Why not?

It’s been a hectic, chaotic, and obstacle filled past three days. Let me tell you, the month from hell is officially underway with a huge bang! Everything is being thrown at me, and I’ve got to really just roll with the punches and adversity and keep on pedaling.

Let’s go back to Sunday. I left my hosts house in the morning and took off riding. It was a great start to the day, smooth roads, safe riding, and I couldn’t complain about much. Then WABOOM. My bike locks up. Luckily, I didn’t fall. But when I looked down, I knew I had a problem. My deraileur was really messed up. I had no clue how to fix it, and without a deraileur you aren’t getting anywhere.

Here’s the kicker. I was in the middle of nowhere. It was Sunday, and I was in trouble. Luckily, I got a hold of my host, Dale, who said he’d be able to get over to where I was by noon or so to try and fix it up or replace the derailuer. Woah. HUGE lifesaver. Otherwise I’d have to take off the deraileur, shorten the chain, and ride single speed over some daunting rolling hills. Now I just had to kill sometime while I waited. Boy, was I in luck again.

Rolling down the gravel road came Kyle, who immediately asked if I needed help. I told him the situation and he let me hang out at his hosue for a few hours to stay out of the heat. Kyle was such a generous and kind guy. He’s adopted a few kids with his wife, and is working on getting approved for foster care. He just wants to help people. Boy did he help me.

Dale came out and by 3 I was ready to hit the road again with my new deraileur. It was tough. Mostly because I was scheduled to ride 125 miles that day. Unfortunately, that wasn’t going to happen anymore. I hopped on my bike and rode until darkness told me to stop. I stealth camped in the backyard of an abandoned home. Which, in retrospect, is how people get murdered in every single horror film ever. Probably not the best place to crash. But it was well covered, safe, and did the job. I didn’t dare step foot inside that house. That’s how you meet ghosts, and I don’t think Casper would be residing in there.

Once again, a huge thanks to Dale and Kyle for literally saving me from being marooned for days in the middle of nowhere. You guys really did help me out!

The next day I cranked out 133 miles on a long tough day. From dawn to dusk I was biking. I rode through Nashville, although didn’t have a chance to stop, I just had to keep on pedaling to make up for the lost miles. Into Tennessee I rode, while crossing of state number 12. The long day of riding, took forever. A headwind from the south and plenty of rolling hills made things interesting. In the end, I was able to grab a pizza dinner that refueled my calories, and then found a stealth camping location behind an elementary school. As far as I know, it wasn’t haunted.

Today, I rode again. I knew I had a good ride ahead of me, and when planning my route, I figured it’d be about 95 miles. Unfortunately, due to a wrong turn and some complications from google maps, I ended up at about 120 miles. Yuck. That was exhausting. Not to mention, it was filled with continuous climbs that never seemed to end. The terrain and wind once again were not cooperating.

I did manage to find a host for tonight in Huntsville, which is always a big plus. I was in desperate need of a shower. Not only for myself, but also for those within a five mile radius of me. The heat hasn’t been too bad. Compared to when I rode through this area back in 2012 as I was riding Wisconsin to Florida, it was wayyyyy hotter. So I’ve been enjoying the ‘cool’ stretch, but I also realize how quick a hot spell can fall into the forecast.

My host Chris had dinner ready upon my arrival, and even was watching the Women’s World Cup Seminfinals. Score! I always am glad when I’m able to catch sporting events. So much of this trip keeps me from following some of the sporting events that I love!

When I’m riding on this stretch, I ask myself a lot of questions. Recently, it’s been why? Why am I doing this? Putting myself through this mental exhaustion and physical pain. Living in solitude for days on end, going without showers, eating granola bars for dinner. Running on little sleep. Repeat. Again and again. Then I say to myself. Why not? Why not do it. Through the tougheness and the frustration there are kids who need me. Why not be the one who’s there to support them? Why not just keep pedaling?  Why not bike 11,000 miles?

These kids have had so many people quit on them throughout their lives. I guarantee I’m not gonna be one of them. No sir. I may be tired, I may be sore, and I may be exhausted, but this month from hell won’t win the war. Biking this many miles each day sucks. It drains you mentally and physically and you can’t even stand looking at your bike. But, I’ll roll with the punches, and fight till the final bell. It may not be a TKO but it very well may be a victory by decision. I’ll beat you month from hell, because why not?