The boys of summer: Washington D.C.

The night before I left Elon once and for all, I spent some quality time with some of my closest fellow graduates. With the realization that the best four years of our life had run its course, we found it appropriate to blast some of the most depressing songs in our music arsenal about saying goodbye, while sharing some memories and leftover beer. Sounds pretty awful I’m sure, but it was strangely therapeutic. Well, I was unexpectedly woken up by another “DJ Depressing” mix by none other than Mike Keough on the final morning of the Journey. All the emotion I thought I might somehow suppress on this day I had awaited for so long began to creep out slowly (the first song to choke me up: “Goodbye to You” by Michelle Branch… embarrassing). And then it all began to move quickly – the final morning meeting and prayer, the final sponsor photo, the final proclamation of “Let’s ride bikes!” Before I knew it, we were on the road.

Of all days for things to go wrong… this had to be the most inconvenient! Luckily my bike went unharmed, but the TransAm team was stricken with countless flat ties, red lights and even a chain snapped in half as we neared our final destination. With time ticking away from our required appearance at the stage up site at George Washington University, we began to shred through the city once we got within its borders (this may or may not have been fueled by a sighting of the South team a few blocks behind us). Probably not our safest course of action, but we were acting on pure adrenaline and I’d have it no other way. After our team arrived at stage up in an unscripted double pace line, we fulfilled our various photo requirements (and plenty of not required, somewhat inappropriate ones as well). Then, as we so often did, the TransAm boys circled up.

Realizing our time together would come to a close a mere three miles away, the majority of the team was fighting back tears as we stood shoulder to shoulder with the men who had defined the most incredible summer of our lives. I was most definitely included in this contingent, especially when our project manager Jeremy, a man who has been through so much in recent years and been a fantastic role model for our team, spoke to us. “There has never been a better team than you guys right here,” he said with intention. “You all have changed my life.” After making a consorted effort to hug each of my teammates, we assembled the final, 100-plus man pace line. I had the unbelievable opportunity of being one of two men to lead the entire pack. I cannot claim any credit for this as my fellow Eloner Robby was the top fundraiser for the event (raking in around $13,000) and chose me to ride alongside him to the finish line.

With understandable butterflies in my stomach, it was time to begin the three mile procession to the Capitol Building. Words cannot do justice to how it felt to be there in that moment with the rowdy crewmembers hanging out of the van directly in front of me, my fellow cyclists in tow, and countless curious tourists snapping away at their cameras as we screamed “Feel the Hope!” through the streets of D.C. I will say that it had to be the quickest three miles of all time! Pretty soon we were on the Mall and familiar faces cheering and holding up signs began to pop up. We hopped off our bikes and began walking up to the lawn and there was my family and my friends and this moment I’d long played out in my head felt completely surreal. After the initial ceremony, I was cut loose to feel the love from everyone in attendance (and even feel the water my mom ceremoniously dumped on my head). It will undoubtedly go down as one of the best and most bittersweet days of my life.

By the time the following day rolled around my trusty bike was all packed up, goodbyes had been said (sometimes more than once), and a celebration worthy of 4,000 miles had most certainly taken place. En route to my hotel, I passed through the Capitol. In comparison to the day before, the lawn seemed empty and lifeless. I tried to conjure up everything in my mind all into one – the people, the places, the lessons learned, and the unbelievable strides I made since that grueling first day. It didn’t work. It became more clear to me than ever that the Journey of Hope and all that it meant was going to take some time to process. If and when I’m ever able to sum it all up neatly, I hope I am continuing to live the Hope as best I can. I am so thankful for everyone and everything that made it possible.

In closing, some wise words I came across at a bike shop along the way:

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

Amen.

Can you feel the love tonight?

Fredericksburg, VA - This ride was initially supposed to be about 50 miles, but it was decided that 20 miles would be tacked on for a safer, more scenic route. With two days left, it was hard to argue the logic. The day went relatively smoothly, with the exception of a randomly-placed mega hill where my chain opted to fall off at the least opportune moment! In another particularly random occurrence, midway through the ride we came across an “Elon Baptist Church,” which Robby and I felt a duty to take a photo by.

After settling into the familiar high school gym setup, we found ourselves en route to our final friendship visit. A weird feeling to say the least, but we were determined to make it one of the best. From the onset, I found myself talking with a guy named Donnie. He was there with his mother (a board member of the local ARC organization), and was dressed nicely with a tie featuring musical notes. He spoke with me about his love of singing and a statewide award he won for his craft in high school. Donnie entertained the crowd with three songs (including the Elton John song that's the title of this post) that night and was met with a standing O. He set the stage well for our last hurrah in the crazy dance party department. It was a perfect friendship visit to go out on, and (for once) I felt a ping of sadness when I heard Jeremy instruct us to “make sure this place is spotless” before we left.

That night we began a final bonding activity in which we sat in a circle and had a chance to speak about everyone in the group and offer up compliments mixed in with a bit of roasting. Based on the spinning of the water bottle, I was actually first up. I was a bit nervous, but it turned out to be really touching to hear what everyone had to say. You get a chance to hear how you were truly perceived by your team and I got the impression that they saw me as a funny, confident guy who had grown both on and off the bike during the summer. It was an important activity for us but, by the time our eyes were struggling to stay open, we decided to postpone the remainder for the following night.

Manassas, VA – This was basically considered our last official team ride for the summer, as the procession to D.C. was sure to be anything but ordinary. We decided to really mix it up and switch who we rode with at every crew stop. I was all about the idea and enjoyed the chance to have nearly every cyclist alongside me at one point or another. Some last minute challenges were unsurprisingly involved also, with McDonald’s double cheeseburgers making an appearance as we all kicked back at a way-too-long crew stop at a grassy area outside of Manassas. As we rolled into lodging at an enormous aquatics center, it was an unusual feeling because it was evident that our next lodging would be at a hotel in D.C.

That evening we met up with all of the Push teams at a D.C. area church to have dinner/debrief on the eve of our arrival. It was great to once again see the North boys and even to give them a little grief about the staggering 9-mile ride they had to look forward to in the morning (we were still 35 miles outside of D.C.). That night, after applying our much-anticipated and absurdly awesome red, white and blue team handlebar tape, we finished up the previous night’s activity outside on the lawn with some cigars in tow. We got to bed much later than usual, which was quite alright by us as we assembled a man-love circle of air mattresses. I didn’t think it would be possible to sleep, but somehow I managed.

Borrrrrn in the USA

Farmville, VA – Our final century ride! I sincerely never thought this would be a milestone that would bum me out, but in a way it did. The ride was solid, with some scenic farmland thrown in the mix (probably implied by the name of our destination… check out our hay barrel picture below). There was also some role reversal going on, as our project manager Jeremy (a two-time rider from 1998 and 2001) spent the day as a cyclist and fellow Elon rider Robby Knelson tried his hand at crew chief – a position he is interested in for next year’s North route. Robby really nailed it with the meals, so I endorse him! After soaking up the east coast humidity I’ve apparently been oblivious to for so long, we arrived in town. That night we had a friendship visit at a center that employs people with disabilities and, while I enjoyed speaking with the individuals there, we were treated as “guests of honor” at our own table which was a bit awkward and not our style.

After the previous day’s shopping, it was time for our team “Secret Santa” exchange. I drew Colin Johnson, a rising junior at George Mason, as my person. In accordance with the gag gift clause, I bought him an “I Heart Music” wall plaque (based on his much, uh, scrutinized DJing abilities) and a McLovin driver’s license keychain (a reference to the movie “Superbad”) so he could ideally join the overage crowd in our celebratory D.C. festivities. I received gifts from Moff, who provided me with my casual summer addiction of Cherry Twizzler Bites as well as “diva” paraphernalia. The “diva club” is a group of us who will often assume whiny alter egos for the sake of comedy. There were a variety of other gifts presented, including (seriously) a live mouse given to future-veterinarian Cubby. Later in the evening, we had a chance to hang out at JT’s school, Longwood University, and I defeated my Isaac Polonco in a certain game Elon students tend to excel at. He wasn’t very happy… but at least he can brush up on his skills when he transfers there this Fall!

Richmond, VA – While I realize they are separated by many miles, Richmond and D.C. are fairly synonymous in my mind based on my travels up and down the east coast. I could not believe this city was now upon us. Adding to the looming feeling was the presence of staff from Push America nationals, as well as Bruce Rodgers and other Pi Alphas, who were in town for the annual three-day JOH alumni ride along to experience life on the road once again. Our friendship visit for the day was slightly out of the ordinary in a few ways. It took place at a preschool which did not primarily cater to children with disabilities. Therefore, our purpose was to spread advocacy as these children would no doubt encounter peers with disabilities in the years to come. Despite a crowd that was likely too young to fully understand our message, we performed our “Kids on the Block” puppet show. This school clearly had a vested interest in the Journey of Hope, as evidenced by a large map in the main foyer that has been tracking our progress, but we were all surprised to learn they had taken the initiative to raise $2,500 for our cause. This was something we had not seen happen all summer, so we were very appreciative.

After giving my bike Phoebe her most in-depth clean of the summer, I joined the majority of the group at a karaoke bar for the evening. I must say this place won my official Karaoke Crown of the Journey of Hope, as the performances and characters on stage just got more and more entertaining (among them the very Amurrrican “Born in the USA” by Kevin and James, and “Friends in Low Places” by Schmidt and I). With so much going on in preparation for the big day, this was essentially our last night out as a team and it was exactly what it should have been.

I love climbing, yessss I do!

Blacksburg, VA – So, is there a school in Blacksburg or something? I kid. Let’s just say the three Virginia Tech guys have really been building this place up for some time now. The ride has had some build up of its own as one of the most intense of the summer – a century plus with lots of climbing in Appalachian territory. The hype did not disappoint! My legs really started feeling it midway through the ride, coincidentally right around the Virginia state sign (which happened to be positioned on a pretty fast downhill). Realizing we had whizzed by the sign about a mile back, about half of my pace line wanted to cycle back to take a photo. Needless to say, I was not one of them. Similar to my old sport of wrestling, so much of the kind of cycling we do is mental and I was not in the best of states at that point in the day with 50 miles of hills in front of me. I wish I could have a recording of my internal monologue… it was all over the place! Despite some regrettable immaturity on my part, we thankfully ended up cycling back to our final state sign. As the day continued, we all became increasingly determined to avoid the day’s “rack point” for pulling bikes off the road. We wanted to finish what we started and found motivation from within and even through some good old fashioned singing (“I love climbing, yes I do! I love climbing how ‘bout you?”).

After what I would arguably rank as the second hardest ride of the summer, we arrived at Virginia Tech and had little time to spare before we were involved in a presentation at a festival in town. At the presentation, I bumped into Paul Schifano, a chapter brother at Elon who transferred to VT senior year to finish out his engineering degree. It was great to see a familiar face – it hadn’t dawned on me that he might be in town. We were treated to a tour of Tech’s beautiful campus by our teammate Matt Schmidt, which included a stop at the memorial for the April 16, 2007 shooting. That day’s ride was dedicated to the victims of 4/16, so it was fitting and powerful to see.

After some serious gluttony at an enormous campus dining hall, we went on the town to “Top of the Stairs,” a bar that Schmidt used to work at. Everyone sampled the bar’s supposed specialty, “The Rail,” and I took it upon myself to make some new friends. I bumped into a wedding party and actually had a very solid conversation with a female animal cop who gave me advice about the next five years of my life. It was way more legit than it sounds!

Roanoke, VA – The morning of the Roanoke ride, a strange thing happened. We slept in! Wheels didn’t start rolling until the unheard-of hour of 10:30. This was attributed to the short ride ahead (40 miles) and the check-in time with our hotel. The day was also somewhat of a ride along fest, with new appearances by crewmembers Terry and Moff (the latter of which did not adjust to the cycling world quite so well) and fellow Eloner Paul Schifano, who is most likely going to be a TransAmerica 2010 member. The three Elon boys had a nice, primarily downhill day on the bike, which was a welcome change of pace from the Blacksburg ride. We also played the backyard game “S-P-U-D” at one crew stop, which was as awesome as you’d expect.

Once in Roanoke, we were greeted by a very attractive **** Four Star **** hotel (see below)! I reported directly to my bed and woke up to head to a Friendship Visit for children with down syndrome at a facility that hosts moon bounce parties. We may or may not have had more fun than the kids at some points. My personal favorite was an obstacle course that I can somewhat proudly claim to remain undefeated on. I also enjoyed inconspicuously sneaking seconds and thirds of pizza at dinner with my partner-in-crime Trevor Brink. The following day we had off. It included a shopping trip to buy gifts for an end-of-trip “Secret Santa” exchange among the team. While the gifts we bought each other were basically jokes (more on those later), it really started dawning on me how seriously things were winding down.

Life is old there, older than the trees: West Virginia

Huntington, WV – When I first started this ride, West Virginia seemed like it would be the point in the trip when the end would start feeling real. As it turns out, not so far from the truth. However, for the first part of the day’s ride my focus was less on how far we’d come and more on the crazy amount of rain! It was coming down heavy and I was shivering with the best of them. Riding in the rain can actually be kind of fun… it adds a whole “epic” feeling to the day. Adding to the fun was the addition of some new games into the pace line rotation. For the first game, we each took turns sharing a fact we thought nobody in the pace line would know about us. Since we’ve been together 24/7 for over two months, this was harder than it sounds. I most certainly whipped out my two go-to random facts: a) that I was once offered the role of the male lead in a short film about puberty and b) that I was “slimed” by a traveling Nickelodeon show as a kid. The second game involved changing lyrics of well-known songs to relate to some of the more funny moments of the JOH. This was right up my alley, as my partner in lyrical creativity Kelly Nealon could likely attest.

Songs played a pretty central role in this ride, as the John Denver West Virginia ode “Country Roads” was bellowed out many times after crossing into the state. After arriving at a very nice hotel in Huntington, WV (sadly not NY, where my mom’s side of the family lived for many years), we had a friendship visit that evening. I primarily chatted with a married couple about the disability organization they represented, while trying not to fixate on a very up-close-and-personal camera man from a local news station.

Charleston, WV – Another city with an alter ego I’m more familiar with (the Mecca of Charleston, SC of course)! This ride was pretty casual, until a straight up beastly hill emerged just prior to arriving at our lunch friendship visit. It tends to happen, I guess. The FV took place at a children’s therapy center that offers services to families that typically cannot afford the necessary treatments for their son or daughter. There were plenty of cute kids around, including Aiden, who loved knocking down the water bottle towers I kept putting in front of him. Most of the kids had supportive families present (both siblings and parents), and it was really cool to observe these strong interactions and bonds. Strangely enough, what I’ll probably remember most from that visit is a hyper energized game of Hot Potato I somehow got involved in. After arriving at our community center lodging, I eagerly took a nap once I completed a critical thorough clean on my bike. I woke up for our activity for the night, a minor league baseball game sponsored by a local Pi Alpha, in a groggy funk. Luckily, the event surpassed my expectations and included an all-you-can-eat ballpark buffet, a peculiar Michael Jackson tribute and our group singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the jumbo screen.

Beckley, WV – This was one of the most perfect rides of the trip – somewhat challenging, with consistently beautiful scenery to take in (see picture). It probably goes without saying, but taking a moment to pause at a stream in the mountains is about as peaceful as it gets. I finally understood why the state’s motto is “Wild and Wonderful” and what exactly Mr. Denver was talking about in his famous song.

From nature to… NASCAR! Well, not exactly. That night we headed off to a local racetrack to check out the spectacle. At the risk of sounding condescending (which I don’t mean to!), it was exactly what you would expect. I was amped to get a chance to walk around the “pit” area and check out all the cars up close. Some of the most shabby-looking vehicles actually ended up tearing it up in the races. All things considered, spectator sports don’t get much more American (or “Am-urrr-ican” as we sometimes say) than this and it was a fitting capstone to our time in West Virginia!

Rallying, Rain and Retaliation: Kentucky

Lexington, KY - Upon waking up for our ride to Lexington, I felt unusually tired. Because of this, I teamed up with some other cyclists that felt similarly to form “Team Slow” for the day. In actuality, we stayed more or less on pace with everyone… but the intent was there. When I envisioned Lexington in my head, I guess I expected to find a city with an “old South” vibe along the lines of Charleston. While this did not turn out to be the case, Lexington definitely had its nice areas – including outskirts primarily dominated by sprawling horse farms. We stayed at a church annex in town (with bunk beds!) and had a friendship visit that night with CAKY, Community Alternatives Kentucky. While I had a number of solid conversations that night (including one with a quirky and fun woman named Toni, and another with a man with a particular penchant for singing “Hound dog” by Elvis), there were some clients that were nonverbal or unreceptive. These situations can always be challenging, but I’ve found that when I put in time I can often establish a connection – even if it’s simply through a smile or nod.

For our second day in Lexington, we had a first for the team… a rally! We joined members of the Lexington disabled community at a downtown park to take part in their “Stay Out Late” demonstration. The issue at hand centered on restricted access to public transportation and facilities past 8:00 pm and reflected a growing desire for social fulfillment. I enjoyed speaking with the people involved in the rally, as well as working diligently as a “honking coordinator” to incite responses from traffic. This was definitely the least angry rally imaginable, and I think the team will always remember the abundant use of the word “Yaaaay” by the organizer, Bruce. Bruce runs a facility for people with disabilities and demonstrated artistic ability called “Latitudes” and we visited there for lunch. One of the women there, Beverly Baker (pic below), is actually a renowned artist who has had shows in both New York and Paris. It was cool to be in the presence of such an unassuming talent and her story is inspiring to say the least!

After running into some Eloners at a sponsored dinner that evening (including Coleman, one of our new members this spring), I was able to spend more quality Phoenix time with my friend Charissa. She is an AZD who was born and raised in Lexington and I was excited to be able to visit her house and hang out with her husband, Mark, and baby daughter, Kennedy. They are currently living with Charissa’s family, so their home feels like an episode of “Full House.” Kennedy will most definitely grow up with a lot of love and laughter around.

Morehead, KY - The next morning not only brought ominous clouds, but also an attack on my beloved bike, Phoebe. In what I suspect was an act of retaliation following a certain tire deflation on my part, I found both my tires deflated and my handlebars messed with. I was admittedly quite cranky, but did what had to be done to remedy the situation. As it turned out, my work was in vein since the weather got so bad we were unable to ride due to persistent thunder and lightning. This was a first for our route and, after a morning of vegging out and watching movies with teammates, it was weird riding in a van to our next city. Morehead was not a super eventful stop, except maybe for Drayton Perkins… long story, but it did include victorious games of “Sorry” with a partner at a friendship visit and trivia at Buffalo Wild Wings in which Team Rondo (named for our trusty Kia) proved fairly unstoppable. Ah, the joy of such minor accomplishments. On to West Virginia!

Ohio on bike = No ticket, hilarity

Oxford, OH - Had a pleasant day on the bike heading into Ohio, which holds the distinction of the only state on our route (sans VA and DC) that I have previously visited. To be honest, my only real associations with the state are Cedar Point and a certain regrettable speeding ticket while driving Jim Rampton’s giant plum mobile back from Michigan. Oh well, time for new ones. After a day on the bike that included a ride along from crewmember JT (an avid smoker who surpassed everyone’s expectations on the bike) and a questionable Amp energy drink shotgun challenge, we arrived in the cool college town of Oxford, home to Miami of Ohio. We received a warm reception at the local chapter house (which was coincidentally in its last night of Pi Kapp operation), and settled into our home for the night - an on campus wooden lodge. While unloading my bike accessories, I noticed a few of us had been approached by a group of tourists. It turns out they were from China, a country I have had the great fortune to visit, and wanted to take pictures with us! The strange thing was, they had no idea we were cross country cyclists and, well, actually the whole thing was pretty strange. That night we checked out the movie “Funny People” (which was pretty “eh”) and were even a bit late for curfew. As my teammate Isaac Polanco would say, “Scandalous!”

Cincinnati, OH – Hands down one of the most hilarious cycling experiences of the trip. This may or may not be correlated to it being the shortest ride of the summer… who knows. What I do know is that the ride along of Trevor “Tink” Brink, a crewmember who has quickly become one of my favorite people, made the day. I was in Tink’s pace line for the day and he took the ride on like a champ. There were a few struggles with hills in there (including what could be a straight up priceless prolonged final ascent into lunch), but that’s to be expected. Flattering picture of Tink post-ride below!

That afternoon we were visited by a pick-up wheelchair football team. The team was composed of some cool guys (including a slam poet who performed some of his colorful work for us) and they were happy to get us involved. I’ve previously played wheelchair basketball, and I actually found football a lot easier. It was a blast to maneuver around and play and I was glad to get to witness this kind of action, since we unfortunately had a visit with a “murderball” type team cancelled earlier in the summer. Maybe that was a good thing, who knows! That night we all went to check out a Reds vs. Rockies game that failed to hold my attention. I did, however, make sure to waste money on an overpriced soft pretzel/soda combo because, after all, that’s what a ball game is all about.