Alabama!!! Rome, GA to Scottsboro, AL

The ride from Rome to Scottsboro was easily the best day I have had on this trip yet. It included two mountain climbs, which translates to two awesome descents along with awesome pit stops. The day started off with an incredible stretch of road. It was smooth and traffic free. I hung with the faster group in the morning as we coasted around 22 mph for the majority of the ride. It was a lot of fun to get pulled by some of the bigger guys and many times just chill out behind them. We got to the border early that day and took some awesome pictures and continued the fast pace. The unfortunate part of this was once again I went in the wrong direction making the mileage longer than it had to be. This showed when we got to the first mountain climb and I slowly climbed it in my lowest gear as my legs felt like jello. It felt incredible to get to the top thought without stopping and eat lunch up there. Travis parked the van in the perfect spot as we could catch a glimpse of the van and make the final push up the van as people cheered us on.


Katie at the top of the mountain made one of the worst bets ever as she challenged Travis to bike up the mountain in his non-shammy shorts. He not only had fresh legs since he was driving the van, but also he is the best cyclist in our group. He did it in his highest chain ring and won the easiest 30 dollars of his life probably.

So after lunch we glided down a little bit and visited a nearby waterfall. This place was scenic and the water was refreshing. The majority of the group went to the waterfall but only a small number jumped off this crazy high rock. Other notable events include Jessica saving a kids life as the current was sweeping him away.

After the water fall we came to our first legitimate descent as I zoomed down and hit 43 mph. It got a little too fast around some bends so I was on the brakes a little bit. The road was smooth though and the ride was awesome. The second climb came later in the ride as we went up about a good hill and reached a U-turn. In my head I was like awesome the climb is done and we are going to go back down. I was wrong because once I went around that u-turn I saw that we had barley climbed 1/4 of the hill. I stopped around the bend to take a picture of people struggling up the hill and actually took one of the best pictures of the trip so far, with Carroll dominating the hill and Brian and Katie lagging behind.

The second descent came toward the end of the ride. This one was a lot longer but less steep. The unfortunate part was that I got stuck behind a truck pulling a boat. There were some riders ahead that the truck never passed which is good for their safety but unfortunately for me it meant staying on my brakes the whole time. I was about inches from hitting a pot hole which would of really caused some trouble as I was again around 40 mphs on this descent. As we approached the end we opened up to a nice blue body of water and crossed over a cool bridge. Up to the last couple of turns I think this was the best ride yet. We hit an awful road as we approached the final destination but it didn't change my perception at all of how awesome the day was.

Norcross / Rome, GA

The morning we left for Norcross from Athens and I felt close to 100 percent after being sick the last two days. The ride was only 56 miles with nothing too memorable unfortunately. I just remember people yelling "Shut up legs, do as I say" the whole ride. This started when everybody saw a video of a professional cyclist explain how he rides hard and what he does when he gets tired. We did get chased by a couple of dogs but that really happens everyday. Its a little scary but funny at the same time as people unclip their feet and take out their water bottles as they prepare for war.

Once we got to the Boys and Girls club location things got a little more interesting. We first biked another mile to teach little kids about basic bike safety. Before that really got started we hung out at the park and jumped around in the water fountain system they had, which was quite refreshing after the humid ride. The bike clinic would have been a lot more interesting had the kids brought their bikes but unfortunately nobody brought anything. So it was really just a discussion and a fake bike ride around our bags and bikes to show them stop and turn signals.



Dinner was provided by our host location at a nice little restaurant where we got our grub on. You just can't go wrong with beef brisket, coleslaw, and baked beans. There was a small band that played some music as well so we had some entertainment and good food. So something did happen during the ride actually that I forgot to mention. I went to a Walmart and got a big cake donated for one of our riders, Karen, because it was her birthday. So after dinner we surprised her with the cake and all had an awesome time as we played some fuseball, table tennis, and air hockey. The host location was really awesome and entertaining.


The ride to Rome was definitely more interesting than Norcross as we biked 81 miles over some bridges, nice farms, saw some Indian Mounds, and got lost of course. Due to the detours and wrong turns it actually turned into a 90 mile ride that I knocked out with Karen who was the birthday girl yesterday. We actually stopped at a boat loading dock and tried to use our story to get a ride around the lake, but it turned out that the dock that we were at had a ticket price so the guy kicked us out right after we asked someone who said he would have but was running late. Even though it sounds a little crazy I really think it can work and will just try some other time. We had plenty of random stops at gas stations along the way but that last 30 miles seemed like forever. Karen and I first took a detour to the Etowah Mounds, which was closed for cars but not for bikes as we sneaked by the gate. Once that was done we then got lost for a couple of miles looking for a road that apparently was not there. Then finally we got on the 20 miles road that was never ending. It had a climb into the mountains and a awesome decent as we glided by some awesome farms. We saw some cool mini horses and got one to come super close as he chewed grass our way. Karen and I finally got to our host site around 5:30 which is rather late, with sweep coming in close to 6:30. It turned out to be a pretty hard day with the extra mileage and humid weather.




The host location was incredible. We had a professional bike mechanic basically fix all of our bikes, a masseuse, and a chiropractor. All people that donated their time to help us feel our best. I hit up all 3 stations slowly since there were lines for all of them at all times. The chiropractor cracked my neck about 5 times which felt surprisingly awesome. There was also this cute little girl who had an obsession with trying on other peoples shoes/sandals. She went around asking people and also just trying on random sandals she saw. I caught her trying on B$'s sandals which are honestly too big for me I think.

Turns out its really hard to blog frequently so I will try to post whenever I get a chance. We don't get internet access all the time and with 32 people trying to use 4 computers it gets a little hectic.

One State Down: Hartwell / Athens, GA

So the ride to Hartwell marks the first state line that we will cross as we enter Georgia. It also marks the beginning of me getting sick. It began the morning with a sore throat and some congestion. I rode the 58 miles feeling fine for most of it as we went by by a nice dam and also saw Sebastian and Kern swim to a distant island. Carrol was smart to turn around 1/4 of the way there, while Kern and Sebass swam zig zag lines to the island as the current pushed them in random directions. They rested for a little bit and swam back safely only running into each other once, which was hilarious as we could see it happening like a minute before it did. The dam was near the border, so we took some large group shots at both locations.




So after all this was done I immediately took a shower and just passed out. Woke up for dinner and the presentation that our chore group has to do each time after dinner. The rest of the night was a blur with me waking up randomly and falling back asleep.

The ride to Athens was 47 mile ride along some hilly roads. I contemplating riding the van due to sickness and weakness but felt like it was too early to give up on one of my goals to ride the every mile of the trip. With a build day after this ride I was hoping I would have enough time to rest before our next ride to Norcross. I rode the whole time with Sara and Angela as we took it easy. Lunch was not filling at all as we had barley any supplies but we got through the ride as we took multiple stops at CVS to get some vitamins and McDonald's to get some ice cream to cool off. As we approached our final destinations we became increasingly excited as we were rolling all downhill until the last half mile where we had to climb this treacherous hill. we all eventually got through it and once again I passed out for the whole night only waking up to eat and do presentations.

Waking up for the build day today in Athens was nice. I felt a lot better started taking vitamins. Still had a sore throat but nothing to bad. The build day was a demolition day where we basically tore up the dry wall and ceiling and carried all this stuff from different apartment buildings into a big dumpster. Craig and I cleaned out the gutters which was fun as we got to people watch.

Overall these last days have been hard physically I am glad that I will be basically at 100 percent for tomorrows ride, but still a little bummed out that I did not get to see Athens as this was one of the nicer and larger cities that we will be staying in for a while I believe. The sickness delayed these last couple posts but hopefully that won't happen again.

wish me luck and I will write soon.

Newberry / Greenville, SC

So I am getting use to the Bike and Build lifestyle. Waking up around 7 am, getting packed, eating peanut butter and bagels for breakfast and heading out by 8 or 8:30 typically. The ride to Newberry was a nice 45 mile ride on some high traffic roads with some nice hills. On some of the descents I think I hit close to 40 mph already! The ride really was not that interesting besides one part where we passed a large stone wall and a small body of water, check it out below.


Once we got to the host location we got the van all unpacked using the assembly line method. The host place was lots of fun as we stayed in a small gym. Played some hoops and got a volleyball bet set up. There was a dispute on one call where I kicked the ball over the net and it hit the white line. It was settled with a match of leg wrestling where two people lay next to each other with their heads on opposite sides and kick up their legs trying to make the other person turn over. I faced Lance who was the champ so far when he leg wrestled a bunch of people in Columbia, but I defeated him shocking the whole group. It was pretty memorable.

The rest of day was chill as we ate, painted the van and walked around the small city. People still had energy to play games so basketball and a little bit of soccer continued till lights out.


Waking up for Greensville was a little depressing as the rain ruined the paint job on the van. Greensville 72 mile ride was definitely the most hilly we have faced so far. Many rolling hills with some cool descents. This was a bad day for some riders as 6 people fell going over railroad tracks. Half of the ride was through some heavy rain making all the tracks slick. Craig did a superman over the handle bars while some just fell to the side, but no one got hurt to bad. we stopped half way at a gas station as we busted out the jump rope until the lightening passed.

The rain never passed as I tried to dry all 3 pairs of lens but riders ahead would just splash them right away. Entering the City was awesome as we went through the main street with tons of shops and places to eat, making everyone excited for the day off that we had coming.

We ate dinner at Wild Wings, which had a tasty yet too small for our hunger burger. We later went to the Mexican restaurant that most of the vegetarians were and ate the free chips and salsa that came with their meals.

The day off was awesome and relaxing for our butts. We went to Falls Park which was well maintained and just and awesome place to relax as seen below.

The weather cooperated and we were also treated to a nice dinner where one of the board members rented out the top floor of a restaurant. We played darts, pool, and ate pizza to our delight. I became kind of obsessed with darts as my desire to beat Zac in darts grew. The last game before we left I accomplished that goal as I finally got pretty consistent and good at darts. Rested up and got packed and ready to leave Greensville tomorrow!

Sumter / Columbia, SC

Looking at the schedule it seemed like we were going to ramp up slowly to higher mileage days, but the second day disprove that. The scheduled said 65 miles which was okay at first but due to some wrong turns and people chalking the wrong path it turned into a crazy humid and hot 90 mile day. It was a lot hotter than yesterday with the sun beating on us through the whole ride. As we entered the town of Sumter, I luckily found a bar and restocked the water supply, which was crucial to reach the final destination in Sumter.




Once we got there I still had some energy to play some basketball. Playing some knockout, 50 on board, and a new game I learned called Australia. Also let Natalie give me the Friar Tuck haircut to let her check that off her bucket list. Then I just buzzed my head... the transformation can be seen below.



Laundry was done for the first time to conclude the evening. You can try to imagine how bad it smelled but I promise you it was a lot worse.


Shot some more hoops and hit the sack to get ready for the ride to tomorrow.

The ride to Columbia, SC was a breeze compared to the ride to Sumter. It was way hillier but we did not get lost nearly as bad and it was only slightly over 46 miles even with a slight detour int eh beginning due to a parade. Without even eating a big lunch I coasted to our final destination by myself as I pounded out the last 20 miles or so.



We were hoping to get some tickets to a baseball game tonight but that plan fell through the cracks so as of now just waiting to eat dinner and then going to head out and celebrate one of our Natalie's, birthday! Should be a blast! Don't like the long posts let me know I can try to do it more frequently but no promises.

Orientation, Build Day, and Farewell to Atlantic Ocean

So before Orientation really started Aksh (oldest brother) and I came to Charleston two days early. Staying at a Hotel turned out to be an awesome decision compared to the the original plan to camp out with some riders before Orientation since I learned during Orientation about the miserable time they had with the rain. The one day that Aksh and I had in Charleston we covered lots of ground going to Sullivans Island, Isle of Palm, and Fort Moultrie. The beaches were awesome since they weren't too crowded and you could see nearby dolphins swimming in the ocean.

So far for Bike and Build we have had 3 days of Orientation, a build day, and our farewell to the Atlantic Ocean as we biked 56 miles out to Moncks Corner, SC. So lets just break it down in that order.

Aksh dropped me off early at the Church where Orientation was going to be held on May 24th where I met my fellow 31 riders. I got there relatively early and got to meet everyone as they filtered in slowly. We started off the day with some ice breakers. There were multiple presentation about the organization, bike maintenance, bike safety, chores, daily schedules, and so on. Following presentations we had dinner and some time to just relax and get to know each other better. The following day we had our shakedown ride to Fort Moultrie which was about a 20 miles round trip. I got to check out the cannons again at the Fort but didn't stay to long, leaving well before many other riders. The rest of the day we basically had to ourselves which was pretty awesome since we had a 1 am curfew since we were building the next day.




So for our first build day we woke at 7 am and got ready with our bike and build t-shirts and ate breakfast. The shuttles took us to build site around 9 am to redo the roof aka re-shingling the roof in one day! It was kind of fun being up on the roof the whole day and we were extremely lucky it did not rain. The local news station came to the build site and the news report can be seen below.. check it out!! Following the bike lawyer that gave us the bike safety presentation sponsored a dinner at Sticky fingers where I scarfed down 5 pulled pork sandwiches along with chicken, some beans and of course coleslaw.




So the day after our build day we officially set off to the Santa Cruz. We once again went to Fort Moultrie to say goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean and biked to the Moncks Corner, SC which was a total of 56 miles.




The day couldn't of been any better and it was an incredible feeling to finally being this journey. We took a lunch break around 23 miles eating the left over donated food that we had been eating the last couple days. The last leg of the ride was a little difficult as I ran out of water and rode solo into the wind. I arrived at the second behind the first group of riders.



We rode another 3 miles to a nearby lake, which felt amazing after today's ride in the hot and humid weather. We ate dinner, showered, and of course drove to Wendy's to get some frosty's before we hit the sack, which I am going to do now. Already past curfew by 30 minutes so I got to get some sleep before the 65 mile day ahead to Sumter, SC.. so goodnight.

Charleston in T-minus 1 day

So I have official finished my undergrad at the University of Rochester and have been chillen out in DC this last week with the oldest brother. Things worked out really well with him coming up for graduation and living basically at the midpoint between Charleston and Rochester. The stay in DC has been awesome, with a 40 mile bike ride to Mt. Vernon with a bike and build alum, Stuart Carter. The ride was by the river, which was awesome since the weather cooperated. Biking is a really popular activity in big cities with many recreational and serious bikers, and that was full on display even on a Wednesday afternoon. They actual have stop signs for bikers, and Stuart warned me that cops actually hand out tickets for people who don't obey the signs, crazy! I made sure to stop and watch out for cops since it would suck to have my first ticket come from not stopping on a bike. Biking through the city was awesome since they have biking lanes on most of the roads to encourage the activity and you fly by cars since they are inching through traffic. The ride definitely got me excited for the trip because the ride was a blast and I heard some of the awesome stories from Stuart experience 3 years back. To sum up what he said he basically said he wishes he could do it again because it was truly the best summer of his life!

Tomorrow we will be heading down to Charleston and just hang out for the last 2 days before the start of this adventure.
Everything I will need for the next 2 months fits on my bike, camelback, or duffle bag



Everything is packed and ready to go! Excitement is building up as I will be meet a couple of riders on Sunday, where we will either split the costs of a hotel or be camping out somewhere near Charleston. Then on Monday Bike and Build will officially begin. I will try to posts some stuff after orientation and our first build day, but I am not sure how much time I will have to put up pics and post stuff. I am hoping for twice a week but I will have to wait and see how the daily bike and build schedule works.

Much Overdue Update

So a lot has happened since my last post, with the most notable event being the change in route. I switched from P2SF to SC2SC, mainly due to the fact that SC2SC ends about a week earlier than P2SF. Switching routes was something that I considered emailing the director about but decided that it would be very unlikely that someone would switch routes so late in the game and not worth all the hassle. About a week later I got an incredibly lucky email that someone actually wanted to switch as well and just couldn't pass on the opportunity. The route is actually a little longer and also has a blitz build where we will build a whole house in Colorado from the ground up in about a week!

Other landmarks include volunteering with the Flower City Habitat for Humanity for about 6 hours to gain some construction experience and getting the required medical form filled out basically saying that I am medical able to bike for 6-8 hours a day. How fit I am to actually embark on the adventure is a different story, which the medical from really does not take into consideration.

I got my bike a while back, and have been trying to bike whenever I had a chance. I got fitted to my bike by a professional from Full Moon Vista (Kyle's da Man), which is honestly the best the bike shop in Rochester. I went to almost all the bike shops in Rochester but the Full Moon Vista staff was easily the nicest and most helpful. They love to help and never try to sell unnecessary products that are more expensive. They also have a cute dog that wanders the shop, which makes it that much better. Ever since then I have been biking about 15 miles 3-4 days a week for about 2 weeks now. Unfortunately the SC2SC route starts earlier than I planned meaning I won't have nearly as much time to train after graduation. During my short rides so far I have learned 2 things:

1) Don't unclip one foot and lean the other way
2) I truly love biking.



I have also ordered the majority of my biking equipment from our Bokoo sponsors (got shipped today!) and some bike shops over in the UK. I will try to write more often with the trip so close... but that never ending school work has to get finished first.

4,000 and MORE

Today marks the day when I not only reached the 4,000 dollar requirement but surpassed it by 300 dollars!! I would like to thank all who have donated for making a task that looked impossible possible. I can't express how much of a relief it is, for both me and my parents who were equally if not more worried than I was. With this done I can focus more on school, training, and buying equipment. I started on the latter one yesterday as I went to inquire about getting fitted so I can order the right bike. I am still waiting for the directors to send me an email with information on ordering the bike but they are still catching up with everything that has piled up over the holidays.

I went to Full Moon Vista Bike shop, which was located right in the heart of the downtown. The shops appearance and customer service were both awesome. They seemed very knowledgeable and they also have one of the best fitters in the region. Prices seemed a little high with a basic fitting costing 75 dollars! I talked to the manager and got his email along with the owners so I could email them both about my summer plans which would hopefully convince them to help me in buying hundreds of dollars worth of equipment. Once I hear back from them I will take what they say and try to go to other local bike shops in the Rochester area and see if I maybe able to receive more support from other shops.

Thank you all for donating and following along and I will try to post more stuff as I complete the different requirements prior to the trip. Feel free to comment with any advice or suggestions.