This past week has been tough on Erik. First 60 miles out of Salida, Colorado a crash on his bike damaged his bike and riding shoe. But he moved on and a good friend of his at Absolute Bikes in Salida, Colorado got him back on the trail and gave him a little extra time to rest and tend to his saddle sores from over 20 days on the trail. Then he found out that someone in Illinois attempted to use his debit card as a fraudulent transaction and his card was shut down.
He got back on the trail as his vacation time ends on July 16, and with the projections that is the same day he is expected to arrive in Antelope Wells, New Mexico to finish the 2750 mile ride.
That said he is pushing harder to make it on time to finish and be back at work. Last night just about 40 miles out of Del Norte, Colorado, paramedics pulled him off the trail due to hypothermia. A family who lives on the trail invited him to stay the night and warm up. It was 44 degrees in Del Norte last night.He is also currently at an altitude of 7800 feet.
You guessed it, this morning he is going back to the trail and finish what he started.
The dedication is unbelievable, who would spend over 4 weeks of vacation time with anew baby due in September, torturing themselves on these rough trails, in the rain, snow and mud. His quest to raise money for The Gift of Hearing Foundation.
BELOW IS A BIT ABOUT HIS THOUGHTS AND HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILIES THOUGHTS
For those of you who have been following Erik and his progress, you know how many challenges and struggles have been thrown across his path. Yet, despite everything, he has found a way each day to wake up, get back on the bike, and keep going. This is in part from the support he feels from all of you, but also from being able to dig down deep and tap in to the grit and determination that he already has. He has overcome so much, and exceeded so many people’s expectations in many ways. I found myself re-reading his letter of intent to race in the Tour Divide this year. Has this been more than what either of us expected? Yes. But reading the words he wrote about what motivated him to start helps explain how he can keep going day in and day out.
“I can’t explain how or why, but I know that a force greater than me has pushed me to race the Tour Divide. This race is going to be hard, very hard; however, it also has the capacity to be very rewarding. With that being said, I’m throwing my hat into the ring and formally announcing my intent to compete in the 2015 Tour Divide. Somewhere between Banff and Antelope Wells, I might find some answers to these questions, but if not… that’s ok. When I finish, I know that I will have pursued my dreams, and I will have helped out some great people along the way.” – Erik Richenberger
Here is to pursuing dreams.
2015 TOUR DIVIDE: LETTER OF INTENT
FEBRUARY 28, 2015 ERICHENBERGER@GMAIL.COM
I’m a man born of modern times, but whose soul yearns for days of past. As I sit here trying to formulate my thoughts for a letter of intent worthy of the Tour Divide, I’m finding myself at a loss for words. How does one formally announce to the world their intent to race in the greatest mountain bike event of all time? How does one give justice to the countless training hours, time away from family, constant hunger, cold early mornings, and the sacrifices they’ve made to prepare for such a race? It’s hard, and it can be even more difficult explaining why we choose to pedal human-powered machines down the spine of this great nation, unsupported, for nothing but the honor of saying we rode a competitive, yet clean race. How do I explain that my inner soul is yelling at me to give up modern conveniences such as, automobiles, a warm bed, showers, treated water, and sanitary infrastructure; only to become more in tune with nature, myself, and experience the reflection that emerges when one realizes just how small we are compared to the world around us, yet how big of an impact we can make if we learn to focus on things that truly matter in life?
I can’t explain how or why, but I know that a force greater than me has pushed me to race the Tour Divide. This race is going to be hard, very hard; however, it also has the capacity to be very rewarding. With that being said, I’m throwing my hat into the ring and formally announcing my intent to compete in the 2015 Tour Divide. Somewhere between Banff and Antelope Wells, I might find some answers to these questions, but if not… that’s ok. When I finish, I know that I will have pursued my dreams, and I will have helped out some great people along the way.
“It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” ―Ernest Hemingway
