Tour Du Rouge – Day 5 – A Journey Draws to an End

Day 5 – 98 miles from Morgan City, LA to Gonzales, LA, outside of Baton Rouge.  446 miles and 5 straight riding days down -WOW!  It’s unbelievable to me what this group has accomplished, many who have never completed a multi-day (3+) bike ride.  The day was beautiful as we cycled along the levees and the Mississippi River.  The backdrops along the way we tranquil.  It got a little warm toward the end of the ride but most of the day was mild, with the wind from the waterways cooling the body as we motored along.  It appeared today that people were stronger than they have ever been since the beginning of the ride.  That certainly was the case with our crew, which included the 8 DRAFT members, Alan, the TDR ride director, Eric and Dana.  Eric, Dana and Alan mapped out the ride for the TDR riding the route and recording each and every turn, the condition of the roads and the sights to look for along the way.  Cudoes to each of them for the job they did on the route.   The DRAFT crew rolled today.  We averaged 17.9mph.  Everyday we have gotten stronger.   All of the training that we have done (about 8,000+  miles since 2/08) which I thought was still not enough, has been more than enough to get us through this tour.  For the day, we had a tailwind for 1st 35 miles then head and cross-head winds for much of the remainder with intermittent tailwinds.  We had stretches of roads that had more craters than the moon, one of which caused another crash today.  Wes went down hard right before lunch ripping holes in his shorts and jersey and injuring his knee and calf. Thank God for his helmet which was cracked in several places indicating that it indeed had done its job protecting his head from impacting the pavement.  We had 3 flats within 30 mins. Nevertheless, the day was great.  While I thought I would be dragging by Day 5 with pains everywhere, such was not the case.  The chamy butter is keeping me sane though and lathered up but the saddle is beginning to take a toll on my hind parts; a common complaint from many of the riders.  For the 5th straight day the volunteers both the crew travelling with us the those manning the rest stops along the way were stupendous.  The Baton Rouge and Lafayette Red Cross chapters provided the food and drink at the well stocked rest stops.  You didn’t want to leave.  Lunch was at the St. Joseph Plantation, in St. James Parish.  The grounds were beautiful with 100 yr old oak trees dotting the landscape.  The beauty of the grounds was tempered by the backdrop of slave cabins located around the property.  As an African American the stop was a respise, but also a time of reflection.  The reflective moment lasted but a short time as my legs reminded me it was time to hit the road before they locked up on me.   The lunch break meant there were only 38 miles to Gonzales, mostly in a headwind/crosswind, and 27 miles to the next rest stop.  By the time we reached the rest stop at the Motiva Refinery, I my legs felt like jello.  I thought the next 9 miles to the hotel would be excruciating, but only the last mile was.  A short massage and an Epsom salt bath help melt away the madness of what I’ve been doing for 5 days.  Dinner was cajun food, but I ordered a 12oz ribeye with baked potato.  Really good.  

I don’t think I have talked much about the ride and riders.  But I wanted to give you some facts about the Tour Du Rouge.   This is the inaugural ride.  There will be others, so stay tuned.  There are 59 riders – 5 women and 54 men.   Hopefully, next year we will have more women riding. The oldest rider is 67 and the youngest 25.  Ironically, the average rider age is 45.  15 volunteers travel with us, including spouses and relatives, a photographer/vidoeographer, 2 bike mechanics from Sun n’ Ski, a Red Cross communications director, 2 ModSpace PR, doing everything from driving trucks, manning rest stops, dragging 40lb rider duffles, keeping us hydrated, and meeting every need the riders have. We have riders and volunteers from all over the U.S. – NY State, Houston, Canada, California, New Mexico, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Washington State, Pennsylvania, and Alabama.  The lunch and rest stops were manned by 50+ volunteers from the cities through which we travelled and Texas and LA Red Cross chapters (Houston, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Lafayette, Baton Rouge and New Orleans) .  The welcome mat was out in each town we rolled through.  The tour has been documented in still pictures and video every step of the way.  The average day for most riders is about 5-6 riding hours and 1-2hrs for stops.  There are several who are much faster.  I will burn approx. 30,000 calories in 6 days.  Other riders will burn more or less depending on their size and metabolism.  The tour logistics are amazing and it took 2+years to plan the ride.  ModSpace is the title sponsor but there are 10-12 other sponsors for the ride.

Tomorrow is the end. The celebration in New Orleans.  80 miles and we are done.  6 days would have passed quickly.  I thought I would say it could not come fast enough.  But I have truly enjoyed this odyssey and would do it again in a heart beat.  The angst I had before the ride waned by Day 2.  I now have cycled more miles in 5 days than I have ever imagined I could do.  It is an achievement of which I am humbled by yet proud of.  I’m thankful for the safety of the tour despite some serious injuries and for the opportunity and health to participate.  The Red Cross is a vital service organization in our communities and I hope this tour hightlights for you how important it is for you to get to know the folks at your local Red Cross.   They are there when you need them.  Onward to the Crescent City.

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