Day 69

THE FINISH LINE: SAN FRANCISCO!!!!

Miles Biked: 55

Wow......I biked to San Francisco.....As I sit here from a hotel near Yosemite Park stealing their Internet, up the street from my cabin with no electricity...I continue to play back this summer over and over again. It all started with an ambitious Corey Morenz in early November who asked me: "Want to bike across America this summer" and me being naive and stupid......said "sure, why not." Back in November it was just a pipe dream. It seemed so easy to say yes. I was looking for an excuse to put off the real world as long as possible and biking over some of Americas largest mountains in blistering heat just sounded like the perfect idea. I remember sitting there in a heap of exhaustion on June 2nd in a beautiful church in Ridgefield Connecticut after a 45 mile bike ride asking myself 1) What the hell had I gotten myself into and 2) Was I actually going to be able to average 70 miles a day, cross the Appalachians, the headwinds of the mid west, the Rockies, the desert, the sierras, and everything in between. Well I did it! I, along with 22 of my comrades, can now say we spent a summer biking across America.

Day 69 brought us out Napa, through amazing wine country and into the Bay Area. The biking Gods decided to mess with me one more day giving me a flat in my tire while I slept, and another, 10 miles into the ride, to give me a grand total of 24 flats on the trip. It took me 30 miles, but I caught up with the front of the pack just before Sausalito.....our regrouping station. From there I ate a delicious burger and looked at the Ocean for the first time since we sat on a beach in Connecticut during orientation. A group of us sat giddy eyed looking into the San Francisco from across the bay in shock. "Wow, we biked across the country".

We waited as everyone filed into town, met by the van......and started out as one large group towards the bridge a couple miles away. Adrenalin filled by body the closer and closer we got to the bridge. I was so excited for the bridge that just before seeing it I hit Emma's back tire. Luckily for me it was a slight hit and she didn't lose any control. As we approached the bridge we realized the side usually designated just for bikers was closed, meaning all traffic had to go on a single side of the bridge. As we realized this.....I also realized my foot would not come out of my cleat which made me chuckle.......since this problem has been the reason for numerous 0MPH falls, and I could picture myself falling on the bridge (luckily it didn't happen). As we crossed the bridge I just kept saying over and over "wow, I biked across the country". The bridge was covered with tourists who looked baffled at all of our hooting and hollering.......some cheered even though I am pretty sure they had no idea what they were cheering for. Then it was there.......the end of the bridge......with screaming parents and family members.

I had received a phone call from my parents in Saulsalito telling me they were stuck in traffic and would most likely miss my bridge crossing. Amazingly they made it to the bridge on time.....but drove to the wrong end......and watched us slowly bike by. In any event, when I arrived at the end of the bridge my parents were no where to be found but out of the mist a man approached me.....asked if I was Ben Handelman.....and I squealed with joy. My Uncle Bruce who I haven't seen since I was maybe 14 had taken a flight from LA early in the day, unexpectedly, and had been hanging around the bridge all day waiting for me to arrive! It was one the best surprises I could have asked for. My parents eventually made it to the right side of the bridge, congratulated me....and we all headed down to the Beach so the celebration could get underway. We started with a ceremonial champagne spraying. Every time I looked at someone, champagne was shot directly into my eyeballs. We then dipped our tire wheels into the San Francisco Bay, and followed that with a full body flop. HBC ended with everyone smelling a little of salt water and cheap stale champagne. After a night of shoving 20 people into a cheap hotel room to party, we all departed our own ways. The next day I explored the city with a few HBCers, came within 10 feet of catching a record breaking Barry Bonds home run, and just like that my HBC experience came to an end.


The experience of HBC hasn't fully set in yet, but already I can see changes in how I perceive things. I know any goal can be reached, even when you think it seems impossible (4,200 miles....wow). I see America a little differently now after seeing everything from the happiest people in the world in New Harmony, Indiana.....to those towns dealing with meth addicts and unemployment like Gypsum, Kansas. I found out how generous church folk are.....and how many different kinds of lasagna they can cook. I found out how you can't take any moment in life for granted. One of our riders is still seriously injured and has finally made it home to Denver to recover. I think about him every day. Most importantly I found how taking risks will bring you rewards that would otherwise be unobtainable. HBC has shown me places I would never go, introduced me to amazing people I would never have met, and helped me get my fat ass into shape. I lost 20 pounds on the trip....but more importantly I lost an old perception of America. Thank you to everyone who made this summer possible and amazing.....and thank you to those who kept up to date in my progress (as well as fellow riders) across the good ole U-S- of A. Well......I've put off the real world long enough.....but now I can go in saying I'm heading in with a better perspective. Wish me luck!