Month: July 2015

Day seven, complete- Plus six…

Posted on by gearman0326

Hi!
So tell me… Have you ever left a dangling participle? For a week?
Yeah, I know, I’m WAY behind schedule, but I have a good excuse… The World’s CUTEST GrandSon! Some of you remember that he was born on Day 3 last year, and my darling Mrs. Lulu had to head home from the route in order to be there for the birth… Well, this year was his FIRST Birthday, naturally in the midst of the NEC, so his party was scheduled for Sunday… And making food, and Lulu baking cakes and cupcakes, and much merriment…
Then back to work.
I’m not complaining at ALL. I LOVE my job, I work for a great company, a family owned business that’s owned by a great family and I’m just so lucky to work for such incredibly awesome people- there’s just always that “Back from vacation” stretch of a few days where you’re getting back into it…
SO, now here I am, hat in hand, asking for your forgiveness for not updating you sooner.
Day seven has moments where it feels like a Jack London novel- Weathered stragglers emerging from the wilderness. Not that Keene is on the edge of the Tundra or anything, but we trade mountainous and woodland views for those of suburbia, then back to busy streets and traffic lights every 47 feet… You know, home.
Our finish line brings us back to Parker Chomerics where we started, where our cars have been marinating in a weeks worth of hot summer sun… So much for those little tree air fresheners.
Our big “To do” is Thursday night, mostly because people have lives to return to, commutes to get there, and anxious loved ones, eager to have those they lent to us return home once again… So often, it’s “Finish, get my stuff and get on the road for that (X) hour commute”… Which can seem like kind of a gyp… Until you think about it that way.
Our riders get cheered in by the volunteers and staff, and the cheering sections of other riders cheerfully joining in… We can’t all have our own personal cheering sections flown in from all corners of the… ummm… Mapquest? So it’s really great that people waiting for their rider welcome in others with congratulatory applause and whooping. DOG POUND!!!! WHOOP! WHOOP!!!
During all this great celebration of such a great achievement for the riders, the logistical reality of everything coming to an end comes into play for the volunteers… The Gear Truck mostly emptied. Vehicles that have been stocked, restocked, then stocked again over the last seven days now must be emptied… And sorted… You don’t want fresh fruit going to the storage unit, anymore than you want non-perishables going into the trash… And then everything put back into the Gear Truck for the short trip to Peabody Storage- Thankfully by someone other than me.
I get to go home before dark, and sleep. It was 13 hours straight this year, which is pretty good for an insomniac. I even took a two hour nap in the afternoon… Just in case 13 hours wasn’t enough.
Then, I made some salads for my GrandSon’s first birthday party!
Then I went to sleep again.
And we had an epic birthday party on Sunday!
Then I went to sleep again, and got up to go back to work on Monday morning.
Did I mention I work for a great company?

Thank you everyone for everything you’ve done- whether you were a sponsor, rider, loved one that lent us a rider, teammate, coworker, whatever.

We couldn’t (And wouldn’t) be able to do this without YOU. Thank You.

Keep the wind at your back and the downhills in front of you,
GearMan

Day 6 is in the History books

Posted on by gearman0326

Hiya cycling fans!
What a day! It started off like any other day this week, ice the water and gatorade for the riders to fill their bottles, load luggage into truck, drive away… Well, there was a Truck detour on our route today- everyone else was fine, but I got sent out and around and back on an excursion that kept me behind the pack all the way to Rest Stop 1, and I’m typically just shy of mid pack by then. Hurry and rush as I might, a shortcut here and no stop for supplies there weren’t enough to get me back on schedule and the first two riders arrived before I’d even unlocked the cargo doors on the truck.

While it took a whole lot of hurrying, and some help from the cyclists and a couple of the volunteers who came in early to help, I finally got caught up by the time roughly the first third of the riders finished. Their assistance actually gave me a chance to take a break and rest an increasingly sore knee- that turned into a couple short naps that gave me the energy to get through all the hectic stuff that followed… Final night dinner and awards ceremony, finding “The Rock”, digging out the Cornhole stuff, the raffle prizes, the Kokomo Bullshirt contest, reloading the truck for overnight security… The last night is a lot of fun, but a labor of love.

We managed to get everything done at the reasonable hour of 9:30 or so, and then it was a few needed deep breaths, some trash duty, and now, updating you.

Tomorrow is our last day, and then we all head home to you, our loved ones. I can’t speak for the person you lent us this week, but I’m going to sleep all day Saturday… And I’m going to sleep right now, too.

Goodnight Sports Fans,
Keep the wind at your backs and the downhills in front of you,
GearMan

Because the Summit rocks!

Posted on by gearman0326

Hiya everyone!

A BEAUTIFUL day was had by all today- temps right around 70F most of the day, morning showers that dried up into sunny skies, and it was the shortest day of the week… And people needed the break. 

We maxed out our northerly and westerly travels yesterday, and started today on aiming ourselves back towards home. Southeast from the VT state capitol of Montpelier, to Killington, and tomorrow, to Keene NH. Tomorrow is an interesting day- the riders spend the morning descending into the Connecticut River Valley, cross the river, then spend the afternoon climbing back out of it… It’s a day of a lot of ups and downs and after 5 days it’s a challenge, but for the most part, they put the toughest climbs behind them yesterday.

We had a lot of fun after dinner tonight, horseshoes, cornhole, washer toss, (Bocci and shuffleboard were available, but I can’t say if anyone played). Our cornhole tournament went long and will have to be finished tomorrow as people either went to bed, or went to the other side of the property for the raffle. 

Ok, my eyelids are doing that droopy closey thing again, I’m done. 

Keep the wind at your back and the downhills in front of you,

GearMan 

Day 4, Enter: Fatigue

Posted on by gearman0326

Good evening sports fans!
Today, Day 4 lived up to it’s reputation as “The hard day”. 97 miles through Crawford’s Notch, over two mountain ranges, multiple river valleys, and a tough new route to a new hotel… It was tough on the riders, but all did well, everyone is in and safe, and some of them are still even talking to Tim. The end of todays route was three tough choices at the end of a long day- Long and tough, shorter and tougher, or shortest and toughest- Otherwise, “You can’t get there from here”.  The decision was made to go with the shortest and toughest option, using the “Ripping the band-aid off quickly” thought process… But we can’t build our own roads, move mountains, or reinvent topography, we can only play the cards we’re dealt. He had to make a tough choice, and he did what he thought was best.  It was tough at the end of a long day. Tim will not be allowed to join in any reindeer games until further notice. However, tar and feathers have been averted, and the Russian judge has rescinded the call for his execution.
There were a couple of short doses of rain today, ranging from barely a sprinkle to a brief cloud burst- but no lightning, so everyone was able to stay safely on route.
Dinner tonight was at the Applebees next door, at your desired time, with gift cards, a slightly different dining experience, but there were others at nearby tables to chat with.
While it was a tough day for the riders, it was also a tough day for the volunteers, this one included. The idea of being in bed before 10:00 and sleeping (If insomnia lets me) until 6:00 sounds better than having John Henry pick up my bar tab after a Sox game that went eighteen innings.

If you guys will excuse me, I think I’ll go cuddle with my wife and sleep as late as I can.
Until tomorrow.

Keep the wind at your back and the downhills in front of you,
GearMan

Day three? Stick a fork in it.

Posted on by gearman0326

Good evening everyone!
Wow, what a beautiful day it was traveling from the Maine Seacoast to the mountains of New Hampshire. We had a scenic route through farms, woodlands, rivers, state parks, steep cliffs, historic sites- and then we arrived at Attitash Grand Summit Hotel. After arrival, many riders opted to make an appointment with the on site massage therapist, and they filled her schedule- So, our very own Tara, also a massage therapist, broke out her table and started to do short massages for those who couldn’t get an appointment with the in house provider.

During dinner, we had a rare vintage treat- One of our riders Tom brought along an old video from a Cablevision show from I believe 1993, one of the first years the New England Classic existed. It was great to see a few familiar faces, and to look at the old bike technology as well as cycling equipment. After that, another rider, Tyler had also brought along a video he’d made- a GoPro camera mounted to his bike and recording as he rode- it was almost like being on the bike with him.

Some announcements about tomorrow’s route were made, still mostly Route 302 (If you get lost you’re an idiot) but with some changes at the end because we’re staying in a new hotel this year… Well, not a new hotel, we’ve stayed there before… but we’ve never ridden there, because we were bussed over from another hotel… because we finished and had dinner at one hotel and slept…
Oh, never mind- Let’s just leave it at “It’s a new route that we haven’t ridden before”.
ANYHOW, there’s a couple good climbs added to the end of an already tough day- Don’t quote me, but I believe it’s 97 miles tomorrow, the first 15 are up and over Crawfords Notch, past the Mt Washington Resort Hotel, and into Vermont- and as the saying goes, “Vermont ain’t flat”.
OK, tomorrow is a long day, and I’m not doing myself any favors by not getting to sleep, so bye for now.

Keep the wind at your back and the downhills in front of you,
GearMan