bensmanrs's blog

Some riders fear the West Virginia leg of the trip and some thrive on it. Today was day 2 biking through the beautiful but often daunting Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. While some hills feel like an escalator, stretching for a mile or more at a moderate grade, others are more like roller coasters, with many dips, slants, and steeper slopes. Regardless of the exact conditions of the hill, though, there may be no greater feeling to a cyclist than grinding away until your glutes and thighs burn and then finally looking up to see nothing but sky as the road folds over itself at the top of the hill. Then comes the relaxation that accompanies the exhilarating downhill as your heart rate finally comes down a bit and your legs seem to melt down from the seat to the pedal.

-- Clovis, NM to Littlefield, TX --

New state! New time zone!

This morning we awoke refreshed from a night under the stars. We were subconsciously moving slowly to pack up the chaos of the gypsy camp with the general understanding that we had a relatively easy day ahead of us: 67 miles flat with the wind likely at our backs. It’s funny how the word relative becomes so important in this trip. A month ago, I’d have thought anyone was crazy if they called a 67-mile ride “easy”. However, with many miles and mountains under our belts, we are beginning to develop our cyclist confidence, and it’s a wonderful feeling. In any case, as we untied the clotheslines from the vans and broke down our tents, the morning chill was enough to inspire us to put on our winter gear although we knew it would be going up to 90 during the ride.

The home of our wonderful campsite hosts

-- Santa Rosa to Clovis, NM --

First of all, we apologize for the delay in the blog. We have suffered from reduced access to internet and technical difficulties. However, please be assured that all is well on the ride and we will update now!

The Santa Rosa High School gym!

Back-to-back century rides. Greater than 200 miles over 2 days. This is a feat for any cyclist, let alone a group of starry-eyed medical students and others who have hearts of gold but legs less than steel – yet. Yet we woke up early Thursday morning ready to do just that. Gabe, Mike, and I were on support this day. Mike went ahead to mark the route and riders followed him while Gabe and I stayed back to do an educational event at Santa Rosa High School. After meeting with the principal in the morning, he called an impromptu gathering of all the freshmen and sophomores into the auditorium, around 60 in all. We gave our full Ride for World Health and Introduction to Global Health lecture to a room full of fairly attentive adolescents. One girl asked how she could donate which was touching to Gabe and me. The principal, counselor, and a teacher stayed after, talking with us for some time. Mainly they were trying to convince me to come be a physician in New Mexico, where there is a huge shortage. I wouldn’t be opposed to enjoying the natural beauty of this state for a longer time, but the distance from my family and the relentless wind are not exactly enticing.

-- Mountainair to Santa Rosa, NM --

First of all, we apologize for the delay in the blog. We have suffered from reduced access to internet and technical difficulties. However, please be assured that all is well on the ride and we will update now!

-- Albuquerque to Mountainair, NM --

First of all, we apologize for the delay in the blog. We have suffered from reduced access to internet and technical  difficulties. However, please be assured that all is well on the ride and we will update now!

Tuesday morning was bittersweet. After 2 days and 3 nights in Albuquerque, it had become more of a home to us than anywhere else since we left Ohio. We also had 2 great events and a lot of fun exploring and hanging out with Mark and his wonderful friends who hosted riders. Leaving after such a time also meant that our previously perfectly packed cargo van had exploded into a mess of food, bike supplies, merchandise, and many miscellaneous items. With all of this strewn across Marks’ lawn at 6:30am while Steve drove around to pick up riders’ bags from home stays, it was beginning to look like we would get a later start than anticipated. After 2 hours of meticulously packing, strategizing, and re-packing, we finally had the cargo van loaded with all of our goods like some sort of a block puzzle. It was all topped off with a few hundred more bagels donated by Einsteins Bros, our breakfast and lunch for days to come. Around 9am, with the van newly organized and our riders fresh from a day off, we set off from Albuquerque!

-- Albuquerque, NM --

Tomorrow morning we depart early for Mountainair, NM, which is exactly as it sounds -- high in the mountains. The terms "high", "flat", "breezy", "not too far", and any given mileage have all come to be understood as relative terms to us. For example, when we climbed out of Salt River Canyon and the gas station attendant told us it was "pretty flat" to Snowflake, this to him apparently including rolling "hills" with over 100 vertical feet elevation changes over and over again. Sure, it wasn't a canyon, but flat? In any case, we have been warned that not only elevation but also high winds will challenge us tomorrow. The upside, we spent a wonderful two days in Albuquerque that not only rejuvenated our spirits and muscles but also included some very successful events.