Day 0: Saturday, April 16 - Costa Mesa, CA gather and introductions

At 10:00 about six of the early arrivals went on a 23 mile casual ride. Based on what I had heard the night before, I took my appointed spot - following everyone else. It was a fun way to loosen our legs and begin to get a bit acquainted. 

For info on the team, go here.

In summary: 16 riders, 4 staff representing 7 different countries, including Germany, Australia, Canada, UK, Netherlands, Belgium and the US (3 from Minnesota and two others with Minnesota connections). One will ride only the first of the three trip segments and one will join us for the last two.

I am the oldest and slowest at 66. There is one who turned 31 a couple of days into the ride, a couple perhaps in their 40's and the rest in their mid to late 50's through 64. Two are former racers in Australia and Canada and the group is certainly an elite group, well above me in terms of ability.

I am rooming with Phil Anderson, a fellow Minnesotan from Winona. He is a beast at age 63, having completed eight full triathlons - 100 miles on a bike, a full 26 mile marathon, plus the swim. He is a great roomy, a Certified Financial Planner (which I was in the '80's) and politically compatible.

We are supported by four staff members from America by Bicycle:

• Ride Leader/mechanic - Mike Monk
• Karen Bauer
• Judy Clawson
• Pamela Shedd

They have been awesome in customer support, definitely interested in our individual success and safety. Some of their advice at first may seem picky, but it turns out that they are basing their statements on years and years of experience. A great team.

They have two vans, one pulling the trailer for our SAG (support and gear) stops which also hold our bags, and the other is a roaming van with the mechanic, making sure no one is lost or needs help.

Checking in

Mike checking out and fixing my bike with Ken watching

The day was spent by Mike reassembling the late comers' bikes, inspecting them, and then orientation. We covered bike safety, how to inspect our bikes (often), how to read the cue sheets, and generally what to expect on the ride. The key to riding safely, Mike explained, is to be predictable - especially at intersections. We are expected to follow all laws or get kicked off the ride, We also introduced ourselves to each other, and outlined our experience and why we were on this trip.

Mike Monk informing us of what we had gotten ourselves into.

Brian ("the younger", as the staff took to calling him, since there are two Brians on the ride) was expected around midnight that night, having been delayed in Denver due to a big snowstorm.

Next page

For our ride leader's (Mike Monk) version of today's events, go here.