Day 20
Start
Schoharie, N.Y.
Finish
Hanover, N.H.
Mileage
152
By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
HANOVER -- Less than 24 hours after returning from a 20-day bicycle ride across the country, Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens took time out Sunday to talk about what he saw, what he felt and what he learned on the trip, which helped raise more than $12,000 for The Prouty bike ride/walk for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. An edited version of his remarks follows:
Buddy Teevens on how he’s feeling after 3,000 or so miles in the saddle:
“I got up this morning and was feeling more stiff than I normally have been. My upper body, my arms, my back. Everything was stiff but I took a walk this morning and it’s started to loosen up.”
On his luck during the ride:
“Fortunately I held up physically. I didn't have any knee or back or shoulder or neck issues. Mechanically the bike had a couple of gear situations, but I put more miles on it in three weeks than some people would put on a bike in a year, so that’s expected.”
On being asked by a man in Upstate New York Saturday if he was ever scared or worried:
“I said no. Like him, everybody was helpful. I really was never worried the whole time. I wish more people could do something like this because you really get a perspective you can't get otherwise. If you are out for a period of time in small-town America, you realize there are good people, good character individuals who are thoughtful, concerned, aware, all across the country."
On putting his feet back on terra firma today instead of on the pedals:
“I said it the other night but my equilibrium has been a little off from spending all my time on the bike. My ability to walk was really kind of whacky. You walk into the grocery store to get something and you get back on your bike and go. After you get in bed, it's get up and go. Just walking with the dog this morning I was kind of bobbing and weaving up the street. I'm going to try to go for a jog to try to get myself back into it. I almost feel refreshed, even though I'm fatigued physically.”
On his first morning back in town:
“I just took my dog for a long walk and went down by the Co-Op and through the fields where the new soccer complex is being laid out. It’s going to be nice. Then I looked at the back end of (Floren Varsity House), which really looks nice. Then I walked through town. It's changed since I left. Things were not quite this green or growing three weeks ago. Everything is in bloom.”
On being home:
“It was interesting walking through town and appreciating what we have here. The beauty of the town. Having been through small towns, this is as scenic a place as there is. Everybody always thinks the grass is greener but we've got some pretty green grass right here in Hanover. That struck me as much as anything else. It's great to be back home but it's also great just to be here.”
On whether the ride was more gruelling than he expected:
“Not really. Drawing from the Michigan trip (a couple of years ago) I pretty much knew what the daily demand would be like. I thought it was the same idea; just get up each day and do it again.”
On whether the long, hot days and steep hills ever had him questioning his decision to make the ride:
“I never really thought about how difficult it was. It didn't cross my mind. I had a goal, and that was the drive to get here.”
On his last day in the saddle:
“It took me a couple of climbs to get out of New York. There was a little bit of headwind, but not bad. For whatever reason I was more stiff and sore. My end point, psychologically, was climbing Bromley (Mountain in central Vermont). I knew there was that one last climb and then a smaller one on 11. After that it was, ‘OK, I've done it.' I think the challenge at the end was almost as much emotional as it was physical.”
On whether his “tank” finally hit empty on the last day:
“That may be close to the truth. But my mindset has always been you have one more spin in you, one more step in you, one more push in you, so that kind of carried me through. It’s funny. Coming back last night it all kind of crashed a little bit. This morning I had a hard time imagining myself getting back on a bike. Yesterday morning it was no problem.”
On whether he spent much time thinking about football on long climbs or battling the wind on the prairie:
“Especially when you are by yourself you think about a lot of things.You start talking to yourself. I was out there calling plays and thinking about different variations on some of our schemes, the personnel and how they fit in. I don't want to say I solved the problems of the world, but I've got some ideas that people might not be excited about hearing. (Laughs) It's dangerous giving me that much time alone; I come up with a lot of different thoughts and ideas.”
On whether there’s a lesson in the ride for his football team:
“You don't want to focus on yourself too often, but it's one step, one pedal, one push on a bike, and it's the same in our sport. You get tired in the fourth quarter, just like you are running out of water in the desert, what are you going to do? Stop? That's something I always talk to our players about. Never stop. Can they take a little something out it? I don't know. They probably look at me as a whack job. But maybe there's a little more substance there when I tell them something. (When) you put your mind to something all of your hard work and sacrifice can make it doable at the end. You are going to be hurt and sore and frustrated, but keep the end or bottom line in sight, and you can make it.”
On getting back to work:
“I'm tired but rejuvenated. Sometimes just getting away, and for that period of time, can be productive and good for you mentally. I'm excited to be back and thinking about the things we need to do: some from a facilities standpoint, some from a football standpoint. I gave the guys Monday off and look forward to seeing them on Tuesday.”
On what the ride can teach everyone:
“You find a way. That's a wonderful message across the board. The people I talked to who had cancer and their brothers, sisters and friends had a mindset and the attitude that they’d find a way. It's a cliche, but it's so important that you believe you can you can do it.”
On his goal of raising cancer awareness on the trip:
“The most profound change in me was probably the awareness that I developed about cancer. I had it in my family, but whether it's a brother or a mother-in-law, you didn't connect with it completely. But then you see the chain of people who have been involved with it. I'd love to stay involved with it because it affects every walk of life. It's not discriminatory by race, by age, by sex. It's little kids to old folks. Black, red, yellow, brown, whatever, they are all going to get hit with it. It really opened my eyes. Whatever I can do, I'm hoping to help.”
On people inspired by his ride contributing more than $12,000 to The Prouty Century Bike Ride & Challenge, which raises money for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center:
“It is humbling. Asking people for money was not my intent from the beginning. I really appreciate the generosity of people, just because. Hopefully they feel good about it because there are so many people who will be helped. By giving money people can have a hand at helping someone extend their life, or in saving a life. It seems every day the medical awareness is improving. All of the money is going to a great cause and directly or indirectly it is going to help someone that is close to you. So it is greatly appreciated.”
On whether there’s another challenge calling to him now that the long-anticipated bike ride is over:
“With me, it’s got to be something to do physically. A goal to work for is important. For now it may be something swimming, but I’d like to do the Western States 100 (endurance run). You've got to qualify for it so that's an off in the distance. If you finish you get silver belt buckle. Not many people do.”
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