The Gumby guys send Buddy Teevens on his way.Day 13
Start
Jacksonville, Ill.
Finish
Tuscola, Ill.
Mileage
125
By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
Tuscola, Ill. -- But for a wrong turn or two, Day 13 of Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens’ ride across America would have started with Gumby and finished
near Arthur, a memorable daily-double for anyone familiar with children’s television.Not that riding 125 miles in a day is kiddie stuff.
Gumby, in this case, is the name of a bicycling club friends hooked Teevens up with in Jacksonville, Ill., where his day began. “Every Saturday and Sunday they go out for a ride and then have breakfast,” Teevens explained. “They are a collection of characters: an engineer, a teacher, a PE instructor, an art instructor. They have varied backgrounds. The common ground is the bike.
“They set a pretty good early pace. We were into the wind for a little bit and I decided I wasn't going to lead so I hunkered behind everybody else. I figured I had a longer day coming. We parted ways when they went off to get something to eat and I went on my way.”
To be more accurate, he went on their way. “They are all avid cyclists and very knowledgeable,” he said. “They put me on some wonderful back roads. It was probably the most peaceful riding that I've had. There was literally nobody there. I was on farm roads that were paved, which was very nice.”
The good news for Teevens this day wasn’t limited to the road conditions. “Once I turned east I had a tailwind,” he said. “After the way it’s been, it was almost a shock.”
The bad news: While the wind was at his back and the roads were smoothly paved and little traveled, they were missing something important.
“I had local information but there were no street signs,” Teevens said. “I just couldn't figure out where the heck I was. I was so lost if I had gone down they wouldn't have ever found me.
“I still don't know where I was some of the time,” he said. “It's kind of a grid-like pattern out there. On the map it says 9, 14, 21, 36, 357, but on the roads there's nothing. No signs. I'd see somebody coming in a car or truck and hope there was a stop sign so I could ask them for directions.”
But even when Teevens was lost he was impressed.
“I would look in all four directions and I couldn't see anything but fields,” he said. “It's unbelievable how massive some of the properties are that they farm out here. It gives you a real appreciation for what it takes to put food on people's tables. I’m on the road early and these guys are already out there working. It’s sun-up to sun-down. It's a tough existence.”
Teevens had hoped to see Arthur, not the eponymous aardvark of children’s TV fame but the heart of the Illinois Amish country. That sidetrip, however, was a victim of his travel confusion. “I somehow overshot it by 10 miles,” he said.
Teevens’ target for the day was Tuscola, the hometown of Dartmouth receiver Jordan Kling and his parents, Gary and Susan.
Teevens with Susan and Gary Kling in Tuscola, Ill.“They'll fatten me up a little bit. They've gone above and beyond with chicken and shrimp and steak and vegetables. They've got my favorite bread, sourdough. I had that good feed with Mike over in Kansas City, but this is unbelievable.”
Joining the Klings in welcoming Teevens to this part of Illinois were old friends from Champaign, Jack Troxell and Charlie Younger.
Teevens with Charlie Younger, left, and Jack Troxell.“They were really concerned about me knocking off before I put in the miles but I told them (taking a shorter day) probably comes at an appropriate time,” he explained. “I didn't sleep much last night, so to get to bed early at their place and sleep well will probably do as much for me as anything. I'm kind of excited about getting a good night's rest. Last night in Jacksonville was fun, but I didn't get to bed until about midnight and then it was up again at 5:30.
“That's pretty much been the case over time and it wears you out. You check into the hotel, you roll your stuff around in the sink to kind of wash it, you fix your bike, get something to eat and unwind and suddenly it's 11:30 or 12. Then you are back up a few hours later, so it will help to have a good night’s sleep.”
Teevens was to be joined this morning by a local veterinarian and several other avid cyclists as he sets his sights on Indianapolis and points east.
“It’s about 120 miles,” he said. “The only thing is, I don't like riding through the city. I was hoping to stop by the Colts but I'll probably bypass it because it's a Sunday. I guess Columbus is about 160 so if I get a tailwind and an early start Ohio is doable.”
So is Teevens’ original timeframe for making it to son Buddy Jr.’s graduation from Salisbury Prep in Connecticut on June 1. Gary Kling drove from Tuscola to Hanover a couple of weeks ago for the Green-White football game and told Teevens his route covered about 1,100 miles.
“If I can put a couple good days together -- and they don't have to be monster days -- I should be OK,” Teevens said. “Hopefully the wind holds (today) and this can be one.”
Time will tell but this morning's forecast was calling for favorable winds out of the west/southwest.
NOTES Told that contributions to the Prouty Ride inspired by his trip have surpassed $6,000, Teevens was pleased. “It's been unbelievable to see the number of people who have been touched by cancer,” he said. “As bad as I felt thinking about asking for money at the start, it's going to such a great cause that I don't feel bad any longer.”
I meant to post the following link yesterday but Buddy Bikes is monopolizing the time I can give over to the blog and still look my ever-patient wife in the eye ;-). ... The Boston Globe carried a very interesting Associated Press story on the election of Dartmouth petition trustee candidate Stephen Smith. From the story:
In the past four years, some conservative-leaning alumni have pushed back, electing by petition four trustees who support football, fraternities, free speech instead of hate-speech policies, and a rededication to undergraduates.The story says Smith and baseball executive Sandy Alderson both spent about $75,000 on their campaigns.
As a result, a once ho-hum process has taken on the trappings of a major political contest, complete with fundraising and direct-mail campaigning.
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