Let The Journey Begin

So the journey is about to begin.  I arrived in LA on Thursday afternoon.  I wanted to have time to adjust to the time change and just get prepared for the big ride.  Of course the "map" was in the hotel lobby.  It is indeed daunting to see the route, even though I knew what it would look like.  Even more daunting was watching the screen on the Delta flight coming here.  They show a topographical map of where the plane is flying.  And when I saw the mountains in New Mexico, Arizona, and California, I remembered that we have to cross them on the bike!  This map will be in the hotel lobbies every night on the trip.  Each day it will be updated with a red line to show how far we have gone.  Right not it looks insurmountable but it is amazing how fast that line goes across the US.

My bike arrived safe and sound.  I am really impressed with the AirCaddy boxes.  They are so easy to pack and unpack and extremely sturdy. 

Today I helped with some of the "chores" the Crossroads staff have to perform in order to get ready for the ride.  It is great to see the behind the scenes work that goes on.  Now I know more about why the experience is so great for the riders.  I took the bike out for a little spin to make sure everything was working right.  But no major rides for me until the tour starts.  Tomorrow is the orientation and then a team dinner.  I met several of the riders today and remember how nervous I was three years ago.  This is a big undertaking and everyone has a right to be a bit anxious about the whole thing.

I am looking forward to starting the ride on Sunday.