Day 52 Manchester, NH to Portsmouth, NH   61 miles and 2207 feet of climb

It was 60 degrees and raining when we rode out of the Holiday Inn Express in Manchester, New Hampshire on the final leg of our 3860-mile bike ride across America. Our final destination today was to be Northhampton State Beach in North Hampton, New Hampshire. This was the designated spot where we were to do the traditional "front wheel dip" in the Atlantic Ocean. 52 days earlier, we had dipped our rear wheels in the Pacific Ocean way back on July 2.

For me, the rain and chill of the day actually served to heighten the exhilaration I felt knowing that I was on the cusp of completing a bike ride that I'd been dreaming of since I was 21 years old. There were numerous times during those final 60 miles when I began to quietly cry as we made our way out of the city of Manchester and on to the beautiful country roads of New England. My emotions went up and down just like the hills and valleys we were climbing and then descending. I would start to lose it, and quickly remind myself that I needed to focus on riding safely and strongly until the very last pedal stroke to the ocean.

It sounds like a cliche, but you can really see and feel the history in this part of the country as you ride along through one town after another passing churches and homes dating back to the 1700s.

The plan was to ride together as a group for the last 10 miles to the coast. The British National Cycling Team and I stopped at a coffee shop in the town of Exeter to warm up and wait for all the other riders. After getting coffee, we collected everyone and made the final push to North Hampton Beach. The British team requested that rider Jim Nealon, who lives in Exeter, move to the front of the peloton and lead us all in for the final miles to the ocean.

Wheel Dip in the Atlantic Ocean

The British National Cycling Team plus one American who has no business riding with these guys

Team Diamond Dave 

(L to R)

Tom, Gerry, Dave, Chris, and Matt

My childhood friends Matt, Lad, Gerry, and Tom all made the trip to Portsmouth to greet us at the beach. Matt even had tee shirts made for the occasion.

The fabulous America By Bicycle support staff

(L to R)

Mike, Jake, Jim, and Mark

With my best friend (and the best thing that ever happened to me), my beautiful wife, Chris.

Our entire crew of riders.

This trip has been fantastic in so many ways that even now, two days removed, I have trouble putting into words all the different emotions I'm feeling. We head back to Califonia tomorrow, and I'm performing at 2 events this weekend, so I'm already preparing to get back to work. But at the same time, I'm still trying to process all the rich experiences of the past 7 weeks. It's taken me 3 days just to put this last post together, and it still feels incomplete to me. I think I'll post an epilogue for this trip here next week. Perhaps the words will come easier then. 

Thank you for reading about my adventure. I hope that everyone who reads this blog has the opportunity to experience something as personally enriching to them as this trip has been for me.

Peace

Dave Hosley

Portsmouth, New Hampshire

July 25, 2019 

Day 51 Brattleboro, VT to Manchester, NH  78 miles and 4357 feet of climb

It was beautiful this morning as we pulled out of Brattleboro, VT, quite a change from the heat and humidity of the last few days. It was overcast all day, which helped keep it cool. A few miles into the ride, we entered New Hampshire.

Today, I rode with Brits, Sean, Andy, and Alan ( L to R in the picture above.)
Chris and Steve started a bit after us because Steve had to take care of some travel complications.

We rode on some busier roads, but much of today's ride was on hilly, winding country roads that passed through small New England towns like New Boston, Francestown and Greenfield. All have historic churches and village greens at their centers.  Much of the ride today looked like a postcard from New England.

A light rain started around noon, and a decision was made by my riding mates, Sean and Alan to make hast to Manchester and our hotel before the rain became heavier. We left the last SAG stop and picked up the pace considerably. Some of that was because Sean and Alan knew that their British teammates, Andy, Chris, and Steve would be in hot pursuit trying to catch us before we made it to the hotel. The last 15 or so miles were great fun as we pushed it hard up and down the winding country roads to Manchester. The climbs felt good to me today. Once in Manchester, close to the hotel, I turned off to get some lunch. I believe that Sean and Alan made it to the hotel first, but I'm not positive.

It was another great day of riding. Many of the roads were cloaked in a canopy of trees, and some ran adjacent to brooks and streams. If I didn't have to get back to real life and work after tomorrow, I would dip my front wheel in the Atlantic Ocean, have some lunch, fill my water bottles, turn around and ride my bike all the way back to California.

Tonight at the final supper (we still have one more day of riding to the coast) they asked everyone to stand up and talk about how they felt about the ride. The British riders gave wonderfully funny presentations that poked fun at America and expressed how much they enjoyed the ride. It was clear to me that emotionally, this was the only way that they could even begin to cope with their new-found knowledge of the absolute awesomeness of our great nation. Put yourself in their shoes. Imagine coming from a tiny island nation like Great Britain (where cold beer and ice machines are still a foreign concept) and experiencing all the greatness on display here in the United States. I'm sure it was utterly overwhelming to them, much as they would never admit it.

The US riders all expressed their feelings of joy at completing the ride and the hard work of the staff. It was a pleasant last supper together. I got through my brief testimonial without crying, but just barely.

Tomorrow we ride 62 miles to the coast and dip our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean.

Day 50 Latham, NY to Brattleboro, VT  79 miles and 6042 feet of climb

Today was yet another extra special day on this adventure across the USA. Jack Himmelsbach, a friend of mine from Simsbury High School Class of 1975, drove 3 and a half hours from his home in Vermont to our hotel in Latham, NY just to join us for the first 35 miles of our ride today. He rode a total of 70 miles today because he, of course, had to ride back to get his car at the hotel.

 Jack, myself and British National Cycling Team member Steve enjoying a bike ride.

Jack and I at the New York- Vermont state line. 

 I had not seen or corresponded with Jack since we both graduated from High School in 1975. Jack's father was our family physician for over 25 years in Simsbury, Connecticut, where we grew up. In High School, Jack and I skied together a few times, but generally, we didn't hang out with the same crowd. We both agreed that High School was not the easiest of times for either of us. I hung out in the music department as much as I could. I'm not sure where Jack hung out, but I'm sure he had his preferred place as well. I knew Jack had become a Vermont State Trooper almost right out of High School, from speaking with his Dad at a medical appointment back in 1980. Up until a few weeks ago, that was the last I knew of Jack Himmelsbach. Then a friend of mine posted something about me doing this bike ride on Facebook. Jack saw it and emailed me about joining us.

Last night and today it was great catching up and riding with Jack. He is an avid bike rider, and that showed today as we rode with the British National Cycling Team- Masters Division. He got high marks from everyone. It had been a while since Jack had ridden in a paceline, but he didn't miss a beat. There is not an ounce of fat on that guy, just like back in High School. I'm trying to convince him to join me on the next bike tour I do.

I wasn't going to put this next item in tonight's blog entry, but I feel I must. 

We had many hills to climb today, and the most significant climbs were 8 miles and 2 miles long, respectively. Climbing has never been my strong suit as I've mentioned here before, so when we approached the 8-mile climb today, I implored the Brits to carry on up the hill and let me grind up it slowly as I always do. But as much as I insisted they would not have any of it and they insisted that I take the lead as we started up. These guys can devour hills and mountains, and here they are, slowly making their way up the climb at my less than impressive pace. "We're a team!" they'd say. 

On the way up, Steve was coaching me, telling me the grade that was coming up and to keep breathing and not push it too hard. I kept saying, "I'd feel more comfortable in the back. " And the response I got from another Brit, Chris was, "Well that wouldn't be training now would it?".

On the second 2 mile climb, Andy (who is a fantastic bike rider) was at the front, and he kept the pace such that I could stay on the back and not fall off. At the top of the climb, he gave me a thumbs up.   

I still feel as though I don't belong with these guys, but they have been so helpful and gracious to me all these weeks that I'm at a loss for words.

One last tidbit. I asked Jack if he thought Vermont had changed much over the previous 35 years that he's lived here. He didn't hesitate, "No.," he said. 

Indeed, Brattleboro, VT, where we are staying tonight, does look a lot like it did back in the 1980s when I was last here. 

2 more days of riding.  

Day 49 Little Falls, NY to Latham, NY  78 miles and 2307 feet of climb

 We headed out of Little Falls and again rode along the historic Erie Canal.
It was hot and humid again today but the scenery and beautiful riding more than made up for it.

Along the way, we stopped and had homemade ice cream and donuts being sold by 2 young Amish girls on the side of the road. You can't see it, but their horse is grazing in the woods beyond the wagon.

Tonight an old friend of mine from high school, Jack Himmelsbach arrived at the hotel. I had not seen or communicated with Jack in over 40 years until he emailed me a few weeks ago. Tomorrow Jack will ride 1/2 way with us to Brattleboro. He is a retired Vermont state cop and has lived in Vermont for many years. It was great catching up with him last night and sharing how each of our lives has progressed over the previous 4 decades. Tomorrow I'm not sure how much talking we'll be able to do as we have lots of climbing in store. On those days typically, I'm too out of breath to communicate much, and I concentrate on just getting up the hill. 

Only 3 days to go until we reach Portsmouth. Yesterday at the route wrap Jim the tour director mentioned that one thing they do on the next to last night (this coming Monday) is to ask everyone to stand up and talk about their impressions of the trip and what it meant to them. I'm not sure I'll be able to get through something like that, I'll get too emotional. 

Day 48 Syracuse, NY to Little Falls, NY  79 miles and 1754 feet of climb

The Syracuse Nationals Classic Hot Rod Car show is opening tomorrow, and many of the over 3000 entrants are parked in our hotel parking lot.

As always, we started the day at 7:00 AM by loading our luggage into the trailer. Then it was off to Little Falls, NY., almost 80 miles away. It was hot and humid all day, so we kept moving.

Small towns, country roads winding through picturesque green fields and forests were the order of the day. We rode along portions of the Erie Canal. 

During the last eight miles Andy, Chris and Steve of the British National Cycling Team- Masters Division got bored, so they decided to kick it up a few notches and race to the hotel. I chased them with all I had for about 4 or 5 miles, but I could not catch them. Still, it's very cool to watch these guys put it into another gear. 

Fun as that was, the highlight of the day was meeting my brother Steve at the hotel in Little Falls when I rode in. 

Steve was kind enough to drive up from New York City so we could spend some time together in the afternoon and evening. 

Tomorrow we ride to Latham, NY again riding along portions of the Erie Canal. 

Day 47 Canandaigua, NY to Syracuse, NY 70 miles and 2300 feet of climb

 What a difference a day makes. Today it was foggy when we started at 7:00 AM, and as the morning hours passed, the sun came out, and it turned into a beautiful day for bike riding. No flats today in contrast to yesterday when there were a record 42 flats between the 15 riders on our tour.

I again rode with the British National Cycling Team- Masters Division. We kept a nice pace going all-day. One of the Brits, Andy, is convinced that my bike is too big for me, and I believe he is correct. I've had my Trek bike for 4 years, and I feel very comfortable on it, it's a great bike. But the Brits all say that I'm too stretched out on the bike and that my riding position is not optimal. This makes climbing more of a chore than it ought to be, as I'm not in an efficient riding position. I think they have a point. When I get home, I'll be doing some research on proper bike fitting to educate myself. I've always been very comfortable on my bike, but I think a slightly smaller frame might work better for me. I plan to stay with the Trek brand as I've been pleased with my past two Trek bikes.  

The riding today was beautiful as we rode through small town after small town on our way to Syracuse. We passed a few lakes and then we had lunch at a little cafe in the village of Liverpool, New York. How appropriate. 

The Syracuse Nationals Classic Car Show starts tomorrow, so this town is filled with classic cars and hot rods from all eras along with their proud owners. As you watch the traffic down the main street, you see (and hear) classic car after classic car come cruising by. 

Tomorrow we ride to Little Falls, NY. Only 5 more days until we dip our front wheels in the Atlantic Ocean. 

Day 46 Buffalo, NY to Canandaigua, NY  90 miles and 3414 feet of climb

Today was a day like no other on our ride across America. It rained most of the day, and our trip through scenic upstate New York was quite literally punctuated by multiple flat tires on almost an hourly basis. The Brits and I got in at around 4:30, the latest we've ever finished a day of riding on this tour. I only had one flat myself, but our group of 6 riders combined had probably 15 flats between us. Andy had 5 flats himself. Each time you get a flat you have to take the tire off and check it for whatever caused the puncture (as well as other burrs and wires that might be sticking to the tire that could eventually cause a flat). Then you have to insert a new inner tube, reseat the tire and re-inflate it. It probably takes at least 20 minutes or so to do it right. So just do the math, and you can see why we arrived at the hotel so late.

At one point when we were quite a ways from any towns, we happened upon an auto repair shop, and we ditched into their well-lit garage to fix multiple flats. The mechanics were so nice. When the British National Cycling team inquired about where they could find a cafe with coffee the mechanic smiled and told them that they were in the country and there was not much of anything for miles up the road. But then he offered us the coffee and donuts that they had in the break area of their office. The Brits had great admiration for the friendliness and hospitality shown to us by the mechanics who were working in that garage. The mechanics even asked if we needed any tools or tire patches to get us on our way.

Young Zak, who rode by himself today had 6 flats. Another rider, Doug from Petaluma, CA, not only had multiple flats but evidently he needed to replace both of his tires because of all the junk on the road today. The rain really did a number on us today.

We have 15 riders now, Ned from South Carolina joined us in Buffalo for the last portion of our journey. Between all 15 riders, we must have had over 30 flats.

Tomorrow promises to be better with only a slight chance of rain for our ride to Syracuse, NY.