Pedaling for vigorous longevity: 45 countries on six continents in one year - Articels

Melpomene Journal, Fall-Winter, 2001 by Joyce Shaffer

"Joyce, what could possibly be fun about that?" a friend asked in obvious dismay.

"Going in and out of 45 countries in one year!" was my quick and elated response.

It was early 1994 and I was the third person to sign up for Odyssey 2000[R], an organized tour of 250 bicycle riders who would lead the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2000 - the first day of the new millennium year and the beginning of a 366-day bicycle ride which would take us to 45 countries on six continents!

We would pack everything we needed in a 17 x 17 x 36-inch cube, take 10 flights and numerous trains and ferries, spend half our time in a tent and average 80 miles of pedaling a day.

For me, there was never any doubt that this was a trip I had to do. I was very fortunate to have a husband who would join me in training and share my passion for travel.

Richard and I had pedaled 2000 miles in 1993 - the beginning of a training program to build up gradually to 5000 miles in 1999. It was the best kind of training because it gives the muscles time to acclimate to the specific skills needed in handling the bike. It also builds a growing tolerance of the small firm saddle. Aerobic efficiency, muscular strength, stretching before and after riding and endurance were essential.

Our heart rate monitors became part of our regular training. If our heart rates were slow to respond to increased intensity during hill training or if they were slow in recovery, we would rest more between rides on the assumption that we were over-training or tired. When our heart rates increased without an increase in exercise intensity, we would immediately drink fluids to rehydrate. If we noticed a dropping heart rate while maintaining the same intensity, calories were usually needed. "Drink before you're thirsty and eat before you're hungry" is the common wisdom among longdistance bicyclists.

Unforeseen struggles

Leading the Tournament of Roses parade was a very exciting moment. But it was only a few days later (as well as episodically throughout the year) when the will to go on plummeted briefly in the face of unforeseen struggles.

Heat exhaustion and electrolyte imbalance often kept me off my bike in Mexico. And, one morning, we had five flats on our two bicycles -- forcing us to hitchhike to catch up with the others.

As early as the second week, on The Baja, California Peninsula, many riders developed "The Dust Bowl Hack," a cough that led to two bouts of pneumonia for Richard and a few other riders, some of whom had to leave the trip early.

Did I mention that the trip was strenuous? Before long, Richard and I recognized that we were maximizing each other's weaknesses. I'm best before the sun has had its say, faster on the flat and downhill and earlier to bed. He's best at pedaling uphill and packing. We picked up some speed by having me set up camp at night and leave before dawn, while he took down the tent and loaded the gear truck. However, with this strategy, all we had of each other was our tired and our poor. Through hot sun, cold rain, slippery mud, snow and the hail that pelted us crossing the Andes from Chile into Argentina, we were haunted by "Joyce, what could possibly be fun about that?"

But we learned to catch up with each other more often and delay each other less. Rim tape, Armadillo kevlar tires and Mr. Tuffy liners eliminated the flats. Going off route when tired expanded our horizons while affording us R&R. Along the way, we either donated or threw away clothing and equipment to make room in the lockers for our favorite sports nutrition: LowOz helped replenish vital fluids, reduce fatigue and balance electrolytes; Max Protein bars improved our nutrition and endurance.

Am I glad I did it? Yes. I'm also glad I graduated from high school. Both have been critical to the way I want to live my life as a citizen of the world who seeks to know it as thoroughly as possible, to honor it, to continue to build the many skills needed to nourish its growth as well as my own, and to empower others who seek to do the same.

Would I do it again? Not as part of an organized tour with rigid time constraints. I would use this new learning experience to set the stage for the next course in living life well.

Amazing Diversity

As we traveled from country to country, I was amazed to see the diversity in human thought, philosophy and creativity. Barcelona, alone, was enough to drive me back to classes at the University. I would like to know what accounts for the centuries-long development of a city in which every square inch seems to have been painted by an artist's brush. I need to study the genius of Antonio Gaudi who gave the world a unique richness in architectural design. It is estimated that it will take 200 years to build his magnificent church, the Sagrada Familia. And his Parc Guell is captivating, with it's union of utility and fantasy.

It's also mind boggling to grasp the differences in human potential from historical monuments. In England, Stonehenge, begun in 3050 BC, provides a glimpse into the mathematical intelligence and religious thought back then. In Ireland, the megaliths of Carrowmore provide a much more primitive statement about simple burial rites dating back as far as 5400 BC. Both of these monuments of human thought seem pretty simple when compared to the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an, China.