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Please join us as we follow the progress of our own Mike Roon as he rides across America in support of the Water For People program. Mike's wife Kim has promised to keep us informed and we will pass that information along to you on this site.

Just thought I would let you know how Mike's first day went. He finished about 5:45 pm last night. He sounded VERY worn out! He said it was very tough. 123 miles, a few hills. He is rooming with a guy from England, they get along very well and they bike about the same. They finished up yesterday together. I will send you a copy of his bike route and itinerary. He will be starting out within the next hour for day two. He will be riding 117 miles today to Blythe, CA. I am going to make an e-mail group to keep everyone updated on his "adventure"! However, I will be leaving for Florida May 10 and returning May 17, then I am driving to Champaign, IL on May 18 to see Mike. If I can find a way to keep people updated during that week, I will do so.

We started out at 6:30 this morning and rode 117 miles to Blythe, CA. It was hot crossing the dessert, the winds were out of the east and we were sandblasted. Our instructor told us "there are 5 days out of the year when we have winds like this, and congratulations, you've got one of them!" We climbed 2,000 feet today. My left knee was inflamed by the end of the ride from all of the climbing. We will be climbing for the next 3 days, Ibuprofen will be my new best friend! Riding on the expressway was not as bad as I thought it would be, I averaged 17.6 mph. Peter, a doctor on the trip had 5 flat tires, I have not had any so far. There are 14 of us in the group, the oldest is 62, the youngest is 22. We will be climbing for the next three days, 4,000 feet tomorrow to Wickenburg, AZ.

(To e-mail messages to Mike, send to howsudon@aol.com and I will pass the message on to him -- Kim Roon)

It was hot again today. We rode 117 miles to Wickenburg, AZ. We had 3 major climbs. The first climb was 5 1/2 miles, the second 9 1/2 miles and the third, 5 miles. The plus side of that -- the last 2 - 3 miles was downhill!!! I averaged 16.1 mph today and finished up around 4:00 p.m. Peter, the doctor from England gave me some pain killers for my knee and I continue to ice it at night. We had to go through some construction which caused me to get a punctured tube, luckily it held out until the end of the ride. My roommate, Tora, is not from England. He is originally from Norway and currently lives in the United States. There are 3 of us that are over 200 lbs, they call us the Clydesdales. The leader told me this is the closest knit group he has ever seen. We have all bonded very well and cheer each other on, which really helps out. As I arrived at the "finish line" today, the riders who had already finished were there waiting, cheering and clapping for the rest of us coming in.

Today we climbed 11,000 feet. We climbed Mingus Mountain which was 7,743 feet alone. There were 3 major climbs, 5 miles, 9 miles and 8 1/2 miles long, it has been the toughest climbing day yet. We did have some tail winds. The scenery was great, I took some pictures. If I can get the pictures to Kim, I will have her scan them in.

Last evening I received a surprise call from Mike. He was in high spirits after a rigorous day of "climbing". He had traveled through Sedonna and Jerome Arizona and thought the scenery was absolutely breath-taking. His day was tough because of the elevation the group first tackled with many switch-backs and tough climbs. He stated he worked very hard to travel at a rate of 4 mph in several of the locations. The last part of the day was downhill and quite rapid and of course, enjoyable. He had some time to kick back as the day's riding concluded about 2:30.

The group of "bikers" sounds like they are really developing a strong bond. Sounds like a rolling support group with many new friendships forming. From the sound of it, this is really helping everyone pull hard throughout each of the riding days.

Mike sounded confident and strong and wanted me to let everyone know how much he appreciates the opportunity to represent Water for People in this quest. He is very proud of carrying that banner and also wanted to thank all of his supporters.

I had a flat tire when I woke up this morning. We rode 126 miles to Gallup, NM on I-40. The rumble strips went all the way across the road which was a little rough on our bikes. Over the 126 miles, we climbed 3,300 feet. About 300 yards from the hotel, I got another flat, I walked the rest of the way. My knee is doing fine, it only flares up on hard climbs.

We had to start a little earlier this morning, we biked 142 miles to Albuquerque, NM. The first 30 miles was all climbing. There were strong headwinds all day. We got wind burned. We rode over the Continental Divide, it was down hill the rest of the day, but with the strong headwinds, going down hill, I was only going 7 mph! The gusts of winds were about 30 mph and blew me off the road twice. We had our first accident, Mary Ann bumped into another bike and fell, separating her collar bone, she finished the ride for the day. I am not sure if she will be able to finish the trip. We arrived at the hotel about 6:30 p.m. Tora and I have decided that when this bike trip is all done, we are going to sell our bikes with a sign that says "For Sale -- used only 30 days!!" Ha Ha!!

The first 60 miles was all climbing, but at last, we had west winds ALL DAY!!! (Thanks for your prayers!) We had 10 miles of downhill, that was great, then the last 20 miles was climbing again. We climbed a total of 9,800 feet. The scenery is beautiful out here and the weather is cooperating with us. It has been in the mid 80's.

The first 1 1/2 hour of our ride today was climbing. I cannot wait to get out of the mountains, this should be our last day. We climbed almost vertical for 3/4 mile, I was climbing at a rate of 4.8 mph! Our instructor told us this would be the toughest vertical climb we would have. The ride leveled off and once we came off the mesa (which was a beautiful site), we had a 3 mile descent, I was then traveling at 43.8 mph! The weather continues to be warm, 93 degrees today! MaryAnn is doing well, her injury was only "stage 1". She is an excellent cyclist. I reached the hotel at 4:30 p.m. I am feeling stronger every day.

Today was only a 96 mile day to Dalhart, Texas with a total of 550 feet of climbing, and tailwinds all day! The roads were in good condition and the traffic was light. What a great day! My rear tire blew out on me, I was going 31 mph, it was a little spooky, I kept the bike under control though and was only one mile from the sag stop. We loaded the bike and changed the tire at the sag stop. I averaged 23 mph and got in around 1:30 p.m. Our time difference is only one hour now.

We took off a little later today, around 7:00 - 7:30 a.m. We had good winds the first half of the day. The last 55 miles of our ride, the winds shifted, we had 15-20 mph headwinds, it felt like we hit a wall. I could only go 10 mph. The terrain is really flat, if we can get a west wind, we could average 26-27 mph. Tomorrow we are headed to Dodge City, KS., only 83 miles. If we don't hit any head winds -- it will be a short day! We're counting down to Monday -- rest day!! We all plan to go see the movie "Spiderman". Thank you for all of your encouraging e-mails, it is nice to hear from you.

A tough day for biking in Kansas with headwinds of 20-30 mph, the temperature to start the day was 38 degrees and the day ended in the 50s. Mike averaged about 9.0 mph with the strong headwinds. Being tired at the end of the day is an understatement.

Well, the headwinds remained constant for the first half of the day but then switched to tailwinds for the second half of the day. The weather continued to be brutal with thunderstorms (and hail forecasted). The day was complicated by a trip to the dentist in Sterling, Kansas because of a chipped tooth and root canal in the evening hours. Help me, Mr.Wizard.....(I'm paraphrasing here on Mike's behalf).

The winds of Kansas continued with 30-40 mph sidewinds. Sidewinds, headwinds, tailwinds, no wonder Kansas is tornado country. The instructor has never seen winds this strong during a ride. Mike traveled about 130 miles and averaged 18 mph and was in at 3:30. In the evening, the riders had a T-shirt swap where everyone had to bring a T-shirt from home to swap with another rider.

Another day of tough conditions with strong crosswinds and rain. The rolling hills in Kansas are tough. Mike traveled 105 miles and is looking forward to the rest day scheduled for Monday. The riders will take it easy and are planning to see the movie "Spiderman". Happy Mothers Day greetings from Mike to all the moms out there.

The day of rest was definitely appreciated. After sleeping in until 8:00 AM, Mike spent time doing laundry and working on his bike. Later he walked to the photo shop to get some pictures developed (we may be seeing some of these in future updates) and went to see the movie Spiderman.

Back at it!! Mike traveled the 88 miles to St. Joseph, MO averaging 15.8 mph on this beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the mid 70s. There were some rolling hills on this very pleasant day of riding. Mike was in by 2:00 PM.

On to Kirksville, MO. Up at 6:00 AM for the 141 miles of biking. Only about 5 miles of the total was flat with many hills and some extremely rude drivers. The shoulders of the road are narrow making for difficult biking. The cross winds were at about 20-30 mph. Mike averaged 16 mph through some beautiful green landscapes. When the bikers arrived at the hotel that night, the staff had a red, white and blue cake ready and had a little celebration for the riders.

Mile traveled 80 miles to Quincy, IL in light rain and cold temperatures. He left at 7:00 AM and traveled for the first 40 miles of rolling hills following by relatively flat roads until he completed the day's ride at 1:30 PM. He is suffering through some pain in his left Achilles tendon. Mike averaged 16.3 mph throughout the day.

It was pouring rain all day with 15 - 20 mph headwinds! It took me 8 hours and 10 minutes to ride the 105 miles from Quincy, IL to Springfield, IL. I did not get over 12 mph all day. It was 42 degrees. One of the riders had to ride in the van, he was so cold he was turning blue. My ankle is throbbing. I am icing it each night and taking Aleve.

We left at 6:30 this morning and rode 7 miles to Bob Evans for Breakfast. The temperature was 39 degrees, the wind-chill was 33 degrees. We headed northeast towards Champaign, IL and had north winds 15 -20 mph, which made riding tough. The good thing about today, it was really flat! They have received a lot of rain down here, which has caused some flooding. The farmer's fields are under water. I am glad we missed all that rain! I arrived at the hotel at 3:20 p.m. and noticed I had a broken spoke. It was great to see my wife and brother-in-law who drove down to see me, they were waiting for me when I arrived at the hotel. My left AC is still really sore. One of the riders is a physical therapist and she believes I have a small tear in my AC. She has given me tips on what gears to ride in and what gears to stay away from that would put pressure on my AC. I am just praying that it does not tear any further. My knee is doing fine. I am learning a lot about nutrition! My bike is definitely going up for sale in 11 days. No offer will be refused! I will pay shipping & handling or will trade for anything with a motor, such as a moped! I am off to Lebanon, IN tomorrow. Someone sacrifice a chicken for west winds please!

We went to breakfast at Bob Evans, my wife, Kim joined us. Mike, the leader told us the weather channel is calling for northwest winds and we'll take anything with a W in it! He also informed us they are calling for rain later today, if we get in early, we'll miss it. The weather channel was wrong! We had southeast winds all day! It made for a long day. I arrived at the hotel at 2:45, it started raining shortly after that. My brother, his wife and my mother drove down to see me. They stayed for a few hours and went back home. Tomorrow morning we are touring a bike factory. They are picking us up at 6:30 a.m. We will not be on the road until 9:00 a.m. and will then bike 104 miles to Richmond, IN. I have decided that whatever way the wind is blowing tomorrow, that is the way I am going! We should have started in Boston and rode to Irvine! Thanks again for all of your e-mails. Riding 100 miles against the wind makes for a long day, it is really nice to hear some encouraging words from you!

(It was really nice to see Mike this weekend, he looked great! I had the privilege of meeting everyone in his group. He is riding with some very nice people from all walks of life (doctor, attorney, physical therapist, retiree, computer programmer, a few of them are professional bikers). This is the first "Bike Across America" trip for all but one of the bikers. I look forward to seeing the group and especially Mike next Wednesday in Boston! They are incredible athletes. Mike Munk, the Tour Leader, also has a website you may visit. He has included photos and bios of each rider and his own daily journal. The website address is: abbike.com, click on Fast America Ride, then Fast America West Ride, then Rider's Page, then Mike Munk's Bicyclying Web Site.)

We toured the Roark Bicycle Factory early this morning. A Roark bicycle titanium frame ONLY costs $1,995. The tour was very enjoyable. We then started our ride for the day around 9:30 a.m. Six cyclists from the Roark Race Team rode with us the first 30 miles. The countryside was beautiful, we passed several multi-million dollar mansions -- exquisite! Everyone was in good spirits today. The winds were directly out of the north, we were biking directly east so the winds weren't to bad, at least they weren't headwinds! The roads were in good condition. I arrived at the hotel at 4:15 p.m. Tomorrow we will be riding to Marysville, OH and will then be in the same time zone. My AC is very sore and black and blue. Jill looked at it this morning and said it is torn on the outside, but it is still connected, if it gets any worse, I will be done. When I return home, I will need to get it x-rayed to see how bad it really is. According to Jill, in most tears, they just suggest rest. Peter the doctor concurred that it is torn. It just has to stay together for 9 more days!!

The ride went very well today. We left around 6:30 a.m. and biked 104 miles to Marysville, OH. I arrived at 3:50 p.m. We lost an hour when entering Ohio. The headwinds were only 10 mph. We traveled on nice roads again today with beautiful scenery. We are traveling on the back roads which makes the traffic a little lighter. It is nice riding in the country. There are more dogs on the country roads, and they enjoy chasing us. I had one dog keep up with me at 25 mph the other day! My bike is holding up very well. My AC is sore but is hanging on!

We had a really good day today. The temperature started out at 35 degrees but it made it up to 60 degrees. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky and the winds were almost non-existent. It felt good seeing some sunshine and it lifted everyone's spirits! I made good time today, rode all day with Peter. The first 50 miles today was flat, nice country side, a lot of farms. The last 50 miles were rolling hills. My ankle is not getting any worse! I am taking ibuprofen and icing it for an hour each night. It looks like another sunny day tomorrow. We will start out on hills, but it will then flatten out. Only 6 more days to go!

When we first took off this morning, it was around 40 degrees. Within an hour, it warmed up. We had southwest winds most of the day! (Thanks for your prayers!) The last 30 miles of our ride to Niles, Ohio was "pot hole haven" -- you think Michigan's bad! I wouldn't even drive my car down here! I would dodge one pot hole, only to hit three more! My rear rim cracked in 2 - 3 places. I flagged the van to stop and they gave me a spare tire to use to finish the ride. When I arrived in Niles, I went to a bike shop and purchased a new wheel, only $91! It was a very nice bike shop, it reminded me of Alger Schwinn back home. Tomorrow we will be biking 137 miles to Dunkirk, NY, the third longest day. We are on the home stretch!

This morning's ride was different than any other day. The whole group rode together for the first 50 miles - to the first SAG (stuff and go) stop. It was really nice. After lunch, everyone went at their own pace. The day went better than we anticipated. We had some tail winds today, the winds were out of the southwest. What a big difference that makes. Our route today was really flat. We did have rain the last 50 miles of the ride. I averaged 17.8 mph. I arrived at the hotel at 4:00. It is a very nice hotel overlooking Lake Erie. The only thing here in Dunkirk, NY is the hotel we are staying at and a marina. Tomorrow is going to be an easy day, only 83 miles. We get to sleep in until 8:00 a.m. At our lunch stop we will be touring a bike museum. Any bids on my bike yet?! Have a nice and safe Memorial weekend.

Saturday, 5/25/02
So much for sleeping in! We still had to rise early for breakfast at 6:45, but did not leave until 8:30. We rode 40 miles to the bike museum. It is the largest private collection of bikes in the world. We toured the museum and had lunch there. We left at 11:30 a.m. to finish our ride. We had headwinds all day, 15 - 20 mph, the sun shined all day, temperature was 68 degrees. The roads were mostly flat, with a few good climbs. We only had to ride 83 miles today, to Batavia, NY. Tomorrow will be a bit longer, 115 miles to Syracuse, NY.

Sunday, 5/26/02
For the first 20 miles today, the three Clydesdales, Peter, Tora and myself, rode like "wildmen". The "A" team (the elite riders) got a big kick out it! Then Peter got a flat, so Tora and I continued on and met up with Brian, from the "A" team. Five miles down the road, Tora got a flat, Brian and I continued on. Then Brian got a flat, so I continued on -- you know what's coming -- three miles after that, I got a flat! Tora, Brian and I ended up with 3 flats each for the day, several of the riders had two and others only had one. It appears there were little bits of glass all over the road. Other than that, the terrain was pretty good, we did have some good climbs today, and yes we had --------- WEST WINDS!!!!!! (Thank you God!) I averaged 17.8 mph. Tomorrow will be a very long day, 126 miles to Amsterdam, NY. Three more days to go!

Monday, 5/27/02
I arrived in Amsterdam, NY around 4:30 p.m. The terrain was flat most of the way. It was a very sunny, hot day. We rode along the Erie Canal/Mohawk River System most of the day. The roads were in good condition, although I did have one flat tire just before the SAG stop. Traffic was light. We went through a lot of small towns and just missed their parade. We all wore our red, white & blue bike shirts, which drew a lot of honks and cheers from motorists. We had headwinds all day. I averaged 16 mph. We are very exhausted. You would think that after biking approximately 8 hours every day for 29 days, our legs would be used to it -- but there not. Only two more days to the "finish line". The only sad thing about that is, I will have to say goodbye to a great group of people. Tomorrow sounds like it is going to be a very hilly ride. 115 miles to Greenfield, MA. My wife, brother and sister-in-law will be there when I arrive. It will be great to see them!

Wednesday – May 29, 200 2

The Last Day!! The weather was cloudy with some light rain near Boston. The ride started with an early seven-mile long climb that was very rigorous. Following the “big climb”, the 83 miles of riding before our lunch stop was extremely fast and fun. We covered the distance in about 3.5 hours. The 30 miles that were left, however, were very slow (3 hours) as our final leg into Boston was through well- traveled streets that weren’t very biker friendly. Judging from the symbol that many motorists greeted us with, we’re #1. While the people of Boston didn’t really provide a welcoming committee, my brother, sister-in-law, and my wife provided all the welcome needed for me.

The weather was cloudy with some fog as I dipped the wheel of my bike in the ocean to complete the long journey. I made it!! Finally!!

I’m off to a celebration banquet with my family and will be headed back home tomorrow.

I’ll write a final summary as soon as I can but want to thank everyone for the support and encouragement provided to me throughout the journey. The e-mail messages and notes were fantastic. I can’t wait to thank all of you in person when I see you soon.

Mike

Well, WE have finally done it. Yes, we! I want you all to know that I could not have made this journey without the sincere words of encouragement I received along the way. Thank you all so much. Our ride leader, Mike Munk, said it would take a few days for it to settle in on what you have done. He was right. When I finished, I said I would never do this again! The truth is I am already planning to do this again someday with my wife, just at a slower pace. It is a great way to see the rural side of our great country. I can't tell you how many times we stopped in "smallsville" USA and talked to the local people who all thought we were little crazy though. We did get free ice cream and soup in a few of our stops which always tastes better when it's free. I plan on giving a presentation this September at the Section meeting about the bike trip. It will be filled with fun facts! Like how many gallons of Gatorade did I drink, or road kill smorgages board cooking tips, etc. you get the idea. It should be fun and entertaining. People have been asking how am I feeling. Well, better than you may think. My knee is fine. The pain left in a couple of days and never returned. My Achilles tendon has a slight tear but will heal on it's own with a couple of weeks of rest. My "saddle sores" will stay with me for a while but will also mend over time. I don't like sitting much these days! Enough said about that subject. Other than a few other minor aches, stiffness in my legs and back, I feel great. The real truth is. I found the trip to be more mentally exhausting than physically hard. Knowing each day that you were going to be riding on the bike for 7 hours, plus/minus, was more stressful than actually doing it. I tried to train for both aspects, but I don't think anything could have prepared me for the mental stress a ride like this puts on you. It was truly draining. Now getting serious, I want to remind everyone not to forget that this is a Water For People fund raiser and that we are still looking to top the $10,000.00 mark. If you have paid your pledge, thank you, if you still need to, please consider the fact that you are making a difference to the people in Ecuador who desperately need safe drinking water for existence. We can and have made a difference for so many. Lets continue in our efforts to raise the quality of life for people in need. You can send your contributions to Jim Lahti at the DEQ or to me at 2660 Burlingame Ave. SW, Wyoming Michigan 49509. Make your check out to Water for People Michigan Section. In closing, I have to say thank you to so many people that made this trip possible and to mention them by name would be impossible, so you know who you are. I do have mention my family. Thanks to my brother and sister in law, Bob and Lori. Who came to Lebanon Indiana with my mom to encourage me to keep going. They also took the time to meet me in Boston and congratulate me. Thank you so much. And my wife, Kim. Thank you so much for helping me. You have believed in me from the start. You helped train me, cooked special meals, and encouraged my long hours at the gym for training. You were every bit a part of this ride. You called me every night to give me your tender support. You came to Champaign Illinois to visit and encourage me. You met me at the beach in Boston to cheer for me. Kimberly, thanks for believing in me that I could do it. I love you very much.

The Michigan Section AWWA congratulates Mike on his successful cross-country ride.