Day 51: Holy Toledo

Course: Ann Arbor, MI to Toledo, OH
Distance: 50 miles
Terrain: Flat
Conditions: Sunny? Poor roads.

Today was the first day that we didn't start out with cold weather gear on. Prior to getting rain, I always thought that rain would be awesome. Now, I hate the rain. Rain + bike = angry Blake. Also, last day in Michigan means last day of terrible roads.

I rode with Derek and Kevin Dubbins, the man of steel. We averaged a pretty solid pace despite the 10-mile story Kevin told us about his crazy ex-stalker of a girl friend. Notice how "girl" and "friend" are separated - he'd prefer it that way. We got racked about 5 miles out from our stage-up location. It stunk to not be able to finish, but it was a big day and we had to be there on time. We gathered up and double pace lined down to our arrival in front of the University of Toledo. There were a lot of people there, including two TV stations and a lot of family and other supporters. We received a proclamation and a warm welcome from all kinds of people.

After the arrival and an amazing Chick-fil-A lunch, we headed over to the dorms for lodging. We cleaned up and then split into two groups. Since I'm a part of the puppet show group, we stuck together and went to a friendship visit to perform for young kids without disabilities. They're always really fun to perform for because they'll always try to ask questions at the end of the show to prove that the puppets aren't real in some way. In one of the plays, I play a blind man.

 One boy kept asking me situations like "What if your cat is loose in your backyard and you have to catch it, how do you do that?" Acting as the puppet, I answered, "Well I don't have a cat, but if I did I would have my mom chase it for me!" He wasn't pleased. "Well what if your mom is blind too?" "Then I would have my dad do it!"
"Well what if your dad is blind too and so are his parents?"
"Well, then I sure hope the cat comes back."

More kids would challenge us, but that only allowed for us to make funny answers. It was a great time as our last KOB performance of the year. That will always be one of my fondest memories of the trip.

After the puppet show we went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. The KOB puppeteers sat together as a "last supper" kind of thing. At Outback, they bring you bread skewered on a knife as an appetizer/filler. The four of us were joking around with the waitress a lot, so we asked what the record was for loaves of bread eaten. She said that she had heard it was about 12, so we gladly accepted the challenge. Our rule was that no matter where we were in our meal, if she brought out a loaf, we had to stop and eat it. Eventually we had eaten so many that she started skewering two loaves per knife. At one point the waitress made us finish all of the food on our plates before she brought out more bread. Haven't heard that one since I was 5. We broke the record by eating 13 loaves (collectively - each loaf split into equal fourths). Our waitress literally asked us for our autographs, so she gave us a blank meal ticket and we all signed it. Total, I ate approximately 3.25 loaves of bread, a plate of salad, one giant baked potato, an 8 oz steak, and an 8 oz piece of chicken. Yet again, I was still hungry afterwards. Adjusting to college cafeteria dieting is going to be rough.

Dinner was so much fun, but the night only got better. Stomachs full, we headed over to get massages. Heaven. Amazing. Whatever else you want to call it - massages are awesome. When I'm a billionaire I'm getting one every day. Every kink in my legs was kneaded out and I felt like a new man when I walked out of that place. Afterwards the team went to fellow cyclist Saurabh Metah's house for ice cream and basketball. It was a lot of fun!

1) The KOB puppet crew

2) A bread toast....no pun intended

3) After the 13th loaf

4) Proof that Melissa, our waitress, wanted our autographs.

Day 50: Mock Rock

Course: East Lansing, MI to Ann Arbor, MI
Distance: 65 miles
Terrain: Mostly flat
Conditions: Overcast

Today, the ride went pretty smoothly. There wasn't too much in our way to slow us down. Construction was minimal, the winds were decently out of the way, and the roads weren't as terrible as they have been. I rode with Kyle Marpe and Chris "Steady" Stubel. We pretty much just played games for the whole ride to make the time pass. It rained on us again for about 10 miles, but it wasn't cold rain, so it wasn't so much of a problem.

We arrived to the Pi Kapp house at the University of Michigan. When we got there we got to split a box of pizza with one other person. Kyle Marpe and I split a box and I was still hungry after eating my half. Afterwards we rode to our dorms closer to campus where we would lodge for the night. The hall that we were in was very new. It was practically a hotel. We then headed out to our first friendship visit of the night with PEAC (Programs to Educate All Cyclists). It's a program that teaches kids with disabilities to ride bikes. We met with a few kids and got to ride bikes with them. One of the kids, Brad,  had Down Syndrome and had been with the program for over 10 years. He had gone from riding a trike to speeding around the parking lot faster than a lot of the JOH guys could. It was cool to see how a lot of the kids had developed. We got to see one boy begin to ride a two-wheeler on his own for the first time - very touching.

Afterwards we were shuttled over to our second friendship visit of the night. We met with the Eisenhower Center, which is a facility for people with disabilities. It was predominantly occupied by clients with brain damage. We ate a great dinner there and then participated in their Mock Rock show. Six groups of clients put on lip sync performances and in between their shows our guys would jump in. We did the Every Time We Touch dance that we always do at dances, and the four guys that know the Single Ladies dance did that as well. It's always hilarious to see them do that. It was a lot of fun to hang out with the clients and see them put on their performances. A lot of them got really into it.

Naturally, we all got hungry again, so we went to the Buffalo Wild Wings that was right across the street from our dorm hall. Everyone got their wing fix and then called it a night.

Day 49: ...It Pours

Course: Kalamazoo, MI to East Lansing, MI
Distance: 80 miles
Terrain: Mostly flat
Conditions: Rain, cold, poor roads

We left lodging having dusted off the cold weather gear and suited up for a chilly day. No one really knew that the cold wouldn't be our only enemy. 10 miles in it began to sprinkle. 11 miles in, torrential downpour began. At least it seemed that way due to our speed. We slowed down a bit to increase visibility, and it still poured. It got colder and colder and windier and windier. My own cold got worse as the rain came, and 30 minutes in I couldn't feel my hands anymore. I decided to rack up and get some rest because I was feeling so terribly.

I pretty much just slept until the end of the ride. When we got to lodging, our PM let me shower and get some rest before dinner. Just before dinner, he told me that I should stay at the hotel to sleep instead of going to dinner. I didn't mind, because really all I felt like doing was sleeping anyways. After I was woken up by two hot dogs that were to be my dinner, I felt pretty refreshed. Loads better, but still not that great. After I scarfed down the two hot dogs, Jeff, Jesus and I were craving Chipotle, so we went out to eat. I couldn't breathe through my nose so I didn't taste much, but I think I ate my burrito in less than three minutes.

I went back for the night and went to bed early. There really wasn't a lot going on this day for me since no riding took place and there wasn't a friendship visit.

Day 48: When it Rains...

Course: South Bend, IN to Kalamazoo, MI
Distance: 70 miles
Terrain: Mostly flat
Conditions: Poor roads, cold temperatures, rain

At the last minute I put together a pace line with Jeremy and Kyle Marpe. We had every intention of taking it slow and having fun. The roads were in pretty bad condition for a good 30 miles of the ride. We couldn't even stay close together since there were so many holes. It was too much of a risk to try to draft. However, we still passed the hard time by having fun. We made up songs and choreographed feasible dance moves (it's hard to bike and dance) to perform when we passed other pace lines. It came together so well that the team was requesting to learn it.

About 50 miles into the ride, the overcast skies got darker. Suddenly, it began to sprinkle. "Finally..." is what we were all thinking. "We're going to get racked and call it a day." That was the last thing that would happen. The rain came down harder and we still rode through it. Eventually it cleared up and we made it to our lunch location at the home of our Logistics Coordinator's close friends. They prepared an amazing meal for us. When we went inside to make our plates we quickly noticed that they were the proud owners of 4 rabbits that they just let run around the house. It was a little odd but pretty cool at the same time.

Dinner was held by the parents of a Pi Alpha and it was fantastic. Chicken and barbecue sauce. The more BBQ that I have on the trip, the more that I crave Kansas City BBQ. Nothing beats it.

Day 47: Mary Who?

Course: Chicago, IL to South Bend, IN
Distance: 95 miles
Conditions: Construction, Bad roads
Terrain: Mostly flat

In the morning we gathered at the giant fountain in the park for a group picture. Then, Travis, Reggie and I headed out for a long ride. We started out on a really fun bike path that wound around the city and bordered Lake Michigan, so the view was great to begin with. After the bike path ended and we rolled into Indiana, the roads were unbelievably bad. Pot holes were every which way, and the cracks were endless. Indiana definitely doesn't have new roads in the budget plan. After mile 10 and about to mile 30 we rode through Gary, Indiana. It isn't exactly where you want to be at night, but we were saying good morning to just about everyone we saw to make sure they didn't want to hurt us. We got a lot of weird looks since pretty much no one bikes through there in spandex, but most people were friendly and would wave back. We rode 45 miles and then stopped for a sponsored lunch with a Pi Alpha on a beachside of Lake Michigan. It was a nice break, and a few guys even went swimming in the cold.

Afterwards we got back on the bikes to finish the ride. The roads got a lot better and we were able to finish the ride smoothly. For dinner we went to a Knights of Columbus organization's meeting hall. They're a Catholic service club similar to the Lions Clubs and Elks Clubs that we've visited with. One woman there stopped me and knew who I was, claiming that my friend Mary had just met her. I do have a friend Mary, so I was eager to speak with her at dinner. I came to find out that the Mary she was talking about was riding her bike across the country as a part of another service project. She also told me that I had gone to high school with Mary's brother. Since neither of those conditions were true, I realized that I had no connection to this Mary. However, I had no idea how to tell the woman that. Thus, I just sort of went with it that I knew her. Oh well.

Day 47: Under the Sea

Course: Day off in Chicago!
Conditions: Long walks

We woke up this morning and immediately headed out to a friendship visit at Envision. Their mission is: "to provide services that promote choice, independence and community integration to people with developmental disabilities and other special needs." Envision had just picked up a new bike for their clients. They gave us a bunch of sidewalk chalk and cones so we set up an obstacle course for the clients to ride through. They would come up one by one, and since none of them knew how to ride a bike we would walk them through it while holding on their bike. We had drawn things out on the ground like Denver, Iowa, Cleveland, and finally D.C. That way, they could make their own Journey of Hope. A lot of them really liked that thought. At the end of the ride, when clients hit D.C., we would take a picture with them holding the bike above their heads. There were so many clients that some people helped with the bike ride while others were able to play ball games or just talk with someone. I talked for a while with Christine. She told me a lot of stories about her pet bunny, Brownie. One of the highlighter stories was when Christine told me that she tried to give Brownie a bath, but when she was done had to call the ambulance to do CPR on him. I made her promise not to give Brownie any more baths. 

Some of the people that we took on the bike ride were nothing short of overjoyed to be doing it. Watching them be terrified on the bike but then elated at the finish was extremely fulfilling.

The friendship visits are always amazing, but sometimes the time off is much needed. We headed into the city and went to a place called UB Dogs for lunch. It's apparently the best dog place in all of Chicago. I'm going to back up that statement too - it was amazing. If you're in the area and need a place to go I recommend it. After the greatest hot dogs I've ever had, a bunch of us went to the Chicago Aquarium. It was about a 2 mile walk, and it was hot out, so it wasn't very fun to get there. However, the aquarium itself was awesome. Derek schmoozed the employees into giving us a discount too. We got to see Beluga whales, a dolphin show, jellyfish, and much much more. David went with us, and he's terrified of fish. We went to an exhibit where you could pet starfish, and we kept poking him in the side to scare the crap out of him. It took about 30 seconds for him to get his hand submerged in the water...before he touched the starfish. 

We had to make good timing to get back to dinner on time. We trekked across the city to make it to the parking lot just in time. As a team, we rolled over to Gino's East Pizzeria. They have famous deep dish pizza and it was even better than the hot dogs from lunch. After a long and hot day we headed back to the resort to crash for the night.

Day 46: Downward Dog

Course: Glenview, IL to Chicago, IL

Distance: 20 miles

Conditions: Large crowds
Terrain: City life

We woke up and were told to put on workout clothes instead of our biking jersey. My immediate thought: “Ooooookayyyy? So we’re going to go lift weights and then ride our bikes?” Our PM lead us into a room with a smile on his face and said, “GRAB A YOGA MAT, BOYS!!!” Half the team was psyched, and the other half was pooping their pants knowing that they aren’t flexible. By the other half, I mean myself. We all went out to the front lawn of the YMCA and a yoga instructor came and ran us through an hour of moaning and groaning. Some guys were more focused on the yoga instructor than the yoga itself. I tried to take it seriously, but I found myself laughing too much at how terrible I was at the whole thing.

We showered after yoga and went back to the lawn to put on a Kids on the Block show for about 50 kids. Afterwards we were told just to rack our bikes into the city. With a 20 mile ride into a big city we would have had too many turns for the vans to be leap frogging up in time for the first pace line. We rode to our stage up location and double pace lined to the Victor C. Neumann Foundation. It works to help people with developmental disabilities. We pulled up to the location and about 100 people were waiting for us and cheering loudly. It was by far the biggest crowd at an arrival yet. The Neumann Foundation had a lot of clients. We got to hang out for a couple of hours and one of my pledge brothers even stopped by to say hello.

At the end of the visit, the CEO of the Neumann Foundation presented us with a proclamation. It let us know that today would be Push America day in the state of Illinois. Usually, the proclamations we get are just for cities, so this one was extra cool. After leaving we had some free time in the city. We went to see the Bean (that big mirror thing) and then went to grab a third meal to eat before dinner. Yes, we still ate all of dinner. We went to an Italian restaurant sponsored by a Pi Alpha from Chicago. We gorged on pasta and salad.

Then, we went to lodging which was about 30 minutes from the city. An anonymous sponsor hooked us up with a stay at Eaglewood Resort & Spa. The ampersand is crucial to emphasize fanciness. It was legit. The beds were huge and the view was great. Later in the evening a chapter brother of TCU came by and picked up us TCU boys. We went to Top Golf, a three-story driving range. All three of the other guys kicked my butt. Michael Walton is an amazing golfer and used to play for TCU. Walton ordered donut holes that came with chocolate syringes to inject into the donuts. We finished the donuts, but not the chocolate, so we ended up playing the odds game and Derek had to inject the rest of the chocolate directly into his mouth. There was a lot in there, too. We headed back and I plopped into my giant bed for the night. That’s always the best feeling of the day.

Walton did the whole thing barefooted.