Huntington, WV - a sad day of rest.

Hello-
We are finally on our last day in West Virginia. I can't wait to reach Ohio! We are nearly out of the Appalachians and on to flatter ground.

Yesterday we rode from Summersville, WV to Charleston, WV. After 30 miles of riding, we climbed Mount Olive. It was a solid mile or 2 climb at 11% grade. It was intense. I was pushing so hard to make it to the top and my body wanted to quit on me. I had to take a few breaks, but pushed onwards. After climbing this mountain for what felt like years, I was running out of energy and needed another break. I was about to stop when the support van drove by and my friend Dana(who's been injured) leaned out the window and yelled, "B-Money, Keep going! You're almost to the top!" That encouragement gave me inspiration to push onwards to the top of the mountain. At the top, I found 3 other team members waiting cheering me on as well. We all stopped and waited until almost the entire group got up there before going on. The whole groups energy and support really helps pull me through at rough times. The best part of Mount Olive was the 13% downgrade on the other side for 1.5 miles. My bike computer wasn't working at the time, but I may have broken a new personal max bike-speed record. It was beautiful soaring through the Appalachians. After the fun at Mount Olive, we proceeded on Highway 60 in the shoulder. We rode highway 60 for about 25 miles, and it was terrifying. The West Virginians didn't seem very hospitible to cyclists on the road, even when we were on the shoulder. They were constantly yelling at us, and I had my first near death experience on the road. A motorcyclist swurved over towards me and Andrew and rode very close by us. The good news is, no one died or got hit. Just shaken up. But, the bad news - my knee felt awful on the last 5 miles of the trip.
We arrived at a church that was amazing in Charleston. They fed us a giant meal and called the media to spread awareness about what we were doing for Bike and Build. They were amazing hosts and I hope they continue their mission of feeding the hungry.

Now, about today.. Today - The group rode from Charleston, WV to Huntington,WV.
My knee was way swollen after yesterday so I stubbornly decided that it would be best if I took a day off for my knee to get better and so I could ride tomorrow into Ohio. It was a tough decision to take a day off, because I wanted to ride every mile.. but I figure if I take the time to let it heal now, I'll be able to conquer 8 more weeks of riding injury free. So today I rode in the van to heal. I'm not sure if my knee healed today, but I know I'm going to at least ride the morning tomorrow so I can ride into Ohio. I'm so excited about getting closer to the midwest and getting to see everyone in Kansas!

I'm going to see if I can figure out how to post some pictures. I'm not very blog savvy yet.
I'll post pictures when I figure out how.. and I'll update again soon!

Done with Virginia!!!!

Hey! Good News! We are in West Virginia!
The day yesterday was awful! (but really rewarding looking back on it.) Charlottesville to Lexington, VA. We are more than officially into the Appalachians! We had to climb mount Afton after a 20 mile ride and it was 3 miles straight climbing. My legs hurt so bad but Me, Kate, and Brian (B-Pot), powered through to the top. At the top we found Blue Mountain Ridge Parkway. We were told the Parkway was supposed to be one of the most beautiful rides in the U.S., but unfortunately it was foggy and raining the whole day. Even though it was foggy, the green trees on the mountains were really beautiful. It was the toughest ride by far, but a bunch of us powered through and made it. There was a downhill on 60 that had a 8% grade for 5 miles.. and I reached a new speed of 41.3!

Today was equally as rough. We rode from Lexington, VA to Marlinton, WV! There were a lot of mountains we crossed (3 big ones) and it was a physical strain. I got to ride with Dan today and that was great. We had a great time dominating those mountains. After we made it into West Virginia, it started raining with 6 miles to go. By the time we got in, we were both soaking wet. I was extremely glad to have made it even though it was a long day.

There is a long line for the comp, so I'm out. (I need sleep anyway)
My knee is starting to really bother me so I'm now killing the Tylenol. Hopefully it will feel better soon!

Thanks for reading.

Charlottesville, VA - Build Day!!!

Hello all! I am on the internet at a public library, so I only have 12 minutes to update! Sorry if its short!!

We biked from Waverly to Blackstone which was a 65 mile day,I think? These days are all blending together! Sorry.. things have been crazy. Lets move on to things that I can remember.

We biked from Blackstone to Dillwyn, VA and it was the roughest day I've had so far. It was planned a 72 mile day. I decided to ride with sweep because Jen was riding back there. Jen is one of the faster riders and I've gotten to know her well.. but I can't talk to her normally when she's riding because she is way too fast! So I decided to take it slow and ride with the back of the pack. We made lots of stops and took traditional bike and build pictures. (you'll see them when I get a computer with a memory card reader!) The majority of that morning was all good and well. Later in the morning I decided to ride with Barbara and Jenny to get to know each of them better. Barbara, Jenny, and I all ended up taking a 10 mile detour and getting lost. We had to stop and ask locals for directions.. and the local routed us 13 miles towards a point on our route. The unfortunate thing is, when we got lost we were about 3 miles away from lunch. This detour made it where we didn't each lunch until mile 54.1 and the van had to set up a different lunch spot to accomodate for us lost ones. Haha. Anyway, the story only gets better(worse) after that.. Jenny and I took off after that headed to our destination. We officially entered the Appalachian foothills that day and the last 15 miles were about 2 or 3 giant hills per 1 mile. It was intense. I felt near breaking point a few times, but never stopped to walk. We made it at around 5:30 into town and my odometer read 81.5 miles. It was completely crazy! I didn't think I would make it. I did, and now the low mileage days don't seem as bad!

Okay.. quick sum up because I have 3 minutes!!
We rode Dilwyn to Charlottesville (43 miles) yesterday and we got to sleep in a sorority house that had beds!!! It was a hilly ride, but nothing after the day before. We all got a good nights rest for the build day today. During the build, I hung drywall the whole time. It was great. I got to go. 1 min left!

Update when I can!!!

Tomorrow: Charlottesville to Lexington, VA

Thanks for reading!

40 miles down - 3812 to go!

Hey everyone!
Orientation has been great these last few days. Everyone is really unique and very friendly. We sat through a bunch of speakers the last two days that made me even more anxious to get on the bike and ride!
Today was our first day leaving out of Virginia Beach! We rode through very pretty, flat scenery to our destination. The sheet said we rode 40 miles today, but my bike computer tracked 49.3. Counting the ride to and from the showers, that is a 52 mile day! This is the furthest I have gone ever and it's insane to think that we go further tomorrow. It was so awesome to get to see everyone geared up and riding like madmen. The pace today was really intense, so I'll probably slow myself down tomorrow! Today we rode a constant 17-20 mph. I'm sure as the time goes on, the hills will make us slow down.
One of the coolest things about riding across the country is how much of a novelty 30 college-aged students are that are riding in full spandex. People are extremely interested about why all of us look insane and are all riding in the same group. I had a bunch of people stop and ask us where we were going and why we were doing it. It's great to be well received and supported by many communities.
I think I figured out today that I am going to eat more this summer than I ever have before. While we were riding the last 20, all I could think about was food at our destination. Dana and I had decided that a chocolate milkshake sounded really good.. so we had to stop when we got to Suffolk. The milkshake was not satisfactory today, so I am going to have to make another milkshake run tomorrow to satisfy the craving.
Another interesting thing I nearly forgot.. Jen D. brought a slackline as her group item. She strung it between two trees and everyone tried it. My goal for the summer, aside from making it to Canon Beach, is to successfully walk the slackline. I think either way, I will buy one when I get home. It's countless hours of entertainment/concentration.
Anyway - this tired kid has to sleep! More riding tomorrow! More posting/updating this whenever I can!
-Brian

Virginia Beach, VA - 5/18/09

Hi friends and family!

A few quick links that will help you stay up on everything that's going on with me.
To see my day-by-day progress through the country and to read my bio.. visit: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/2691

If you feel like you want to be even more awesome and send mail, food, or anything at the designated mail drops, you can find the information at:
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_wrapper/Itemid,347/
(I am doing the Central US route)

I just want to start this blog out by saying Thank You! to all of the people who donated to me and helped make this experience possible! I couldn't have done it without all of the support!

Ben, Riley, and I drove from Enid yesterday and saw a lot of country. We weren't tired so we powered through and made the trip in 23 and a half hours. It was an excellent trip. Virginia Beach is chilly tonight, but I'm sure it's not nearly as cold as the Rockies will be in a few short months.

I can't believe Bike and Build starts tomorrow! I'm so excited. I can't wait to get out on the open road with 29 other amazing people! It's mind blowing - I'm getting ready to start a trip from Virginia Beach, VA to Oregon! It's going to be intense!

Well.. I need to make sure everything is packed and ready for tomorrow!
I will try to post as often as possible to keep everyone updated!
Wish me luck!
- Brian