We began our day at 6:45 a.m. loading our luggage and preparing for our longest single day ride yet from Marion Kentucky to Waverly Tennessee. It was another great day for bike riding even though it rained during the last hour of the ride. The wind varied from 10 – 20 miles per hour and definitely had an impact on the number of miles we could complete within the 8-9 hours we rode our bikes. The riders are feeling good after a day of facing many very large hills that required a significant amount of leg strength and gear shifting. I have a few little pains here and there that I have grown accustomed to ignoring due to my athletic background. Joe DeLamielleure continues to wear his big red football helmet when riding. I believe his neck has increased by two inches during this trip, based on the neck strength it takes to keep his head up when riding with the helmet on. Eljay Bowron continues to be Mr. Consistent. He is a strong bike rider who can maintain a consistent pace over a long period of time, in spite of the fact that he has had eighteen major operations including shoulder, hip, and knee replacements. I think Eljay can maintain his pace because all of his joints are made of titanium. He is truly the bionic man. Coach Dick Comar has been phenomenal. Each day he takes care of coordinating media publicity making lunch, bike clean up and overall maintenance of the school bus along with any bike repairs. We are truly blessed to have a bike team and coach that are compatible and believe strongly in what we are trying to accomplish.
We had the most scenic ride of our trip as we biked on the “Trace Road” though the Tennessee portion of the Land between the Lakes (LBL). LBL is the largest inland peninsula in the United States. It is the second largest contiguous block of forested public land east of the Mississippi. Located in Western Kentucky and Tennessee, the area draws approximately 2 million visitors annually.
There are over 200 miles of hiking and biking trails and approximately 100 miles of horse and wagon trails. There are five lake access areas with primitive camping; and virtually unlimited backcountry camping. LBL has three sites on the National Register of Historic Places: Fort Henry, site of a major Civil War battle; the Center Furnace; and the Great Western Iron Furnace. The region was primarily an iron production center during the mid-19th century. Seventeen iron furnaces operated within what is now LBL.
It is difficult to describe how beautiful it was to ride our bikes through such a historical area that was very peaceful and free of a significant amount of traffic. The bike ride had some challenges because of the very large hills, however, the sights made up for any of the excess energy we had to put forth to complete the ride.
We were pleasantly surprised to get a visit from Con Demos, a member of the board of the Michigan State University Football Players Association (MSUFPA). Con had an opportunity to see me huff and puff and struggle up the large hills just outside of the Land of the Lakes. We had a great dinner and conversation together.
Tomorrow we leave Waverly Tennessee for Cypress Inn Tennessee. We are now one-third (6 out of 18 days) completed with our bike ride trip. I must say that is seems like we have just completed our two-a-day football practices that begin just before the football season in the fall. Two-a-days are usually tough, tiring, and intense. However, after about four days you feel like your body has adjusted and you begin to get into the flow of perfecting your game. I think we are there and now need to concentrate on how we successfully complete the next two-thirds of our ride. I am sure we are going to run into other unexpected challenges, however, we are focused and prepared to bounce back from whatever we receive and do our best to achieve our 2000 mile goal for the children. I look forward to sharing information about Day # 7 tomorrow.
Written by John Shinsky
