Day 22 - July 8

Goodbye Fremont, it was a restful stay. We take the route I rode yesterday and turn off at Pioneer Seed. Matt and Gary were moving quite well. I stopped and bought gas and found a home style cafe for breakfast. They rode on. I ordered eggs and hash browns and asked that the potatoes were a little crisp. The cook was kind but it was obvious that she did not need an explanation of how I thought they should be cooked. This turned out to add additional time which I spent listening and talking with some old timers talk about the weather, picking beans from the garden and the two bikers that were moving quite fast this morning. The meal was very good but I was late supporting the riders and found that they were concerned once I found my phone in the truck.

They traveled 33 miles with no support and were ready for the round of V8 and sandwiches. Back on the road and watching the clouds form and move and looking for rain. I waited at a turning point and soon they were there. Gary had broken a shift cable and we traded bikes and they continued. Bob was called and set up a bike shop for the needed repair.

I found some new flowers today and homes and buildings. Iowa is alive and beautiful. We finished the last 10 miles with Bob Loch getting Matt and Gary to a favorite bike trail in Davenport before finishing in the Quad cities at Bob comfortable home.

Bob plans to ride with them tomorrow. I will be supporting three riders.

Day 21 - July 7 Rest

I woke for a moment at 7am, got up at 9am and then we went to town and had breakfast. I visited a small Iowa DOT office to try and find a book on the flowers by the road side that Jan told me about. They had a handout that had most and now I want to see if Matt and Gary will agree to ride around until I can get photos of each kind. I wonder if they will notice if we don't continue east each day?


We came home and a nap caught me in mid stride. After a short time I determined that someone should ride today. I got ready and headed south out of Fremont directly into a good head wind. Remember, it is an investment into the wind as long as at some point you get to turn around and fly back to the start. I went south at under 15 mph and returned home above 20 mph. I stopped and took pictures along the way. The 20 mile ride was a bit warm at 95, I was gald to be back.



Hey Bob does a deer rust to red like this or what? OOPS! Lets not make a case out if it.

Day 20 - July 6

I am back from my trip to Texas. I worked a little, spent the 4th with the family and missed supporting Matt and Gary. I found Bob feeling the same, it just goes too fast. Obviously Bob did a great job and Matt and Gary got a little spoiled. I heard a little talk about not eating a lot of turkey and when I said something about where things went they said a Bob recall was possible. That’s ok we will see Bob in a day or two and he assured me that we could get things back in shape.


They started day 20 with a target of just under 100 miles. The weather report had a chance of scattered so starting and staying ahead of the weather was a consideration. The ride started with a paved bike trail that took us into Des Monies near 73rd and freeway 235. Gary had written out the Starbucks drinks they favored and said Bob had supplied them as part of his support. I trust Bob’s leadership and work hard to coordinate the end of the trail and a Starbucks. I got real lucky and as you can see Matt has anticipation on his face as they approach me at the end of the trail. They were pleased.


The balance of the ride day to Fremont was normal with both peanut butter and banana and later turkey sandwiches. As you can see I really like the flowers. All of these were growing next to the road we traveled. They look a lot different at 70 mph and are hard to sniff at that velocity. Lets all ride bikes.



The ride day ended in Fremont Iowa. This is a small community that has a long history of 160 years. That is a lot of crops and a lot of service to the folks that benefit from this effort over the years. It is the fiber of America. Matt and Gary have ridden 15 century rides since the start. Of course a century is not just 100 miles it is a 100 mile ride in one stretch. I learned that a farm that has been in one family for 100 years or more is a century farm and I got to spend time with a family that continues that tradition today. Sue and Neil gave me a tour of their farm and it was a joy. The knowledge and technology that is employed to be successful is impressive. I learned that corn pollinates itself. And that each strand of silk is a conduit tube that pollen uses to travel in and start the process to create each kernel on the ear of corn; one silk tube for each kernel. I felt like I had taken a course in farm engineering 101. Neil and Sue sure know their business. I am awe struck at the detailed work hidden in every meal I eat. Farmers fuel us all.

Day 19 - July 5

Today was my last day supporting Gary and Matt as they continue their quest to ride their bicycles across America. They have completed over half the distance and I have no doubt that they will be successful. The week went by too quickly and I wish I could continue along on their journey and to celebrate with them when they reach the Atlantic.

It is interesting to hear people’s reaction when they learn that Gary and Matt are riding across the US. The responses have ranged from “my son-in-law did that last year” to “are you crazy?” If riding a bike across the country makes one crazy, then Gary and Matt are in good company. There are many organized rides that take riders across this great land and there are many people who ride either by themselves or in small groups. Today as I was waiting along Highway 44 for Gary and Matt to arrive, a bicyclist around 30 years old came from the opposite direction. He stopped to ask about the road. I ask him where he was heading and he said Northern Wisconsin. He grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in California. He left California several weeks ago and is riding home. He is riding by himself and carrying all his gear on his bike. He decided to continue on the road heading north, which was a good decision as there was a strong wind out of the South. Over the course of ride, we have met others on the same quest. I think we all would be amazed at the number of people pursuing this dream.

Now I will agree that riding across the country is not something that everyone can do. One does not get up one morning and decides to ride 3,500 miles from the Pacific to the Atlantic. First of all it takes time, for the actual trip and for the training. For example, from January 1st of this year to the start of this ride, Gary had logged over 4,500 miles on his bike. (I don’t know Matt’s mileage, but I can assure you he has trained hard for this ride.) This averages out to about 24 miles a day. Even with all this training behind him, I think Gary would admit that the ride is more difficult than he thought. They have added rest days, shorten some of the routes, and have “banked” miles to shorten some rides. The second thing it takes is mental toughness. Getting on the bike day after day to ride an average of 100 miles is not easy. The weather is not always pleasant and the roads are not always smooth. The body hurts and wants to rest. But to accomplish their goal, they have to convince themselves each day to get on the bike and ride. At the end of each ride I am impressed with their attitude. Yes, they are tired. But they are in good spirits. After they have had a few minutes to rest, they are joking and laughing and planning for the next day. Larry and I really appreciate this.

On the drive home from Des Moines this evening, I thought about when Gary first got into biking. My first recollection of Gary and biking goes back to January of 1995. I was living in Ankeny at the time and I received a call from Gary. He asked if I would be interested in riding RAGBRAI, the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. I had been biking for about twenty years, nothing seriously, but I did purchase my first Trek back in 1980. I had always wanted to ride RAGBRAI, but didn’t know anyone who was willing to do it with me. So when Gary asked, I didn’t need any time to decide.

Back then, we were excited when we would ride 20 miles. We trained all summer and had a great time on our first RAGBRAI. It was Gary, me and Gary’s friend Chuck Smith on the first RAGBRAI. We found two great support drivers, our friend Dennis Schemmel and Gary’s brother-in-law Paul to split the support duties for us. This ride got us hooked. We have done RAGBRAI around 10 times with a group of Gary’s friends from Texas which is called Cobra39. I have traveled to Texas to ride the Hotter ‘n Hell 100 several times, some more successful than others. (The name describes the ride: a 100 mile ride around Wichita Falls, Texas in August. The temperature most years exceeds 105 degrees by mid-afternoon. Having done this ride several times, I think this does border on the edge of crazy.)

I think it was on our second RAGBRAI that Gary began talking about riding across America. I knew it was just a matter of time. Over the years Gary’s interest in cycling has grown…..and his mileage has increased. Thirteen years after his first organized ride, thousands of miles of training, and countless hours of preparing, Gary is riding a cyclist’s ultimate ride. He also is fortunate to have Matt as a riding companion. Matt bikes as well as he writes.

As I am leaving the team and returning to the real world and work, I want to thank Gary and Matt for allowing me to share in their adventure. I have some great memories from the past eight days. Hang in their Matt, there really is a tail wind. I hope you are able to experience it at least once before the end of your journey.
And now I turn the support role back to the very capable Larry Hart.

Bob