Closing thoughts on Rasiel's trip

i wanted to take a moment to thank everyone on r.b.r who took an
interest in my cross-country ride.

when i first started writing the journals i did it more as a personal
reference (like a diary) than anything else. memory tends to cloud over
details over time and having that snapshot can renew the memories of
any given day.

although the mission ultimately failed i never felt much down about it.
my one goal was to test myself against the distance of going cross
country on the longest diagonal possible. though i didn't make it i did
end up proving to myself that the physical challenge of it was, i dare
say, not a biggie at all. the real exhaustion ended up having more to
do with the outside pressures and stresses of traffic, weather, money
and even the ennui of monotonous landscapes. true, the hills i hated
with a passion but my resolve was never shaken in overcoming them. i
always had the option of walking them up... evidently an option
exercised frequently in the southern states!

i think the remarkable thing about my trip was that it was done by a
guy who can only barely ride a bike at all. i learned to ride a bike
when i was 17 or 18 and from then until last year had ridden maybe 20
miles total. more than that, it was done by a dyed-in-the-wool couch
potato. up until the point i rode off the southernmost marker in key
west my most strenuous exercise had probably been playing 15 minutes of
hoops with friends back in high school. or maybe the odd 30 minute
workout in the college gym "just for show" since i never followed an
exercise program nor diet. so let that be an inspiration to anyone out
there who thinks they're not cut out for this epic tour. if i can do
it, damn it, so can you and everyone else.

even if it wasn't fun as such it was still a great experience and i
count myself lucky to have met so many people. thanks again all to
y'all :-)

ras

Rasiel:

Trust me. The ride will get more and more spectacular as the years go by.
You just have to get over the sore butt and the few bad memories first. I
don't think there's anybody in this community who sees you as a failure for
not having gone the rest of the way once the fun had worn off. We'd all
kill to have the time to do what you did. In fact, you've inspired me to
take a multi-day trip again this year, no matter what else comes up.

Thanks for sharing this piece of your life with us. I hope you've
discovered cycling as something to enjoy in everyday life, even if the trips
are just from home to the ice cream stand. Good luck and good riding.

TM, New York
wrote in message
oups.com...
i wanted to take a moment to thank everyone on r.b.r who took an
interest in my cross-country ride.

when i first started writing the journals i did it more as a personal
reference (like a diary) than anything else. memory tends to cloud over
details over time and having that snapshot can renew the memories of
any given day.

although the mission ultimately failed i never felt much down about it.
my one goal was to test myself against the distance of going cross
country on the longest diagonal possible. though i didn't make it i did
end up proving to myself that the physical challenge of it was, i dare
say, not a biggie at all. the real exhaustion ended up having more to
do with the outside pressures and stresses of traffic, weather, money
and even the ennui of monotonous landscapes. true, the hills i hated
with a passion but my resolve was never shaken in overcoming them. i
always had the option of walking them up... evidently an option
exercised frequently in the southern states!

i think the remarkable thing about my trip was that it was done by a
guy who can only barely ride a bike at all. i learned to ride a bike
when i was 17 or 18 and from then until last year had ridden maybe 20
miles total. more than that, it was done by a dyed-in-the-wool couch
potato. up until the point i rode off the southernmost marker in key
west my most strenuous exercise had probably been playing 15 minutes of
hoops with friends back in high school. or maybe the odd 30 minute
workout in the college gym "just for show" since i never followed an
exercise program nor diet. so let that be an inspiration to anyone out
there who thinks they're not cut out for this epic tour. if i can do
it, damn it, so can you and everyone else.

even if it wasn't fun as such it was still a great experience and i
count myself lucky to have met so many people. thanks again all to
y'all :-)

ras

Did you lose any weight? Do you feel stronger? Thinking about trying it
again someday?


--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall
I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the
trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view,
the most insidious of traitors."
George H.W. Bush, April 16, 1999,