Stage 20 - It is Finished

Darin, The Boss and John joined me for this year's swan song ride. What a beautiful evening it was! The wind had died down (finally!), the temperature was 80 degrees and the sinking sun cast a warm and wonderful glow on everything. I frequently complain about the weather in Wisconsin (because mostly, it sucks), but the weather this evening was nothing short of spectacular.

Riding this Tour thing the past two years has given me the experience to be able to handle the psychological part of the non-stop riding fairly well. That's a good thing because I've always said that 90% of competitive cycling is psychological - the other half is in your head. But my goodness! The high winds these past three weeks has really made this difficult on the body. Push, push, push. If it is true that 70-90% of the resistance of moving a bicycle forward is wind resistance I would estimate that the difficulty of riding this year's Tour was 20-30% tougher than normal. This is why I need a PowerTap. Instead of estimating degree's of difficulty and comparing one ride or one Tour to another, we'd have an accurate measure. And as you know, Elvis would also use the tool for the benefit of readers by delving into the science, research, testing, and reporting of the world of watts, joules and power. Simply put, Elvis on a PowerTap would move the sport of cycling forward. When is someone going to step up to the plate and give ElvisKennedy.com a loaner PowerTap? The world awaits.

Along today's route John ask me why I do the Tour Challenge every year. This is a tough question to answer since I don't really ride for any specific purpose. It's not to raise money or awareness for a charity. It's mostly just a good excuse to ride. But of course it's more than that. It's a way to celebrate the return of summer. To enjoy the long, warm days. It's a way to celebrate the friendships made through cycling. These friendships are unusual in a way; you ride out of your garage and your home life into a completely different world filled with different people. Sometimes families meet riders but more often than not the two worlds never collide. Mrs. Kennedy knows my best cycling buddies but that's only a handful out of the dozens of riders I see on a regular basis. This is neither good nor bad - it just is. And when the snot-filled, heart racing, wheel-to-wheel, testosterone draining riding is over, you roll back into your garage and step into your house as if nothing happened. For the most part our families have no idea what goes on out on the roads. Sure, they hear that this guy was killer tonight or that guy got dropped, but they cannot know the exhilarating thrill of riding in a fast pace-line. The excruciating pain of a big climb. The unexpected burst of energy at mile 72. Or the feelings of utter exhaustion and true happiness wonderfully wound together when nearing the end of a good, hard ride. Life at it's fullest and finest.

And that, I suppose, is the answer. The Tour de France Challenge is a celebration of life. 21 days. 1,120 miles of riding. The journey was the reward. What's beyond the next ridge? I don't know. Let's get on our bikes and find out.