Day ONE - Let the party begin

Day ONE is here and I was able to sleep until about 4:30. Woke up without the alarm. It was dark and quiet outside. In my typical pre-race fashion, I went into automatic mode and quietly got things ready. Most was prepared the night before and that's where I realized that my new pair of Tri-shorts were not in the luggage. I had my old see-through pair that would have to do. However they were so thin, you could basically tell what religion I was. So I showed some humility and put on a pair of running shorts over them. The ladies of the hotel had made me some nice and heavy breakfast wraps to start my day as everything was closed at this hour.

Jacquelynn quietly went along with my mode/mood as she knows that I get real quiet at this point. But, I realized that this was not a one-day race. So if I wanted to depart for the 25-27 day race ( a number I had basically pulled out of my (ass) excuse me - HAT) on good standing, I better allow for some casual conversation.

START

Off to the museum for the start. There were bikers coming in from every direction. A drone buzzed over my head. The race start 0f 0600 pacific time was only about 15 min away. Many questions went through my head. Who are these people? Why is their bike organized this or that way? I have never NOT finished a race in my life...will this be the first one?

There were bikers with tattoos on their calf that said "Share the road" Caramba, these are hard core bikers.

Nathan starts talking and wishes us a safe journey and asks that we stay smart out there. And that was it, he rides out to the road and we all follow. The race has started. Some cheers from the family spectators and I grab a kiss from Jacquelynn and I'm off.

WHAT'S THE PLAN STAN

Go as far as I can? Take it easy and save your legs for another day? I'm not sure what I will do. The ride down the coast was beautiful and I was able to pull over and do some touristy photo things. The weather was perfect. Couldn't ask for a better day to do something that you have no idea about. About 90 miles in, still on the coast just before it bends into Oregon's interior, I would meet my wife for lunch near Pacific City. She then drove by on her way to Portland for the flight back to Philadelphia.

This would be the last time I see her until Yorktown. Spoiler alert!!! I did get to Yorktown under my own power...eventually. We had a long casual Mexican meal with beer. I only ate about half of what I was served. For some reason I would have trouble eating a complete meal for several days. Need to find the groove.

AFTER THE FIRST 100

One century in, the route leaves the coast and the gentle climb into the Oregon begins. I met too many bikers to recall all their names. It was nice to strike casual introductory conversations every 30 min or so. However must mention at least two, Dave Campbell a fellow Canadian music teacher and Chris Owen ("the talker" but, in a good way), we would cross paths many times in the coming weeks. This would be the first time I have ever ridden with anybody. All my training is done solo. Not on purpose I assure you. I think I am a likable guy. Rode a while with Chris and then finished the last 50-60 miles with Dave.

Met the angriest drivers in this state. Angry white guys in pick-ups. They would rev their engine making their monster pipes scream, deafening your ears as they passed by (three different occasions). It's a common theme if you read the other TABR stories out there. This was their neighborhood I realized. I developed a game plan to deal with a possibility of physical altercation. I'm riding a 4k bike with probably another k in technology and I'm wearing skin tight clothing with slippery shoes, Rambo I am not. I had a switch blade, bear spray, a phone and could always stream live the assault on FB. Nothing bad ever happened. Don't let it mess with your head. I did not hear of ONE incident from the 2017 race.

I must say that TABR is the best way to see sunrises and sunsets across the USA. Dave and I rode into darkness, destination Corvallis, about 189.3 miles into the race. WOW. Never gone that far before. I have been in new territory for the last 65 miles. Legs were happy, bike was quiet, nothing hurt -- this will be a fun experience.

As expected, there were at least 20 other riders in town. Hotel was on the agenda and tonight I would share with Dave. Web searches showed many as booked and all over $140, not our idea of bike racing using expensive hotel. Eventually, after riding around town a bit we found the Rodeway Inn at $78. The Filipino manager was very nice. I would come to learn that the cheap old-school motels do not have fancy Trivago accounts or even a web page to begin with so you need to stumble upon them, literally. Our luck the bar across the street next to the closed Chinese restaurant was still open. Wearing my bike shoes (note to self - get flip flops) we went in for whatever they might serve. And there was all the left over from the Chinese place at $5 for a heaping plate. I had one, Dave had two. The beers were very nice as well. Racing is fun. Cheap good food and a three beer day with 189.3 miles to boot. Maybe I will be able to finish in 25 days... Two restaurant meals and good size town for accommodations, maybe this isn't as hard as all that... I can hear the veterans laugh out there in bike world.

The first big ride in the US, I had eaten Mexican and Chinese and was sharing a Filipino motel with a Canadian.... And the Canadian guy snored...bless his heart. When we woke in the morning Dave proudly told me that he forced himself to sleep on his side so he wouldn't snore. I didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise... all good Dave, still love you man.