Epilogue

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: If you're reading this blog retrospectively, you might want to start here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've left a week between the ride completion and this summary to let everything ferment and settle down... I sure everybody has their own view on the trip. Here's mine!

Personally, I enjoyed the tour immensely, although it was very tough at times and perhaps slightly too long without a scheduled rest day. 26 days straight riding, mostly 125+ miles days, in hot summer temperatures is bordering on excessive! There were a couple of days when I thought "why am I doing this?", but mostly, although I may not have enjoyed every minute cycling, I did enjoy the satisfaction of completing each day and moving further across the country. There is something immensely satisfying about a long road trip, especially a coast-to-coast. I feel a great sense of achievement having crossed America on a bicycle. In fact, I'll repeat that in large, emboldened, red, white and blue capitals:

I CROSSED AMERICA ON A BICYCLE!

Group shot at the Atlantic Ocean (photo from Susan's site)

The organisation was superlative. Thanks to Susan and Lon and the crew: Susan, Jim, Jon, Lara, Franz, Dave, John, Buster (and Blisti the dog!). You were all fantastic and worked tirelessly to make this trip run smoothly so that we, the riders, could concentrate on doing what we wanted to do - RIDE OUR BIKES. Pactour really is a very smooth and unique operation.

And what a great group of riders! There were no egos or bad apples on this trip. Everybody was very supportive and friendly. I felt we became a great family (crew included) for the month that we traversed the country, gradually learning each other's character, including the inevitable idiosyncrasies! Thanks to Kurt, my room-mate, who made room sharing a surprisingly painless affair. He also provided the computer that most of this blog was written on! I also include a special thought for the riders who left the tour early, for one reason or other...

My bike did pretty well. I had no major mechanicals, although I did have 13 punctures! Maybe my 23s were a bit light, in retrospect. The road surfaces and I think, the high temperatures, wore out my tyres prematurely. I was only getting 1,000 miles from a rear!

So, it's all over and I'm glad! My body was beginning to break down. I struggled with a cough and mild cold for the majority of the tour, I got stung by an angry bee, I pulled a muscle in a calf, I had strains at various points during the tour to both ankles, the back of both knees, the outside ligments of the left knee. I fell off and had a nice bit of road rash to contend with for a week! I have a slightly numb big toe. Even without all of this, the general wear and tear of riding a long way on consecutive days gradually took its toll. Certainly during the last week, I wasn't recovering properly for the next day.

This was certainly a trip of a lifetime for me and one that I'll carry both the good and the not so good memories close to me for a very long time. Maybe, I'll see some of my new friends on the road in the future, who knows...

Shaun Bonney
August 2007