It was a reference to yesterday, when TB wrote about the cross-country bike ride that Princeton basketball players Maddie Plank and Charlie Bagin are currently undertaking. They were in South Dakota over the weekend, on their way to Washington state.
Here was John's text: "Riding your bike cross country? Child's play. You want a challenge? Take three kids to Disney World."
Now that's tremendous.
As TB mentioned yesterday, he reached out to Bagin and Plank over the weekend and asked them four questions. Here are their responses:
Question 1 - What has been the highlight so far?
Maddie Plank:
The highlight so far has been the thrill of riding down the Needles Highway in the Black Hills. I’ve always been obsessed with reaching top speeds, and the Needles Highway was the perfect balance of thrill and precision. The ride included extremely tight turns with a speed limit of 10 miles per hour. It was six miles long, so it provided plenty of time to take in the scenery, reflect on our journey so far, and say to yourself “Oh my gosh this is so cool!”
Another highlight was the flat paved roads of Indiana. Charlie and I flew with a slight tailwind heading into a rest day. I think we averaged between 15-20 miles per hour for 10 miles, which is extremely fast for us. The greatest part for me was the dynamic speed signs. As soon as I saw the sign measuring my speed, I accelerated as forcefully as possible trying to max out. I think during that ride, our confidence and morale reached an acme.
Charlie Bagin:
The highlight so far has definitely been the Black Hills. The scenery through the hills was stunning, the weather was beautiful, and some of the rides we had were just the most exhilarating moments of my life. There’s nothing like racing down a canyon at 35 mph with pines rising hundreds of feet on either side of you and the wind in your face.
A close second would be the people. We’ve stayed with a lot of strangers, mostly fellow cyclists, who have been willing and eager to open their homes to us and provide us with a warm shower, a meal and a place to rest our heads. We’ve been blown away by everyone’s generosity. We’ve also met some absolutely incredible people along the way: old folk, younger people, men, women, couples, people with money, people living frugally, bike shop workers, pastors, students, teachers - you name a demographic, and we’ve probably met and befriended someone from that slice of humanity on this trip. The old saw “faith in humanity restored” becomes more true for us with each passing day.
Question 2 - What has been the toughest stretch of riding?
Maddie Plank:
The toughest part of the journey was the first week and a half. Neither Charlie nor myself sufficiently trained. During our third day of riding, we rode 90 miles with incessant hills through Pennsylvania. Shortly thereafter, we rode on the bumpy gravel of the C&O Canal that exacerbated the saddle sores, wrist soreness, and back pain we were both experiencing. We have grown drastically since our first few days together, but I think our toughest bit of riding is coming within the next few weeks. We are heading into some mountains and cold weather. Hopefully our 45 of days of training so far can carry us through.
Charlie Bagin:
The toughest stretch of riding was easily the first week. We thought we were training prior to the trip’s start, but we had no idea what real training was. Our bodies weren’t ready for hours on end in the saddle. After the first week my butt and back and shoulders were unbelievably sore, and my body ached all over. I remember sitting in my grandmother’s kitchen in Pittsburgh wondering if we were way in over our heads. But it turned out we just needed to give our bodies some time to adapt and it would be full steam ahead.
Question 3 - What is something you might not have anticipated?
Maddie Plank:
Something that has really surprised me has the been the genuine kindness of most people that we come across. My parents and friends continuously asked me, “What if something terrible happens? Are you scared of not knowing anyone? Is it weird that strangers are helping you?” I came into this journey thinking that Charlie and I would feel isolated and helpless at some points. We’ve learned that people are more than willing to provide their assistance and insight in any situation. For example, I’ve had a few flat tires and multiple times we have hitched rides from complete strangers into a nearby town.
Charlie Bagin:
This answer looks inward, but I did not anticipate enjoying the thrill of minor “dangers” (and I put danger in quotes so as not to frighten my mother). I’m generally risk averse, so riding on roads used to worry me, as did going down steep hills at high speed. Now, though, I love riding on roads because paved surfaces are the best, and the roads are typically the quickest way from Point A to Point B. And I love going downhill at high speeds because nothing surpasses the feeling of the wind whipping around you, and the landscape streaming by. It’s just a lot of fun to go fast.
I also didn’t anticipate how boring it can be on the bike, and how much of a whirlwind it can be off of the bike. On the bike you are often alone with your thoughts for hours at a time, especially if the roads are too busy for Maddie and I to talk while riding. Off the bike we are constantly monitoring our routes, checking for lodging in the upcoming days, stretching, eating, blogging, communicating with friends and family and trying to find some time to relax amidst it all.
Question 4 - How is it going in general?
Maddie Plank:
In general, Charlie and I are thriving. Every day is a new challenge, and we support one another through any and all adversity. I don’t have a single complaint.
Charlie Bagin:
In general, it is going great. We’ve had minimal delays and our bodies are healthy. We are seeing the country, pushing ourselves physically and mentally, meeting people, generating discussion about mental health needs, appreciating the beauty around us, sampling ice cream and stuffing ourselves at every meal - in other words, doing everything that we set out to do at the onset of the trip. Now that the end is in sight (about a month left), I feel both eager to finish and officially complete the challenge, and also sad to think that there will soon be a time that I won’t be hopping on my bike every morning.
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