Cycling Coast to Coast Closes Murtaugh’s Gap between Dreams, Reality By June Scharf When John Murtaugh thought about pursuing his 15-yearold dream of riding his bicycle across the country (the long way) at the age of 63, the debate in his head went like this: “I might be on the downslope of my abilities.” “I’d better do this while I still can.” “I will not fail.” “John, you will finish this thing even if you need to crawl to the end.” In other words, John was extremely motivated to complete the 3,176 mile trek, from the Pacific Ocean at San Diego, California to the Atlantic Ocean at St. Augustine, Florida. Beginning on March 16, he began that journey with a team of 11 other riders (only one female among them) and two leaders (male and female). The trip, sponsored by Adventure Cycling, totaled 58 days, and comprised 47 days on the bike and 11 days of rest. The group averaged 67.2 miles per day, and every rider succeeded in completing the quest, an unusual circumstance for this type of activity. The cost is $5,700, including all meals and lodging, either in tents on a campground or occasional hotels in bigger cities for a break. Alcohol is not included, but John notes that there were “tons of wine and beer drinking.” The group’s age range was 55 to 70 years old. Being an open and affable man, John took pleasure along the way in blogging about his experiences at jmurtaughblog. wordpress.com. His posted photos and stories reveal a range of incidents, including three flat tires, crossing a desert and, being cold, hungry, drenched and alone on a deserted country road in the middle of nowhere, Mississippi, battling 50 to 60 mph winds during a lightning storm. Tour leaders accompanied the group in a van where each participant could stow two pieces of luggage. The leaders shopped for food but the participants, on a rotating basis, prepared dinner each night on a large fold-up stove fueled by propane. If a participant was unable to ride for any reason, the van was available for their transport as well. John never required this service. In fact, he never fell or got a sunburn with protection from sunscreen, leggings, a hat under his helmet, full gloves and a long-sleeved shirt, all worn daily. As a patent attorney, John received the support of his colleagues at the office who pitched in to cover necessary filings, but each night, he spent several hours handling his cases and delegating what he couldn’t address from a distance. When all the other riders went to bed at 8:00 pm, John was awake until as late as 11:00 pm, working on his laptop to manage his work responsibilities and blogging. Wake up time was about 6:00 am and biking began at 7:00 and went until about 2:00 or 3:00 pm, when they arrived at camp and took showers. Electrical power was usually available at the grounds, and there were only four days when he lacked an internet connection. John describes himself as one of the less experienced group members, despite being a regular weekend rider for the past 15 years, and one who participated in many 80-mile and 100-mile tours (“and not breaking a sweat”). His habit is to check the Ohio cycling calendar (ohiocycling.info) to pick a tour for the coming weekend. “A good day is getting up at 4:00 am, arriving at an event like one of my favorites in Toledo, riding from 7:00-3:00, then returning home by 6:00 pm.” But with the cross-country ride, John says he wanted to take his game to the next level, which meant, in part, allowing others to tell him what to do. However, when he consulted with participants on how and when to clean his bicycle chain, he received “five different answers from five different people.” He settled for cleaning once every three weeks. He also learned the term “bonus miles,” which are the extra miles endured when one becomes lost. This possibility was mitigated by “map meetings” each night to discuss route issues for the next day. Overall, the journey’s first half, between California and Texas was hilly, particularly in New Mexico’s mountains; it then flattened out between Texas and Florida. And the ride continued, rain or shine. Essentially, cyclers abided by only three trip rules: no drafting (riding directly behind another rider to minimize wind resistance, something considered dangerous on this type of ride), and helmets and 12 inch red/ yellow safety triangles that had to be worn at all times. John notes that it’s not unusual for participants to gain weight on this type of trip because they “eat like crazy,” but he actually lost four pounds. To train for this challenge, John “worked out like a maniac.” Starting in October, he set up his bike inside his house on a roller stand and rode for two hours daily while watching TV. He also trained with weights. “I was in great shape physically,” he says. He also admits to wanting to do this trip only once. The trek had many highlights, among them the hot springs in Arizona. “Clothing was required in three pools and not in a fourth 22 Beachwood Buzz n September 2015