Summing Up

We all agreed that this was probably the hardest thing we had ever done physically. At the same time, it was tremendously rewarding. We had challenged ourselves on a physical level, enjoyed our time together on the bikes, saw great countryside, and raised a good deal of money for the Kucetekela Foundation. For the record, here are the numbers for the trip:

• Three riders (and a fourth for one day)
  
• Four days of cycling
• One flat tire (!)
• 340 total miles: 100, 80, 95, 65

1. Day One: 100 miles, 7:45:18 of total cycling time; 12.7 mph average speed; 4468 feet of vertical climbing
   
2. Day Two: 80 miles, 6:17:09 of total cycling time; 12.4 mph average speed; 4910 feet of vertical climbing
3. Day Three: 95 miles, 8:30:14 of total cycling time; 10.7 mph average speed; 6010 feet of vertical climbing
4. Day Four: 65 miles, 5:18:12 of total cycling time; 11.9 mph average speed; 3535 feet of vertical climbing

More importantly, at this point, we have raised a total of $12,470 - and we are expecting some more donations. If our story has inspired you to give, here's the link to go to to make a donation: http://www.active.com/donate/nyc2dc4kf.

Finally, another huge thank you to our families and friends who supported this endeavor for the past year. A giant thank you to everyone who has donated. And, a great big thank you to our support crew, especially Forest Sonnenfeldt, without whom we might not have made it!

All's Well That Ends Well

Day Four dawned like the previous three: beautiful sun, many miles awaiting us, and...very sore derrieres and muscles! We rolled out of the hotel around 7:30, after a fortifying breakfast, and quickly managed to get off the main road to some rolling country highways. We traveled about 40 miles relatively quickly through more gorgeous Maryland countryside, seeing plenty of horse farms, corn, and churches. At one point, we passed through Brookeville, Md, which is famous for being the nation's capital for one day, August 26, 1814 - see this link for an explanation: http://townofbrookevillemd.org/acad_historyF.html [Richard was excited enough to take a few pictures!] After a few hours, we saw the sign that told us we were almost there: Rock Creek State Park, which meant that we would cycle the rest of the route car-free. After some quick refreshments, we set out on the bike path, twisting and turning towards the D.C. line, which was 13.5 miles away. Although there were no cars, which was greatly appreciated, the bike path was a bit jarring at the end of a long trip. We soldiered on, however, eventually encontering a great road in Rock Creek Park, just inside the D.C. border; we flew down the road at about 25 mph, with Kenny setting a very fast tempo. Finally, we turned one more corner - and saw the back of the Lincoln Memorial. We then rode right up to the monument - and ended our 340 epic journey. Everyone was thrilled to finish the ride - job well done!

Day Three - 95 Miles of [Mostly] Hills!

Day three turned out to be the toughest so far, but also the most rewarding. We knew we were in for a long, rough day - but we didn't know it would turn out to be quite as hard as it was; for the record, we rode 95 miles, through southern Pennsylvania and the northern part of Maryland, both of which turn out to be quite hilly! We started off with our departure from Lancaster, using some great directions that Forest had gotten for us from Google Maps. Then, we crossed the Susquehanna River between Columbia and Wrightsville, PA - and followed the river for a while on a beautiful flat road. But, what goes down must eventually go back up; we climbed out of the river valley, up a very steep hill, which topped out at a 16% gradient. Just in case you missed that (!), we did it again a few miles later - needless to say, we were pretty exhausted by lunch time. At one point, we considered walking the rest of the way [just kidding]. Fortunately, Forest met us in Pylesville, Maryland, [just after we had crossed the historic Mason-Dixon Line, which Darren had been asking Richard about earlier in the trip] and we had a great lunch and break - after our initial 50 miles. Then, it was back on the bikes, for another 20 miles of up and down; Forest met us again for food and Gatorade, and we pushed on for the final 25 miles. It was very beautiful, rolling through huge farms and great forests. We finally managed to get a picture of the signs that alert drivers to slow-moving Amish buggies; they need more for slow-moving cyclists, as well! Then, we got to Owings Mills, where our hotel was - and we had to ride the last three miles on a fairly large road. All's well that ends well, though - and we got to the hotel around 7pm, after our 7:30 am departure; definitely, our longest day, but very rewarding!





Darren made some good friends at the top of one of the 16% climbs!






That's Richard finishing one of the 16% climbs - you can see the hill in back of him!

Another 80 Under our Bikes!

Another big day of cycling, as what we had thought was going to be our somewhat "light" day turned out to be 80 more miles. We were joined by our friend Tim, who drove down Thursday night so he could join us for our ride. We started off through Valley Forge National Park (see the picture to the left), where Richard gave a very brief historical overview, and then headed towards Lancaster, PA. The road was pretty hilly, and we had a nice break at an apple orchard while we fixed a flat tire. We were fortunate to meet our "support crew" - Forest Sonnenfeldt - who met us midway for a much-needed lunch (thanks to our sponsor, Subway sandwiches) and Gatorade refill. Then, we did another 30 miles and found our hotel, had a swim and some liquid refreshment, and relaxation. That's it for today. Tomorrow, we head off for another 85 miles into Maryland! Big thanks to Tim for coming down for the day; unfortunately, he took a somewhat circuitous route on the way back, and ended up doing 107 miles!

A CENTURY for Kenny's Half-Century

Well, the first day of the trip was just a LITTLE longer than expected; it turned out that we did 100 miles! How? Well, it was a combination of slight misreading of the maps, getting lost a few times, and general...whatever. In any event, we made it; everyone did a great ride, despite fairly high heat, slightly undulating hills, and the fact that the last 10 miles seemed to keep going, and going, and going. We had dinner at the General Lafayette Brewery, and are expecting to be asleep - fairly early. Our cycling mate Tim is on his way from NYC to join us for tomorrow's ride, which will take us through Valley Forge National Park, before heading out to Lancaster, PA. We'll let you know how it goes, at the end of tomorrow. Check out some of these pictures of today's trip! We should explain a few of the pictures: there are two from dinner, with Darren and Forest (the young man who is driving our support vehicle); two nice shots crossing the Delaware, from Lambertville to New Hope; a shot of Ken without shoes, since we had to cross the river on foot; two pictures of us crossing a smaller river earlier in the trip; and, finally, a great shot from 34th and Ninth Avenue, where we asked a guy on the street to snap a shot for us.

We're Off!

It's 4:55 AM - we're scheduled to meet at 5:30, at Darren's, to then head down to Penn Station, NY, where we're hoping to catch the 6:01 train to Penn Station, Newark. After that, it's the open roads of New Jersey and Pennsylvania today. Our destination is Norristown, PA, a little north of Philadelphia - we think we'll do around 80 miles or so. Thanks to everyone who's donated so far - we're well over our initial goal of $10,000 - and still counting. If you have not donated yet, here's the link: http://www.active.com/donate/nyc2dc4kf. Thanks again!

Training!

There are many different ways to train for a long-distance cycling event like this; we've tried them all! Here's a shot from a small triathlon that Richard did last week, in preparation for NYC2DC4KF.

Down, But Not Out!

We all know that cycling in New York City brings with it certain risks. Back in November of 2007, Richard was hit by something while riding home (he has amnesia from the actual incident and thus has no memory of what happened), and broke his collarbone and fractured his pelvis. But, with "NYC2DC4KF" looming as a goal, he was back on the bike early in 2008 and rode himself back into shape.

Then, on Sunday, July 27, Darren was hit by a car; here is a part of his account of what happened: "

"Ok, so my training has been going pretty slowly. Today, feeling like I needed to get some more serious miles under my belt, I took off to Nyack. I must say I felt pretty good, even during the massive thunderstorm on the way back. I rode the last bit from the 9W turnoff to the bridge quickly with some racers. Once we got on to Riverside they started going slow and arranging their social lives, so around about 105th I went on without them.

Unfortunately, going down the hill at a reasonable pace around 101st there was a car sitting out from the parked cars, I drifted out to go around it, and at the last second the car swung around in front of me. I slammed on my brakes, but as you know, wet roads, going down hill, I had no chance. The driver saw me, screamed, and accelerated into my path. Fortunately, my bike went sideways and I hit the car with my hip and ribs, with my arm and head going above the hood.

Ouch, ouch, ouch...so to cut a long 'ambulance, hospital trip' short, I am now sitting at home with two broken ribs and a very sore hip. The doctors tell me the next 10-14 days will be very painful and has packed me off with a pile of Vicodin.

I think I am still looking good for KF ride, but you guys are going to have to take it easy on me! My training might be starting then. "

Well, we all know that guys from New Zealand are pretty tough, so...on Sunday, August 17, Darren was back on the bike, doing three laps of Central Park.

Washington, DC - here we come!

Another Reason for the Ride: Ken's 50th!

You might be wondering how we got started with this idea of riding "NYC2DC4KF" - so, glad you asked! Why not just send checks to the Kucetekela Foundation and be done with it, right? Well, there is another reason...Kenny is turning 50 on August 29th, and wanted to do something a little different for the occasion. Here's how he explains it: "The organization is called KUCETEKELA FOUNDATION, which means HOPE in tribal Zambian. I am on the Board and am very passionate about the goals of the organization. I am in the midst of rigorous training schedule and will be doing a 340 mile ride in late August with 2 riding buddies, Richard Miller and Darren Muller. As many of you know, I love cycling so this is a perfect celebration of my half century."

If only the ride were ONLY a half century! Happy 5-0, Kenny!

Our Support Team

One thing about an effort like this, we cyclists can't do it alone! Thanks to all of you who've helped us this far:

First and foremost, we've had the support of our families and friends this past year, who've listened to us talk endlessly about cycling and the trip. More importantly, they have patiently supported [at times, perhaps "put up with" is a better way of expressing it!] our many hours on the bikes. Thanks.

Next, thank you to all of you who have contributed financially - it's much appreciated.

Finally, we have technical support from two important behind-the-scenes players:

Forest Sonnenfeldt is an All-American lacrosse player at the Fieldston School and member of the NYC Empire lacrosse team [which Ken coaches]. He will follow in the steps of Kucetekela Foundation President and founder Oliver Barry and play lacrosse at Princeton University. He is going to drive a van that will accompany us to DC, carrying supplies, providing back-up support, and driving us to dinner [we hope!].

Jonathan Hill designed our fundraising page and has been updating it on a regular basis for us. He was captain of the Amherst College hockey team, after attending high school with Oliver Barry. He is slated to go to Harvard School of Business in the fall. Here's a link to info about him as a hockey player: http://www.amherst.edu/~sports/2004_2005/m-hockey/preview.html

Thanks again to everyone who's helped this far.

Preparation

Well, we're only about a week away before the start of our "NYC2DC4KF" - hard to believe, since we've been talking about this for almost a year! We've all worked hard to get ready, overcoming two bike accidents (!), a NYC winter, and thousands of collective miles of training. We're excited to get out on the roads and do "NYC2DC4KF" - thanks to everyone who has contributed so far!