Ready for a bicycling adventure!

My ride across America is about to begin! The route is Costa Mesa, CA to Salisbury Beach, MA in just 32 days. I depart April 23, 2007 and arrive at the Atlantic Ocean on May 24. The tour is led by America By Bike.

I've been preparing intensely ever since I retired last September 1st. Riding across the country is something I've been dreaming about for many years, waiting until I could retire.

Maybe I was even dreaming of it when I was 5 yrs old, riding my first bike in front of our home in Hawthorne! (That's Dad's shadow as he snapped this shot.)

My bike for this upcoming epic ride is a Scattante CFR, my wheels are Neuvation 28sl, my tires are Specialized Roubaix Armadillo Elite, and my saddle is Terry Fly.

You may read more about the itinerary at the America By Bike website - http://www.americabybicycle.com/Fast/. And, you may follow the daily blog of our tour leader, Mike Munk, at http://www.bamacyclist.com/Journal2007/Fast07/07fast.htm.

Here is our itinerary:

Day -- Location -- Day's Mileage
Day 0 Costa Mesa, CA
Day 1 Palm Springs, CA 112
Day 2 Blythe, CA 134
Day 3 Wickenburg, AZ 115
Day 4 Cottonwood, AZ 102
Day 5 Winslow, AZ 107
Day 6 Gallup, NM 134
Day 7 Albuquerque, NM 136
Day 8 Las Vegas, NM 135
Day 9 Tucumcari, NM 109
Day 10 Dalhart, TX 95
Day 11 Liberal, KS 113
Day 12 Dodge City, KS 83
Day 13 Great Bend, KS 85
Day 14 Abilene, KS 129
Day 15 Topeka, KS 109
Day 16 Rest Day 0
Day 17 St. Joseph, MO 88
Day 18 Kirksville, MO 151
Day 19 Quincy, IL 96
Day 20 Springfield, IL 101
Day 21 Tuscola, IL 83
Day 22 Lebanon, IN 121
Day 23 Richmond, IN 106
Day 24 Marysville, OH 105
Day 25 Wooster, OH 103
Day 26 Niles, OH 98
Day 27 Dunkirk, NY 147
Day 28 Batavia, NY 84
Day 29 Liverpool, NY 121
Day 30 Amsterdam, NY 118
Day 31 Keene, NH 123
Day 32 Amesbury, MA 117

TOTAL PLANNED MILEAGE 3459 (note: My actual total was 3561)

Now let's get started! We head to Costa Mesa on April 22 to begin.