To say that riding across America on a bike is an experience of a lifetime, it is an obvious statement.  Now that the ride is over, and I have had two weeks to refresh and reflect on the journey I find it hard to believe that it is over and that I really road my bike 3,300 miles in 48 days.

Going into the ride, I was filled with anxiety about training, nutrition, and of course CAMPING every night! To prepare myself I hired a coach, but still thought there would be days that my legs would just hurt and I wouldn't be able to walk.  Coach Dan Shelby did an fabulous job of getting me into shape.  Overall day after day I felt great.  My legs kept going and pushing hard and felt good after the rides.  Even after cranking 112 miles I was still walking without pain! Thanks coach!

Nutrition, I can't say that I mastered this, but have gotten much better.  Prior to the ride, I had to teach myself how to eat while riding - eating gels, nutrition bars, and drinking.  It sounds simple enough, but this has always been my hardest task when it comes to endurance events. My stomach is simply sensitive.  I found a Accell Gel - Raspberry flavor that I learned to eat and actually like, mini cliff bars, and PowerBar Endurance & Recovery drink or back up Gatorade.  Although I learned to eat the gel and Cliff bars on the bike (small portions at a time) - there was one eating task I didn't think about. Eat a decent size meal then ride!  Talk about acid reflux! Ug. My body was use to letting breakfast and/or lunch food settle before heading out for any type of workout. However, on the Big Ride, it's eat and go.  The breakfast foods were typical for me - a bowl of cheerios and a banana. But getting on my bike right after eating, even if I peddled easy for the first 10-15 miles, it just wouldn't sit well, and sometimes didn't stay at all.  As the days went by, my issue only grew worse. This part of the ride - I don't miss.

Camping: I'm constantly ask if I got "use to sleeping in a tent" - I can't say that it was horrible, and I can't say that I got use to it. It's just what we had to do.  Days that we were lucky enough to stay in High School gyms put a smile on my face. Granted I was still sleeping on my air mattress, but it saved time putting up and breaking down my tent, another words an extra 15 min of sleep! As for the days we got to stay in dorms - well, I really appreciated a bed!  Yes, I did splurge on a couple rest days for a hotel - I thought I was in heaven!! Cushy bed, dark room, peace & quiet, secluded from all others...yes, it was worth every penny spent.

Here is more personal ride reflection via video while I was on the ride.  This was done during our last week of riding.