Tour du Rouge - Day 6

Today is our last day.  We woke up to a gorgeous Louisiana morning and got the day started right with a hearty breakfast at the Holiday Inn where we were staying.   By now, both the riders and the support team had their routines down and everything was working like clockwork.  There was excitement in the air as people began to realize that they were on the verge of achieving a goal they had been working towards for over a year.  For me, it was mixed emotions - great to make the goal but having so much fun and riding so strong that I was not ready for this little adventure to end just yet. 

We started the ride by going down the wrong highway due to an incorrectly placed turn sign.  While we were doing that, I reached down for a water bottle and was shocked to discover I had left both bottles in the hotel room refrigerator.   I pulled over to call Jacque who was in the Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle and my bike buddy Mike pulled over to call Tina in the Rest Stop Truck hoping that one of them was close enough to the hotel to go back and get the bottles.  While we were making the phone calls, most of the other riders passed us up.   We were pedaling furiously against the wind to catch up when we caught a lucky break.  Riders started coming back the other way having figured out we had all taken a wrong turn.   Instead of having to do a long chase against the wind, all we had to do was a U turn and we went from last to first.  If it hadn’t been for the water bottles, we would have been much farther down the road in the wrong direction.  We couldn’t believe our luck. 

Another rider in our group, Rich from Louisiana, loaned me one of his bottles which was really nice.  We got into a fast group of eight riders which really helped with the head wind which was starting to pick up considerably.   When we got to the first rest stop, I was amazed to see my water bottles set amongst the fruit and snacks.  What a support team!  They went back to the hotel to retrieve my water bottles without missing a beat.  And best of all, the water bottles were still ice cold.  How good does it get?  By now, I realized it was going to be a great day. 

Our core group from the day before (me, Daryl, Mike and Rich) were the first into the next rest stop which was very festive due to the enthusiastic spectators and loud music.   We were enjoying ourselves at the rest stop and once again, let Bob from New Mexico get away with about a 10 minute lead.  Once again, we were in chase mode with strong headwinds. 

We got off the highways and rode through some nice neighborhoods before reaching the huge levy alongside the Mississippi River.  We got to ride the next 20 miles on top of the levy with the river on one side and towns, petrochemical plants and suburban neighborhoods on the arrow.  It was a narrow, windy and undulating paved path shared by cyclists, joggers and walkers.  The four of us had a police escort which was really cool.  We were trying to draft off him but every time we got close, he would speed up.  By now, we were worried that Bob had gotten away from us.  In my opinion, we weren’t going fast enough so I picked up the pace to about 25 and did a long pull only to find I wasn’t pulling anybody because they weren’t keeping up.

But mission accomplished, Bob was in sight.  We regrouped and picked up the pace again and finally passed him.  Then we caught a tailwind and cruised to the first finish at a nice park alongside the Mississippi River. 

We stayed at the park about two hours until all the other riders had come in.  Then the entire group, both riders and support team,  formed a parade with police escorts for the final eight miles into downtown New Orleans.  It was like taking a victory lap.  The collective mood was celebratory and infectious.  Oh what a feeling it was.  We had done what we set out to do.  We had survived the mosquitoes at Rutherford Beach and completed our 512 mile ride from Houston to New Orleans.  I surprised myself with how I felt stronger each day and with an average speed of 19.2 mph over the entire six days.  

Our hotel rooms at the Hilton were awesome.   After cleaning up, we went to our Victory Dinner on the Creole Queen riverboat before doing a little Bourbon Street and ending up at Pat O’Brien’s.  Jacque and I went to bed around 1 AM so we would have time to have an early breakfast at Café du Monde before heading back to Houston.

I would like to give a special thank you to Mike from Pennsylvania, Daryl from Austin, and Rich & Tommy from Lousiana for working together to achieve an average speed of 19.2 mph over the entire six days; Bob from New Mexico who pushed us hard every day; and the volunteers who met our needs in every way.   And finally, a special thank you to Jacque de Sosa for sharing this great adventure with me. 

Hope you all enjoyed this Tour du Rouge Blog.  I’m hoping that one or more of you decide to do this with us next year.  It’s a special event for a great cause.  There are some extremely committed individuals who are dedicated to making this a much bigger deal in future years.  Can’t wait to do it again! 

Thank you.

Tour du Rouge - Day 5

How do you spell TAILWIND?  For the first 35 miles we headed north and were able to take advantage of the prevailing south wind.  The smooth road was an added bonus.  It was effortless - imagine pedalling 25 mph with a heart rate of only 114.  It was a gorgeous morning with lots of wildlife and good scenery.  We were all high on life. 

Today our strategy was to keep track of Bob from New Mexico and get far enough ahead of him so we could take a little more time at lunch and the rest stops.   It worked pretty well.  We started in the back, stopped to take some pics, and repaired a couple flats - all of which gave us the opportunity to chase him down several times during the day.  It was good natured competition which we all enjoyed.    

Just before lunch, we started riding behind the levee below the Mississippi River.   The roads were rough but very scenic.  Our group of four was first in for lunch.  We stopped at one of the several plantations we passed.  We were held up there for awhile because we were getting too far ahead of the support and rest stop crews.   

After lunch, we crossed over the Mississippi River.  That bridge had expansion joints that were dangerous for skinny tire bikes and about 1/3 of the cyclists got flats going over them. After the first one, we adapted by riding diagonally across the remaining expansion joints.  On the downhill, it didn't matter.  At 40 mph, you skip right over them. 

Our perfect day ended with some more strong tailwinds and it was a joyous cruise into the finish. Our group of four was first in.  Only difference was we had a new fourth - Rich from Louisiana.  The masseuses were ready for us and they knew what they were doing.  It hurt so good, but I felt like a million dollars afterwards none the worse for wear after 98 miles in the hot Lousiana sun.  It was our best day yet. 

Tommorrow, it's our final 77 miles into New Orleans.  It's been an awesome adventure so far.   Can't wait for the celebration to begin tomorrow afternoon and our Victory Dinner.

 

Tour du Rouge - Day 4

Day 4 was billed as an easy day - only 77 miles from Abbeville to Morgan City with a stop in Avery Island to tour the Tobasco factory.   We had a Cajun breakfast at Caffe Maria's.   The couche couche (prounounced cush cush) was great.  We made a quick 18 mile run into Avery Island and had fun resting under the big trees on the river at the entrance as the bikes and the Tour du Rouge entourage made their way onto the island.  Then we were shuttled to the factory and the Country Store where you can buy all things Tobasco.  The tour was great.

After we left Avery Island, the serious riding began and the accidents began to happen.  A guy who had been riding with us earlier that morning got tangled up with another rider and went dowThey took him to the next rest stop where he kept saying he couldn't remember a thing.  He didn't seem quite right so we checked his helmet which told the story - the foam padding was cracked in two places which meant he had taken a serious hit and needed to go to the hospital. Hopefully, he can resume the Tour tomorrow.

I had my first accident a couple blocks from our lunch stop in Franklin.  We had a left hand turn coming up.  I was slowly passing a truck on the left at a stop light.  A lady was jaywalking but I couldn"t see her because of the truck.  We almost collided as she came around the front of the truck.  I decided that taking myself down was better than a collision so I did.  My left leg scraped against the curb - the rest of me fell on the grassy strip.  I ended up laying on my left shoulder still clipped to my pedals with my bike up in the air to avoid damage.  I must say that was one of my best falls ever.   Wish I would have had the presence of mind to get a picture for the blog.

Today, we were unable to beat the old man from New Mexico who devised a good strategy to beat us.  He left Avery Island while we were waiting for everybody in our group to get shuttled back and then he had very short rest stops while we took our time.  In addition to a good strategy, he also had strong legs and a lot of heart to ride against all that wind by himself.  

Tonight we are staying at a nice Holiday Inn with comfortable beds and a laundromat.  Went into downtown Morgan City for a great Cajun dinner and a Cajun band which provided great entertainment.

Tomorrow is going to be another 95 mile day to Gonzalez.  Rumor has it that we will have some tailwind for the first time on this Tour.   My body sincerely hopes so.

  

Tour du Rouge - Day 3

Day 3 was 95 miles from Creole to Abbeville.  After a night of no sleep battling the mosquitoes, we were just happy to get started on a beautiful morning.  Two miles into the marshes, my bike buddy Mike had a flat.  Everybody passed us while we fixed it.  We had fun bantering back and forth as we passed everybody up before the first rest stop.  

Once we got inland a few miles, there was much less devastation and the route became less boring - lots of curves, small towns and good scenery.  We saw our first alligator road kill.  Me, Mike and Daryl were the first ones into the lunch stop at Lake Arthur - it was a beautiful spot.

After lunch, we hit severe head winds and some of the worst roads I've ever ridden.  Can't believe we got through it all with no flats or broken wheels.  The rest stops were spaced perfectly.  We would stop at each for a few minutes to pour ice water over ourselves to cool off.  We made it to Abbeville in a little over five hours very proud of ourselves that we were able to do all that with no sleep.  We found our Tour du Rouge legs and are starting to feel invincible.

That night, the local Red Cross dignitaries hosted us at the River Front restaurant with great views.  Dinner was great.  I ate like a horse and look forward to breakfast at Caffe Maria in the morning.  Never thought a cheap hotel bed would feel so good after our beach adventure the night before. 

Tour du Rouge - Day 2

Day 2 was an 81 mile ride from Beumont to Rutherford Beach near Creole.  We saw alot of refineries, alot of beachfront and alot of devastation from hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike.  There were many areas where all that was left were house slabs.  There were a few homes that had been rebuilt but for the most part, you would see slabs with trailers or RV's where the house had been.

Was feeling strong and me and my ride buddy Mike and another guy named Daryl were the first ones into lunch and into Rutherford beach.  When we got to Rutherford Beach, we got a portent of things to come.  The big tents had been set up next to an endless marsh and the place was swarming with mosquitoes.  We immediately doused ourselves with mosquito spray.  Then we went swimming in the Gulf and showered.  When we came out of the showers, the wind had picked up and the mosquitoes were gone.  After dinner, there was a beautiful sunset and Jacque and I took a nice walk on the beach.

As soon as it got dark, the mosquitos returned in force.  We abandoned the tents and moved our cots near the water where we were farther from the marsh and the wind was stronger.  We went to bed and the mosquitoes found us again.  Most of us had one Red Cross issue blanket to protect us and nowhere to go.   The blanket was just big enough to cover me from head to toe but not quite large enough to wrap myself in it.   Everytime I moved, I would create an opening somewhere and the mosquitoes would exploit it.  My body, especially my feet, legs and hands were throbbing in pain.  It felt like fire ants.  That's how it went until about 3:30.  I was dozing and all of a sudden, this buzzing sound woke me up.  It sounded like a swarm of angry bees but it was a swarm of mosquitoes instead.  It was scary - straight out of science fiction movie.  There were about 60 of us out on the beach and you could hear all the face slapping and people swearing up a storm in frustration.

Around five, the mosquitoes retreated and life was good again.  You could actually expose your face from under the blanket and feel the cool beach breeze.  Talking about life's simple pleasures.

Breakfast was being served in a trailer near the marsh and we had to walk, then run through the swarms of mosquitoes to get to breakfast.  People would come in one at a time and everybody shared their experience.  Some people would come in with swollen faces.  Some would come in wearing clothes covered in specks of blood from all the bites.  We were the survivors and now we all of a sudden had a common bond - if we survived Rutherford Beach, we can survive anythng.

Hoping for no accidents on Day 3 due to sleep deprivation.

Tour du Rouge - Day 1

What an amazing day!  Our goal was to get into Beaumont before it started raining.  We started around 8:00 and made it into Beaumont around 12:10.  I felt strong all day and managed to finish with the first group of four riders which was a real thrill.  We were headed East most of the day with a strong cross wind from the South but it wasn't as bad as we thought it would be.  I surprised myself by coming in with the first group of four riders with an average speed of 20.8 mph on a very windy day.   About an hour later, a storm blew in so it's a good thing rode hard.

We were supposed to stop three times and talk to the locals who were manning the rest stops. When we got to Dayton, the first stop, the rest stop wasn't set up yet so we continued on to Devers where we were greeted by the local cheer leaders and had a quick lunch.   Our final stop was China where we were greeted by the local Boy Scout troop.  Everything was first class - for me, if the rest stop serves dill pickles, it's first class.

We're staying at the Hotel Elegante in Beaumont which is a really great facility.  For dinner, we took shuttles to the Spindletop Museum in Gladys City where we were entertained by team of actors doing reinactments from the old days.  The highlight was when they turned on the Spindletop well to set off a gusher.  That was really awesome.  Then it was back to the hotel to watch the Apprentice and lights out.

Tomorrow, we will follow the coast to Creole, take a ferry and end up camping on the beach at a Red Cross shelter.  We probably won't be able to post from there so don't worry if we skip a day.