A MASSIVE thank you to Dolly for your daily motivational phone calls/texts and listening to EVERY detail of everything trip related and for talking me down from the ledge more than once.
Thank you to Karen K. for making me realize how much I would regret not going through with it.
To Steven L. for supporting me throughout my training and helping me to understand that it is OK to walk DOWN the mountain.
An UNBELIEVABLE thank you to all of my awesome trainers at OptumHealth Performance:
Kris Swarthout who saw me at my lowest point, got my head back in the game and gave me the    confidence I needed to move forward.
Bianca Bergman who forced me out of my comfort zone to ride in the wind and rain and who made me go on group rides.
Dan Cohen and Jonny Jensen for all of your riding guidance and tips.  Now I actually know how to go down a hill properly (even if it doesn't always happen that way).
A GIANT thank you to Chris Balser, the bicycle fit guru of Minnesota.  Thank you for squeezing me in and taking so much time to get my bike just perfect.  You made me love my bike and bike riding again!
And finally, an AWESOME thank you to Adam Bergman and the team at Grand Performance bike shop in St. Paul for getting my bike in perfect condition for my ride - at the last minute.

More trip details tomorrow!