The last 24 hours have been grueling. Who am I kidding this whole thing has been grueling. However, the intensity mounts as we get within the two day mark with less than 600 Miles to go. The goal is attainable, yet at the same time insurmountable. Yet, as we have all seen, Michael has incredible will and strength. Let’s all …
Sleep is a Weapon!
So, we made the cutoff. Michael had a good long sleep and Team Red Dragon was ready to roll once again…or so we thought. Once back on the road, it was clear that Michael had not yet fully recovered from the trauma his body endured earlier in the day. He really tried, he gave it his all, but he was …
TS35 – The Cutoff
We came close to ending the adventure today. The last three day push really took its toll on Michael and the team, both physically and mentally. The focus of meeting the cutoff time deadline caused us to lose track of our plan. Today required a push of 321 miles to meet the cutoff. The endless “rollers”, hills that just keep …
TS29-TS30 Fort Scott, KS Hospitality
In the wee hours of the night our final crew member joined is. Meet Tim Gill, mathematician extraordinaire. Tim is working the numbers and giving Michael short term goals to get him to the Mississippi River cutoff successfully. Michael has been cutting the time with each new Time Station. Riding today, Michael reports “He is feeling very strong. He gets tired …
Our Fearless, Cheerful Warrior
The thing about Michael is his winning smile. There’s a lot more to him, of course, but his ever present smile, as he pushes through this grueling experience. It makes our job as crew so much easier. He’s polite, patient, and appreciative. It’s an honor to be on Michael’s team. The crew has begun referring to him as “suspiciously dapper” …
The friendly folks of Kansas
Yesterday in Greensburg, KS as crew waited for Michael to arrive, quite a few locals stopped by to chat. One fellow, brought out his fat tire bike. He offered it up to Michael to ride his next leg. Our next visitor, was a local author, who donated signed copies of his books to our literacy campaign. He shared with us …
Happy Father’s Day!
(Getting caught up – no service yesterday) June 17, Fathers Day After the Wolf Creek summit climb, Michael cranked out one more time station settling in for a 2 1/2 hour rest at Alamosa (TS18)). Taking off at 3:30am Michael and crew had a sunrise ride towards the La Veta Pass. The scenery today is spectacular. The crew were working …
TS23 – Penalty free!
TS23 is the time Station in which crews learn if they have incurred any penalties. If a team has a penalty, they must stay at TS23 to ‘pay their fine’. Penalties can be as costly as 2 hours. Michael and Team Red Dragon made it through with flying colors – no penalties!!! Onward!
Day 6 – Hello Kansas
TS23 Mile 1394.8 Ulysses, KS Michael and the crew continue to regain valuable lost time from the desert nightmare. The next cutoff is the Mississippi River June 20, 3:00 pm (CST). Michael is riding full force and in good spirits. He is hammering out the miles. Yesterday he rode 263.1 miles – knocking off the last of the Rockies. The …
He Can Climb!!!
Day 5 – June 16, 2018 Wolf Creek Summit 10,000+ elevation – Mile:1010 An amazing day on Wolf Creek Pass. Today we had Michael’s daughter Seren along, as navigator. Lucky her, today was a sight to see. Gorgeous surroundings and pure perseverance combine for an exhilarating day. This boy can climb. I cannot even fathom where he pulled this strength …