It’s February 1st today. My cross-country journey starts in early May, so I have just over three months left to get ready.
This journey has been a long time in the making. Long before I ever heard of Crossroads Cycling Adventures. I had originally planned to take this journey with a different company (which I had found through an ad in Bicycling magazine), but sadly, that company’s founder passed away unexpectedly, and the company that took over dropped their cross-country trips. I was left to find another touring company, which I ultimately did.
Last year, as that company (Crossroads Cycling Adventures) began their Cross-country journey, I eagerly followed along, reading several of their rider blogs. I discussed my plan with my boss, and he graciously approved the time off. As my excitement reached a fever pitch, I filled out the registration form for 2024 and gave them my deposit. The plan was in motion….
Soon after completing my registration, I received a copy of the tour calendar and their training guide. I pored over both, and planned out exactly when and how I would begin my preparation. I was still in the midst of a Metric Century a Month Challenge that I was in the process of completing with my girlfriend, so the plan was to begin my formal training as soon as we completed that challenge.
December arrived, we completed our metric century for December, and it was time to begin. This was starting to get real.
Not long after, in early January, I received my bill for the balance, along with the necessary forms I needed to complete. I eagerly filled out the necessary paperwork, and mailed them in along with my check. About a week later, I received an email from Paula Farmer at Crossroads Cycling Adventures letting me know that she had received my paperwork and my check. To say I was excited would be an understatement.
The next day, I received a fraud alert from my bank, stating that they had received an “unusual check” and they wanted me to confirm its authenticity. (Thank you to my bank for having my back!) I quickly logged into my banking app, viewed the details, and confirmed the transaction. When I checked back about an hour later, the check was showing as cleared.
This is happening….
Last Friday, I received the first of fourteen installments of “Tour Talk,” Crossroads’ weekly informational newsletter designed to help the riders prepare for their journey. I eagerly devoured it.
Today is Thursday. Tomorrow I will be receiving the second installment, with more information regarding my upcoming tour. I can hardly wait!
Leading up to my trip, I plan to post an update here around the start of each month, and will begin posting daily updates starting with the day I fly out to California at the beginning of May.
In addition to this blog, I am posting videos of some of my training rides on my YouTube channel, Alan’s Cycling Adventures. I will also be posting daily videos of my journey once we are underway in May and June. You can follow along here:
https://youtube.com/@alanscyclingadventures4945?si=CJbqYcnQQIES80RV
Stay tuned for more….
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