A sad loss

I left Brian and Saphera's house about half past eight and felt great. It was a late night but I had a great sleep and was well fed, Brian even made me a bagel to take along for the trip... thanks guys. I cycled into Denver and followed the map that Brian had made up for me....as usual I got slightly lost but eventually made it to the 36, a road I needed to get out of town. I got some great phone calls last night, one form my brothers , Gary and Kevin. It's great to hear their voices. I also got a call from Mike, from Viva TV....I can't tell you how much they mean to me. After about two hours and twenty odd miles later, and still not out of Denver...it's a big city. Life can be surprisingly wonderful....at the blink of an eye it can also be heart breakingly tragic. I received another call from Brian, my best friend. he told me that one of my childhood friends, Mark had died at the age of forty nine. I was absolutely devastated. He said that he wasn't sure about telling me but I am glad he did. Mark had lived in Australia for the last twenty odd years and I've not seen him for quite a while. That does not distract from the closeness of the relationship...I have said before you can not erase history. I have some very fond memories of Mark. I can see him laughing as I write this blog. It is such a sad and terrible loss. I can only offer my sincere condolences to his family, especially Graham, his brother.
There are no photos or film today...I just didn't feel like it, sorry.
I am having an early night and will pick it up tomorrow.
I received a wonderful phone call from Thomas, my son tonight....he made my day. Thanks Thomas...I love you very much.

Met a great couple.

Day fifteen
Distance travelled: 105.5 miles
Time in saddle: 9hrs 23 mins
Overall distance: 1366 miles
I was freezing last night. I managed to drop off but woke through the night dithering. In the end I put my coat on and used my thick cycling top as leg warmers. I put my feet through the sleeves….ingenious hey?
I finally got up about seven o’clock and put my tent away. It was wet trough from the frost the previous night. I was sleeping at about eight thousand feet so it was to be expected.
As I cycled up a cycle path a guy rode beside me called Randy…I was hoping that he fitted heaters in transits…he would be Randy Van Warmer. You’ve got to have been around in the seventies to get that one. He was a really nice guy. About the same age as me but on a lighter bike, which makes all the difference and he was probably fitter. He’d done some serious riding in his youth. He helped me over the first mountain. It was good to have some company. He turned around at the top of the first hill and I was on my own again. As I came out of a rest room two guys were looking at my bike. I got chatting to them and they seemed some genuine interested in what I was doing. That has happened a lot on this trip and its great to chat to these people.
Up to now I didn’t really find the Rockies that difficult. Yes there were some hills but nothing serious. That was to change when I reached Loveland Pass. It was a massive 11900feet high and every inch a bugger. As I reached the ski resort at what I thought was the summit. I asked three guys where the summit was. They informed me that it was a further four miles up the hill. I was gutted. One of the guys very kindly asked me if I wanted a lift. Over the last couple of days I’ve been offered a lift at least five times. This was the only one I gave a second thought to. I was hanging out my pants as they say and for a second very tempted. I declined and kept going. I had to walk the last two miles and it hurt….but I didn’t get the lift…I’m so glad now.
I had another puncture today and two of my spare inner tubes were damaged so I looked for a bike shop in the town I’d just entered. The town was called Silverthorne. The bike shop was a godsend, again. I bought four new inner tubes and a new tyre. A guy called Bob help me and we had a good chat about everything.
As I was in the shop paying for my stuff, which turned out to be ridiculously cheap I got chatting to a couple that were also in the shop buying stuff. Brian and Sephora asked me what I was doing and where I intended to stop for the night. I told them that I was aiming for Denver, but I might not make it because of the mountain that I had to climb as well as it being over seventy miles away…it was afternoon by then and I’d already done thirty five miles that morning. Sephora said that if I got to Denver I could pitch my tent at their place, which was very nice of them. I set off to do the hill and eventually started to build speed up as I came down the other side of the mountain. I was conscious of the fact that I had somewhere to stay and was a little worried that it would be late when I got there. I cycled like a madman and was doing really well on highway 70. In full flow I was pulled up by the police and told that I couldn’t cycle on this stretch of the highway. The policeman was very nice and courteous and told me I had to get off at the next junction. I looked for highway 40, which would take me to where Brian and Sephora lived in Golden, a suburb of Denver. I got lost….the directions in the states are not very good. I went to a petrol station to ask the way, but didn’t have any luck. As I cycled back to the main road, the way out was not clear. I cycled down a steep road to what I thought was the exit. It wasn’t. In fact it was a closed road with a large chain across. Because of the direction of the setting sun I didn’t see it. I nearly did a summersault with my feet still in the peddles. I hit the floor like a sack of s**t. I jumped up really embarrassed and had a quick check over of the bike. It was perfect….the thick chain was snapped in half…that’s how fast I was going. Gusher can put up with anything, thank God.
After looking around for the road I asked another guy which direction I needed to go. He told me that I would have to go onto Highway 70 for two miles to get to highway 40. This was worrying as I had already been stopped once, a second time and they wouldn’t be so understanding. I wnt for it and peddled like the clappers for two miles. I eventually arrived at Brian’s and Sephor’s house, which is very nice. They had cooked something for me, let me have a shower and had made a bed up for me to sleep in…amazing. I certainly didn’t expect all the trouble that they had gone to and it was very much appreciated. They are a really nice couple and we had a really good chat over dinner. They even planned my route out of Denver, which like all cities is very busy for cyclists. It’s moments like this that make this trip worthwhile…great people.

Into Denver

Day fourteen
Distance Travelled: 92.1 Miles
Time in saddle: 8hrs 2 mins
Overall distance covered: 1,261 Miles

I had a terrible nights sleep last nights. I actually woke up looking for someone in my room. Obviously no one was there…. do you think I would be that lucky? It wasn’t that I had heard anybody but for some reason I had to look for them. Weird hey.
It was starting to get hot as soon as I woke up, which was a little worrying. I seem to have got used to the hills but the heat does get to me now and again…. perhaps I should do it naked; purely for ventilation reasons…try explaining that to a patrol officer.
I wasn’t really looking forward to today as I had some real climbing to do…. it turned out not to be that bad. Either I m getting very fit or people have been telling me ‘porkies’. Yes I did climb but it seemed to be gradual. I kept waiting for the big hill but it didn’t seem to come. Saying that tomorrow will be a definite climb…up to eleven thousand feet…I can see some walking and pushing coming on. I forgot to mention, yesterday a guy actually offered to give me a lift on a bus….yes a bus. I asked for directions and he said “hang on a minute and I will give you a lift…I’m going that way” It was very kind of him but I told him that I was doing the ride for charity and didn’t was to cheat.
I think that the other reason the climbing has been less noticeable is the views, they are unbelievable. Every corner takes my breath away…or is that the peddling? Seriously it is sensational. I want to stop to take photos but even the camera cannot do the scenery justice. There are a series of cycle paths that you must take on this section of the highway. I cycled down one today and had to turn back after three miles, the river had flooded the path. I eventually retraced my steps and continued on the highway….sod it. Let them put me in jail, at least the water will be colder than the stuff in my water bottle.
The Colorado River is very powerful and quite frightening to watch close up. Do you know when you are near the beach and you can smell the sea. Although it is fresh water you can still smell it…it’s strange but hypnotic.
I cycled along with a guy called Larry, another fellow cyclist. He was here for a wedding and decided to stay on longer to get some cycling in. He cycled with me into Vale. It was very pretty. It looked like one of those Swiss chocolate boxes you get at Christmas. It seemed very exclusive. I suspect that my Lycra attire would not be appreciated, especially pushing my bike into the lobby of one of the classy hotels. It was probably very expensive too. I cycled further expecting to camp by the side of the road, but it would have been difficult as everywhere seemed to be private property. I eventually came to a shop and asked if there were any campsites around the area, there was…. about two and a half miles down the road. As I stopped to film some footage of me riding up the road another cyclist called Al stopped for a chat. He gave me directions to the campsite and that’s where I am now.
It’s in a densely wooded area and there are signs that there are bears about….Well I’ll be bare in my tent tonight so they had better watch out too. If it wakes me in a morning it’s in for a surprise. You know what happens to us guys first thing in a morning don’t you?.......yes bad breath. The sign says to put your food away from your camp….I’ve put it next to a tent down the road that should keep them bears busy…only joking. I am the only tent in the area….the rest of the ‘campers’ are in RV’s, which probably cost more than my house…roughing it hey. I bought some yoghurt from a shop down the road. I haven’t got any cutlery so I used my fingers to eat them…fantastic. I’m never eating yoghurt any other way in future.
I’m outside my tent composing this blog. It’s going dark and the mossies are biting me to death. I don’t mind, it’s a beautiful evening, the sound of the river beside the campsite is very comforting and I’m ninety miles nearer to home. I’m very tired, but it’s a satisfying tiredness if you now what I mean. I’ve grafted today and for the first time I feel that I’m getting there. I’ve got a long way to go but I am absolutely one hundred percent sure that with your continuing support I will be home on Saturday 22nd August at 12 noon precisely…..count on it.

problems with the bike

Distance covered: 83.7 Miles
Time in saddle: 6 hrs 40 mins
Overall distance covered: 1168.9 Miles
I washed all my clothes last night, what a relief, I stank. I was always careful to stand down wind when I spoke to anyone. You don't really notice when you are cycling, it's when you stop that you begin to notice the smell.
When I started to ride this morning I noticed that my back tyre had gone down a bit. I didn't know if it was a slow puncture or the tyre just needed pumping up. I wasn't taking any chances. It was boiling hot already and I didn't want to fix a puncture on the open road. I found some shade and put in a new inner tube. I noticed that one of my spokes had broken at the tip. It must have happened when I hit that road grid really hard in Sacramento. I knew that it was a hard bump but I had no idea of the damage, until now. The bike has stood up to all sorts since I started, and it has been brilliant. The weight on the frame and wheels is incredible and it keeps going. It's no wonder that one of the spokes was broken, but it still kept on and on, great stuff. I'd decided to cycle to Grand Junction about fifteen to twenty miles away. I thought that it would be a bigger town with more chance of a bike shop. I actually stopped at a shop called 'The Bike Shop' which is uncanny. I asked a guy in there if he could sort out my broken spoke? His name was Nate Rudolph and he was brilliant....talk about a knight in shining armour. He fixed my wheel without any fuss then asked if I was in a rush. I said that I wasn't and he preceded to take apart the wheel cog, the gears and the peddles, cleaned and reset them...brilliant. We got chatting and he informed me that he had served in the military and was in Bosnia with a multi-national force. He remembers the Brit soldiers well and spoken about them with affection. He said they were crazy...he's right too, in a nice way. I told him about Daniel serving in the army and he shook my hand and asked me to thank Daniel for his service. That's what I love about America they are so proud of their serving troops and take every opportunity to say so... The people I have spoken to never talk about the politics but speak proudly of people they know who are serving soldiers. We are gradually coming around to that way of thinking in the Uk and so we should...Without preaching, our boys and girls do a fantastic job in difficult conditions and they deserve all the praise they get....sorry went off on one there but it is something I am very passionate about. Without sounding naff I thought that Nate was a credit to The Bike Shop and a credit to his parents, a real gentleman...cheers Nate, it got me over the mountains.
Up to now the Rockies haven't been that difficult. I have got some really big climbs tomorrow but after the Sierra Nevada,s I can't think anything could be worse...we'll see.
It was quite difficult today, not the climbs but the hot sun. It really affects me. My hands are really sore at the moment. I am putting cream on but perhaps that may be the problem. I'm going to put some antiseptic cream on and see how it goes. I have had some chaffing in the nether regions,that's what my mum used to call it. I slap loads of cream on in a morning but it was bound to happen. It hurts first thing but once I'm a few miles into my ride it is bearable....funnily enough the sweat makes it easier...hope you are not eating your breakfast, sorry.
I've been beside the Colorado River all day. It is an impressive stretch of water, so fast. I'd love to boat down it, that would be a great buzz.
As I unpacked everything in my motel room I decided to go to the shops about half a mile away for something to eat. I went on my bike, without the panniers and tent. Wow, it felt so light. If I was riding without baggage I would have been home now. A bit of an exaggeration but you know what I mean.
I've had some really nice messages again. keep them coming. I look forward to reading them so much.

The longest days ride up todate.

Distance Travelled: 130.4 Miles
Time in saddle: 8Hrs 56 Mins
Overall distance: 1085 Miles.

I woke up this morning pretty wet, my tent was fine but the weather was lousy last night. It kept waking me up, along with the strategically placed rocks, by whom I don't know but it made for an uncomfortable night.....rocks and stones don't go together...work it out your self. The tent nearly blew away, It's a god job I had my fat backside in it or else it would have done. The thunder storm was pretty amazing and the lightening was....well, en-lightening, a play on words....clever hey? I packed everything away and some of my things were pretty wet, the clothes I put on didn't really matter. In fact it felt nice to have them wet as I knew they would dry pretty quickly....is that a fetish I hear you say...no just convenience.
After a good nights sleep I felt really strong...I didn't want to lift anything up or anything like that but you know what I mean. The first thirty miles was easy and I had an incentive...there was a town at that very distance, Green River. It should have been called Brown River because the river was brown, or maybe the first settlers were colour blind.....James were your ancestors ever in Utah? I wanted to make up for the miserable performance I did yesterday. I was determined to get back on track. I know that I will have some 'off' days but I need to make sure that I make the time up.
I had something to eat and on leaving had a chat with a guy whose ancestors came from the UK, great stuff. He didn't know where from but that doesn't matter, they were Brits. He gave me some indication as to the terrain over the next four hundred miles......hills. They are everywhere, front, back, sidewards, they wait for me to come....cuckoo, cuckoo....sorry lost it for a moment. He very kindly gave me his card and offered to help me if I was in trouble in Kansas. It's like that line from The Last of the Mahicans..."stay alive and I'll find you" I've always wanted to use that line, but it doesn't sound the same when saying goodnight to a girl in Orford....or maybe it does. I keep saying this but I've met some really nice people on this trip....hopefully it will continue.
As I got to one hundred miles I had a choice. I was being chased by a thunderstorm. It wasn't actually chasing me....it didn't know my name or anything, unless someone told it I was coming...paranoid or what? I kept ahead of it pretty much for quite a few miles, I was really chuffed as the sky behind me was black, and it was only three o'clock in the afternoon. I peddled like a madman. Fear has a colour, it's brown and smells of poo.
The funny thing is that being so close to the storm the wind that is in front of the thunderstorm helped me cycle faster, great stuff. However just when you think you are clear the bloody thing comes from the side, and even the front. It's like when you are swimming off the beach in Towyn, North Wales. I remember being there in my imitation leopard skin woolen trunks....yes woolen...when I came out of the water it looked like the Mersey Dredger....well I was only seven. My mum said I would grow into them....yes when I was fifty one...God bless her. Getting back to the story. I remember seeing a jelly fish. But it couldn't catch me because I was bigger and stronger than it was....but the next minute I was surrounded. It's the same with storms...they are everywhere out here. I actually caught one up...didn't mean to. I waited under a bridge until it went away...it waited for me round a corner like someone playing hide and seek. I got drenched. The last thirty miles were wet to say the least. The good thing about getting wet is that you can only get so wet, then it doesn't matter. That's the way it was. I approached the Colorado River and knew that salvation....well a motel room...was near. There was a convention in town so there was chance that I may be sleeping in a seven eleven doorway. There was an hotel room, but the prices were inflated....capitalism don't you love it sometimes? I managed to get a room, two big beds...I might just sleep in both to mess with their heads. I've been assured it's the Queen Anne Room....she never stayed here, that I am sure of.
I'm sure that I am not the only person who is unhappy about the prices...I can hear a woman moaning next door....but I can assure you love God is not coming.

In the desert 2

Day 12
Distance Travelled 71.9 Miles
Time in saddle 7hrs 39 Mins
Overall distance 955 miles
Ordered a pizza last night, the guy, who was on his own said it would be about 20 minutes so I said I would call back. I went back to my motel to edit the footage and forgot what time it was. I quickly went back to the pizza place, the guy was on his way out with my pizza in his hand, He said “I thought you’d forgot so I was going to bring it to you” how scary is that? How did he know where I was? News must travel fast in these small towns. I suppose they don’t get many knackered looking middle-aged men dressed in Lycra stopping over. It was very kind of him though. The walls are thin in this motel. I heard the guy next door using the toilet this morning about five o’clock, I nearly pooed my pants. I thought that he was in my loo. I had this vision of a big cowboy coming out the loo, throwing a couple of dollars on the bed and thanking me for last night…..well I did have a can of beer when I’d finished my ride. Luckily that wasn’t the case. I don’t feel like writing this blog at the moment, because I’m so shattered. If I don’t do it now I will forget what happened, everyday is just mixing into he other. I don’t even remember which town I’ve been in. I set off later than expected. As I travel east I need to alter the time on my watch, I forgot to and was an hour behind. Talk about swings and roundabouts. Yesterday was the best days cycling I’ve done so far. Today was the worst. I wasn’t sure if I could cycle on Highway 70, being an interstate I couldn’t normally ride a bike on it. However to go a different way would take me at least four extra days cycling. I asked the lady who served me breakfast at ‘Mom’s Place’ She said I couldn’t. After I left I asked an old guy who was watering his plants. He tried to send me in the wrong direction. I eventually came upon two hippie type bikers, the cycle kind who, were just riding around the country as a way of life, fantastic. He said I could ride on Highway 70, “Cos I done it” he boasted proudly. They were a really nice couple that didn’t seem to have a worry in the world, just cycling about living in a tent. I got the answer I was looking for and I was off. The guy did say that the road climbed a way…thirty miles later it flattened off…. for a couple of miles. I was knackered. It was particularly hot today too and I think the heat started to affect me. I felt really lethargic and my legs felt like jelly. After about forty three miles I wanted to stop cycling and set up my tent but I would have been a little embarrassed at only doing forty odd miles. I don’t know how I did the next thirty miles. I kept giving myself little incentives, like ‘after the next hill I’ll see how I feel. Or what’s over the next brow?’ It’s amazing how you can play tricks with your mind and body. The hours just went by and I was at seventy miles. I carried on until I got to just over seventy-one miles. Out of those seventy-one miles I must have climbed for sixty of them, it’s been horrendous. Then it started to pour down When I mean rain I mean a thunderstorm. I managed to get the tent up without getting absolutely drenched. I was wet, but I’d put my waterproof coat on so the damage was limited. It’s pouring down, I’m in my tent absolutely knackered somewhere in the San Rafael Desert…it doesn’t get weirder that that. The lightening just lit my tent up like Blackpool Illuminations, wow.
While I was cycling along on the Interstate I could hear police sirens. I thought here they come, but then again sirens, a bit heavy handed isn’t it? The car went straight past me as I’d stopped my bike ready for the prone position. I’ve seen all the films…book him Dano. There was a massive crash on the opposite side of the freeway. Two massive lorries had jack-knifed and actually mounted each other. It looked really serious. Traffic was held up for miles. As I cycled past people kept stopping me to ask what had happened. I didn’t take any pictures or film I thought it was a bit morbid….and I didn’t want to highlight the fact that I was happily cycling along the freeway…I still don’t know if its legal or not.
I’m going to have an early night and set off bright and cheerful tomorrow. The rest will do me the world of good….I’ll drop off like a baby…if the storm stops trying to blow my tent from under me.

Entering Selina

Day Eleven
Distance Travelled: 74.4 Miles
Time in saddle: 6hrs 32 Mins
Overall Distance Covered:883 Miles
I woke up at 6.00am, I thought I'd overslept, I scurried around like a demented hamster trying to find my glasses to look at the watch....don't get old. I had great sleep. I managed to have a soak in the bath last night, glorious but I was really tired so I was falling a sleep by 9.30pm. I had a shave this morning and cut my ear…I know I wonder how I do it as well. I put a large piece of toilet paper on my ear; at least two sheets. It looked like an head bandage. I sorted out all my gear ready to go and decided to have breakfast in a cafe before I went. As I entered the cafe, which was crowded with men all dressed as cowboys, it went really quiet, as usual. They were all looking at me in a peculiar way, especially the waitress who came to serve me. I thought it was because I was dressed in Lycra, not usual attire around these parts. It was only when I was eating my breakfast that I realised that I still had this massive piece of toilet paper wrapped round my ear…. covered in blood. My god you can’t take me anywhere can you. The breakfast was the best I’ve had since I got here. Great stuff.
Everyone had large ten gallon hats on and big buckles on their belts. It looks as if the bigger the buckle the more important you are. If I had the time I would love to get a front gate, paint it gold and put it on my belt. That would show the how important I am, or is it impotent, I can't remember. When I was little my mum used to say that it was for stirring my tea with anyway...I still can't get to the sugar at the bottom of the cup.
I passed a sign pointing to a town called Landfill, I didn't go it was rubbish.....sorry, I'm tired and my jokes get worse when I'm tired.
I got some great messages last night. It is amazing how they make me feel. It puts at least another three to four miles an hour on my peddling. Today has been the easiest days riding so far. It's been ridiculously hot, in the 90s and there were some hills but it didn't seem to matter. I think that I may be getting stronger, both physically and mentally.....I've always been mental. I've been absolutely buzzing today. I have no doubt that I will have some bad days before I've finished but bring them on and lets deal with them. I have some fantastic support from everyone at home and as I keep saying it will get me to the finish line...that I am sure of.
After cycling for about thirty miles I decided to stop at a town called Holden. the only shop in town was closed down. There was a woman in her garden so I asked her where the nearest shop was, she said"twelve miles down the road". I cycled onto Scipio, which wasn't much bigger. I eventually went on to Salina, which is rather nice, in a western kind of way. I was going to cycle on and camp out in the wood but I want to check my camera. I've had trouble with it since the night out in the desert. It might need another cleaning. A car pulled up along side me as I got to the traffic light in the centre of town. A guy with his son asked me what I was doing. They pulled over and we had a chat, great people. I can honestly say I have not met any bad people on my travels so far...there is still time but the good experiences are always going to compensate for the bad. As I cycled into town my phone rang. It was Ste Kemp, another great friend who I might not see for a while but when we do its always interesting. We had a chat and it was great to hear from him. We have had some great adventures throughout the years. We used to do a lot of walking in the Lake District....good times. He more than anyone probably knows what I'm going through and I appreciate his messages of support.
The mountain of the Rockies are visible in the distance. once I get over them it;s down hill for a while, that I am looking forward to. I am just going to make sure that I have my camera and phone with me this time.