May 24 – The Atlantic Ocean

Today we made it across the country. We dipped our bikes into the Atlantic Ocean in Salisbury MA. Getting there from Keene NH was another problem. Our route today was in reality two separate days of cycling that had been added together. The morning ride of 70 miles was a very scenic and hilly route along country roads from Keene to Manchester, NH. The course would make a great one day ride. It has 3 sustained climbs of over 12% and many other climbs and downhills. The roads were rural and for the most part devoid of traffic. The views are great! The afternoon ride went through Manchester, yuck, and then on to the Atlantic via some relatively flat country roads. They were we encountered about 8 miles of recently tarred road. I am sure it improved our ride but my riding partner could only think and often comment about how bad it was for his bike to ride on roads like this. If on a 3500 mile journey you are complaining about the surface of a road 15 miles before the end you need a serious attitude adjustment.

While I struggled a bit with today’s ride, it really didn’t matter the fastest riders waited 5 miles from the finish for the slowest riders to get there, before we all went on to the Atlantic Ocean together. We dipped our front wheels into the Atlantic to end our ride. It was a joyous time many riders where me by family at beach. Karen met me and shared in my joy. It was wonderful. Kasper’s family (mother, wife and son) were there. I guess that in Holland the police are held in higher regard than they are in the US. We also poured the bottle of Pacific Ocean water into the Atlantic. While the air temperature was about 80 the ocean temperature was about 50. Twenty-eight riders who were old enough to know better got very wet and didn’t mind at all. After the celebration on the beach we put my bike in our rental car and drove to the motel. About half the riders rode the ten miles to the motel and somewhere along the way picked up a police escort. They arrived behind a police car with lights ablaze.

After most of the riders had packed their bikes so that they could be sent by UPS or be taken on the airplane, we had a final banquet. All but one of the riders, who had to leave early that evening, and lots of family were there. We toasted our success; we all got to say something about the ride, our feelings, our fellow riders and the leaders. The range of comments was dramatic. Many were simply thankful for the help and friendship they received from the leaders and their fellow riders. Some recalled memorable incidents during the ride. Others described the experience in reverential ways and thought of themselves as being blessed for completing the ride. I was thankful for the support of my wife as well as that of the fellow riders and staff. I thanked the staff for all the mechanical, emotional and physical support I received. I was pleased not to have had the most flats on the ride, I missed that honor by one. I also did not to have spent the most time in the van one rider had an Achilles tendon problem early in the ride and had to sag for five days while it healed. I was also pleased that after my bike was repaired in Quincy IL I rode every mile.

Many riders expressed a pride in their accomplishment. I have a great deal of trouble feeling that emotion. I look at it as if I did nothing special when compared to my fellow riders. I never felt a special sense of accomplishment when I became an Eagle Scout, graduated from MIT, climbed the highest mountain in Peru (22,000 ft), got a Ph.D., or completed Paris-Breast-Paris. In very case many others accomplished the same thing with me; I wasn’t any different than the other members of the group. I guess that I have never compared myself to the general population, only to the cohort of people doing the same things I am. It is an interesting character trait that I have only come to recognize in full lately. It keeps my ego in check but it limits my ability to feel joy and take pride in the accomplishments that I do achieve. On balance I like being that way but it certainly is something to think about.