I made it!! I rode with some trepidation today, waiting for some last disaster to befall me, but this easiest of all days on the tour went smoothly. Even the oppressive heat was less of a problem, as we had the bulk of our ride completed by noon. We rode in groups at a leisurely pace, chatting about our adventures over the last month. We stopped for ice cream. We lingered at the rest stops. We waited for the slowest rider to catch up just 2 miles from Yorktown beach, then rode together to the finish line. Some dipped their bikes in Chesapeake Bay.
We passed more farming country today.....corn and soybeans mixed with elegant looking horse farms. Much of the ride was on tree lined roads that were quite pleasant. As we progressed towards Williamsburg, there were an increasing number of historical sites. We skirted the edge of Williamsburg, then continued on another 15 miles to the Yorktown beach.
I immediately rode back to Williamsburg, because I had an appointment with a Harvard College classmate named Kevin Rafferty, who is an independent film maker. He is making a documentary of the 1968 Harvard-Yale football game, in which I played. He is doing film interviews with 30 Harvard and Yale players, including a few luminaries like Tommy Lee Jones and Calvin Hill. That year both Harvard and Yale were both undefeated for the first time since 1904, but Yale had superior talent, including 4 players that would be drafted by the NFL (very unusual for an Ivy League team). Yale dominated most of the game, and with less than a minute left, led 29-13. Then miraculously, Harvard scored 16 points in the last 42 seconds of the game to earn a tie. Sports Illustrated called this game one of the 10 greatest games in college football history. It was a fun interview to do, as I was able to catch up on what some of my old teammates are up to.
We had a banquet tonight to celebrate our accomplishment. A good time was had by all. Suzanne has just arrived, having flown in from Seattle. This is the longest that we have been apart in our long wonderful marriage so it is fantastic to see her. We plan to see Jefferson's home, Monticello, tomorrow, and then spend the night at a luxurious resort, The Inn at Little Washington, then fly home to Seattle on Saturday. I plan to sleep in tomorrow, and, no, I won't be going for a bike ride......
I'm astounded by some of the people on this tour. They want to do this sort of thing again and again. This was a hard tour, and I'm glad I did it, EFI. But do I want to do more transcontinental bike rides? I don't think so.
97 miles. 1600 vertical feet.
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6 comments:
Congratulations, John! What an accomplishment - your blog helped many of us feel as though we were there with you. Your descriptions of all the ups and downs were excellent and we've been pulling for you through thick and thin, rain and heat. I am proud of you and pleased that you made it EFI!!! Looking forward to seeing you back on this side of the continent.
Go john go!! Congratulations. What an incredible physical and emotional challenge! We've been following your blog along every part of your journey. Amazing ride. EFI. Maillot jaune.
Congratulations John! I have really enjoyed your daily entries. Quite an accomplishment and I'm sure lots of great memories.
Not only a great commentary on your ride, but great insight into you personally. Thanks for sharing. I still think your superhuman though. E
John, wonderful..inspiring and it delivered great vicarious enjoyment. I loved the mix of physical detail, group description and the views of all the lands that you rolled through.
Larry M
Hello. This post is likeable, and your blog is very interesting, congratulations :-). I will add in my blogroll =). If possible gives a last there on my blog, it is about the Plotter, I hope you enjoy. The address is http://plotter-brasil.blogspot.com. A hug.
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