I still feel like I don't have enough distance to think about the deeper philosophical ideas around the trip, so once again I'll just stick to the facts. I did wake up yesterday morning at the Lindvigs house in Bismarck, ND, pack up my bike in a box, do some light yard work, then get driven to the Bismarck airport, fly to Las Vegas, where I then put my bike together in the airport, loaded it up with 30+ pounds, rode 20 miles through the heat, got my car, rode back to the airport and picked up my duffel bag, and finally went shopping before collapsing in a bed in a beautiful suburban house. A few observations: first, it's amazing what people will tell you you can't do. My team gave me this amazing book about a man's trip around the world by bicycle in 1884, and one of the themes is that he regularly just thumbs his nose at people who say he can't do something. At the Vegas airport they told me there was no way I would get home in the heat with all those bags, but I did. So for everybody out there: people like to tell you you can't do things. Do what you want with that advice, but let me assure you: it almost always isn't true. Also, don't pay a bike shop to box up your bike. It's so easy to do.
Vegas is exactly the way I remember it: hot, dry, and maybe a little poor.
It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway: I miss my team terribly. I miss the clarity of waking up with a purpose, and knowing you're doing good work. I miss having people around, the idle conversation between people with different backgrounds, different ages and genders and thoughts. I miss playing cards. I want to feel connected to my team and so I'm doing a few concrete things. One is continuing this blog, which I hope they read. And, of course, reading their blogs and posts with interest. I'm also going to follow the Tour de France. And, I've made arrangements to come up and visit them at the end and possibly even ride the last day. But something else seemed necessary; something reflecting their athletic accomplishment. I'm running a half ironman in mid-August and I have to start training for the running and swimming, so I'm going to try to keep up with the team by running. I'm going to cheat, though, because I don't have 6-9 hours a day to work out now, so I'm giving myself credit: 10 miles for every mile I run, 25 miles for every mile I swim. If I bike, I'll take 1/1 credit for that, too. So yesterday I rode 20 miles and they rested, so I banked 20 miles against today. Today they're doing 71 miles, so I'm going to try to run 7.1 miles and keep my 20 in reserve.
Can't wait to see everybody in Seattle, but before that, it's time to work!
