Greenville, here we come!
Here is one of the legs of my journey on the Ride for Mike that I get asked about the most. “When will you be in Greenville?” The answer is on day four. It is the final push for the long days and the end (I hope) will find me in my own bed that Wednesday evening.
Dawsonville, GA to Greenville, SC
This is also another ambitious leg – Dawsonville, GA to Greenville, SC. The Google maps estimate is 124 miles this day. I’m hoping on two things… 1) that I will be farther along than I have planned by this point — which will help shorten the distance on this day, and 2) that the fact that I will be riding into Greenville will give me extra motivation — the old “horse smelling the barn” syndrome.
It is now 18 days before I start this journey. Actually, the journey started little less than a year ago when I hatched this idea while riding my bike from Greenville to Austin with the Challenge to Conquer Cancer ride. September 19 will just be the beginning of the end of a longer journey — but it will also be the toughest part. Still, I am getting that excited feeling in the pit of my stomach!
Friends have been asking about riding along with me once I get near Greenville. I certainly would appreciate some help on this leg, but I will also be looking for some help on the leg out of Greenville. I should be publishing that part of the route in the next several days. I’m thinking that I will leave out of Greenville that Thursday morning from the campus of Bob Jones University. It will probably be a later start (around 9 AM) so we can avoid the early morning traffic.
If you do want to join me on the Day Four leg (GA to SC) you might want to have someone drive you backward on the route until you come across us. You can then join in and help pull my tired body up the Calhoun Memorial Highway. I plan to end the route that day at Bob Jones University, so you can call your ride to pick you up there — or just ride on home if there is still enough light!
Yes, I realize that 123 can have some traffic and speeds. However, the more I have looked at the route, the more convinced that staying on these divided highways is the best option. Though the speeds will be higher the traffic will flow more smoothly if the chase car and I don’t clog the only lane of traffic. Also, these types of roads are typically engineered with fewer step inclines. They help level out some of the terrain. Frankly, I just feel safer about it than riding on a hilly rural road with blind curves.
Thank you to all of you who have supported me up to this point. If you have not supported the 2010 Ride for Mike yet, please consider giving to the cause. I announced yesterday that we will be placing a second order for the Ride for Mike bibs and jerseys. It is a fun way to support the ride AND have something useful to remember it by later. Check it all out at RideForMike.com.
