Day 9
June 10th, 2007

A day off!!!

Today was our first day off and it was wonderful!! It was really great to rest my muscles and get a little bit of time to sleep in. While in Walla Walla we are staying in the community college dome which is a really neat building which looks kind of like a golf ball. For lunch today we had a sponsored meal at a delicatessen called Merchant Ltd. For the remainder of the day we had some time to work on our bikes and get them ready for our 100 mile ride tomorrow. In the evening we had a sponsored dinner by the same man who has set up our housing at the college. I need to get into bed and rest for the big ride tomorrow.

Day 8
June 9th, 2007

Today was an extra special day because Ian Turner rode with us. last summer Ian rode the North route. Riding with Ian was great because I got a chance to talk with him more about his experiences in riding across the country. To start our day we had to ride in the vans because the crew was unable to find a safe way out of town. Once on the highway it was pretty good riding. The roads were much more smooth than and I had expected. For the first part of the ride Mark St Raymond rode with Ian and I but unfortunately Mark got some metal stuck in his tire and had to fall behind at a crew stop. Here is a picture of Ian and I with Mark who is a little upset in the background about his tire. Because of having to ride in the vans it turned todays short ride into an even shorter one. Once into Walla Walla we got a chance to shower then we headed to a friendship visit at the Lillie Rice center. They had cooked us an amazing dinner.

Day 7
June 8th, 2007

Homecoming
Today when I woke up my wrist was still sore from the crash the day before so I decided to sweep which means that another guy and I stay at the back of all the groups and make sure everything is alright. If someone gets a flat tire or crashes we are there to make sure everything is ok and wait up for them. This makes for a typically slower day on the bike. Today's breakfast was provided by Andrew and Jake's aunt and uncle. Today's ride took us from Yakima to Richland. The ride was relatively flat which was a welcome surprise. Being in the back sweeping was a completely different experience than in the front pack, the ride is a little slower but you get a chance to see a lot more of the action. Today 3 guys got flat tires, one guy crashed, and one had knee problems. The ride today was much warmer than we have seen so far. This area being my neck of the woods it did not take me by surprise, however many of the guys got sunburns. It was kind of funny to see the sunburns with funky tan lines from wearing sunglasses, helmet straps, and other cycling gear. Today's ride had a very pleasant surprise to it; My family and girlfriend came out to see us on the road at lunch time and once we arrived. After arriving we did a small stage up for the local news station KNDU. I am hoping that once I get a good internet connection I will be able to find some links to media I have done interviews for. Tonight we are staying at the Richland Community Center which is a wonderful new facility at a park by the Columbia river. Tonight's dinner was provided by Bethyl Baptist church. After dinner we were free. I decided to spend some time with Ian, Sean and Amanda who had all come out to see the teams arrival. Ian will ride along with us to Walla Walla.

KNDU coverage

day 6
June 7th, 2007

Another amazing day! This is just too good to be true. 5:30 am, awaken by some wonderful classic rock. Once out and on the bikes it was some great riding. We had a slight tail wind that carried my pack along at a fairly fast speed. In the flat areas we were able to average close to 30 miles per hour. Today we only had to ride on the interstate for a short 3 miles until we were able to wind our way along some back road to Cle Elem. From there to Ellensburg it was a straight shot. Just outside of Ellensburg we took Canyon road which follow the Yakima river to Yakima. At one point we saw a group of big horn sheep along the river. The road wound with the river and had a few small climbs in it. After climbing out of the valley the whole team stopped for lunch. With only 15 miles to go all was going well. Until about 1 mile from town I crashed. I was in a fairly tight pace line right behind the rider in front when a corner crept up on us and he needed to break harder then I expected. I overlapped his back tire with my front one on the left side going into a right turn. This caused our tires to rub forcing me off balance causing me to fall over. Everything turned out alright. I was able to walk away from it and finish the ride into town with the lead group. I received a sweet badge of honor on my left shoulder ripping my jersey, a gouge in my angle and a sprained wrist. However, my bike seemed to fair much better with only a slight skew in the handlebars. The wreck seemed to suck a lot of energy from me as it was difficult for me to finish the last of the nearly 85 mile day. Once into Yakima we rode to Eisenhower High School were we will sleep tonight. My uncle Jim came out to see us upon arrival. It was really great to see him. Also upon arrival two television crews interviewed me. We are really getting a lot of press thanks to my friend Charlie Meier who, with the help of our crew media man Rodney, sets up all of our press. I was also interviewed by a local radio show and the Tri-City Herald. I am really looking forward to riding into the Tri-Cities tomorrow and seeing some familiar faces. Dinner for us tonight was provided by a local University of Washington Pi Kappa Phi alumni.

Day 5
June 6th, 2007

AMAZING!!!
Today was one of the best days of my life. We woke up at 5:30 and headed down to Olympic Sculpture park on the water front in the downtown area of Seattle. At the park we had a really great hot breakfast provided for us by the parents of a previous Journey of Hope cyclist. King 5 news in Seattle was there to do 3 live feeds of us preping and departing for the trip. Amanda and Bill were able to make it out to see me off, it was great to have some friends there to support me. For the final live feed at just after 8 we lined up and rode off. We were lead out of town by a local Pi kappa Phi member who cycles in Seattle and know the area well enough to get us out of town safely. He rode with us to the Issaquah area were we met up with the East Side Fire and police for an escort to Interstate 90. Once on I-90 it was a fairly steady climb for many many miles. For the most part the incline was not bad at all. Once into North Bend Jake, Andrew, Chad Cockrill and I had to stay at a road side stop and call in to a live radio show. The show host was a man named Dennis Leach. He was a great interviewer, asking some really great questions and giving us a lot of opportunities to explain the true reason we are doing this trip. Unfortunately by the time we were done with the radio show an hour had passed and the last of the cyclist had passed us, so we were forced to rack our bikes and ride in the vans up to the the tail group. It turned out they were only about 4 miles up the road. After we got out of the vans and back on the road Jake got a flat right away and had to rack his bike for a little while. Andrew, Chad and I pushed on powering our way up the hill. All three of us are similar ability cyclists and were able to keep a tight pace line and quickly began to make our way back up toward the front of the groups. By lunch time we had made it all the way up to within a couple miles of the lead group. After lunch we left the highway and were able to take a Forest Service road that had no cars on it. From there it was a few steep switchbacks and we were at the summit. Once at the top of the mountain we were all able to breathe easy. After a quick photo op we were on our way down the other side. Riding on the interstate was difficult in a lot ways but the most dangerous part for me was not the constant cars passing us but the debris along the roadside. After the summit it was a quick 15 miles to our final destination for the day. Andrew, Chad and I were the first group to make it in. Because of our tight schedule only 3 groups were able to make it in before everyone had to be racked up and brought to lodging the the Double K Christian Retreat. For dinner we went down the interstate a little ways to Cle Elem's eagles club were we were treated to a great meal then off to bed.

KING 5 coverage

Day 4
June 05, 2007


Toady was a great day! we woke up early and drove out to the University of Washington Stadium for a practice ride around Mercer Island. At the start of our ride King 5 news was there to get some video of us for a live special they will be doing tomorrow for our kick off. They interviewed a few of the Washington guys for local interest. I was one of the guys who was interviewed. They asked me a few questions about my bike and and the trip, it was really interesting. The ride was really great and beautiful. The route we took went across Lake Washington on a bridge to Mercer island. from there we took a road around the island that gave us a great view of the Seattle area . Unfortunately it rained a fair amount of the time causing the roads to be slick. The ride worked great to help work some kinks out of the bikes, a few riders had a little bit of trouble but overall it went great and I am really excited for tomorrow. We rode about 25 miles total. For Dinner the team was treated to an amazing dinner at Buca di Beppo. The dinner was the best for a meal before a long day of cycling, we had lots of pasta a bread. After dinner I had a chance to hang out with Kyle, Ben, Bill and Amanda. It was great to have some of my friends in town before I headed off on the big ride.

Day 3 - 06/04/07

A break in the schedule!
Today was a much easier day compared to yesterday. We woke up and had a few final meetings regarding more rules of the road and that was it. Todays lunch was at the Iver's resturant on the waterfront and was provided by Chadd Cockrill's Parents. I saw these signs at the restaurant and thought they were humorous. The rest of the day was free for us to do what we wanted. A group of us decided to take a trip to a local bike shop where I picked up some more handlebar tape and a small pouch to hold my camera. The Push America cycling coach, Dean Peaterson, came to town today. He is a really great guy who is incredibly knowledgeable on anything to do with cycling. He helped me double wrap my handlebars, and by that I mean he did it all himself as I watched and learned. By double wrapping my handlebars it will really help to dampen the road vibrations. After working on my bike I met up with Amanda and went back down to the water to have dinner with Shawn Oleary and some friends for Shawn's birthday. For the rest of the evening a great friend of mine, Dan Maycock, came down to hang out with amanda and I.

Day 2 - 06/03/07

Today was a very long day. We woke up at 6 and practiced how long it takes us to pack all of our stuff up and get ready in the mornings. We have 30 minutes in the mornings to get all f our stuff packed up and into the vans. After that we went across the street to the Space Needle to practice specific skills needed for the trip such as riding in groups and making repairs. Once that was done the team traveled to a park that has an amazing view of the Seattle skyline and Mt Rainier to take our team photo. From that point we drove to Golden Gardens Park and were treated to an amazing salmon lunch by local Pi kappa Phis who have rode the journey of Hope in the past. After lunch we had a few more meetings at St Paul's Episcopal church to go over even more road rules and logistics. After the meeting we had an opportunity to return to our rooms for a short period before we headed out to dinner at another park with the Washington state pi kapps. This was also our first friendship visit of the summer. It was an amazing opportunity to really bring home why we are really doing this trip, it has nothing to do with cycling and everything to do with improving the lives of others. It was also great to see guys from back at school. After that we were all real tired but it was time for one more meeting. We had a meeting to assign and go over roles in the puppet show that we will be putting on for kids. I chose the part of Mark Riley, a kid with cerebral palsy who is given the opportunity to explain to his new friend Melanie about all the great things he can do. I will post more information on the puppet show and maybe a video later in the trip. Following that Jake McCaffery and I took a little walk downtown to relax. Now, here I am laying in the hotel bed falling asleep watching Deadliest Catch.

Day One!! - 06/02/07

Honestly, today was the first day that it really hit me, I got a little nervous when I thought about riding a bicycle across the country. Today I woke up at 7 and drove over the pass tracing the same route that we will be riding the first few days of cycling. Let me tell you, when I was driving down the pass and looking in my rear view mirror I began to think that as much as I am looking forward to the first day of cycling I am not looking forward to riding over Snoqualmie pass. Once arriving in Seattle I had a chance to walk around and hang out before meetings. The hotel we are staying at is the Best Western Executive Inn which is located one block from the Space Needle. The team meetings today were at the Pi Kappa Phi house at the University of Washington. They are some really great guys they even gave us a cool t-shirt, I'm just not sure where I am going to pack it? I am excited about a BBQ we have scheduled for tomorrow because it will be with the Washington State Pi kapp chapter.

whelp I have to get up really early tomorrow for some practice packing and riding so I have to get to sleep.

The Tools

I figured I would post a piece on what equipment I would be using this summer. For most people this may be boring but I know some people may be interested. I will be riding a LeMond Versailles 2006. In my opinion this bike is the perfect bike for this trip. It Features a half carbon half steel frame. Steel is well known in the cycling community, especially among older riders, for its superior ability at offering a Cadillac soft ride while maintaining stiffness along joints. Carbon on the other hand is a relatively new material for manufacturing bikes. Its woven composite is seen as the neosolution to the ever present weight to strength dilemma. Carbon is also praised for its ability to damper vibrations within its woven material. The way the Versailles was designed it offers the best of both worlds with a steel spine(lower frame) and a carbon cockpit(upper frame). I sure hope that it will help to dampen the constant daily vibrations of the road over the 70+ days of cycling. I knew when I was selecting equipment I had to be aware of three things: weight, comfort, and cost. I knew that I wanted my bike to weight the smallest amount possible in order to increase my efficiency and conserve energy. However in the world of cycling this weight conservation often comes at the sacrifice of comfort due to the flooded cycle racing market. Racers often are not riding long distances so they are much more willing to buy a super light component that is not comfortable simply because they will not be riding it long. In my case though this is not that case at all, I will be in my saddle for long periods of time and for many days at a time. The most important things for a long distance cyclist is the equipment at which he or she forms a contact point with the bike: handlebar/hands, saddle/butt, and pedals/feet. For the first of these I will be using gloves on my hands and a special gel wrap on my handlebars to reduce vibrations into my upper body. As for the seat I will using the stock seat that comes on Trek and LeMond bikes. This contact point will have a lot of help from the carbon fiber in the frame, the carbon seat post and the padding in my shorts. As for my pedals and feet I decided that this was one of the most important pieces. Choosing the wrong pedals could cause severe knee pain just as the wrong shoes could cause foot pain. I chose the Speedplay x-series pedals because of the range of motion they offered. These pedals offer more float than any other pedal/cleat on the market. For shoes I chose a pair from Specialized for its pediatric design and chromed carbon sole. Another big benefit of these shoes is its boa ratchet system that can tighten the entire shoe with a single twist of its dial. Being on the road day after day for this many miles will certainly take a tole on my body but this equipment will hopefully make things a little easier.

From Then To Now

It has been some times since my first post. This last semester of school had been really busy. I had my last final on my Junior year on may 3rd. After that I went to Hood Canal and took a SCUBA certification test. It was pretty cold and murky. It was a really fun trip. Amanda and I got to visit her best friend in Vancouver Washington on our detour home. Since then I have been riding daily in the Tri-Cities and relaxing and riding at the cabin in Coeur D'Alene on the weekends. Now that school is over for the summer and I get all set for my big trip I thought I would post an update on what has happened since then. I have just sent in some donations that have put me over my minimum fund raising goal of $5,000. I have been amazingly blessed with support from my friends and family. I have turned my focus now to training; 4,000 miles is a long way to ride a bike so I figured I wouldn't just wing it. As I get into longer and longer rides I have learned that it is amazing how much you learn about your self when you ride for long distances alone. For instance I have learned that I have the amazing but useless ability to make funny noises with my mouth forming funny jingles. Roads are completely different at a slow speed, you notice so much more. It truly is amazing how much stuff is on the side of the road. This trip will most definitely be quite the adventure and I am excited to share it with you all. I have also been featured in a couple of newspaer articles so far.
Daily Evergreen
Tri-City Herald

How It all Started.

When I was a Freshman at Washington State University I joined an interest group to help start a new fraternity. The fraternity has since become chartered and has grown to become one of the largest and most respected fraternities on campus.

As I returned to school my sophomore year I realized that I wanted to do more. I wanted to take a more active role in my chapter and the organization as a whole. I took a seat on the chapter's executive council as the Theta Iota Historian. I also began talking with older members of the chapter about national service projects that would take me beyond the local projects that the chapter had been doing. I then went to a GAP (give a push) weekend where the Washington State and University of Washington chapters came together at a children's camp in Coeur D'Alene Idaho and helped to do improvements to the camp to help them for the upcoming camper season. It was a wonderful experience and I wanted more. I then began talking to Ian Turner, an older member of my chapter about an adventure he was getting ready for. The adventure is called the Journey of Hope. He gave me advice on how I could go about making the decision to do Journey of Hope too. The following summer I made the final decision to go for it and submitted my application. I quickly heard back and had a phone interview accepting my spot on the Journey of Hope 2007 team.


PUSH AMERICA - JOH
Pi Kappa Phi is a fraternity is a organization of men who are dedicated to service. In 1977 Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity founded Push America. Push America is an organization whose purpose is instilling lifelong dedication to service in its members and bettering the quality of life for people with disabilities. Push America has three areas of focus - Service Leadership, Construction, and Cycling. Every summer Push America's cycling events raise over $500,000 to build hope for the future of people with disabilities. The largest of these cycling events is the Journey of Hope.

In 1987, one manÂ’s dream of riding his bike across the country came true. What he did not know was the inspiration and motivation his trek across America would give to Push America. The very next year his ride inspired Push America to create the largest fraternal fund-raising and awareness event of its kind, the Journey of Hope. Today the Journey of Hope covers 32 different states, cycling over 12,000 miles combined, is solely comprised of members of Pi Kappa Phi and continues to spread a message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities.

The Journey of Hope reaches out to people through newspapers, radio and television, civic groups and community leaders, reaching millions of people annually and bringing to the forefront the abilities of people with disabilities. From the inaugural team of 21 team members raising $20,000, the team has since been expanded into three different routes of 35 Pi Kappa Phis and annually raises more than $500,000. To date, over 900 undergraduates have participated in the Journey of Hope. One manÂ’s dream made it all possible.

The Journey of Hope is a cross-country bicycle trek beginning in San Francisco, Calif. and Florence, Ore. and ending together with all teams in Washington, D.C. The event raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities. Simply put, the Journey of Hope is a ride with a purpose. Make no mistake; this is not a simple ride. The Journey of Hope is about many things. It is about challenging the norm. It is about serving our communities. It is about finding out more about ourselves than we ever imagined. It is about having a dream. It is about a mission. It is about hope.

The true impact of the Journey of Hope can be felt through its programming across the nation After riding an average of 75 miles a day, you won't find team members napping preparing for the next day's ride. They will be dancing at a friendship visit with a local group that supports people with disabilities, participating in a game of wheelchair basketball, performing puppet shows to educate children on the abilities of people with disabilities, and learning life lessons that will impact them for the rest of their lives. This journey is service beyond self and the men of Pi Kappa Phi have been dedicated to people with disabilities since 1977.