Since riding across the Golden Gate Bridge, dipping our tires in the Pacific, and celebrating the end of our journey with the Bay Area West Point Society in downtown San Francisco, we’ve been enjoying the comforts of vehicles that actually go faster than 10-15 miles an hour, couches that offer more comfort than bike saddles, and meals that don’t consist of strictly granola bars and warm water bottles. We enjoyed this ride immensely, but needless to say these comforts have been embraced by three sunburned sets of opened arms.
On Sunday we enjoyed the hospitality, patriotism and support from the people of Corona, California. The mayor, along with newspaper reporters, the Corona Fire Department, and hundreds of local citizens, hosted us in a celebration of sorts in their magnificent new Dos Lagos community plaza. We rode through a crowd of supporters waving American flags and chanting, “U-S-A, U-S-A”. After several kind words from prominent Corona citizens that helped put together the event, Dan was able to thank his fellow Corona residents for allowing us to finish in such great fashion. We really appreciated everything the city of Corona did for us and for their belief and support in the cause we rode for this summer.
Afterward we headed to the Marques household for a great BBQ and to spend time with some family members and close friends. We fielded some questions, mostly dealing with Joel’s new tone and tan legs, how many flat tires we fixed, how many wrong turns we made, and numerous other inquiries that people had been wondering about our trek from Maine to California. Thanks to Dean and Lois Marques for putting on such a great spread and hosting so many warmhearted and patriotic people at their beautiful home.
As the crowds departed for the night, we found ourselves sitting around the patio table sharing one final conversation together about the epic journey we had just completed together. Most of the conversation revolved around teasing each other about random moments, tough situations and the mistakes we made along the way…and how amazed and relieved we felt to actual pull this adventure off. We stayed up pretty late sharing our favorite moments, least favorites moments, toughest climbs, and a plethora of other fond memories we’ll take with us for the rest of our lives.
On Monday morning the three amigos official disbanded, as Joel rented a car and headed east at a pace much faster than the 14 mph he averaged this summer. Joel is off to law school in Houston, which he’ll start after seeing his family as he passes through West Texas and even more importantly, visits a barber shop. It was sad to see Joel go, as the three of us have shared every motel/hotel room, sat at the same table for every single meal, and spent nearly every waking moment together since we pulled out of Portland, Maine on June 6th.
After we demolished
several last servings of ceremonious pancakes at breakfast with Joel and saw him off down I-10 East, we payed a visit to our friends at Jenson USA, the wholesale bicycle company headquartered in Riverside, California. The kind folks at Jenson USA have been nothing but supportive of us this summer and can be accessed through the advertisements on this very site. We spent the day with Jared, their marketing and affiliate program guru, and met a number or their wonderful employees, to include the founder and CEO, Mike. Jenson USA offers a very large and impressive stock of bicycles as well as any number of accessories, and knowing how supportive they are of the men and women in the Armed Forces, we highly encourage you to go through them for any of your future mountain or road biking needs. Jared was even nice enough to send our bikes home for us, a gesture that we really appreciated.
We’re now bike-less and not forced to wear spandex anymore, so the priorities and agendas have shifted in our lives. Classes and interviews will now take precedence over water breaks and gear shifting. Instead of analyzing the route and mileage for the next day, we’ll be pondering which tie matches which shirt and what books to throw in the backpack for the day. We knew this ride couldn’t last forever, so we’re ready to move on and do even bigger and better things, just with much less chain grease stained to our hands and legs.
Thanks again to everyone for their support. In the coming days, each of us will write a personal letter and thank you note of sorts, so feel free to check back to the site. As always, donations to the Wounded Warrior Project are welcomed too.
- The XC10 Guys
{ 0 comments }
