Word has just reached me that Jim Artis of Cycling Experiences and a participant in the Tour of Discovery: Ride for the Republic has abandoned the TOD.
On Day 1, Jim had a mechanical that cost significant time. He also found that the load he was pulling with Fargo and the Powerbox trailer was simply too much. He lightened his load on Day 2 by shipping home 11.5 lbs of material but came to the conclusion late last night or early this morning that he is still pulling too much weight to maintain contact with Rafael Giraldo. There also appears to have been some form of communication breakdown with the two riders as there has been no contact between them since Monday’s notice of the mechanical issue.
Given the tight time frame of the construction and delivery of Fargo plus final setup in Fayetteville, Jim was unable to perform sufficient road testing under load, which might have assisted in some significant fine tuning and avoided this outcome. I know that Jim is sorely disappointed in this outcome as he has invested much time and money in this project.
He has decided to continue his ride but not as part of the TOD: Ride for the Republic. His route calls for continuing to Richmond, VA and then home to Fayetteville at this point.
There are images posted of the start of the TOD and along the way of Day1 posted by Raphael Giraldo at the TOD site. (Day 1 images)
More on this sad turn of events later,
-Zeke
Update as of approximately 3:00 p.m. EDT:
I have been in phone contact with Jim this afternoon as he pedals his way through Maine. We have found a resolution to the weight of the trailer issue. Thanks to the internet and technology available to us, we located Darcy at Bath Cycle and Ski in Woolwitch, ME. Darcy was very helpful in getting word to Jim about dropping off his trailer and shipping it home for him. At that time, Jim was traveling southeast of Waldoboro and turned out to be only 3 miles or so from Darcy’s father-in-law. As I write, Jim should be connecting with him to drop the trailer. Darcy will then get the trailer and ship it to Fayetteville for Jim. This will allow Jim to drop considerable weight and, unfortunately, some camping supplies. His plans remain flexible as they must.
While on the phone with Jim, a woman stopped and offered him water and had a short chat about what he was doing. Turns out her husband had passed Jim and gone home and told his wife she should go see this cyclist on the road! I’m sure Jim will cover all of this in his updates later. According to my calculations using Google Earth, Jim is approximately 30 miles behind Raphael Giraldo.
Take a moment to drop a short note of thanks to Darcy for her assistance to a fellow cyclist!
Much more later as this story unfolds!
- Zeke
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2 comments:
Thank goodness for special people like Darcy and the lady who came to his aid. Ah, those sweet angels.
It's ashame about some of the occurances, but he has to know that many are rooting for him and his tour with Fargo. And if the TOD goes on without him, so be it. Tho I hope that some resolve comes out of the situation.
As little as I know about biking in a group the one thing I do know is that I would never leave another cyclist unless it had been previously discussed. This is what has surprised me about the whole thing as I thought they would be together thru the thick and thin of the tour.
Am glad that he has friends, like you Zeke, that are online and able to give him the needed assisstance. If you speak to him again, please, give him my best wishes for a safe journey home.
Cheers for Jim and Fargo.
Later...Michele
It was really a fine experience to see how things came together with the timing. Darcy was immediately helpful when I spoke with her and apparently responded as quickly to Jim when he called. The odds that someone could reach out on the internet to someone they have never connected with before and have that lead to a resolution to an unknown (to them) cyclist within in 4 or 5 miles must be beyond mathmatical description. And then, to top it off, for the immediate solution to be a family member of the first person contacted is, well, even more amazing!
I'm looking forward to the outcome of Jim and Raphael's talk this evening. I, too, hope it works out for Jim to continue on with the TOD. If not, I still think that Jim will find this to be a fulfilling adventure. When I spoke with him he was in good spirits and not at all concerned that he wasn't doing well. I keep reminding myself that Jim is an Army Ranger and has seen much worse circumstances than this little setback. :)
Later,
Zeke
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