Jake across America – The Last Ride

Jake and Marty less than 10 miles from the finish

9 Apr 09 – Day Forty-Three. After forty-three days on the road, Jake and Marty rolled across the Intracoastal bridge on route 206 south of St. Augustine, turned south on A1A and took a quick left to roll on down to the Atlantic to dip the bikes into the surf, celebrating the end of their epic ride. To help them celebrate they were joined by 30 or so friends and family who gathered at the nearby South Beach Grill to eat, drink and be merry. And the journey that began so long ago on the shores of the Pacific was over.

Jake and Marty, accompanied by few friends, on the last "climb" of the ride - the Intracoastal Waterway bridge

Jake and Marty, accompanied by a few friends, on the last "climb" of the long journey - the Intracoastal Waterway bridge

In the first post about this journey, I posed the question, “What does it take to ride across country,” and I guess it’s time to answer the question. The answer, of course, depends on how quickly it’s done. The best RAAM riders do it in a little over a week with full support, nearly superhuman physical fitness and a mental conditioning few can achieve. But to do it in six weeks, unsupported, what does it take? There are two parts to it, the physical and the mental. For the physical part, that’s easy to answer. Based on a local weekly time trial (click TnTT results tab), we know Jake is capable of time trialing at 24 mph over a relatively short TT course (just under 10 miles). The mental half of the equation is much more difficult to quantify but we can guess at it by what Jake and Marty went through while on the ride.

The adventurers emerging from the Atlantic surf

Due to his knee pain, for 4-5 days in a row, Marty started the day’s ride knowing that even if he finished the day it was likely to be his last in the saddle on this epic ride. But after a day off the bike to recover and with some medical assistance, he rode on. And Jake, who contracted a fairly violent virus that lasted for 4 or 5 days and resulted in his tossing his cookies on a regular basis, lost around 8-10 pounds (starting from 155 lbs) in those few days. But after a day off the bike and some medical assistance, he rode on. So what does it take mentally? It takes a never-quit attitude that drives one to achieve what the timid and weak-minded can only dream of. It takes the mindset of an adventurer, an explorer.