...carried by the light through the gates of paradise, Yosemite

Very short update, very long day and very late here in California.

Rode out of Tonopah this morning for just under 100 miles of more flat desert roads, lets leave it there for the time being, more detail and photo's to add when more time is available.

Around mid day, riding the very long Alpine like ascent of the Tioga Pass towards the gates of Yosemite National Park, the next 50 miles (distance through the park) was like being carried by a new found light through the gates of paradise, these are not just words for effect. This is quite possibly the most uplifting, atmospheric, stunningly beautiful 50 miles of road ever ridden, these are the days or moments when you feel alive, truly alive. I felt privileged and truly blessed to be able to ride here, and also to be the only person on a road bike in the entirety of this national park. I don't mind admitting again that, held back, were a few tears of joy to get this far and to ride through such a uniquely beautiful place, at times it was easy to forget that you were on a bike and still in pain.

I have so much to add about today but now truly exhausted (and desperately need to sleep), I will add more tomorrow. We are in Jamestown California and within 130 miles striking distance of San Francisco, after illness, agony, pain and everything that crossing such a vast landscape can throw at you the aim is to bring this incredible experience to a close tomorrow afternoon....the end of a challenge that was so, so incredibly harder than ever expected, facing into everything that was thrown at you from the first moment. You have to choose not to give in.

A few photo's until tomorrow.......

very short film clip 4 Yosemite

very short film clip due to limit on upload capacity

riding through Yosemite (one handed descent!)

very short film clip 3 Yosemite

final short film clip riding through Yosemite, would like to upload longer film clip but limited by upload capacity

Riding through Yosemite was one of those moments when you feel truly alive, incredible!

very short film clip 2 in Yosemite

another short film clip due to upload capacity

riding through Yosemite.....

very (very) short film clip in Yosemite

very short film clip due to upload capacity limit:

at roadworks in Yosemite, priority and preferential treatment over motor vehicles, personal escort from Pilot Control car through the control zone......cool!

...finding the light, Utah into Nevada

What a day, very, very long but quite possibly the biggest day so far in so many ways. In some respects the main thing from a riding point of view is finding the light, riding out of Utah this morning was so uplifting, unbelievable scenery, cooler temperatures (< 70 degrees until late morning) flat roads and, a tail wind!  Virtually effortless riding for over 70 miles, a real big break after the last few days, finding the light in Utah!

We had to change the route again, extending our destination to Tonopah, due to no accommodation in the previous (and only) town and then, as you will read, having to cross a desert to reach the Motel. We were told by Neil Hanson (CO) before coming out here to expect nothing in this part of the country, and this is exactly how it is, there is nothing, vast, vast empty spaces of nothing, you miss one town or even a house and the next is 70, 80 or 90 miles away. So here we are in Tonopah Nevada, next stop 70 or 80 miles on.

The day started well, riding out of Delta and through the  Great Salt Lake Desert along Highway 6, to the left, in the distance in Sevier Lake, a silvery white line across the open desert with the Virgin Mountains as a backdrop to the South. After only a few miles on the road we passed the 'shoe tree' on the roadside, pairs of shoes and trainers thrown into the dead tree, we googled the meaning of this out of interest, it appears that there is no real reason, but it was different to anything we'd seen before.

The route was an early introduction into a vast landmass of empty, barren nothingness, you can't describe this place, it's impossible to put into words, you look 30 miles each side, 50 miles ahead and back, nothing, absolutely nothing, and here you are on a bike with a support car somewhere along the road. There is no phone connection, no wi fi, no towns, no houses, nothing,you are alone in a big way until reaching the only town, of Ely, en route to Tonopah.

Long sections of flat roads made for easy riding, with several long descents into the deserts with speeds of over 35mph that went on for over 5 miles at a time. To add to the general mind stretch of such a vast space, you ride past 'School Bus Stop' signs in the middle of the desert, announcing a pick up point 1 mile ahead, you look round, possibly 30 or 40 miles in ever direction, there is nothing, you come across the nearest school around 70 miles further down the road!

We re-grouped at a service station/ motel/ shop/ casino/ cafe/ office in the middle of the desert right on the Utah/ Nevada State line, from there it was riding into the town of Ely and then into the Great Basin towards Warm Springs and Tonopah. Again, vast, unimaginable spaces of emptiness with one road that continually disappeared to a point far away into the distant horizon, repeating itself over and over again. Trying to explain or describe this place is impossible.

Due to the extended distance and lateness of the day there was a need to jump back into the support car, but little did we expect that this would also be imposed on us. Firstly (in the middle of the desert) we were again 'Stopped' due to road works, halted for nearly 30 minutes to then be escorted by a Pilot Control Car through the desert. Riding over roads newly sprayed with tar ('alive' in the baking sun) would have destroyed the bike. The second unexpected stop, some forty miles further down the road was by a local rancher, stopping us (one other car and a motorbike) to allow time for (yes, real cowboys here) to drive the cattle across a great distance of desert and across Highway 6, the lady rancher come traffic controller said to us 'that this was to avoid the herd being 'Goosed' and taking off' across the desert' so we duly obliged, sitting the in the desert for nearly one hour, a vast open space playing our part in something that had nothing to do with riding a bike.

The collection of photo's will hopefully give some sort of idea the territory, landscape and environment that has been ridden and driven today, incredible. Being alone (very alone) on a bike, with two water bottles, ten gels, covered in P20, dressed in nothing other than lycra becomes truly bizarre the more you think about it.

As we drew closer to Tonopah the regularity of dust storms, dust funnels spiralling across the desert next to you paled into insignificance as the darkest most menacing storm we've seen yet closed in all around us, the desert became black, this would not have been a time to be on the bike, the few vehicles that are out here on the road don't stop, the safety is in reaching one of these two towns 80-90 miles apart.

There is so much more to write about today, that will be added at a later date probably back in the UK, but it seems like a lifetime has been packed into 12 hours, it is truly an incredible, in many ways daunting, place. To cross such a vast landscape dressed in lycra on 14 grams of carbon adds to the incredulity of the day, maybe a modern day carbon cowboy!

It has been a truly incredible day and, importantly, for the riding the light has been found for sure! So, still on the road, still pushing ahead, one purpose awareness & fundraising and one goal, San Francisco, time to dream!! tomorrow, all being well, we will cross into California, the final of 12 US States on what has been a monumental challenge!

(ps various body pains seem to have subsided, the bronchitis remains, three fingers on the left hand are now continually numb and the neck feels locked into a forward looking level position, at least it's forward looking, the bits that touch the saddle are beyond comment and description, the fine print on the Health Insurance Policy is being checked, this is truly how bad it is, long distance cycling, bloody hell!!).

    

....rolling through Utah

A better day today, still in pain, still suffering, still got bronchitis, but a better day than yesterday, hopefully the darkest day is now somewhere back on the road behind us.

Day started early, finding the temporarily missing bike shoes and then straight out onto the road from the Motel in Naples Utah heading generally West but following a slightly changed route to reduce unnecessary miles.

We diverted off Highway 6 onto Highway 191, slightly fewer miles but the 25 mile section of road just steadily gained height from the outset, a tough start to the day with around 40 miles already in the legs, the last few miles of 191 gained height as though an Alpine ascent, it was tough. Halfway was a stop for water and a liberal spread of P20 sun block, which has worked so well throughout (the cycling tan lines now look ridiculous!). Highway 191 brought a new form of entertainment, or is it distraction, on the road. Every few miles Chipmunks would run into the road, seeming to run toward the bike, before then running off  in front, the distraction was well received!

After that, it became easier, again re-joining and following Highway 6 towards Provo, the descent just after Indian Head Peak lasted for 30 miles (I am re-checking this, it went on and on and on and...) which in many ways was great, no effort, but the road widens to a big two lane Highway with a large shoulder, it's not that pleasant and descending like this, when you're tired, still takes it's toll, idle llegs become heavier and the constant braking pulls the next, shoulders and hands, but few complaints, it helped to roll all the way into Provo. 

 At Provo, it was back into the support car for the short stretch along Interstate 15 before re-joining Highway 6. The last stretch of riding was now in temperatures around the mid 90's but the road was generally flat, a slow rolling ride into Delta, our overnight stop and slightly ahead of where we originally planned to stay thanks to the slight change of route.

 Yesterday's Blog Post may have read a little grim, but this is how it is, it was actually harder and worse than what was written, but today was a better day, a lot better. It's not a case that we've found the light but we definitely seem to be out of the darkness. Another early start tomorrow straight onto Highway 6 towards Ely and then onto Tonopah, crossing into Nevada and one step away from California, you can't help it, but you do start to dream!!!!

Still on the road and through the darkest hour but still looking for the light and still pushing on (in pain, sun baked & air dried...)

...another (very) short film, Utah.

Very, very short film, upload capacity limited by Blog.

Wednesday morning 29th July, riding South West along the West Travaputs Plateau, Highway 191, Utah USA, already 70 miles into the day....

....crossing the Divide, crossing the line.

The day started really well, couldn't ask for more, Canyon Motel and the town of Hot Sulphur Springs was a real joy, without doubt the high point of overnight stops on the TransAm challenge, geographically and emotionally! The sign outside the Motel was as uplifting as it was to be in this town, in the Rockies and in Colorado, the sign seemed to resonate with us, and many of the other guests, we tweeted this as a #fromtheroad encounter, we liked it so much.

It was then straight into riding and making up for a few miles short the previous day, following the road out of the town towards Kremmling followed the Colorado River and a single track rail line, against the perfect blue sky, temperatures around 65 degrees, clear thin mountain air everything seemed perfect.

And then, just as you think you're getting a break, facing into a good (but tough day of riding) you get the low punch, headwinds around 20 mph, immediately after Kremmling. It was torture, mile after mile after mile after mile of agony. Days earlier, through Kansas, riding the flats in a cross & tail wind was effortless, around 26mph, now it was down to the last available gear to just ride at around 10mph, mile after mile after mile. If I'd have written this Blog Post earlier it would have been very different, the day has mellowed some very dark moments. After riding so many miles to get to this point, with all challenges along the way you just want a break. It didn't happen. Even the cars (not the trucks) seemed to drive closer, big wide open roads (Highway 40) yet still they seemed to come close, strangely Colorado seems to be the only State with 'cycling' signs that encourages consideration on the road, it was becoming the worst experience so far.  

Everything combined, today turned out to be a dark moment, exhausted on so many fronts, you then ride at twice the effort for half the speed, for over 70 miles, riding over short rises in the road to see the same horizon, the same point at which the road disappears some 5, 10 or 20 miles into the distance, it is demoralising, nothing else, utterly demoralising. We'd taken the decision for the support car to follow on four hours after the riding started, it was a good opportunity for the driver, but out on the road, just riding the line, into the headwind gives you some dark thoughts when you're so tired. As with yesterday's Blog post, everything hurts, I mean everything, today brought the added surprise of nose bleeds, there can't be much else to kick in, I put it down to altitude and fatigue, no real idea why but it seemed plausible. In my head I gave up today, gave up big time, the relentless headwind was, to a voice in my head, the final straw, you look at the distant horizon over and over again, imagine the agony and ask yourself over and over, why put yourself through so much pain, you swear at yourself, you swear at cars, you swear at anything, this is just how it is, it is pain beyond whatever you could imagine. As one of the earlier, if not the first Blog post, quoted 'sometimes the heart has it's reasons the head knows nothing of' (this is a very famous quote in cycling) and this is perhaps the only thing that keeps you going, the heart tells you to just keep pushing on, to keep focusing on the outcome that will benefit others and to keep supporting the people that have played such a big part in making this challenge come alive.            

The dark moments stayed, in fact all day, riding on past Whiteley Park Resevoir, a strange oasis in the middle of what felt like a green desert, and onto the tortuous climb of Rabbit Ears Pass, which unbeknown to me until reaching the summit was another milestone point, the Continental Divide, the line where more than cyclists head West, or East.

An equally long descent into the town of Steamboat Springs meant re-uniting with the support car and a visit to Ski Haus, a shop selling a hiking and cycling gear. The main purpose was to buy a gel over-saddle, this is how bad the pain is. The shop gave good advice but no over-saddles on the basis that they would slip or add to the damage and pain already caused.

Back into the support car to drive out of town and beyond the limit of the town's main highway system, and then back on the bike, to continue the long dark miles. The State border line between Colorado and Utah was passed just after the town of Dinosaur, our original destination. But to make further progress we drove a few miles onto Naples, our new overnight stop. To add to the low feelings throughout the day, riding into what felt like a deserted and better-days-gone-by sort of town was a greeting by two rather broken, out dated, vandalised half size plastic dinosaurs on the roadside entry to the town. For some reason your head expects, or wants some sort of greeting for all the effort and pain, yet you find yourself greeted by two plastic dinosaurs, everything becomes an added challenge!

Somewhere deep down in all of this darkness, there must be a light that keeps you going, it isn't about cycling, that disappeared days ago. We had no idea about where our accommodation was to be last night nor the sign out front, but maybe that sign is a little reminder, travel light, live light, find the light?

Tomorrow will hopefully be a better day. Still on the road and still pushing on, the heart has it's reasons the head knows nothing of!

....and finally into Colorado with the Rockies looming large in the distance!

Short update tonight, now feeling shattered, long long days, made longer today by passing the Mountain Time Zone point, neck hurts, shoulders hurts, wrists hurt a lot, backside held together by Melpilex dressings, sun baked and generally fatigued, oh and the bronchitis is still there and proving itself in the mountains.

The day started early, out of the second worst Motel we've stayed in and right onto Highway 36 without breakfast or a strong coffee, just a water and a gel, for the short 15 miles ride to the State border and into Colorado, it was a big moment, something that we'd been chasing for some time, if not from day 1. The terrain and landscape doesn't change immediately but there is something inside that drives you on as you get nearer to the Rockies.

Over 100 miles ridden in high temperatures before having to jump into the support car to driven into and through Denver, there is no way on earth that you could ride through the city, safely or in time to head into the mountains and onto Kremmling. Again, due to Motel accommodation we had already cut our final destination short to stay  in the small town of Hot Sulphur Springs just 20 miles short of Kremmling, which we will catch up on in the morning as we head along Highway 40 towards and on through Kremmling to Dinosaur (this is the real name of our destination).

The afternoon started well riding North out of Denver and over the 10 mile ascent of Coal Creek, the final stage then became more difficult with a complete road closure over the final Pass from Rossville, there was no option other than to diver, no other route West, so the route continued South back to the bottom of the large valley and into the support car for a stretch West on Interstate 70. After that there was another 14 mile ascent over Berthoud Falls (climb) and Second Creek, back in the car on the long descent again due to endless roadworks (it seems the norm out here to complete roadworks in summer months during the good weather and to be clear ahead of the winter months and skiing season). 

After very long days following the flat sun baked route of Highway 36 through Kansas it was a real pleasure to move into Colorado and the Rockies. And (I know we talk about our accommodation with a passion) it is an absolute pleasure to be in the very hospitable, clean, welcoming, friendly, quiet etc etc etc etc Canyon Motel in the small town of Hot Sulphur Springs, an absolute delight after the last four days, just what the cycling doctor ordered, it's a pity it's only an overnight stop en route to Dinosaur and the next State border of Utah, they seem to come thick and fast.

Tomorrow is an early(ish) start for the rider, a well earned morning off for the driver) and what promises to be a hard but beautiful day of riding through the Rockies, there is around 3,000 feet of climbing in  the morning and after that generally flat, although still high altitude, fingers crossed for a good day all round!

(As with the earlier Tweet, British Cycling have donated a signed Team Sky and GB jersey, to be auctioned towards the fundraising, was quite overwhelmed by this, it should given the fundraising a healthy boots when we're back in the UK and able to progress this).

Still on the road, enjoying Colorado, and one step nearer to Utah........)

riding out of the sunrise, Phillipsburg Kansas onto Idalia Colorado

This was the second and (nearly) final day in Kansas, we'd originally planned to cross the State border line today into Colorado but there is no accommodation available in Idalia, in fact there is very little at all in Idalia, in fact that is very little in any town along the way, so here we are, 20 miles short of Idalia in St Francis, just still inside Kansas.

Very different to yesterday, the day started well, clear blue sky, an early start (for the rider) and sunrise around 6.30am. Straight out of the Motel and onto Highway 36, due West, the photos below capture how it is riding over 140 miles across the Prairies, there is very very little out here. When riding along you can look back along the road, and look forward to the horizon, most often there is nothing, just you on the road, riding the line (literally the white line along the side of the road).

There was a sign on the side of the road, just outside Decatur I think (I have no camera for the road after the Iphone packed in, it read ''life is a daring adventure'' , I liked that, although I think it was probably written with little relevance to riding a bike across Kansas or the US, but it still fits!

 

The photo shows how it is, or how it can be most of the day, you can choose to ride the centre line, the right side of the road, the shoulder, the wrong side, there is very little out here. In over 140 miles I think I was passed by 3 or 4 trucks and maybe 20 cars, no bikes! The corn fields continue although they seem to be finally giving up their dominance, there are still glimpses of the cattle herds roaming the Prairies, you seem to get a history and geography lesson all in one! 

Just over 9,000 calories burnt today, over 20 gels, around 14 water bottles and various other powders and tablets to stay on the road, thankfully it has now been two days without ibuprofen but the bronchitis is still there, hopefully not an issue as we head closer to the high mountains and crossing the the Rockies in Colorado. Tomorrow will be a long, and then a high, day with one stint in the car, driving through Denver, we have be advised no to ride through the City.

What day or Blog post would be complete without a mention of our accommodation, so here you are, there is little out here, little choice, you go with what you can get, it is not grim because it is nowhere near that good, it's awful. $50 total to stay by the road, the end of Highway 36 tomorrow. It will be a long night!!