The Big Finish!
Today we rode 52 miles from Arlington, Virginia to Annapolis, Maryland. We climbed 1,847 feet.
I'm writing this Friday morning, as we did indeed celebrate last night. I think the full force of the ride's end hit me close to midnight when I felt an overwhelming fatigue begin to weigh me down. I am weary.
Our final bike ride was interesting at the beginning and the end. The class of 1973 had conducted a similar, separate ride across America to honor their departed classmates and we joined on the final day of the two rides to advance on Annapolis together. We started with a moving ceremony in Arlington National Cemetery, where we heard speeches from members of both classes ('73 and '83) memorializing their rides as well as Carlos del Toro, the Secretary of the Navy (USNA class of 1983). I was moved to tears listening to the '73 ride leader's words explaining his team's motivation to ride and description of each of us (USNA grads) as links in a chain. Thank you, Doug, for your heartfelt words; truly moving stuff. On a personal note, two of my nieces appeared out of nowhere to surprise and congratulate us on the final day. More tears. Thank you, Shawn and Sydney.
The beginning wound through DC and various monuments and we tried to stick to bike paths wherever possible to avoid traffic. We had 11 additional riders show up for the final leg, and we welcomed them to the traveling circus. We wound our way out of DC on bikepaths, sidewalks, and footpaths, and made it to Maryland. We had our final SAG (#145!) at a park where we had Chick-fil-A for lunch (Thanks Tary). For the remainder of the ride we focused on getting to the end safely. Nothing worth noting, just a few more miles on the bikes. We arrived in Annapolis and congregated at the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium where we assembled for a victory lap of the Naval Academy. We did a casual spin around campus and stopped in front of the chapel to meet classmates and ring the Herndon Bell. Then on to the columbarium where we received a final blessing before we moved across the street to the boathouse to officially conclud the ride by dipping our front tires into the Severn River. Job done. As always, logistics required attention, and we unloaded the truck one final time and distributed the accumulated flotsam/jetsam. We reconvened later at the Naval Academy Club for cocktails, dinner, and reminiscence. Finally, we walked out of the club, into the night, no longer teammates, just classmates again...
I'm told that ~250 people have viewed this blurb daily throughout the ride. Thank you for following us. I can feel that I am not finished processing the ride. I'll take a few days to not think about it and write some final observations next week for those interested.
Today we slept in...
Totals
Miles: 3,253
Elevation Gain: 94,920
Flat Tires: 65
States crossed: 11
Times crossing the Continental Divide: 6
Centuries: 8
Dog bites: 1
