Trans Am 2017 Day 19: Meadowview, VA to Daleville, VA — 173 Miles, +9,259 ft

18 min readNov 10, 2017

Oh, how right I had been. It would be a terrible day, but like my late night attack in Missouri that led to a midday crash in Illinois, my 2.5 hours of sleep wouldn’t catch up to me until later. I woke up doing decent and anxious to move. There was someone washing their car, so I was glad I hadn’t opted for the car wash for my sleep. I wondered if anyone had driven past me and felt lucky that I hadn’t been run over. I packed up and knew I needed a bathroom, so I went into the gas station. They didn’t have one, though, and directed me to the Dollar General across the street. I made my way over there only to find that it was closed, and I told myself I could make the 18 miles to Damascus.

I pedaled pretty strong, as far as I remember, through the first stretch of that morning until I starting getting a red alert for a bathroom break. I tried to hold it in as long as possible, but would end up having to make multiple stops on my way to Damascus. A quick stretch had turned into a long one, and I felt like $0 when I came into town. I went to the first gas station in town and spend 45 minutes in the bathroom. I didn’t feel particularly low energy, though, and had plenty of appetite, so scarfed down a huge breakfast and packed a lot of breakfast sandwiches for the road.

To compound my problems, I pulled up my cue sheet, which I had in a Google Sheets file and had been using in the Sheets app all race, and somehow none of the towns in Virginia were showing their mileage or services. I wondered if I’d somehow deleted all that info in my lucid state the night before, or if I’d never actually put it in. I relied heavily on these mileage and service details to plan my stops and orient myself, and without it I had no idea what was ahead. Would I find anything in the miles of hills ahead? I was totally blind, and I was pissed at myself for whatever had happened to it. This info had picked an inopportune time to flake on me, but it reappeared as soon as the race finished. WTF.

I finally made it out of the gas station and met Larry of Crazy Larry’s Hostel in the parking lot. I had totally forgot that he was there and would have definitely made the push to Damascus if I’d remembered. He told me that today was National Naked Hike day, so he was off to do that when we parted ways. Sounded fun. I thought back to a video of Jesse Carlsson coming into Damascus from 2015.

I had gone into the day with the intention of making it to Lexington, and possibly going through the night to get over the Blue Ridge Parkway and sleeping for a couple hours in Charlottesville before making the last push to Yorktown. In my mind, this was the best way to make it in under 20 days. In hindsight, I should have recognized that it was purely ego that wanted me to get up Vesuvius in that push and that I would be taking one big sleep before my last push anyway. It didn’t matter if that was in Charlottesville, Lexington, or earlier when I slept that night. I should have set my sights sooner, and I wouldn’t have continued to beat myself up all day as Lexington seemed to get no closer.

As it was, I rolled out of Damascus feeling strong and excited to get over this second to last hump. I felt like my stomach issues were behind me for now, and I could focus on the riding. The road climbed steadily along a river, and the incline increased steadily as it went from river to creek to stream to trickle. The vans of the bike rental companies in Damascus zipped past me constantly, pulling a trailer stacked with shitty bikes, and I wondered when I would start to see tourists zipping down the hill on them.

Summit County has our version of this called the Vail Pass Shuttle. Rental companies throughout Summit County drive tourists from the midwest to the top of Vail pass at over 10.6k feet and put them on $100 beaters, then send them down 9 miles of terrifying bike path down to Copper, not pedaling once. These aren’t the people you want to run into when you are pushing watts up the hill, but I was glad that I had a full two lanes between me and any tourists that might come ripping down.

It flattened out briefly before the top, and then dropped sharply before I started a slow climb again through Konarock. The rental vans turned right before Konarock, staying on the larger road, while I stayed straight and ended up on a much smaller one. I felt good as I came through town and wanted to keep moving before I stopped again. This climb followed a similar pattern as the last, running along a creek until it ran out, then dropping off hard. This was the highest point in Virginia and the highest we’d been since Colorado.

I dropped down to Troutdale but the route doesn’t actually go through the town, if there is one, then immediately I hit a short, steep climb. It wasn’t bad and I was happy to get over this second to last hump before Yorktown. It was a lumpy road to the last “hump”, Vesuvius, but there weren’t any big hills that stood out on the elevation profile. I stopped at the convenience store in Sugar Grove and just remember starting to feel kind of spent. I ran into a touring cyclist there who I chatted with for a few. I didn’t spend too much time in the store, but I was either dehydrated, hungry, tired, or all of those. I left Sugar Grove planning to stop in Wytheville next, though not knowing really how far it was due to my failed cue sheet. Not knowing the mileage would really mess with my head, as I couldn’t really plan and was pedaling without set goals in mind, which was dangerous.

I got phone service in Rural Retreat for the first time since Meadowview and loaded the tracker. After my problems that morning, I was closer to Sofiane and Ken than I was to Richard, and I felt like shit. I just felt tired, things were moving slow, though I had actually pedaled pretty quickly thus far that day.

I called my mom when I was coming into Wytheville and learned that my tracker had only just updated in Sugar Grove, the only update since Meadowview, and I check it to make it was still on. It was, but I changed the batteries just in case. My tracker had been acting funny since Booneville, updating every hour or two and often showing me paused, many miles behind where I actually was.

Not until now had it caused a problem, and my mom had worried when she saw me stopped for 8 hours at the Love’s and, when she couldn’t get in touch since I didn’t have service, she called them to check if I was there and OK. They had even called my name over the intercom! I felt horrible that my tracker issues had caused my mom to worry, but she told me she wasn’t too worried since she’d seen that Sofiane and Ken had passed my dot and she figured that they would have notified someone if I was having an issue. I had hoped that being out of the jagged hills would make it work better. It didn’t.

I was in Wytheville feeling pretty wrecked. It was clear that I had a hard time on days like this after very little sleep and a big effort the night before. I was kicking myself for wasting time in Love’s, sleeping poorly, and having stomach issues, all small setbacks that added up.

I felt the anxiousness and low power that would characterize these tired days. I would just get lost in my struggles and my own head, and spend a lot of mental energy on BS. It was also hot and I could feel myself getting extremely sunburnt on my totally exposed back. The mesh of my reflective vest wasn’t doing much against the sun. My mom told me to go buy a shirt, dumb ass! I told her there was no time! No time! This was stupid, because it would take me two seconds to buy a shirt, but this was where my head was at. People talk about making bad decisions tired, and this day would be full of them.

I pedaled out of Wytheville feeling like I’d burned my last match the night before and like I would just have to cling on in this lucid state until Yorktown, if I ever got there. The miles creeped by incredibly slowly, and, even though I felt like I was cruising after Wytheville, my expectations were totally off and I was way deflated when I realized I hadn’t gone very far. I was measuring my progress by the percentage of the distance my dot on Google Maps moved between Wytheville and Christiansburg, and it was not doing me any favors. The entire race, I’d known the mileage between stops, and I could focus on this as I went. We were also riding alongside Highway 81, a major interstate, and you could hear the road. I never do well near an interstate.

The best decision I made was to go buy a shirt from a Love’s outside of Fort Chiswell. I just remember walking in there, looking across the store, and seeing a glowing red, sleeveless t-shirt with an American flag painted across the front. I had to have it. The only size they had was XXL, and that was perfect. I had the shoulders of an M at that moment, but the only way to wear that bad boy was with some extra fabric. I called my mom and told her the exciting news. Good boy.

It would go downhill for a while after that. I couldn’t believe how slow I seemed to be going, and felt like I did when I got super drowsy late at night. Miles seemed impossible. This all seemed impossible. Everything was happening so slowly. Not long after Love’s, I got a flat. I fixed it and burrowed down for a 30 minute nap on the side of the road in front of someone’s house. Ken passed me while I did, and I remember someone driving by asking if I was OK when I started to stand up.

I took consolation in knowing that I’d spent myself. I was creeping down the road because I’d pushed myself past my limit. I didn’t do well when I was that sleep deprived, and I should have managed my sleep better because of that. The nap did help some, so maybe I should have done more of that, and earlier in the day. But I’d taken a risk, spent myself, and hadn’t recovered. Again, I’d come to the start line of the Trans Am to push myself as far into the suffer as possible, so I could at least hang my hat on that.

I biked along some body of water outside of Radford that I seemed to be next to for hours, but looking at the map it was hardly a couple miles. I went through town, dead set on not stopping until Christiansburg. I pushed over the two small climbs then passed a gas station where I thought about stopping, but wanted to get into town. I was lost in my head, whiny, feeling sorry for myself, and pedaling fucking slowly. I felt like a spectacle of lame, pitiful suffering. My head was broke. But at least I was moving.

Just before Christianburg, all of the sudden Ken pedaled up next to me! At no point in the race was I excited to see Ken (given that he was always me closest competition), except for this moment. His introduction immediately brought me out of the headspace I was in, and we pedaled and chatted and I felt competitive again. We came into Christianburg and I had my eye out for an easy gas station. We passed some on the edge of town, but I wanted to get through town first before stopping. Then, all the sudden we were gone. We’d left town and I had hardly a couple snacks and only a little water. Panic set in a bit and I kicked myself for doing this. THIS is why you race your own race and don’t pay attention to other people. In my haste to keep up with Ken, I’d made a mistake that could set me back majorly. I could likely fill up on water at someone’s house along the way if I was desperate, but no food could mean a major bonk and destruction of my legs. We were heading out away from the highway for what looked like a really long stretch, and I didn’t see any obvious towns ahead on Google Maps.

As we went, I googled franticly. Because my cue sheet wasn’t working, I had to google “Gas Stations” in the vague area ahead of us where I thought the route went. I found one maybe 20 miles ahead, but had to cross check with my RideWithGPS route to make sure it was actually on the route. It was getting late in the day — it was after 7 — and a super rural gas station could easily be closed by then. But as it was, they said they were open when I called and the route went right past. I had been bailed out massively. I hadn’t made many, if any, mistakes like this the entire race, and I felt so stupid and so lucky to have happened upon a resupply that I wasn’t expecting but badly needed.

Ken’s introduction had given me a shot of life, and I felt a lot more awake and strong as we rode through the increasingly remote Virginia hills. It was a good reminder that so often your struggles are self inflicted. Fix your mindset, eat some food, and focus on a goal and you’ll feel a lot better. Just keep pushing, keep eating. Even in my tired state, I was out of nowhere feeling strong again.

We came into the town/junction where I was hoping to find the gas station, and I was relieved to see that it was actually there. Ken had told me he was gunning for under 20 days, and that he would take one more solid sleep in Lexington that night, then make a sprint for it. He wouldn’t make it to Lexington (he slept in Buchanan that night), but he finished the last 300 miles impressively and as strong as anyone. He crushed it and congrats to him on such a rad finish and beating his initial goal of 21 days!

I had the same plan as him, but had to make a stop for supplies and, stupidly enough, to charge my lights up a bit for the night. I’d delayed plugging my lights into my dynamo all day for no reason other than anxiety about stopping and was now paying for it since neither the front nor back was very charged. I plugged them in while I ate and hustled to fill up and fuel up. It was a pretty quick stop, but it gave me a chance to look at the road ahead and make a plan for the night. It was Lexington or bust at that point, as far as I thought, but I had over 80 miles to get there, which wouldn’t happen until the wee hours of the night. I knew it was unlikely that there would be anything in the next 40 miles that ran through remote, tiny towns, well off the interstate. Daleville was the next town I’d hit, and I assumed that, like most interstate towns, it would have or be near a 24 hour gas station. I didn’t think I would, but if I had to I could sleep there. I wanted to get a hotel room, shower, and good meal, wherever it was, before the last push straight to Yorktown.

It was a beautiful sunset, and the caffeine I’d taken on board felt good as I went. The road was in rough shape and was pounding my bum on the way, but I was moving pretty well. I knew the road between me and Daleville was one gradual up and then gradual down, undulating all the way. I think I was actually really cranking at points in the first 10 or 20 miles. Then, as I was afraid, I fell off hard.

I don’t really remember that much from this night, but soon I fell into the extremely tired state where I felt like I was pedaling in mud. The time was flying by, and the miles weren’t. I fought the urge to sleep and had to focus as hard as I could on the road. I pulled into Catawba and thought about sleeping there, but I had my heart set on a shower and there was nothing but a post office. I even stopped my bike for a moment to consider, thinking about washing off in a spigot or something and sleeping in the post office, but none of this sounded appealing. I wanted a shower and bed badly to get me ready for a ride straight through to Yorktown.

So I pushed on to Daleville, pissed at myself that I’d given myself the out of Daleville and thinking I should have said “Lexington or Bust!” As if that would have helped. I was so tired, so cooked. I crept down the road, though I think at some points I felt strong (IDK I don’t really remember), and finally made the hard right around some mountains. Final stretch for the night! I rolled into Daleville to find that the actual town was really 2 miles off the highway, and quite small. I wanted to get food and such and kicked myself for not looking more closely at what was here. Everything, including motels, was down by the highway.

I needed food anyway and couldn’t imagine continuing on through the next barren stretch. I thought I would just fall off my bike somewhere past Troutville if I kept going. So, I made the decision to pedal off route and find food and sleep. As with all the miles, these two went by slowly and I felt like I was really going far off route, but I knew I needed it. I wasn’t too drowsy in these moments, by my head really just wasn’t there. The road was awful, divided two lanes with trucks, seemingly coming from nowhere, zipping by, and my front light was almost completely out while my back one was gone. So I was a little terrified. At some point here someone with a Connecticut number texted me to turn my tracker on. All I could only think was fuck, I was having enough issues, don’t bug me! I figured it was someone involved in running the race or an ambitious dot watcher who’d gotten my number, but I’d realize later that it had been Richard, anxious to know where I was. He thought I was playing games with the tracker. No, Richard, you are far in front of me, don’t worry.

I obviously intended to get food first, then a room, but nothing I passed was open. I went by a Kroger’s gas station that was open, but there wasn’t a convenience store there. I didn’t even think that it was a Kroger’s so there would be a full grocery store nearby that was probably 24 hours, but I’d learn that in a moment. I got to the first motel, a Howard Johnson, and rolled in. I spoke gibberish to the guy at the front desk and he looked at me funny, but we finally got me a room. He told me there was breakfast at 6 AM and I thought HA, as if I’ll not be in Lexington or something by then. He also said the only place that would be open for food was the Kroger’s half a mile back. Fuck, OK I’ll go there.

I thought it was closer than it was, and rode down the wrong side of the road to get there, shooting off into the grass when a car passed. My light was out and I couldn’t see shit. I got this sinking feeling that I’d left my wallet behind. I finally made it to the Kroger’s. God, this was taking too long. I pulled up to the entrance and was not relieved to find that I had in fact left my wallet (or two credit cards and a driver’s license wrapped with a rubber band) at the HoJo. Fuuuuckkk meeeeeeeeee. God, I felt stupid. Nothing to do but go back, so I did. Trucks flew by and I, at least going the right way this time, pedaled in the dirt along the road. It would be oh so funny if I got a flat in these moments. Here I was, 2 miles off the road, spinning my wheels in a stupid problem I’d just created for myself, not sleeping, not showering, not eating, not doing anything good. It all felt terrible.

I got there, got my wallet, and went back to Kroger’s, riding on the correct side of the road this time. Good, that made sense. I made it in there and had no idea what to get. I still wasn’t drowsy, but I wandered and wandered, my brain hardly in the same state as my body and stomach. I finally got a microwaveable calzone and other crap to eat before bed, as well as snacks and breakfast for the morning. I somehow made it out of there and back to the HoJo, where I showered, enjoyed the hot calzone and other crap. I washed my shorts in the shower because, for some reason, I felt so dirty and sticky and gross. This would be the case for the last couple days, and it led me to plenty a stupid decision. Though going shirtless/sleeveless in an American Flag T was not one of them. That was sweet.

I finally was ready to sleep, well over an hour from when I’d first pulled into town. The last two nights had been such a massive waste of time, I felt so stupid. It’s a challenge to be efficient and smart when your head is so far gone, but it’s all part of the race. Stay smart, even in the toughest times. I managed to do that most of the time, but not late in the race.

I was conflicted as I went to bed. I had wanted to get solid sleep and felt like I needed to or else I wouldn’t make it to Yorktown. But, real sleep would be a late wake up, and I had scoffed at the hotel guy when he told me breakfast at 6. I couldn’t face him after that. That really did go through my head. I wanted to keep moving. Could I get away with a quick sleep? I think it was a little after 2, and I decided to sleep for 3.5 hours. I think, something like that. I’d have an early start on the day and at least a chunk of sleep. Electronics were charging, and I said adios to day 19.

Even looking back now, I really don’t know what I could have done differently on this shitty day and slow final three days. When you’re excessively tired, you need to either sleep or pedal through, eating and doing good things for your head like the right music and good thoughts. There is no doubt that I had lost some of my mental edge as I looked forward to the finish. At no point throughout the race had I looked past the night in front of me, but here I was thinking about how good it would feel to reach Yorktown. I started thinking about how nice it would be to be off the bike, or to ride with friends. I lost my focus in a major way. Without my cuesheet and mileage to focus on, as dumb as it sounds, everything in front of me was just one big blob of road that felt foreshortened on my way to Yorktown. One major thing I could have done is to work on this focus. Don’t thinking about the next day, just focus on getting to Lexington or whatever my goal was. What if I meditated, almost like I did going up Lolo Pass? Just quieted the brain and focused on one or two things. Should I have taken micro naps? They never worked for me before, but maybe they would have done something now. The one I took on this day may have helped some. Unfortunately, I tried basically everything and nothing worked. I was doing everything I possibly could in those moments to keep moving.

From the beginning of the race, this finishing stretch was a worry of mine. I knew I had a habit of falling off once the end was close on big things like this and losing focus. If we are talking about ultra endurance as an opportunity for reflection and self improvement, I need to look no further than this nasty little habit right here. I was happy with how I reacted in moments of weakness during the race, but it was in this moment of strength — my finishing goal well in hand and only a couple hundred miles to go — where I faded.

Trans Am 2017 Intro

Trans Am Day 1: Astoria, OR to McKenzie Bridge, OR

Trans Am Day 2: McKenzie Bridge, OR to Prairie City, OR

Trans Am Day 3: Prairie City, OR to Council, ID

Trans Am Day 4: Council, ID to Lochsa Lodge, ID

Trans Am Day 5: Lochsa Lodge, ID to Bannack State Park, MT

Trans Am Day 6: Bannack State Park, MT to Cameron, MT

Trans Am Day 7: Cameron, MT to Lander, WY

Trans Am Day 8: Lander, WY to Cowdrey, CO

Trans Am Day 9: Cowdrey, CO to Alma, CO

Trans Am Day 10: Alma, CO to Haswell, CO

Trans Am Day 11: Haswell, CO to Ness City, KS