Day 30 - Ashland, VA to Williamsburg and Yorktown, VA

I would be remiss not to share the following with you... One of my fears is that an ailment or injury would keep me from completing the ride. I made it through the first 29 days without developing any problems or suffering any crashes, so I was feeling good about getting to the finish line. Last evening, after a quick dip in the hotel pool, I returned to my room to shower before joining others for dinner. I turned on the water, adjusted the temperature and grabbed the shampoo and soap. I climbed into the tub and realized the water was too hot - way to hot. So I tried reaching around to adjust it without getting scalded. Well... my foot slipped and the next thing I know I'm falling out of the tub and end up wedged between the tub and the toilet. My first thought was that I might have hurt myself and wouldn't be able to finish. Luckily, I was fine, and able to laugh at myself, but for a moment I genuinely thought I had been dealt the cruelest blow of all.

It was strange waking up this morning knowing that it would be the last time to go through the routine that had become so familiar. Despite tired legs and bodies, everyone seemed to feel great as we shared our last breakfast together. Waffles, eggs, sausage, and a danish. I won't be able to keep eating like this when I get home...

We rolled out of Ashland and headed through more of the beautiful Virginia countryside. The sun started coming up through the morning fog as we rode east. For whatever reason, I-95 was an important landmark for me. I've lived near I-5 on the west coast and I-95 on the east coast. We started by crossing I-5 and we ended the tour by crossing I-95.

The fog seemed to keep the temperature down as we rode to the first stop at 28 miles, the next at 54 miles, and finally to our rendezvous point. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the day seemed to zip by and the cycling seemed almost effortless. I'll never get the chance to know what the ride into Paris on the final day or the Tour de France feels like, but I'm guessing the feeling is similar. We had ridden so many miles over the last 29 days. There was light at the end of the tunnel. No one had been seriously injured. There was a clear sense of purpose to the pace of the ride today, but it wasn't competitive or aggressive. It was a great day on the bike.

We rode through Williamsburg and down the Colonial Parkway to Yorktown, where we assembled and rode all together for the first time all tour in a double paceline. It was a great sight and a fun experience. The road took us past the Yorktown Victory Center and down to the small beach, where we each posed for pictures with our bikes in the water and then gathered for a group photo. Quite a few people had family and friends there to greet them, so it was a festive scene. We ate lunch at the beach and then rode the 12 miles back to our hotel in Williamsburg. I was worried by legs might boycott those last 12 miles after successfully getting me to the beach, but they gladly joined the fun as our pace started slowly and then increased to a fairly fast tempo.

Back at the hotel we set about the task of boxing up our bikes for shipment home and then got cleaned up for a dinner later at UNO Pizzeria next to the motel. The had a buffet line set up for us with two wait staff serving pizzas. It was funny, because they had no idea how much we wanted to eat and quickly got behind on the pizzas. It was fun to sit on soft benches, eat, chat, and not worry too much about having to get to bed by 9.

After dinner we went back to the hotel and gathered in the meeting room for a slide show of the ride from start to finish. Forgotten moments and scenes were recalled as pictures of places and people showed on the screen. It was a lot of fun to see everyone as we worked our way across the country, especially Flat Stanley who appeared time after time in some very amusing places. After the slide show, we each received a plaque with some pictures to commemorate our successful completion of the transcontinental ride as well as a t-shirt with the climbing profile of the Big Horn climb printed on the front.

At the end of the evening, they auctioned off the big map that I've shown pictures of on the blog. The money goes to support Pac Tour's programs in Peru to help schools and orphanages and cycling teams in the jungle. Pac Tour collects money, old bike parts, jerseys, and other gear and takes the stuff down to Peru. It's a great cause. Jonathon from Australia won the auction for the map with a bid of $1200. What he did next was a great way to end the tour and the evening. He said that he'd like to give the map to someone who would be able to care for and enjoy it for a very long time. He presented the map to Greg, who at 17, was the youngest rider.


It's been a long, hard 30 days. As Susan said in describing the suffering she went through in setting the tandem transcontinental record with Lon and winning the women's division of Race Across America, you'll forget the pain and remember all the good things you accomplish and experience. I've already begun to see what she means.