London to Brighton Baby! (Part 2)

Friday night before our trip I rode around the southwest of London for 4 hours looking for the correct route out of town. It shouldn’t have taken me more than two hours but London has a funny way of giving multiple streets the same name while also giving the same street multiple names.
Our ride down on Saturday went much smoother than I expected and although we took a few wrong turns, we were always able to make it back on track with no more than 100 yards of back tracking. We were able to stop for a nice Pub dinner along the way, however, at the time we stopped, we thought we were much closer than we actually were. After leaving the pub around 6:30 or 7, it was starting to get a bit darker outside and we realized we had almost 20 miles left to go!
The next 20 miles went a lot faster than the first 30 as we were determined to make it back before nightfall and before the rain.
We reached Ditchling Beacon around 8 PM and 3 out of 7 of us were able to ride up, better than the 2 out of 10 average of the charity ride. It was a nice cruise down the other side and when we had made it into town it was only starting to drizzle. Kyle headed to the train station while the rest of us headed to the Holiday Inn where we were able to fit all 6 into one double deluxe room. The bed was big enough for 3 and the other 3 were able to find plenty of space on the floor. An awesome 2 for 1 deal on pizzas at a shop on the corner was about all the Brighton we could handle for the night as it was almost 11 O’Clock by the time everyone had showered and we were all pretty tired and sore from the day’s ride anyway.
The next morning we went out for a quick breakfast around 11 after checking out of the hotel and then headed down to the beach to take a couple of pictures and dip our tires into the sea! From there, Emil and Seamus headed into town on their way back to the station while Chris, Lynn, and Trevor stayed near the beach the rest of the day.
Before checking out I had checked the weather report and the chance of rain had gone down from 100% as it said on Thursday, to only 77% so I decided to chance it and head back to London by bike.
I wasn’t more than a half hour into my ride when I took my first detour because the bike path that went along the highway strayed off a bit. I stopped for directions shortly after that for the first time and was told about an easy way to take some side roads back to a bike path that went alongside my route on the A23 highway. As I was on that route I saw an old beaten down bike path. I decided to go for that, unfortunately there was a small fence and about 15 feet of brush between me and the bike path. Shortly after I rode into the brush I realized these plants were Stinging Nettle. I made my way over the fence and to the bike path on the other side but not without much pain. I discovered on Wikipedia after I got home that Stinging Nettle contains a poison similar to that of insect bites. Wikipedia also said “The plants have stinging hairs (trichomes), whose tips come off when touched, transforming the hair into a needle that will inject a cocktail of irritants: acetylcholine, histamine, 5-HT and possibly formic acid. This mix of poisons cause a sting or paresthesia from which the species derives its common name, as well as the colloquial name "7 minute stitch" and burn hazel.” Just prior to this I was thinking about how my shins and calves weren’t sore or anything and they were actually feeling quite good. Not anymore.
I must have stopped for directions at least 6 times while finding my way back. The best advice I got was from a guy at the Devil’s Dyke golf course who simply said, “Keep the sun on your back and at least you’ll be going the right direction” and so that’s what I did. I began disregarding other’s directions when I didn’t think they were right. On my way back down from Devil’s Dyke I passed through a roundabout going North to South where over an hour earlier I had passed going East to West trying to follow someone else’s directions.
I stopped at a gas station to ask for directions a little further down the road. I had been biking down London Road parallel to the A23 which goes straight to London. I told the guys I was thinking of just staying on London Road but he told me that about a mile down the road, it merged in with the A23 and that I would need a lawyer if I was caught biking on that rode because I would get thrown in jail. I didn’t know where else to go so I decided to head down London Road anyway and hope that his ignorance of local bike trails would be sufficient enough that he just didn’t notice there was a bike path next to the road!
Well we were both right. London Road did eventually merge in with the A23 but there was also a bike path along the side. I passed one exit and the bike path kept going so I continued on down the side of the A23. Unfortunately, a little ways down, the bike path then merged into the A23 as well. I saw a sign for POLICE in the distance so I decided to hop off my bike and walk down to the station. I figured I would either get thrown in jail (unlikely) or they would help me find my way back onto my path. As I got a bit closer, I realized it said in smaller letters “unmaked cars operating”. There was no station. I biked back up to the nearest exit and again began biking and winding around side streets as best I could trying to keep “the sun on my back”.
While I was on the road I had a lot of time (over 11 hours as a matter of fact) to breathe in the fresh air and just have a good think about life. I decided that my journey back to London had some parallels with my journey through life.

At the end of this journey, I want to end up in London. At the end of this life, I want to end up in Heaven.

Throughout this journey, I have asked people for direction, sometimes they were right, and sometimes I had to choose not to follow them and just go the way I felt was best. On some occasions, it worked out, on other occasions, I ended up climbing large obstacles or walking down the side of the highway where I wasn’t supposed to be.

I tried to take a short cut early on and got stung.

While I was out “in the middle of nowhere”, I saw a sign that suggested I was on the right path and a feeling of relief came over me. It was then that I decided the only way I would be able to enjoy the rest of the ride was to simply accept the fact that I didn’t know where I was, that I had a clear idea of my goal, and only a vague idea of how to get there, but that I would get there eventually. It was then that I realized, the hardest part for me about living the Christian life, is letting go of control of the direction I am going in this life. I’m not saying that I’ve now done this; I just know that that’s the hardest part for me. If I could just let God take control of my life, what would that look like?

I had only been riding for three hours when I saw that sign and felt that amount of relief. I couldn’t stop smiling because I was so happy to know I had made the right choice, and that I was no longer going the wrong direction. Now imagine, 20, 50, or 100 years of trying to follow this path toward a goal and finding at the end that you were on the right track. Despite some hiccups, some detours, and a little bit of back tracking, you reached your goal.

I think that’s a little bit of what Heaven is going to be like; A HUGE RELIEF. I think we’ll get there and say to one another, in jubilant exultation of course, FINALLY! To know that the journey was not wasted, to know that the difficulty and confusion, and struggle for faith and righteousness were all part of a mandatory prerequisite, to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it all had purpose, and to be finally done with that leg of life. Because I believe at that point we will see that Life has actually just begun.

Day 10: London to Brighton Baby!

My level of respect and admiration for the Ride:Well Team grew enormously this weekend as 6 of my friends and I rode from London to Brighton on the southern coast on England. I don't know the exact mileage we rode on Saturday but I believe it was between 50 and 55 miles which is still about 10 miles shy of the pace I believe the Ride:Well Team is going to be averaging every day for 7 weeks straight this summer as they cross America! I'll be making a short video of our excursion soon which I plan to post on this site. Over the course of the next week, I'll be spending some time tracking how far I rode on Sunday coming back to London as I got lost after about an hour into my journey and didn't find my way back on track until the 5th hour. More reflection on the trip to come, as well as the short video, but for now I just need some sleep. I have my alarm set for 6AM tomorrow; not sure if I'll be heading to Ironmonger or not because my quads are still a bit swollen from yesterday's journey home, but at least I have good intentions :)

Day 7: Arizona

I crossed my first border last night as planned, just barely though. My 388 Km mark was actually on the bridge over the river that separates California and Arizona. However, I slept through my morning session. It was much needed sleep since I didn't get to bed until after midnight last night, and we'll be doing a big ride tomorrow.

I picked up my bike and a couple panniers to pack for tomorrow's big ride to Brighton. I also spent about 4 hours on the bike this evening scouting out our route out of London. I got lost many times and only figured out where we'll be about 45 minutes into our trip. I'm expecting we may get lost a few times tomorrow as well but at least we'll have a solid start. Much better anyhow than we would have otherwise had, unless of course someone else was reading the map!

7 of us will be making the ride to Brighton tomorrow and then cramming into a two person deluxe room at the Holiday Inn for the night. The weather on Sunday says 100% chance of rain so we're not sure yet if we'll be riding back. I'm bringing some rain gear and still plan to make the trip regardless, although I may be eating my words tomorrow when I see how I feel after 52 miles out on the road. And then of course there's the hill right before we'll get to Brighton that everyone at our workplaces seems to know about, The Ditchling Beacon, a 800+ foot unusually steep climb that only 2 out of 10 bikers can climb without walking their bikes. I imagine we'll all be walking up that hill.

Wish us luck!!

(thanks GildedCage)

Day 6: Champions of Champions

There was a buzz about Ironmonger last night as Manchester United faced Chelsea in Moscow for the Champions League Final. It was the first time two English teams have faced off for the Champions league title. It was definitely the easiest biking night I've had so far as the game was not only entertaining and kept my attention off the workout but also got my adrenaline (and my fists) pumping several times throughout the match.

As Christiano Ronaldo netted the first goal at the 26 minute mark, I through my fist into the air, looking around shortly afterwards to make sure I was in good company…and I was! The staff at ironmonger were also celebrating as Man U. took the first lead of the night. Chelsea’s go to guy, Lampard, responded just before half time with a goal off a rebound.

The game wasn’t decided until the 14th shot of the shootout when goalkeeper Van der Sar rejected one from Chelsea’s Anelka

For full coverage go to http://www.uefa.com/

Anyway, it kept me entertained for about two hours and helped me crank out 63 Km last night on the bike. Combine that with the 40 Km I rode this morning and I’m within striking distance of making my first border crossing into Arizona this evening! Follow this link to see my latest progress:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=115645441922679210953.00044d91f1f27576fb504&mid=1211202275

Cheers,
Scott

(thanks uefa)

Day 5: Joshua Tree National Park

I had a business meeting after work last night that went until 8 PM and after walking back to my flat discovered that I was unfortunately locked out. After searching for my roommates, I eventually walked over to talk to my landlord and he let me in. That was about 8:45.

Since #1, I hadn’t eaten dinner yet, and #2 my “Average Joe’s” gym (Ironmonger Row Baths) closes at 9:30, I didn’t end up cycling last night and thus stayed the night in Palm Springs. I have to admit though, if I were going to unexpectedly stay the night somewhere, Palm Springs would be the place to do it!

I had a bit of a struggle waking up this morning (I think this is inevitably going to be a common theme for me) and got a bit of a late start, I still managed to pump out 41 Km this morning which brings me to somewhere just south of Joshua Tree National Park. At this pace I should be in Arizona by tomorrow night!

On another note, four friends and I just booked a hotel on the Southern coast of England, in a little town called Brighton for Sunday night! Our plan is to bike there on Sunday, stay the night, and (hopefully) bike back to London on Memorial Day! Looks like I’ll get to dip my tires in the Sea after all, even if it is the “wrong” Ocean!

(thanks *hiro008)

VIDEO: Introduction to the Ride:Well Tour

What's this all about?

I have been a fan of Donald Miller's writings since the fall of 2004 when a friend introduced me to Blue Like Jazz while we were studying in New Mexico. I didn't read another book by Don until another friend introduced me to Through Painted Deserts shortly after we hiked across northern England following "Hadrian's Wall Path" in the spring of 2006.

Since then I have read Don's two other books, Searching for God Knows What and To Own a Dragon. I highly recommend all of them. I signed up for Don's email newsletter a few months ago and this past weekend received the first letter Don had written to us. In this letter he described that he would be riding across America to support the Blood:Water Mission, a not-for-profit organization with a goal of building 1,000 fresh water wells in Africa. This bike tour is designed to raise awareness of the mission and support the cause financially by way of donations.
For detailed information on the cause please go to...

http://www.bloodwatermission.com/

http://www.donaldmillerwords.com/

http://www.ridewelltour.com/

From these sites you’ll be able to see a much better description of the cause including a video from Don Miller describing his recent involvement with the Blood Water Mission.

So where do I fit in? Saturday morning I encountered a moment of inspiration, which turned into a surge of ambition, and in a rare turn of events, evolved into action! After reading the email from Don, I roused myself from bed and asked my flatmate what the distance would be to bike across America. We found on Google maps that from LA to Washington DC is approx. 4,305 Km (2,675 Mi). I know that doesn't actually equal coast to coast but I plan on updating the exact route after I find out where the team will be taking off from and ending. I'm planning to do the 4,305 kilometres in a gym here in London, England. In order to complete the 4,305 Km in seven weeks I'll need to ride an average of 615 Km/ week. My plan is to bike around 30 km/hr for 3 hrs a day; an hour and a half in the morning before work and another 1.5 after.

I know my ride won’t exactly coincide with the team’s because I’ll be going on a few holidays during that time, thus in order to finish around the same time, I’ve already started my ride!

I’ve also started tracking my progress from Santa Monica Pier in LA on Google Maps. You can see where I’m at by following this link to Google maps:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=115645441922679210953.00044d91f1f27576fb504&mid=1211202275

Thanks for your interest in the mission! If you would like to support the cause financially there is a link on http://www.bloodwatermission.com/

Right now I am in the process of investigating Deutsche Bank’s fundraising matching scheme so if you’re considering a donation, please hold off until I find out whether I’ll be able to track it somehow and use it towards the matching scheme.

Check back often for updates and to find out where I’m at on my journey across America (sort of…)!


Cheers,
Scott

P.S. Don, I'm planning to be in Portland sometime in October. Let's do coffee :)