Earlier this week my cycling friends and their significant others here in Green Valley held a going away party for me to launch my upcoming ride.

I was humbled by the gesture and appreciated the robust turn out. Then I realized retirees will do pretty much anything for a free meal.

Everyone was kind and interested and I got a lot of questions (many of which I have thought of as well). Are you serious? What were you thinking? Are you crazy? Do you think you can do it? Will there be lots of hills ? And of course, will CV 19 cause you to cancel?

With respect to the last question, I contacted our ride coordinator and he confirmed it’s all systems go at this time. I figure being in the open spaces and out in the fresh air is the best place to be anyway.

For any of you who have read Stephen King’s “The Stand” I’m sure this pandemic conjures up images! It started with the flu too. But it was man made and 99.99% fatal. But on the happier things.

So back to the party. I realized that perhaps another reason my friends held it now is because they figured I may not complete the ride (or heaven forbid, not survive it) or maybe any old excuse for a party is a good one.

But hell I have so much spandex now I need to use, I have no choice but to do the ride. Plus I have spent so much on gear that if I didn’t go, Barb would make me ride home to Michigan in April.

But seriously, it was a kind gesture by my friends and just further commits me to my ride.

Below is the cake they made for me. Wow, someone is an artist! It really tracks the Southern Tier Route pretty accurately. I wish it was that flat!!!

I did note that the biker did look like he was on an E-Bike, Grrr! Also note the Pinot Noir, is that a peak in California?

I am really starting to get restless and can’t wait to start. It’s still 18 days away but I’m sure it will go quickly. The next couple of weeks will see me getting in some hill climbing. I just want leave, like yesterday already!!

My friends are getting into the spirit with contributions to my blog. The following is a little ballad one wrote after the party. Enjoy

The Ballad of Big Bad Bob

Bob’s friend, Big D, said to Bob, if you’re crazy enough to ride across the country, make sure that you “ride towards the rising sun” so that you don’t get lost. (Bob can be directionally challenges, ask him about Pie, New Mexico)

So Bob started off from California on April fools day (you can’t make this stuff up). He picked up speed across CA and elevation across AZ. He earned the nickname Big Bob wrestling saquaros outside of Tucson. And so on he went across NM, eating hot chili, wearing his bike sombrero and picking up speed: 15, 20, 25 mph. Into TX, losing weight and eating barbecue armadillo.

But in East TX misfortune struck Big Bob. Tornado! Spun him around like a top! Which way to go? Ah, “ride towards the rising sun”.

Alas, Big Bob heard the words but mistook the meaning! ( being of an age when the Animals were popular or Frijid Pink if you were into the Psychedelic scene)

Like a whirlwind Big Bob rode into New Orleans looking for The House of The Rising Sun. He searched every bordello, brothel, and cat house he could find but no rising sun. However he did pick up his new nickname Big Bad Bob! (Wonder how D came up with the Big? )

On to FL he went (no one cares about MS or AL, really) but he had a strange feeling that someone or something was following him and gaining on him. So, 30, 35 mph he went but still it/they got closer.

Faster, all the time losing more weight, until he hit the red line and could go no faster. That’s when he saw her in his rear view mirror. It was Big Bad Barb!!! Oh no, why didn’t he just stay Big Bob.

But then he remembered what else Big D said to him before he left “In trouble? Act New York dumb”.

Luckily he didn’t have to as Barb was just returning his sombrero that he had left in NO!

So Big Bad Bob rolled into St. Augustine with the biggest grin on his face having lost 35 pounds and never having a flat tire.

The End!

Thanks Dennis -Alias Big D

As the party was breaking up someone asked me if it was going be a problem being away from Barb for almost 2 months. This reminded me of one of my favorite cowboy songs by Billy Walker. “I’m so miserable without you it’s almost like you are here”. But I had the good sense to keep my mouth shut. 40yrs of marriage has taught me a few things (learned the hard way)

This week saw me put on a few more miles and I did a 70+ miler on Sat. Followed by a 43 miler on Sun. I need to get used to long back to back to back etc, etc, etc.

To all of you , smooth roads, and may the wind be at your back Amigos. Adios

So a friend asked me what the prevailing winds would be on my San Diego to St Augustine ride. That is a question I have been puzzling over for a while. Of course all riders and runners know the unfailing rule that “you are always going into a headwind.

Those of us from the Midwest, and Michigan in particular, would say west winds prevail. Also after 6 decades of fishing I can say mornings are typically calm giving way to wind during the day and calm at night

The reality is that wind direction seems to be more a function of local topography and other factors. Here in Green Valley winds are typically from the south in the morning shifting to the north later in the day.

After doing some research I found the information below that was compiled by someone that rode the southern tier. It basically suggests that there is no prevailing wind and that time of day will impact the wind direction.

So it’s Sunday and my bike has been in the shop all week. It’s tuned up and geared down. It’s one of the few rainy days here in Az so I’ll ride the trainer.

I’m now 3 weeks away from departure and reality is setting in. Prep work is done. Very little I can do to improve my training at this point.

It seemed like a good idea at the time and it’s been fun to prepare and buy gear and talk about the ride. Soon it will be “Just Do It”.

I suspect it’s kind of like the opening of deer season. The boys get together, drink, play cards, tell stories, show off their new gear and guns etc. Then when you are out in the woods and pull the trigger on the big buck (more likely a doe), the fun ends. You have to find it, gut it, drag it out and process it. Ugh

I suspect after 3000 miles on the little bike seat it will be come a part of me. Not in a good way either.

But you know what, screw it, I’m ready to start this journey.

Ok, With that I’m going to leave you with, what I think is a funny parody, on the explosion of E-Bikes. Earlier I mentioned my experience riding with the guy wearing clogs who passed me.

When you open the link and watch it be sure you activate sub titles or it will make no sense at all. Also there appears to be an add at the beginning. Just click through it. I could not figure out how to remove it. I guess its the price we pay for free entertainment.

https://www.captiongenerator.com/1686892/Hitler-Hates-E-bikes#.XmUbmy8elx8.mailto

Hope this gave you a good laugh like it did me.

Until next time, smooth roads, a nice tail wind and no E-bikes in sight😜

When you are on long rides you have plenty of time to think. Crazy stuff goes through your head. Today is was a simple math question.

We have all heard the saying “the journey of a 1000 miles starts with the first step”. This got me to thinking how many pedal strokes will it take me to do my 3000+ mile ride?

So while I was riding I did some Jethro Bodine (Beverly Hillbillies for you young folk) “ciphering”. After a few goesinta’s I had my answer

I target a cadence of 80 rpm’s. If I assume 12 mph (this is conservative, I hope to be a bit quicker) this means 5 min per mile or 400 pedal strokes. Times 3000 miles gave me 1.2million pedal strokes. Easy-Peasy math.

So have you ever voluntarily done something 1.2million times? Well, of course our heart beats, eyes blink, we in hale and exhale,etc. millions of times over our life span. But I mean voluntarily have you ever done anything 1.2 million times (in 49 days)

Actually, it’s not that hard to hit these big numbers.

Heck if you are one of those “10,000 steps a day” folks you would do 3.6 million steps in a year (if you never missed a day). So if you are a walker, congratulate yourself.

But before you get too happy realize 10,000 steps is about 5 miles and the average 180 lb person burns 100 calories per mile. So yep you burn 500 calories. That’s 2.5 Snickers bars or one Double Martini or a double Scotch. Doesn’t seem fair does it?

Those go down easier than walking 10000 steps for sure and will offset your walk in a few short minutes . So exercise alone won’t help lose weight (if that’s a goal) if you don’t moderate your diet. Enough lecturing!

While doing the pedal stroke math I wondered about my heart rate. Interestingly, my heart rate at moderate exercise levels is about 80bpm. The beta blockers slow it down. In fact, my resting rate is about 45bpm. I can thank years of exercise and the meds for this nice slow steady heart beat.

So using the same math, I figure my heart will beat somewhere around 1.2million times while I’m riding. Of course, it doesn’t get a break after I finish each day. Sorry heart, legs rest but you get no time off.

So what’s the point of this blog post? Well, it just goes to show the goofy things that you do to pass the time on a 3-4 hour ride. And what you write about when nothing cool has happened.

At least I don’t count road kill like one of my friends does when driving. But hey that may be interesting.

But hey, I could do a study, which states have the most road kill etc. Let’s face it, spring is peak road kill season. Also since 1/3rd of my trip will be in Texas, I think it will win hands down even if I just counted armadillos!

Maybe if some days are boring I’ll report in for you.

Ok that’s it for now. Til next time, smooth roads and a nice tail wind to get you where you are riding.

Well it’s a little over a month away til I take on the Southern Tier. As the date approaches I’m starting to get anxious. Not eager, anxious!

I think I have prepared. Lord knows I have helped Amazon’s profits this quarter with all the gear I have been buying. I suspect a search party may be looking for me beginning April 1!!

I continue to train and am losing some lbs but not as fast as I like. So beginning 3/1 I am going to double down. After seeing and reading about the first two days, which will involve lots of climbing, I need to get leaner.

There is lots on the Internet about the Southern Tier ride and I have been reading up but frankly I think it’s something that is only understood by experiencing it. The ride coordinators have been patient with all my questions but in reality I’m kind of a just do it guy. I need the basics, but don’t tend to over analyze.

That can be good and bad. The more I read about the ride, the more nervous I get. But as with most things I believe we can tend make it a bigger issue than it is. This journey of 3030 miles starts with the first pedal stroke, followed by another and another………

I’ll be interested to meet my fellow riders, where they are from and their backgrounds. Let’s face it we will be a bit of a family for 48 days. Hopefully I make more friends than enemies.

From what I understand I can expect to see many others on the route, either self contained or supported. Ride the US for MS, and Bubba’s Pampered riders take this route along with other groups.

I think there comes a point in the training process where you tire of it and just want to GO! I’m close. If I didn’t have the weight loss thing going on I would be real antsy to start

My friends who have done long rides tell me “ you can’t eat enough” on these rides and you will lose lots of weight. (They don’t know me very well😜). I’m hoping it’s true.

I’m thinking of having a little contest. I will post my starting weight and ask guesses as to what my ending weight will be. The winner will get an autographed $1 bill. It’s symbolic after all and it is about all I can afford after paying for the trip and all the gear.

My friends here in Az are planning a send off party. I guess they want to be sure I leave. As the old saying goes, “how can I miss you if you won’t go away”. Or my favorite “it’s so miserable without you, it almost like you are still here”!

Although another reason may be they don’t expect to see me ever again. I don’t anticipate to be like Bernard Moitessier who wrote the autobiography “the longest way” which was about a solo sailing route to circumnavigate the globe. He had the race won but continued on for several more months and stopped in Tahiti. While enticing I doubt I could find a route that would allow me to pedal there. But who knows maybe I will adapt the Australian Walk About to a Ride About. Any of you ever fantasize about running away from home??

Another friend wants to be so certain I’m doing the trip that he is driving me to San Diego and seeing me off, Barb is too. As the saying goes some people bring joy wherever they go, others bring joy whenever they go. Damn, never thought I was in the latter group.

So on it goes that date marches slowly along. My friends say they see a change in me. Who knows maybe it’s anticipation, fear, restlessness or enthusiasm. Certainly I have felt all these emotions.

Underlying all of these is a commitment to take on a physical and mental challenge of a duration I have never experienced.

I expect to share many interesting and hopefully entertaining stories from the road with you. Heaven knows, with 6-8 hours on the road each day I should have time to come up with something worth writing

This week I knocked out 160 miles which puts me over 1000 miles for the year. I will be taking 4-5 days off to do a short trip and then get back to some serious training

So until next time Smooth roads and may the wind be at your back

“I want to ride my bike, I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like“. Queen, Bicycle Race. RIP Freddie Mercury.

Ok time for the next installment of this blog. My ride is now roughly a month away. I was doing ok until I drove to Palm Springs this week and found a part of the route we will be riding. I drove through Brawley and Blythe, CA and Quartzite AZ. I also drove past Needles, CA, which is mentioned in the Three Dog Night song “I’ve Never Been to Spain.

To say these areas are basically in the middle of nowhere would be a pretty good assessment. Lots of cactus and few trees. It will be a sun beaten ride for sure. Also daunting is the fact that it will take a week to ride the distance I drove in 6hrs. But on we go.

These are the picturesque sites I will be seeing the first week!

Today I got home and hopped back on the bike. Had a nice first 40 miles and then the wind picked up and shifted to a headwind for the next 12 miles. But I got a good 52 miles in and felt really good at the end. About 3:30 hrs or just north of 14 mph.

I’m starting to shift from speed to distance. I will be ramping the miles next week and hope to get at least 3 50+ mile rides in each week and I will start taking on hills once my new 11-34 cassette is installed. Z

I think I’m done with Amazon purchases for the trip. I just got my tires. Continental Grand Prix 4 Seasons. Hell they cost more than I used to spend on car tires @ $44 each. I wanted to start with a new set and will probably need to change out half way through the ride

My next big expense will be the tune up and new drive train. Then I’ll start attaching some of the equipment I bought, to the bike.

Now the butterflies are starting to swirl a bit. A year of preparation is now down to 34 days. We will see how much the prep has paid off.

One more visit to the cardiologist to be safe and then I’ll be ready.

I did reach out to my doctor at the Mayo Clinic who did the stem cell treatment on my ankle. They are amazed at my progress and the upcoming trip. It appears I will be interviewed by their publicist and they will put something on their site detailing my successful procedure. I cannot speak highly enough about Mayo. They were fantastic and the stem cell treatment (my own stem cells) dramatically improved the arthritis in my ankle and has improved my quality of life. Keep them in mind if you ever have a serious health issue. The place in Rochester, MN is amazing. There is also a great documentary on how it came to be on public tv.

I am a lucky man. I am so grateful to have survived a Triple By-Pass, then a small heart attack, an ablation and the stents with in an 18 month period, not to mention the stem cell treatment. I have been very fortunate and frankly I rarely think of these things as hurdles I’ve over come. I just accepted them and was determined to continue on with my life. But let’s face it I have been blessed. I’m sure it’s part of God’s plan but I wish he would provide a touch more insight on how he plans to use me😉.

I was thinking of what would make a successful trip and that led me to think about success in general.

I think we all have a tendency to set rules to be successful or happy. Sometimes we make these rules too hard to achieve and we always find the carrot just out of our reach. A little higher salary, a nicer home, Car etc. Are we setting ourselves up for failure? Will our lives ever be fulfilled if we keep moving our goals? I believe we should have stretch goals in life but they should not be the condition for happiness.

I remember Tony Robbins was talking about a group session he had and he asked the question “who here is successful?” There were business men and women and other professionals but one person who raised his hand was a bit of a flower Child and free spirit. (Tony said one way to confirm a person’s statement is to ask “how do you know?”) So he asked the guy “how do you now you are successful”? The guy answered “ because everyday above ground is a success”!

Interesting isn’t it. The guy set himself up to be successful every day.

So when I think of what it will take for me to be successful on the ride it will waking up, seeing the ceiling and hopping on the bike for the next leg of the journey!

That’s all for now. I’m trying to keep these posts brief and interesting until I take off.

Til next time, smooth roads, may the wind be at your back and may you wake up and see the ceiling!

Yep, that’s correct, not a misspelling. Several people have told me I should make this somewhat epic ride a “Go Fund Me” ride for a particular cause of my choice.

Frankly, I’m not a big fan of these kind of things. I would be doing the ride, regardless. Also I would not even know where to begin in selecting a cause or charity. There are many well-deserving ones and selecting one means de-selecting many.

I’m somewhat of a geek when it comes to giving to causes. I like to know what percentage goes to the cause and how much to administrative overhead. I think that’s just responsible giving.

We all want our hard earned money to go the the cause recipients not for administration or solicitation of the funds.

But here’s my thought on the bike ride. If my ride inspires any of you to be generous, make a donation to some local cause you support in the area where you live. It could be a family in need, food bank, shelter, halfway house, local Red Cross, Church program, Boys and Girls Club, College, high school band or athletic programs, humane society etc.

If you want to share it on this blog feel free. I’ll make sure to post it and keep an identity suppressed total of donations that have been given or just keep it personal. A true act of Charity is to give without seeking recognition.

I learned that from my years at Herman Miller, Inc. The company has/had a very robust corporate giving program, but never sought out recognition. Our Founder DJ DePree felt it was the right way to do things. The company’s generosity was rewarded in the success it achieved over the years. It is truly a company with a unique legacy.

Personally, I always feel better about giving to causes in my community because I can see the results. I’m a strong believer in local giving. It’s kind of a grass roots, bottom up approach to helping others,some of whom you may know personally.

On the subject of giving, I thought I would share a couple of personal stories with you.

Several years ago I attended a Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting . These are iconic events and it was a bucket list item for me being a finance and investment guy.

As part of the meeting Charlie Munger and Warren Buffet sit on stage and take questions for about 1 1-2 hours.

At this particular meeting a question came up about Charlie and Warren’s charitable giving approach. Charlie said there are two approaches to giving “pay as you go and lump sum”. He explained he was inclined to pay as you go. Then he said “I’ll let Warren explain his approach”.

Buffet took the microphone and said “I view it like this”: when I was in my mother’s womb if an angel said, how much would you pay to be born a white man in America vs a low caste woman in India? Buffet said “I would have answered Everything! So my plan is to donate my entire net worth to Charity and my children know this”.

Buffet believes that he was given a tremendous opportunity to be born in this great country and wants to give back. Had he been born a low caste woman in India he would not have had the same opportunity ( I am paraphrasing this as I cannot recall the exact quote)

It was an interesting meeting to say the least

I believe it’s always a good exercise to reflect on the good fortune and opportunities we have had. If this moves us to give of ourselves either financially or with our time so be it. I have found that giving comes back to us many fold. It just may not be a direct route.

My daughter did inspire me to do something a little different many years back. After the 9-11-2001event. Katie was 12 and she wanted to do something so she made flag pins out of beads and safety pins. She started selling them for $1 and I agreed to match the $ she raised. Well my co-workers heard about this and started paying $20 and $50 for a pin knowing I had to match it. It ended up costing me $2500 but the $5000 Katie raised for our local Red Cross was one of the largest donations they received that year.

But ,interestingly, it came back to Katie as she was nominated and won a regional Kohl’s Kids Who Care award which included small college scholarship.

How the heck did I get on this subject? I’ll be glad when I start this ride and only have the days journey to write about.

On that note my training is going well. I hit 1100 miles for 2020 in Feb and have done several 50 mile rides. I developed a saddle sore from some new riding shorts so I need to resolve this before I start the big ride.

It’s kind of counter intuitive about seat comfort. Actually, the minimalist seats and less padded chamois shorts create less chafing and saddle sores. Though it’s tougher on the sit bones. So I am trying to dial in the right seat and shorts combo that will be sort of comfortable for being 5-6 hours in the saddle each day.

Sponeed shorts seem to be the answer with a thin, minimalist seat

Right now I’m using a lot of chamois butt’r to minimize the friction. Ah. The little things we deal with. It can be a pain in the a$$!

I did need a new aluminum seat post to support my travel pack. They say they are not as comfortable as carbon fiber posts. After 80 mile the past two days I can say I see no real difference. But I’m running 25’s pumped to 120psi. So I expect to feel some road vibrations.

So that’s it for now. I recently took 4 days off for a little business trip ( yeah I’m retired, sort of) and now back to training in earnest until I leave

Til next time. Smooth roads and may the wind be at your back

This past Sunday a Ghost Bike Ride and Memorial o Ceremony was held by Sahuarita -Green Valley Cycling Club in memory of Fred Dillemuth who was involved in a tragic, fatal car -bike accident early on Labor Day Morning on a descent from Madera Canyon.

For those unfamiliar with the term Ghost Bike. It is a bike painted white and placed near the accident site as a memorial and reminder to us all of the perils of cycling.

Fred was an accomplished, passionate rider he left behind many friends which included fellow cyclists, neighbors, non-cycling friends and family which included his wife Amy and two children.

Amy was my yoga instructor and I came to be a “Strava Friend” of Fred’s. Too slow and too old to keep up with his group, Fred and I stayed connected through social media. We occasionally passed each other on the road, but I never had the pleasure of riding with him.

Fred was a great source of inspiration and encouragement to me After every ride I posted he would be one of the first to give me a thumbs up “well done”. When I responded in kind to his rides I noticed many started at 5 am so he could ride before work. And they were typically quick. His commitment rubbed off on me to a degree.

Fred was a local ambassador for many of us wanna be riders. When I learned of his tragic accident while I was home in Michigan it troubled me for days.

People commonly say “He will be missed” in these instances. I say “He is missed”! By good friends, colleagues, guys like me and especially his family.

He lives on in our hearts and the bodies of the people fortunate enough to be recipients of his organ donations.

Rip Fred!

A friend posted the image below. I believe it’s a reminder to us. “We know not the place or hour”

This is one reason,among the many, I am doing this Trans-America ride. I have more summers behind me than ahead. The time to act is now!

But the message goes deeper. We should remember to say “I love you” or call that friend you have been meaning to call, to apologize, or simply say “I appreciate you”. We have no guarantees and we need to live in the moment rather than putting things off. You have all heard the cliches so I won’t repeat them here.

While we will regret some of the things we have done in life, we will also regret the things we have not done. Let’s minimize them.

My late Uncle, a priest, may have said it best. He told me “they call it the present because it’s a gift. We should treat it that way, enjoy it and embrace it and those we love.”

I realize I’m rambling a bit, but this is a difficult post for me. I will leave you with the following:

We riders take a risk each time we put on the Lycra and shoes (not just a fashion risk). We must be vigilant when on the roads. Bikers rarely fare well in collisions with cars. Use your safety lights, be visible and be aware. Drivers today are distracted. Talking on phones, texting, messing with the touch screen etc. It’s easy to not see us. And we need to do our part be careful out there as well. It only takes a second’s lapse of attention or assuming an unnecessary risk to result in an accident. That’s it for today.

So until next time may you have smooth roads , the wind at your back and a safe journey

I came across the article below the other day and thought I would share it with you. While it discusses the characteristics of financial success I believe it pertains to many other areas in our lives as well and how you personally define success.

Read it and at the end I will explain how it relates to biking across America.

I apologize in advance if this is starting to sound like a self-help or motivational blog. I’m simply sharing what’s working and what has worked for me. Also I need to put in these “filler posts” until the ride starts. Then I will be scrambling to share my daily adventures with you. So I hope you enjoy them and extract a small measure of value.

Why Aren’t More Highly Intelligent People Rich? A Nobel Prize-Winning Economist Says Another Factor Matters a Lot More

Nobel Prize-winning economist James Heckman likes to ask people how great a role innate intelligence plays in financial success. Like how much the difference between my income and yours, for example, is based on our relative IQs.

Most people say about 25 percent. Some go as high as 50 percent. (For a long time, I would gave guessed even more.)

But Heckman’s research reveals something else entirely. Innate intelligence plays, at best, a 1 to 2 percent role in a child’s future success.

Instead, financial success is correlated with conscientiousness: Self-discipline, perseverance, and diligence.

That comes as no surprise to people familiar with research on married couples: People with relatively prudent and reliable partners tend to perform better at work, earning more promotions, making more money, and feeling more satisfied with their jobs.

“Partner conscientiousness” (for men and women) predict future job satisfaction, income, and likelihood of promotion.

According to the researchers, “conscientious” partners perform more household tasks, exhibit more pragmatic behaviors that their spouses are likely to emulate, and promote a more satisfying home life, all of which enables their spouse to focus more on work.

As one researcher said, “These results demonstrate that the dispositional characteristics of the person one marries influence important aspects of one’s professional life.”

In non-research-speak, a partner sets a good example, and makes it possible for you to be a better you.

Granted, luck also plays a major role in success. As the researchers write, “The maximum success never coincides with the maximum talent, and vice-versa. Our simulation clearly shows that such a factor is just pure luck.”

But you can’t control luck. And you can only partly control IQ. While you can certainly become more educated, fluid intelligence — the ability to think logically and solve problems independent of acquired knowledge — is somewhat trainable but tends to be largely fixed.

But what you can control is how conscientuous you are. How diligent you are. How persistent you are.

How hard you work.

Everyone defines success differently, as well they should. But if you happen to define success by traditional measures, like professional achievement, or fortune, or fame, hard work is the great equalizer.

You may not be smarter than everyone else. You may not be as talented. You may not have the same great connections, the same great environment, or the same great education.

You may have none of those things.

But you can substitute effort for intelligence — because, over time, effort results in skill and experience. You can always be more persistent than others. You can always be more disciplined.

That you can control.

And that, science says, will have the biggest impact on your success.

My Take on the Article

Ok. I strongly agree with this article. Personally, it was how I conducted myself in sports, academics, and business.

I knew I was not the most gifted athlete, brightest student or smartest business person. I definitely did not have a pedigree or connections. I was a lower middle class kid from rural Michigan.

But early on I learned that what I lacked in these areas I could make up for with effort. I talked about shooting jump shots for hours and being a gym rat. This got me All-State honors and into a great college. When I ran track in high school I chose the 440 probably one of the most physically challenging events. But I knew that if I ran my hardest for the 1/4 mile most others would break. It got me 4th in the conference.

At K-College I was in classes with valedictorian, Salutatorian, and National Merit Scholars from big high schools. Coming from little Bangor High I was out classed, but I studied 4-5 hrs a night my Freshman year to get C’s and B’s until I learned how to be a student. I was determined not to be a Freshman washout. In Grad School I was basically an A student.

Early in my work career I definitely was not top shelf. I set my eyes on a goal. I found people who were successful and modeled myself after them. And yes I had my share of luck. But I rose to be the Treasurer of a NASDAQ 100 Company. And hard work, and persistence were a big part of it.

As the article says, conscientiousness, self-discipline, persistence and , I would add, self-awareness are things you can control or learn. This latter, self-awareness, is important because it helps you reflect candidly on what is working, short comings that need improvement and how you are perceived.

So what’s my point? Virtually everything I accomplished in my life was a result of hard work and focus. I don’t claim to be a superstar in any area of my life but I was better than OK for the most part in anything I attempted as a result of my work ethic.

I knew to be a success I had to “outwork” the other guy/gal and I relished that challenge. Maybe it’s my competitive spirit.

I’ve also had a great partner in my wife, Barb, who has been supportive of all my crazy endeavors, which have been numerous. I could not have done half as much without her by my side.

Perhaps insight to my wife happened when I was working in the North Bay of California. Barb came out to visit and we had dinner with a co-worker. He remarked to Barb, “I never imagined someone so nice being married to Bob”.

Yep I hit the lottery with my wife of 40 years, as well as with my amazing daughter. This was not a result of hard work but “luck” as the article mentions. Also says something about me too, eh? Maybe I need to revisit “self awareness”!

Persistence is also key. Tony Robbins of “Personal Power” fame tells us: “The past is not a predictor of the future. Because you have failed previously does not mean you won’t succeed the next time”. He talks about a baby learning to walk. The kid falls dozens of times but we all eventually walk right? (assuming no physical handicap). Parents never say “ my kid keeps falling he/she will never walk.” The little kid is persistent.

We have heard-the famous quote from Thomas Edison “I’ve not failed, I discovered 10,000 ways that won’t work!”

Hard work, persistence, I think we are on to something.

So now as I approach my my Trans-America Ride I’m confident I can do it. I logged 5000 miles last year and will have ridden 1000 by the end of February and 1500 by April 1.

I’ve been persistent and conscientious, and I plan to have out worked the typical 68 year old and probably my fellow riders. This should set me up for success as I define it!

So as I continue to prepare for my journey I’ll leave you with these thoughts:

There are very few things in life you can control. But you can control the effort you put forth, your persistence, and your diligence to be successful in whatever area you choose.

Embrace the challenge, the hard work, the sweat, getting outside your comfort zone, etc . It will make you a better person. And, frankly, you will come to enjoy making the effort when you think about the others that are not.

Let’s face it, life is a process. If you aren’t moving forward, you are not just standing still, you are going backwards.

So, will this advice make you financially successful like this article suggests? Well there’s one way to find out right? Plus at the very least, it will make you a better version of yourself and frankly help your self-esteem.

When I’m out riding 50-60 miles pounding it I feel pretty darn proud of myself. What others think is really irrelevant to me.

Until next time, Smooth roads and may the wind be at your back. (Unless you want a challenge, then ride into the wind)

This week’s Stats. Sat was a challenge. Alan Parsons concert Fri night late night (asleep by 3 am). But I got a ride in despite not wanting to

IT’S NOT ABOUT BIKING!

I asked my daughter, Katie, to be a guest blogger on my site. She is the brains of the family, salutatorian, 32 ACT, full academic ride to CMU and MSU Funded her M.A. and PhD. She is bright, witty and a great writer. She was also recognized in a publication “Western Innovators” where a peer cited her as a “world leading authority”in her field. I’d try to explain the field but it has something to do with fields. Katie is a social scientist with a passion for weed science and how she can work with farmers to enable better crop and weed management. (“And that’s all I have to say about that” -Forrest Gump)

She is currently doing a post-doc at Univ of Idaho and has a couple of other funded projects she is working on. In addition to this she is mentoring students, overseeing some graduate student funding, and other things I have forgotten. She is juggling lots of balls. But I persuaded her to take time out of her busy schedule to do a blog post. She graciously agreed to do it.

I expected a little article on the merits of having a father that refuses to grow up and act his age, whatever that means,(she often has to be the adult when we are together) and to take few other little jabs at me. What she wrote was something entirely unexpected and brought a tear to my eye.

As parents we always want to do what’s best for our kids but we never really know what, if anything, worked. Katie has provided me some wonderful insight for which I’m thankful.

Everything she says I have told her is true in Spades. If I had a choice of anyone in the world to be my little girl ,it would be you Katie. So in that regard I won the lottery.

So with no further platitudes here is her post. I apologize if you were expecting a blog on biking. This one is different, but good.

Katie writes:

One of the joys of growing up–and getting older – has been growing closer to my dad. We weren’t exactly two peas in a pod in my youth. Yet as I gain more perspective, I see more and more how amazing he is and how very alike we can be.

My dad taught me a lot that, at the time, was annoying, difficult, and even painful. I didn’t want to try the escargot, to keep my commitment to the middle school basketball team, to walk back up and ask the cashier for the correct change. Now I take joy in trying and enjoying a wide variety of foods, am a master of sticking to my commitments, and am more willing to point out when someone, however accidentally, has wronged me. 

Sometimes, it’s hard to parse out what parts of my personality and character can be attributed to nature versus nurture. Of course, that is what research often finds – that they do not act independently but are intrinsically intertwined. So what parts of ‘me’ are like my dad come partly from the things he taught me, the expectations he had of me–but also partly from our own natural similarities. 

I’m hard headed, and rarely back down from a challenge.

I’m industrious and ambitious.

I’m a deep thinker, and can become caught up in philosophical questions.

I’m athletic and have a knack for sports.

I’m proud, occasionally to a fault.

I ask hard questions and demand much from those around me.

I sometimes suffer from depression, and often from anxiety.

I lose myself in nostalgia and can forget to appreciate the present moment.

I love deeply, feel deeply, and care very very deeply. 

These are just some of the ways I am like my dad. As I follow along with his blog–this blog–I notice all of these things and more. 

His writing and stories make me smile, think, laugh, and even get a little teary-eyed. His honesty is touching. And, more than anything, I feel proud. 

This is another way my dad and I are alike. We are staunch supporters of each other. We are proud of each other. It wasn’t necessarily always like this, but I know it is now, because he tells me.  More and more in recent years, he’ll text me, or call me, or even write me a letter just to tell me how proud he is. Not just of my successes, but as a person. That he couldn’t be prouder. 

He tells me he loves me.

Such a little thing, and so important to hear.

So important that I had to take this guest blog opportunity to say it myself. I love you dad, and I couldn’t be prouder. Not because of your successes, not because you’re taking on this ride, but because you’re you. 

I’m so delighted that this blog is gaining a following, that you all are getting a little window into the fun, interesting, and yes aggravating person my dad can be. I’m glad I get to share him with you, and I hope you stick with us through this journey. 

Go, Dad, go!

Love, 

Katie