Teevens' Ride Story

The local daily has a story about Buddy Teevens' bike ride, which as of this morning had raised $12,868 for the Norris Cotton Cancer Center through The Prouty bike/ride walk. A clarification on the story: While Teevens was hoping to raise awareness of breast cancer on his ride, the donations will go to all the cancer work being done at Norris Cotton.

Bill Hambrecht, a 1957 Princeton graduate, and Google senior executive Tim Armstrong are working on developing the United Football League with Mark Cuban as their first team owner. Find a New York Times story here. The hope is that the UFL will kick off its first preseason games in August of 2008 and broadcast games on Friday nights. ...

The new Floren Varsity House will feature an historical exhibit of Dartmouth football memorabilia. A scan of eBay listings suggests that the online auction site could be a gold mine for stocking the display. Check out this post card of the 1905 Dartmouth 11 that had a bid of $15.50 on it this morning. ... This 1955 football card of Ed Dooley was selling for a flat $14.95. ... The guess here is that as work continues on the display a call will go out to see what other neat stuff is out there, from old equipment to trophies and awards, etc.

Yale offensive lineman Ed McCarthy was wearing a pair of rabbit ears when he won the school's top award for senior male athletes on Class Day according to this story. He had a tryout with the Tampa Bay Bucs but was not offered a contract.

The Dartmouth women's basketball team has been the top program in the Ivy League over the years and one of the reasons why is terrific coaching. The problem with having valued assistants is they are valued by other schools as well and the past couple of weeks have shown that. Assistant coach Chris Leazier is leaving to become head coach at St. Anselm College and today assistant coach (and former Dartmouth star) Courtney Banghart is being introduced as the new head coach at Princeton. Congratulations to both.

Tuesday Morning Musings

It astonishes me that Buddy Teevens' cross country bicycle ride didn't garner more national attention. An active Division I coach pedaling from one side of the continent to the other side seems like a natural story to me, but (apart from the SI.com story before he left) I guess I figured wrong. ...

There's a story in a West Virginia newspaper about Green Alert subscriber Curt Bury '53. Curt is a diehard Dartmouth fan who has made it a point to see every Dartmouth-Yale game since the Revolutionary War. OK, that's an exaggeration. Since the Civil War. ...

The Daily Dartmouth gives retiring admissions dean Karl Furstenberg the opportunity to look back over his 17 years in Hanover. No mention of football or athletics. ...

In a posting headlined The Stupidity of Crowds, Jake Novak over at the Roar Lions Roar Columbia football blog crunches the numbers and determines that Ivy League football games are on the average more competitive than most other Division I games. Whether you agree with him that parity makes the Ivies better entertainment than the big boys is for you to decide. ...

New Hampshire's Ricky Santos is the top-ranked FCS quarterback in this Sports Network look at the position. Holy Cross junior Dominic Randolph comes in at No. 13 while the Harvard pair of Liam O'Hagan and Chris Pizzotti (with Jeff Witt knocking on the door) is considered one of the "top tandems." ...

A posting earlier this year mentioned the problems that closed down Brown's Smith Swim Center. This Providence Journal story notes that the school has acted decisively to remedy the issue. A $35 million initiative will see a new pool constructed with a "temporary training pool" (whatever that is) being erected in a parking lot until the new facility is completed in 2010.

Also out of Brown, Reade Seligmann, one of the cleared Duke lacrosse players, will be transferring to the Providence school. ESPN.com has the AP story about his decision to come to the Ivy League school.

While You Were Away

UPDATE: The Harvard Crimson takes a look at an interesting class of football recruits including one who applied to Harvard three times and another who will be the fastest player on the team the day he pulls on a uniform.

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While you were enjoying a long weekend, a very tired Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens was wheeling his way over the Green Mountains and home from his cross country bicycle ride. Scroll down a bit and read his reflections on the 20-day odyssey from San Diego and his efforts to raise cancer awareness along the way. If you are so inspired and haven't yet done so, please consider a gift in honor of Teevens' ride to The Prouty bike ride/walk, which benefits the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. (Click here to make a gift in Buddy Teevens' name.)

Throughout his trip Teevens met people who shared stories about friends and relatives who battled cancer and on Friday I stumbled into one of those stories myself. I was in Alumni Gym talking with a former Dartmouth coach about Teevens' ride and The Prouty. This fellow told me he, too, would be raising money for the Prouty this summer. He looked me in the eye and said, "I was just diagnosed ..." He told me the type of cancer but I was so shocked that it slipped right by me. What I recall very clearly was what he said next: "I'm going to beat this thing. I'm going to do a Lance Armstrong."

Pulling the blog together is like a job most days except for one thing: There's no paycheck. I won't lie to you. While the past three weeks weren't remotely as hard for me as they were for Buddy Teevens, they were a grind. The paycheck was watching the Prouty donations rise and knowing that the money so generously given would help people like the coach I ran into in the bowels of Alumni Gymnasium. As of this morning, Buddy Teevens' ride had inspired $12,228 in gifts to the Prouty, making him the event's No. 1 fundraiser. Like Teevens, I can't thank you enough for your generosity.

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A couple of Dartmouth opponents are in the news. Allen Lessels of the Manchester Union Leader writes about UNH players planning to work out on campus this summer and ...

Then Ricky Santos and Co. will get down to the business of the 2007 season and eventually trying to qualify for the NCAA playoffs for a fourth straight year. No Colonial Athletic Association team -- the league changed its affiliation from the Atlantic 10 to CAA after last season -- had made the playoffs three years in succession until UNH did it last year.

The Express-Times down in the Lehigh Valley pegs Holy Cross as an up-and-comer in the Patriot League in this story. There's also a mention about the 2007 Colgate prospects.

Monday Musings

Add two more Ivy Leaguers to the Team USA roster for the World Championship of American Football from July 7-15 in Kawasaki, Japan. Princeton's Brig Walker had been previously reported as playing for the American team. He'll be joined by Harvard linebacker Ryan Tully and Yale fullback Taylor Craig. John Mackovic will coach the U.S. team, which is in the six-team tournament for the first time. Find the full roster here. ...

Former Dartmouth receiver Ryan Fuselier gets a nod from his hometown paper for being a member of the inaugural National Football Foundation Honor Society. ...

The Eagle-Tribune takes an exhaustive look at former Brown linebacker Zak DeOssie's upbringing. Much has been written about the New York Giants' draft choice and how his father was an NFL linebacker. This story notes that DeOssie was raised by his mother, who didn't know much football but did her best to get him started in sports.

Buddy Bikes: Day 20 & Final Thoughts

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.”

Buddy Bikes: Wrapup In Progress ...

I had a chance to talk this morning with Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens for a wrapup of his bicycle ride across the country and should have a story posted by 3 p.m. See you then.

Buddy Bikes: Home Sweet Home

Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens is back home and already back to his old ways. Before grabbing a shower and calling it a night he asked daughter Lindsay about going for a run Sunday. Anyone surprised? If you are you haven't been paying attention.

For what it's worth, Buddy and I had our signals crossed Saturday night and managed to just miss each other. Long story. Anyway, barring another signal-crossing, we'll talk Sunday morning and I'll have a recap of his ride on the blog later on in the day.

Now it's sleep time for the rider and the writer ;-)

Buddy Bikes: 8 p.m. Update

A very tired Coach Buddy Teevens will be home by 9 p.m. I'm going to give him a little family time at the end of the toughest day of a tough trip, and then stop by for a picture and a quick comment before letting him hit the couch, or the bed or the floor if it's too hard to make it up the steps.

Another heartfelt thank you for helping the Prouty and the Norris Cotton Cancer Center. After I pushed a little to try to get the donations up over $12,000 by the time he arrived in town you stepped to the plate and made it happen. I think it says a lot about Coach Teevens and it says a lot about you. So thanks again.
-bw-

Buddy Bikes: SATURDAY ALERT!!!!

HEADING TO HANOVER ... tonight!

At about 2:30 p.m., Saturday Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens reported that he was in Manchester Center, Vt., 80 miles from Hanover. He faced a lollapalooza of a climb over the spine of the Green Mountains and then a relatively smooth ride the rest of the way. (Map)

Figuring 20 mph is a little optimistic given the terrain, he could be arriving at his home on Currier Place as early as 7 p.m., -- but likely a bit later.

More when we know more.

ADDENDUM: Teevens' Prouty total is at $11,785 as of 6 p.m. There's still time to boost it over $12,000 before he climbs off the bike ;-)

Buddy Bikes: Day 19

Day 19

Start
Canandaigua, N.Y.
Finish
Schoharie, N.Y.
Mileage
175

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
SCHOHARIE, N.Y. -- Once again, it was the kindness of a stranger that saved the day for Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens, who is nearing the end of an epic 3,600-mile plus bicycle ride across the country.

Worn down by what he termed “the 4H club” -- heat, humidity, hamstrings and hills -- an exhausted Teevens had made it from Canandaigua, N.Y., to Duanesburg, N.Y., just a little west of Albany, as darkness approached. Thoroughly spent, he asked about hotels and was told to hop on Route 7 and that he’d find “plenty of them.” Three serious hills after he thought he’d finally be able to get off the bike he’d yet to see a hotel.

“So I got to an intersection and a guy in a convertible pulled up at the light. I asked if there are any hotels around,” Teevens recalled later Friday night. “He said he'd pull over and try to help out. I told him not to bother, but he did anyway.”

The man in the convertible waited while Teevens went into a restaurant and discovered there was indeed a motel. Eight miles away. Eight miles back from whence he came.

“So the man in the convertible, Richard Cooper, account manager at Orange Motors in Albany, says to throw my bike in the back,” a still-disbelieving Teevens said. “It was a brand new Mustang. He said to me, ‘You are never going to make it.’ So I put my bike in the back and he drove me right to the door. He was all worried because he’d taken me backward and I’d have to ride the same way again in the morning. I told him it was OK. I offered to pay him and he said, ‘Nope. It’s my good deed for the day.’”

Teevens’ day had begun bright and early about 60 miles west of Syracuse. After several days when he lost time having to ask for directions and then making wrong turns, that wasn’t going to be a problem on this part of his ride. He would follow Route 20 all day.

No, the problem on this day would be something else. Hills.

“There were more of them than you could shake a stick at,” Teevens said. “If I climbed one hill I climbed 30. It wasn't all kinds of elevation, but there were some steep, steep ones including one that went about a mile and a half.

“The frustrating thing was I had a little bit of a tailwind and I could get a little speed up, but when you are going up a hill it just chews up your energy. The repetition got to me.”

Despite the hills, he enjoyed the view from the shoulder of historic Route 20.

“When you get up on some of those mountains and look around it's beautiful,” he said. “I’ve said it before but watching the farmers work is fascinating. I have a much better appreciation of what they do.

"Some of the old towns I went through, it was like you are traversing time. Like Mayberry RFD. There were ornate old homes, big churches and little downtowns. You'd see moms throwing kids a ball, dads playing with kids. It looked like a simpler pace and everyone I met was very, very supportive and curious about what I was doing."

Added Teevens: "I'm glad I (went on 20), but it chewed my legs up. I was going strong until the end, but I was going 5 mph up a hill. I was hoping to hit 200 (miles for the day) and I gave it a shot. I think if it was a little more level and not quite as many climbs I'd have done it.”

While a ride that began more than 3,000 miles earlier in San Diego has clearly been a lot of hard work, it might have felt more like work Friday than on any other day of the trip so far.

“I've seen all this stuff before,” Teevens explained. “It's pretty but not as interesting to me as when I was out west seeing things I'd never seen before. I’m close enough that I just wanted to push through. I was trying to get to Vermont.”

Ultimately, temperatures close to 90, high humidity, the hills and cramping hamstrings took their toll, something noticed by Tequila Dimick, the desk clerk when Teevens checked into the Holiday Inn Express. “She was great,” he said. “She told me, ‘Anything you need. Let me get you a couple sodas. You look starving. I’ll open the food stuff in the back.’ ”

Teevens instead ended up “splurging” on a pizza delivery. He anticipated another quick ice bath to hopefully bring back his legs and a session staring at the map plotting the route home.

He hasn’t ruled out the possibility of rolling into Hanover late today although he might also sleep in and have two relatively light days -- for him that is -- and get home tomorrow as originally planned.

NOTES Teevens was pleased to learn this week that nieces Shawna and Lilly Teevens and Meghan Manne have been using his ride as a geography lesson of sorts. “Every day when they got to school they tell their classmates where I am,” he said. “It’s kind of cool.” ...
Teevens upon being informed that donations to The Prouty inspired by his ride have topped $11,000: "That's just unbelievable and I'm so grateful. I was thinking about that when I was on the hills."

Map of the entire trip (prior to yesterday).

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There's a nice story about incoming recruit John O'Sullivan Jr., of Long Island in his local paper here. The article, headlined "The Renaissance Jock," notes that the 6-foot-5, 275-pound lineman, "is a member of the National Honor Society, Athletes Helping Athletes, the World of Difference Club and the orchestra." ... Assistant coach Matthew Smiley's move to Eureka College is the subject of this press release.

Buddy Bikes: Day 19 Sneak Peek

Another long, long day came to a close with Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens hunkering down in Schoharie, N.Y., a western suburb of Albany. After a hot and hilly 175-mile effort, Teevens freely admitted to being "beaten up," but he was buoyed by the news that his ride has inspired you to donate more than $11,000 to The Prouty. He is now the No. 1 fundraiser for the annual walk/ride that raises money to support the work of Dartmouth Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center.

Teevens is 160-or-so miles (by car) from Hanover. If he can get over the spine of the Green Mountains there's a chance he could make it home on Saturday. He'll certainly be home no later than Sunday.

NOTE: While Teevens is recuperating from his long day's work, Dartmouth's Leverone Field House is the site of the overnight Relay for Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. A certain Hanover High School freshman is taking turns on the track in exchange for pledges she collected in recent days. ... It's probably not the best way to prepare for the final softball game of her freshman year Saturday afternoon, but her parents are proud of her ;-)

NOTE2: Please scroll down to Day 18 and see the comment posted this evening by Jean Brown of Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center.

Buddy Bikes: Day 18

"The power to eradicate cancer is in your hands!
What a wonderful gift you give to Norris Cotton Cancer Center through your participation in the Prouty! Without the money you raise, much of what we do simply would not be possible. We are enormously grateful for your generous spirit."

Mark Israel
Director, Norris Cotton Cancer Center

Editor's Note: As of Friday morning, Buddy Teevens' ride had inspired donations of $8,235 to The Prouty, making him second among current fundraisers. It will take a push, but wouldn't it be great to see that number hit five figures and have Buddy climb off his bike Sunday in Hanover as the top fundraiser? You can help make it happen by clicking here.

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Buddy Teevens with Dartmouth alum Ray Boniface '78, who hosted him in Poland, Ohio.

Day 18
Start
Jamestown, N.Y.
Finish
Canandaigua, N.Y.
Mileage
160

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. -- It was a day of fire and ice. Sort of.

Truth be told, there were no flames during Day 18 of Buddy Teevens’ bicycle ride across America, but it sure felt like it as the temperature on a steamy day challenged 90 degrees.

“It was hot,” the tired-sounding Dartmouth football coach said from Canandaigua, N.Y., Thursday night. “I probably drank more water than I did on any day of the trip. It was really hot and humid.”

There was no fire, but there was plenty of the other stuff at the end of a 160-mile ride from Jamestown, N.Y. “I’m at an Econo Lodge and the nice thing is they have ice,” Teevens said. “So I’m back to my ice baths, which saved my legs early. It’s not enjoyable. I just dump a tub full of ice and go sit in it for 15 minutes and my legs come back.”

He’s hoping his legs will be in prime condition today as he tries to set himself up for a Sunday arrival back in Hanover.

“If I can get a real good day (today) I'm going to be close coming into Sunday,” he said. “I still think I have a good day in me if I can get it out of me. One of those 200-milers would be big.”

What he did Thursday was big as he heeded a little local advice, leaving New York State’s Southern Tier and heading for the top of the Finger Lakes.

“I bumped into a cyclist and told him what I was doing and where I was going,” Teevens explained. “He sent me on sort of a diagonal route on 242. He said it was scenic, which it was.”

A trucker warned the coach that the route would be hilly, and that tip also proved to be on the money.

“There was a lot of climbing,” Teevens said. “The cyclist said, ‘You were out in California, so you’ll be used to that.’ It wasn’t bad climbing. But there was a lot of it. It was really scenic and pleasant, but it was another long day. The repetition of climbs kind of wears you down a bit.”

Something else wore him down also.

“I had to stop a ton of times to ask directions because of all the back roads,” Teevens said. “One of the problems I've had the last few days is I've had to stop for directions repeatedly and that will slow you down. I'd find out you couldn't go the way I was planning to go, get redirected, and then have to loop around.”

On the plus side, his bike was behaving once again, thanks to Wednesday’s stop at the Country Pedaler in Franklin, Pa.

“A fellow named Ken helped me out there,” Teevens said. “He was tremendous and didn’t charge me anything. Then he gave me a drink and wouldn't let me pay. He said, 'I admire people that do big things.' He was just a nice, nice guy. He tightened a cable that had stretched and I was good to go. I had a good day today because of it.”

Teevens got another assist on Thursday from Dennis Baldwin at the Ellicottville Bike Shop. “I ran out of tubes and he helped me out,” the coach said. “He also gave me some invaluable local knowledge.”

One of the day’s highlights, apart from the sweet scent of blooming lilac, the sight of apple blossoms and the beauty of the countryside, was a chance meeting with a family at a McDonald’s in Dansville.

“Mike and Diane Dobnack were sitting there reading the bible,” Teevens said. “They couldn’t have been nicer. The woman asked me what I did and where I was going and then asked if I would talk to her son, Daniel, who is home-schooled. He was an 8th grader sitting out in the car by himself. He had a North Carolina State hat on and I started busting on him about not having a Dartmouth hat. He was kind of shy, but baseball's a big thing for him so I talked to him about practice and about school. I said maybe he'll end up being a baseball recruit. Then all of a sudden the kid was smiling.”

Teevens might have been smiling also as he wheeled out of the parking lot and set off on the final 35 or so miles of his day.

“The last 15 miles it was just rollers, and steep ones,” he said. “It was getting dark. When I got to town it was black. I just checked into the first place I saw.”

Teevens hoped to get an early start today and put some serious miles behind him, perhaps on New York Route 20, an interesting road straight out of the 1950s.

“I think I saved myself a little bit of time with the way I went,” he said. “I also had a little bit of a tail wind, which was helpful. If I can get that again I may try to push all the way to Schenectady or Saratoga Springs.

"It’s a long way but I'm getting in the 150's regularly and I shouldn’t be getting lost anymore. This road runs all the way across so it looks like it's pretty much a straight shot. If I have a big day I definitely would be back on Sunday.”

While there are still 324 miles to pedal (according to Rand McNally), Teevens is optimistic.

“I feel like I'm almost back in New England at this point,” he said. “I've got a little more spring in my step because I'm just around the corner.”

Today's map

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The Harvard Crimson magazine has a lengthy story questioning whether Harvard and the Ivies have as much African-American representation on their teams as they might. It's a provocative story. ... YES will once again be broadcasting Ivy League football in 2007 with the Nov. 3 game against Cornell a distinct possibility. ... As of early this week more than 50 golfers had signed up to play in the 10th Annual Friends of Dartmouth Football Golf Classic on Saturday, June 16th at Hanover Country Club. The goal: 100. For more information or to sign up, email Curt Oberg: curt.oberg@dartmouth.edu or phone him at 603-646-9094.

Buddy Bikes: Day 18 Sneak Peek

Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens veered northeast on the 18th day of his cross country bicycle trip, racking up about 160 miles from Jamestown, N.Y., to Canandaigua in the Finger Lakes. The 500-page Rand McNally mileage guide here in the home office of Big Green Alert/Buddy Bikes Division, has Teevens at 324 miles as the BMW flies from Hanover. (If you are a bicycle rider, your mileage not only may vary, it will. And it will be higher.)

He may -- or may not, because he is weighing two options -- follow one of my favorite roads, Route 20, all the way to the Schenectady area. If he does, he'll pass near Hamilton, N.Y., home of Colgate, and not far from Cooperstown. Check in tomorrow for a full update on Thursday's ride.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On Buddy Bikes

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes about Buddy Teevens' bicycle ride across America.

The story starts this way:

Dartmouth head football coach Buddy Teevens is no stranger to travel, having had coaching positions at five universities in the past 20 years.

With coaching stops at Tulane, Illinois, Florida and two stints as the head man at Dartmouth, Teevens has mentored football players in every major region of the country.

But the latest journey Teevens finds himself on doesn't involve arranging playbooks or breaking down game film. It doesn't even involve a football -- or an automobile.

Buddy Bikes: Day 17

Dartmouth has released its list of incoming football recruits with video highlights of each current high school senior. Click here.

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Day 17

Start
Poland, Ohio
Finish
Jamestown, N.Y.
Mileage
153

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
JAMESTOWN, N.Y. -- Ever since he hopped on his bicycle in San Diego just under three weeks ago Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens has been noticing different smells.

He smelled the dust of Arizona, the feedlots of New Mexico and the flooded farmlands of Missouri. From the freshly plowed fields of Illinois to the sawmills of Ohio, there was always something in the air.

When he crossed the Pennsylvania state line into New York last evening, Teevens smelled something else in the air. Something inviting.

For probably the first time he could smell home.

After a 13 1/2-hour, 153-mile day that covered three states and finished in Jamestown, N.Y., Teevens is 466 highway miles from Hanover according to the 500-page, Rand McNally Standard Highway Mileage Guide. Although it will be considerably longer for a cyclist pedaling back roads, Teevens is now counting the miles down, instead of adding them up.

“I’m banking on being back Sunday,” he said. “That would give me 21 days. All along Sunday was my aiming point, so at this point I just want to go as fast as I can and get back. I wanted to be in the office Monday.”

As of 9 last night, Teevens was uncertain what roads he would take across New York State. But if the route he works up is anything like the one the father of his Poland, Ohio host sent him on Wednesday, he’ll have no complaints.

“Ray Boniface Sr., is 83 and tremendous,” Teevens said. “He was a family practice doctor and went back and got a degree in psychology. He told me about steel and oil, the Rockefellers and the history of Pennsylvania, and then he kind of directed me the best way to go. He was right.”

The octogenarian suggested Teevens avoid pedaling the ribbon of mountains in central Pennsylvania and instead ride diagonally across the northwest quadrant of the state and on through the Allegheny National Forest.

“It turned out great,” Teevens said. “I felt like old Fess Parker as Daniel Boone going through the wilderness on (Route) 62. It followed the Allegheny River, which was pretty wide -- although not as wide as the Connecticut -- and shallow. There were a lot of fishing and hunting camps and taxidermy places.

“There weren't as many hills as there were the day before. There were steep, steep walls on both sides, so I don't really know if the wind was blowing one way or the other, which was good. But it was steamy hot, probably 85 and humid. It was as warm as I've felt. The Allegeheny river was right there and I thought about going in, but I really wanted to get to Jamestown."

He wanted to get there so much, it turned out, that he threw caution to the wind and had one of the few scary moments of his trip.

“Idiot that I am, I cut into a parking lot and didn't see a curb,” he said. “I hit the curb and ... scuffed my knees, my shoulder and hand. I was OK but more worried about my bike, which had some chain issues. I got it straightened out at a bike store. I also had a flat tire. Just a few hiccups along the way.”

On a trip highlighted by the people he’s met as much as the sights he's seen, Teevens came across another interesting person on this day.

“His name was Jimmy Higgins and he was hitchhiking from Colorado,” the coach said. “He’s 62 and a construction worker, just a little guy with a shock of white hair and bright blue eyes, and neatly dressed. He was out in Colorado, wrecked his car and had no way of getting back, so he was out hitchhiking. I passed him like five times.

“About the fourth time I pulled over and said, ‘We've got to stop meeting like this,’ and asked him where he was from and where he was going. As soon as I heard him talk I knew where he was from. He had a heavy Boston accent. I told him, 'Hey Jimmy, if I had room on my bike I'd throw you on.' ”

Arriving in Jamestown, Teevens took a room at the Best Western, bought a roasted chicken at the grocery store and paid for a sherbet instead of ice cream. “I’m going to watch my weight,” he said, the humor of which would probably be lost on all the mothers he met the past three weeks.

After eating he planned to study the maps, plot his route for the rest of the trip and hit the sack in anticipation of an early start today. “Let’s see,” he said, “today is what, Wednesday? Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. I should be able to make it in four days.”

Map courtesy of Tom Hoyt

NOTES Teevens began the day just over the Pennylvania line in Ohio and ended it just over the state line in New York. “Three states in one day,” he said with a laugh. “Not bad.”

The roadkill of the day Wednesday was porcupine. “I’m noticing that each state has its own most popular road kill,” Teevens said. “Porcupines in Pennsylvania. Turtles in Missouri. Rabbits in Illinois. Possums everywhere.”

Contributions to the Prouty Ride inspired by Teevens have stalled at $7,875. Hopefully there’s a final push coming that will parallel the push the coach is making to be back at work early next week. Hint, hint, hint ... ;-)

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By all means read this column about Joe Paterno's way of addressing discipline problems with the Penn State football team. I only wish 1) a certain Hanover 7th grader could one day play for a man who would come up with a plan like that and, 2) Paterno would be around when the 7th grader is in college. Although JoePa turned 80 last December, if I had to bet on one or the other my money would be on Joe.

Buddy Bikes: Day 17 Sneak Peek

Day 17 of Buddy Bikes Across American came to a close with Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens in the birthplace of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Lucille Ball. Got a guess? If you said, "What is Jamestown, N.Y.," you've been watching way too much Jeopardy, but you'd be right. Check in tomorrow morning for an update of how the day went, where he hopes to be tomorrow and when he hopes to be home.

Buddy Bikes: Day 16

10:30 a.m. UPDATE Thanks to a friend for sending along this link to a very interesting New York Times story about Dartmouth President Jim Wright headlined The Few, the Proud, the Dartmouth-Bound. The story is about a marine injured in a firefight in Falluja, Iraq, who will be studying at Dartmouth and about Wright's role in bringing him to Hanover.

Day 16

Start
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Finish
Poland, Ohio
Mileage
135

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
Poland, Ohio -- Earlier in his cross country bicycle ride Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens learned the truth about the myth of the westerly wind. (Hint: If such a thing exists it is greatly exaggerated)

Tuesday Teevens learned another truth. As high as the mountains were in California and the southwest, the climbs in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania might be just as tiring. They don't reach the altitudes of those he faced in his first week on the road, but they can be steep -- and there are more than enough of them.

“This was probably more climbing than I did any day on the trip,” a tired Teevens said late Tuesday night. “Christmas ribbon candy, that's what it felt like. Up and down. Up and down. Toward the end of the day my legs were a bit shot. It was, ‘Oh man, not another one.’ ”

Teevens put in 135 hard-earned miles before calling it a night in Poland, Ohio, where he enjoyed the hospitality of Dr. Ray Boniface, an orthopedic surgeon and member of the Dartmouth Class of 1978.

“My goal was to make it to Pennsylvania and I could have pushed through,” Teevens said. “It’s only about five miles from here, but the convenience of spending the night with a Dartmouth alum made it easier to stop here.”

Teevens was one year behind Boniface at Dartmouth. “I didn’t really know him, but I knew of him,” he explained. “He was good friends with (defensive tackle) Gregg Robinson. He’d picked up what I was doing online and cold-called me.

“I didn’t know about it, but the Dartmouth club around here was going to try to do something. I couldn't pin down a time when I’d be through so he stepped up and said they'd love to have me.”

While the end of Teevens’ day was tiring, the start was invigorating.

“Leaving Mt. Vernon was tremendous on 62, an Ohio Byway,” he said. “It was as scenic as anything I've come across, with beautiful rolling hills. It wasn’t straight like Kansas or Missouri, so you’d come up a hill and around the bend and have a nice view. It looked somewhat like New Hampshire and Vermont, but without the pine trees. There was a lot of hardwood and there were crystal clear steams. And again there were smells. Every once in a while I’d go through a pocket of sawmills with those smells.”

There was also something he hoped to see in Illinois but did not: Amish.

“They are very well established out this way,” he said. “They farm and make wooden furniture. I was out there passing horsedrawn buggies and dodging piles of horse manure in the breakdown lane. When I stopped at an Amish bakery it was tremendous. Everybody was friendly. Everybody waved.

“It was quite a juxtaposition to see a mom with her two kids in a buggy going by an active oil derrick being passed by a cattle truck. It was all right there.”

Teevens’ planned route had him going through Canton and while there would be a certain natural appeal to a stop at the NFL Hall of Fame, bicycling through the city wasn’t high on his list of things to do. To the rescue came a former college football player.

“I pulled off to see if there was a back road and William Baker, manager of Surbey Feed & Supply in Navarre, Ohio, was a big help,” Teevens said. “He was a football player on the Baldwin Wallace national championship football team of 1978. He was a cornerback, punter and holder. He shared some stories about (Ohio State coach) Jim Tressell and his day, and then showed me the back roads I needed to take to skirt Canton and get over toward Youngstown. He was a neat guy and had a neat store.

"I didn’t really make any other stops except to get something to eat or drink. I was just trying to push through.”

The push got him to Poland where Teevens traded stories about growing up in a large family with Ray Boniface and his dad. (Ray grew up in a family of eight, Teevens in a family of nine.) Teevens learned a little more about cancer from Boniface’s wife, Nancy, a cancer specialist. “We talked about research and raising funds and awareness,” he said. “She helped give me a little more insight into how extensive this disease is and how widespread the impact has been.”

The coach also spent a little quality time in the Boniface garage with Ray, who races and works on sports cars.

“I had some chain issues today,” Teevens said. “It fell off a couple of times and was clicking. Ray doesn't know bikes but he’s built race cars and has a souped-up ‘87 BMW in his garage. He said, ‘Let me take a look at it.’ We ended up fixing the bike.”

Teevens laughed as he added a postscript to the story. “When we were done he had grease all over him and he said, 'Well, I better clean it up. I'm doing a hip replacement tomorrow morning.' "

Map

NOTES Teevens is altering his route to try to dodge some of the hills in western Pennsylvania. Where he’d originally planned to go more through the central part of the state, he’s now aiming to slice diagonally through the northwestern part of Pennsylvania and jump up into New York. With winds out of the south predicted for the next several days the change could give him a little help at his back. “If I get a good wind and an early start I’d like to make Jamestown, N.Y.,” he said. “If not, my other lockspot is Warren, Pa.”

He estimates Warren at 130 miles by bicycle route and Jamestown at 150. “How far I make it depends on the hills and the wind,” he said. “I guess (Route) 62 mirrors the Allegeheny River, so that will help. So would the wind. A good push would be nice. I could use one.”

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Brown has a list of recruits and their bios here. ... Princeton and Cornell will get national exposure this fall with a Friday night game carried live on ESPNU. ... It's the second year in a row the Tigers have been featured on the station. Last fall they played Brown on the network. ... New Hampshire is No. 7 and Yale No. 25 in one of the first 2007 preseason polls compiled by AnyGivenSaturday and reported by UNH.

Buddy Bikes: Day 16 Sneak Peek

Maybe that should be Sneak Peak because Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens saw a lot of peaks Tuesday on a day that he thinks might have included more climbing than any other so far on his trip. Teevens had enough left in his tank at the tail end of a hard day to make his goal of crossing into Pennsylvania, but instead called it a night in Poland, Ohio, a little south of Youngstown, where he accepted the gracious hospitality of a Dartmouth alum. Check back in the morning to find out the who, what, where, when, why, the how and the what next!

Buddy Bikes: Day 15

Day 15

Start
Richmond, Ind.
Finish
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Mileage
155

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
Mount Vernon, Ohio -- Unsure of what road to take Monday, Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens pulled his bike over and got the attention of a young landscaper named Jared.

“I was kind of betwixt and between,” Teevens said Monday night. “I asked for directions and he asked what I was doing. I said I was doing this little ride and that it's about cancer. So he digs out his wallet and tries to hand me $20.

“He was a hard-working guy with calloused hands and sunburn. Just a working guy. I told him I couldn’t take his money and he shoved it in my hand. I told him I'm not going to take it, but if you feel that compelled you can get on the website and make a difference. I really don’t think the guy had $20 to give away but that was his impulse and he didn't know me from Adam. That’s the kind of thing that’s happening out here.”

On a wind-slowed, 155-mile day the landscaper wasn’t the only one moved by Teevens’ ride.

“This woman named Elizabeth in a store thanked me for what I was doing,” he said. “She said she was in the hospital two days ago with something and was scared. She said it was non-malignant. She's a mother of six kids, and she's thanking me for just riding a bike.”

Not that "just riding" was particularly easy Monday.

“I went long yesterday and slept short so I was tired today,” Teevens admitted. “As soon as I got on the bike today I had a headwind, so I was glad I put in a good day yesterday. Wind is tough. It can take you twice as long to get someplace.

"It was a productive day but it just was a slog. I didn't stop anywhere. I just kept going trying to make miles.”

Slog or not, Teevens enjoyed the 15th day of his cross country ride just as he's enjoyed those that came before it.

“It was scenic,” he said. “Everything is closer together now. The more east I travel the less space between towns, between farms. But there’s still a lot of farm work.

“It's amazing the scent of different sections of the country as I go along. At one point there was a farmer plowing dirt and it smelled good. Then another farmer was haying and someone was cutting grass. You just don’t notice that in a car.”

Teevens also noticed something else.

“On some of these back roads it's like seeing old-time America,” he said. “I saw dads playing catch with the kids. Moms playing catch with the kids. It was neat and it really did bring me back a bit.”

What brought him to Mount Vernon was an interesting melange of roads.

“I was on route 40, which is a pretty good run,” he said. “But then I got on Route 42, which is a semi-death trap. After I made it up to the city of Delaware I shot across on 521 and 656 to -- and I thought it was appropriate -- Sparta. It was at the Sparta grocery that owner Becky Clemens shared some valuable insider knowledge.

“She put me on New Delaware Road,” Teevens said. “It was a series of rollers, but was very scenic with cattle and horses and phenomenal colors. It seemed to be primarily downhill.

“I was told I will get into some climbs (today). I asked a trucker I met on the way and he said I’m in a section of the country that is all hills. He told me the more north you go the better, but that I am going to be climbing (today). I don’t think the hills will be anywhere as big as the Vermont hills or the California hills, but I'm sure they will take their toll.”

Teevens spent the night in the “historic Curtis Inn,” answering a craving for pizza by picking up a pie and grabbing a little ice cream while he was at it.

His goal today: to reach Pennsylvania.

“I'm going to head across up 62, which is supposed to be fairly scenic,” he said. “I'll go on 36 to 62 and then run that through Canton and on toward Youngstown. There's a Dartmouth doctor that called from Youngstown and I may see him or try to get some local information from him.”

Once in Pennsylvania Teevens will re-work his route on more time.

“My thought is to draw a diagonal from where I am in Pennsylvania all the way back and go through the northern part of the state and into New York. But I’ll see when I get there.”

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Teevens confirmed last night that assistant coach Matthew Smiley, who has headed up Dartmouth's special teams and lately worked with the running backs, has accepted a position as offensive coordinator at Eureka College. "It's going back home and more responsibility, so I'm happy for him," Teevens said. Brian Austin, Dartmouth's senior associate director of athletics for intercollegiate sports has kicked off a search for a replacement.

Buddy Bikes: Day 15 Sneak Peek

Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens made it to Mount Vernon, Ohio, 45 minutes northeast of Columbus on Day 15 of his 3,600-mile cross country bicycle ride. He's hoping to push into Pennsylvania before the end of the day Tuesday.

Buddy Bikes: Day 14

Day 14

Start
Tuscola, Ill.
Finish
Richmond, Ind.
Mileage
175

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
Richmond, Ill. -- Not all milestones in a cross country bicycle trip are on little green signs found on the side of the road every mile.

Another milestone, it turns out, can be on your wrist.

“Going from Illinois to Indiana I made it back into the Eastern Time Zone,” Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens said last night from Richmond, Ind., near the Ohio border. “That’s a psychological boost.”

Here’s another: Two years ago Teevens bicycled from Hanover to a family vacation on Lake Michigan. Told last night that he’s now east of Lake Michigan -- which took him a week to reach on his first big bicycling adventure -- Teevens was upbeat. “Good deal,” he said. “I guess I have a chance of making it.”

While he’s determined to be back in time for son Buddy Jr.’s, graduation from Salisbury School on June 1, he’s aiming to be at the Connecticut prep for festivities the night before. By car it’s about 830 miles from Richmond, Ind. to Hanover, N.H. While bike routes can be considerably longer, Teevens is confident he is on track to make his deadline. Particularly if he has a few more days like Sunday.

“I made a good run today,” he said just after climbing off his bike at 9 p.m. “I took two hours out with friends and I lost an hour with the time change or this would have been a 200-mile day. So I still have it in me.”

Teevens’ day began in Tuscola, Ill., where Gary and Susan Kling, whose son Jordan is a promising freshman receiver at Dartmouth, put on a Saturday night feast.

“They treated me like an absolute king,” he said. “I can’t say enough about how wonderful they were. They wined and dined me with chicken and shrimp, steak, salad, sourdough bread, ice cream.

"And," he said, "I slept. I went to bed about 9:15 or 9:30 and had a very good night's sleep.”

When Teevens hit the road around 7:15 a.m. Sunday, it was in the company of a trio of riders arranged by the Klings. The coach was joined by Mike Cross, who one day earlier participated in a 100-mile horse ride -- on a Belgian draft horse no less -- by Kim Ponder, a small animal vet, and by Jennifer Cross, who is training for the 160-mile Ride Across Indiana (RAIN) on July 14.

“They were all neat people but Jennifer was a ringer,” Teevens said with a laugh. “I came to find out she's raced nationally in cyclocross and criteriums and all that stuff. Mike stayed a short time ... but I rode 50 miles with Kim and Jennifer. They were racehorses. We went to Montezuma, Ind., where Kim had a favorite ice cream spot. She said, ‘I'm sure you want to keep going.’ I said,’No, if it’s ice cream, I'm in.’ I can't remember the name of the place but it was unbelievable homemade ice cream. We had flurries and then I was off.”

Teevens was grateful for the company while he had it, as he has been each step of the 3,600-mile trip.

“Every group I've ridden with has been avid cyclists and they've given me some helpful insider knowledge,” he said. “Once again today they took me off the beaten path and over some nice farm roads. Fortunately we had a little bit of a tailwind and it was sunny. It was just a beautiful way to go.”

Teevens’ goal after the ice cream stop -- Indianapolis. Because it was a Sunday, he elected not to stop at the NFL Colts’ team headquarters. But Sunday or not, traffic in and around the big city spooks him on his bicycle, which is just one of the reasons why he was grateful for the help and hospitality of friend Chris Morrison ‘82, who has been tracking his progress for two weeks.

“I called Chris and there he was driving down (highway) 36 in the other direction with his family and waving,” Teevens said. “He swung around and because of all the traffic said he’d meet me in Danville about six miles away. I rode about 20 miles with him. He was all concerned about holding me back, but he was a pacemaster. He was racing and I was dying. It had been 100 miles for me at that point. He could really go.”

Although Morrison and wife Marie had planned on Teevens arriving for a dinnertime barbecue, they gladly welcomed him into their home and altered their plans. “I told them this is a good day to ride so rather than stay overnight I'd love to just maybe eat and have you drop me out of traffic on the other side of the city,” he said. “They were nice enough to adjust their dinner schedule. We had bratwurst, potato salad, some really neat tomatoes with sauce and cheese, rolls, salad and ice cream.

“You've got to have your ice cream,” Teevens said with a laugh.

The coach got a kick out of meeting the Morrisons’ young daughter Olivia, and also had a chance to catch up with former offensive guard Sam Laurin ‘82, who also lives in Indianapolis.

And then Teevens was off again, setting his sights on Richmond, Ind., just a long spiral from the Ohio state line but more than 60 miles from Indianapolis.

Sunset in Richmond Sunday night was about 8:51 p.m., so Teevens thought he had a chance. “ I had just pulled over to switch sunglasses from my day ones to some kind of night-vision ones,’’ he explained. “I knew I was getting close and there was a woman named Pat who had a Great Dane and a dalmation and was out working on her garden at about 8:15. I asked her, ‘How late does it stay light?’ She said, ‘Why are you asking?’ When I told her I wanted to make Richmond, and how fast I go, she said no problem. Then completely out of the blue she invited me in to have a cup of tea or something.”

Teevens politely declined the offer, lest he need real night-vision sunglasses, and zipped off to Richmond, where he checked into the Holiday Motel.

“Chet was the guy at the front desk,” Teevens said. “He told me he was going to give me the best deal in the house. He said, ‘You can stay in the boss's room, but you've got to promise me not to smoke. I said, ‘Not a problem.’ ”

Today's map

PROUTY RIDE UPDATE Increasing breast cancer awareness, rather than fund raising, was one of Coach Buddy Teevens’ hopes for his ride. Still, his trip has inspired more than $6,500 in donations to The Prouty Century Bike Ride & Challenge Walk, which raises money for cancer research at Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center.

While in Tuscola, Ill., the Klings brought Teevens to meet with son Jordan’s freshman football coach, who recently was diagnosed with cancer.

“He's undergone surgery and is about to start chemo,” Teevens said of the father of young daughters. “He's just a young guy. It will strike anyone, any age group, anytime, in a variety of ways. So the people who have been kind enough to send money, it's going to a wonderful cause and a much needed cause.”

The spark Teevens provided to inspire your generosity has been much appreciated by those the gifts will be helping.

Listen to Jean Brown, Executive Director, Friends of Norris Cotton Cancer Center: “We're thrilled by Buddy's ride across the country. It's an extraordinary thing to do and his desire to raise awareness about breast cancer is so important. He's riding a bit farther(!) than The Prouty Century, but the thought is the same. We all want to do something to fight cancer. We all want to make a difference. That's what The Prouty is about and that's what Buddy's ride is about. We welcome him as a Prouty "virtual" rider and we're honored by the contributions people have made to his Prouty webpage. Keep it up, Buddy, we're rooting for you!

Here’s what Mark Israel, MD, Cancer Center Director, has to say: "I've recently gotten to know Buddy, and he's an extraordinary person. I am so appreciative of someone of his standing at Dartmouth, making this cause his own and doing something so stunning as biking across the country to draw attention to breast cancer. We at Norris Cotton Cancer Center are really honored to have Buddy on our team."

If you’d like to further help the cause, click here. Thank you.

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The Daily Dartmouth has a story about Buddy Teevens, his ride and what he means to Dartmouth. Do check it out. ... The D also has a story about Floren Varsity House that notes completion of the project is expected in November, perhaps for the final football game. ... Nothing new here, but the SI.com piece has a nice Ivy League lede build around two well-known broadcaster and a Super Bowl coach.

Buddy Bikes: Day 14 Sneak Peek

Buddy Teevens with alums Chris Morrison, left, and Sam Laurin during a stopover in Indianapolis Sunday.

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Dartmouth alum Chris Morrison, an avid cyclist who contributed to the "Fatten Buddy Up" effort in Indianapolis today, knew Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens had Richmond, IN, near the Ohio border on his radar after leaving Indy. Morrison wasn't sure Teevens could make it but he did, dismounting his bike for good at about 9 p.m. Eastern, after a 175-mile day. Check back Monday morning for a full recap of Buddy Bikes, Day 14.

Buddy Bikes: Day 13

The Gumby guys send Buddy Teevens on his way.

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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.

“I had just pulled into Tuscola and was trying to find out where they live and here come Gary and Susan waving a Dartmouth flag,” he explained. “They tossed my bike in the back of their SUV and brought me back. They have a beautiful spot, backed up by a cornfield and overlooking a golf course, and fed me like a son-of-a-gun.

“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.

Teevens had originally planned to try to pile up the miles on a day when he had a favorable wind, but the Klings’ hospitality, a room in their home and a possible stint in their hot tub led to a change of heart.

“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.”

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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.

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.

The story says Smith and baseball executive Sandy Alderson both spent about $75,000 on their campaigns.

Buddy Bikes: Day 13 Sneak Peek

A gentle tailwind made all the difference Saturday as Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens had what would be considered an "easy" 125-mile ride if there were any such thing. Teevens called it a day in Tuscola, Ill., where freshman receiver Jordan Kling's parents, Susan and Gary, waved him down with a Dartmouth flag before fixing him up with food, friends and a comfortable bed. Check Green Alert in the morning for a full update on Buddy Bikes: Day 13.

Buddy Bikes: Day 12

Day 12

Start
Brunswick, MO
Finish
Jacksonville, Ill.
Mileage
161

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
Jacksonville, Ill. -- Water.

On Day 11 of his bicycle ride from San Diego to the east coast it slowed Dartmouth football coach Buddy Teevens down.

On the 12th day of his 3,600-mile adventure it sped him up.

One day after flooding of the Grand River in western Missouri forced Teevens to do miles of depressing backtracking and rerouting, another river gave him a boost.

“I had a headwind again today and was lagging a little bit until I came up over a hill and all of a sudden there it was,” Teevens said. “The Mississippi! It was a psychological thing. Seeing it was energizing. I just wanted to get a better look at it.”

Teevens approached the river in Hannibal, south of Quincy. “It’s big,” he said of the Mighty Mississippi. “It was neat because I'm a big Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn fan. I stopped while I was crossing the bridge to look down and you could see an old section of Hannibal. You could kind of envision the story and the island and the boats. It was great.”

Inspired by the river and crossing into the eighth state of his trip, Teevens racked up 161 miles over the handlebars before landing in Jacksonville, Ill., where he was welcomed by family friends Mary Henry, her son Cole and Harmy Deal. Mary -- Kirsten Teevens’ “best friend in the world” -- took one look at the bicyclist, quickly decided he needed some fattening up after 12 days on the road, and pushed a quart of ice cream on him.

"It’s neat to see friendly and familiar faces,” Teevens said. “They will feed me well and get me to bed and I'll be up early and do it again.”

Like each day of the trip, Friday had its own set of adventures and misadventures, including a blowout and subsequent brain cramp.

“It happened on (Route) 26,” Teevens explained. “I was making real good time. I had taken a spare from (former riding partner David) Shula that I was going to patch. Like an idiot I grabbed that one and put it in. When I pumped it up, it leaked.”

While on the side of the busy road Teevens was surprised -- but not surprised -- with an offer of help.

“A nice guy, Dave, who worked for Nestle Purina, pulled over and offered a hand,” Teevens said. “I was shocked because it was literally a freeway. But he stopped and asked if there was anything he could do. There wasn't, but I appreciated the offer. I've said it many times, but people have been wonderful and want to help.”

Not all of them, however.

On a trip that has shown Teevens the best of human nature there have been precious few people who have shown him the other side. He came across several of them Friday.

“Monroe Country, MO has the worst roads and some people with the worst attitudes of anyplace I've been and you can write that,” he said. “I got cussed by an overweight old-timer, some guy who was a fisherman and some lady with no teeth, all for no reason. It was unbelievable.”

Once across the Mississippi Teevens put his head down again and made good progress as the wind abated late in the day.

“I didn’t stop at any schools. I didn't stop a whole bunch at all,” he said. “It's time to grind it out. I did meet a guy named Dave in Hull, Ill., a biker who was smoking his butt off. I kind of jumped him about that. He told me he makes the pizza in town.”

Down the road in Winchester, Ill., Teevens passed a marker for Stephen Douglas, the Vermont-born, Illinois senator of the mid-1800’s who tried unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for president in 1852 and 1856.

“It's neat all the historic stuff you see,” said Teevens, a history major at Dartmouth. “I don't pull over and read all the signs, but it's stuff you'd never see in a car.”

Teevens plans to make it to Tuscola, Ill., today where the family of freshman wide receiver Jordan Kling is eager to continue the fattening up process that Mary Henry started last night. At perhaps 130 miles it figures to be a light day made easier by less wind and more good scenery unless he continues on after his stop in Tuscola. Either way, Teevens is enjoying his return to Illinois, where he once served as an assistant coach.

“The farms in western Illinois are really phenomenal,” he said. “I've been through here before but I didn't realize it's a little bit rolling. Not so much as Kansas and Missouri, but it's scenic and clean with the best roads I've been on in a while.

“This wasn’t the biggest day I’ve had, but I felt like I accomplished something anyway.”

Buddy Bikes: Day 12 Sneak Peek

Friday night finds the Dartmouth football coach in Jacksonville, Ill., due east of Hannibal, Mo. Despite battling a light wind until late in the day he managed 161 miles before meeting up with family friends for the night. Check back Saturday morning for the full update.

Buddy Bikes: Day 11

Day 11

Start
Overland Park, Kansas/Missouri City, Missouri
Finish
Brunswick, MO
Mileage
100

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreen alert.com
Brunswick, MO -- The whispers around Dartmouth’s Alumni Gym Thursday were that “Buddy had to pull the plug on his ride.”

To quote ESPN commentator Lee Corso, "Not so fast my friend."

Told about the rumor that his bicycle ride from San Diego to the East Coast had been curtailed near the halfway point, Dartmouth football Coach Buddy Teevens was incredulous. “I wonder who started that?” he said. “They'll have to drag me kicking and screaming before that happens. It's been hard, but it's been fun and I’m determined to see it through.”

That determination was on full display Thursday when Mother Nature tacked another challenge onto persistent headwinds: flooding. Spring rains that dramatically raised the water level on several Missouri rivers also raised havoc with Teevens’ route.

“The Grand River flooded and I had to reroute twice, which added probably another 20-30 miles,” he said. “That’s hard because you are putting on mileage but you aren't getting anywhere.”

Teevens was able to ford one stretch of floodwater that otherwise would have required him to take a lengthy detour, but wisely thought better of a second attempt. "On the first one the water was covering the road,” he explained. “I took my shoes and socks off, rolled my pants up a little bit and walked through water that was knee-high to thigh-high, carrying my bike. It was probably 300-to-400 yards.

“When I came to another one I told this guy, Pat Barnes, a city worker, I wanted to go through. He said, ‘Man, I can't stop you if you want to start walking. It might be 3 inches, 5 inches, 8 inches. But then again, you might just disappear. And if you do, I'm not going to come look for you. Do what you want, but I'd suggest you backtrack and take 139.’ ”

Added Teevens with a laugh: “He was a craggy old guy but a neat son-of-a-gun, and I took his advice.”

That advice brought Teevens the long way around to Brunswick, not far from the world’s largest pecan. Tired and hungry, he was weighing his options during a quick stop at the local grocery when he benefited from what golfers call a "little local knowledge."

“The store closed at 6 and I'm wondering what I'm going to do for dinner and breakfast, so I grabbed a couple of cans of sardines, a loaf of bread, some peanut butter -- my staple -- and some fruit and yogurt,” Teevens said. “As I was going out I asked about a hotel in town and the lady instead suggested the Whitetail Run Bed & Breakfast across the street, which caters to hunters. There was just a little sign but I knocked on the door and the lady who runs the place, Mary Nicholson, had just come back after the flooding. Neat place. She had a pizza and offered to split it with me.”

As it turns out, the innkeeper had driven past Teevens and noticed him on the road only to be surprised when he turned up on her doorstep that evening. “She’s very, very nice, like everyone has been on the trip,” Teevens said.

Everyone including Mike Monohan -- father of Dartmouth baseball catcher Jack Monohan -- who hosted Teevens Wednesday night and got him safely on the road northeast of Kansas City Thursday morning. “Thank goodness he did,” Teevens said. “Riding through Kansas City would have been nuts.”

Thursday included a breakfast-time stop at the Cancer Survivor’s Park in Kansas City and a meeting with representatives of the R.A. Bloch Cancer Foundation. From there, it was off to the Kansas City Chiefs’ headquarters and a meeting with old friend Bill Kuharich -- Teevens is godfather to Kuharich’s daughter -- as well as a hello with head coach Herm Edwards. (Teevens tried to recruit Edwards’ son Marcus to play wide receiver at Florida. Although Marcus ended up at San Diego State, Teevens thinks he'll try to recruit him again -- to work at the Manning Passing Academy this summer.)

Then it was back on the road and into the wind, starting in Missouri City.

“It was a constant slog all day,” Teevens said. “I couldn't go over 12 or 14 mph. It was a lot of rollers and where they re-routed me it was all hills. I probably did about 25 hills like the one on the Lyme Road.

“I'm more frustrated than anything else. The road where I was re-routed was scenic, but not too good. The shoulder was non-existent and because of the flooding everything was re-routed the same way, so you are getting passed by trucks left and right.”

Sounding tired but not depressed after a 100-mile day, Teevens vowed to make up for lost time today. “It was pulling teeth. Glacial progress,” he said. “But I’m going to keep grinding away.

“I think I’m almost at the halfway point in terms of days. If I can just get a tailwind for a day or two I can really make some miles.”

SWEET EATS Teevens was on the phone back here Wednesday night from the Sweet Tomatoes restaurant where the Monahans had brought him. Mike Monahan was duly impressed when the coach put down the phone and picked up the fork. In an email, he wrote: “I never saw anyone eat that much!”

Teevens’ conceded the point. “It was a feeding frenzy,” he said. “I was so hungry. I was on the phone when they started eating, so I was trying to play catchup. I could have stayed there another two hours.”

According to Teevens, his weight is “down a little, but nothing worrisome.”

ONE STOP The late start and difficult conditions limited Teevens to one football-related stop at Hardin High School, a former Missouri state champion.

HEY PEYTON It’s still miles away, but Teevens is planning to go through Indianapolis where he hopes to check in with Peyton Manning. The Dartmouth coach runs the Manning Passing Academy for the Colts’ quarterback and his family, whom he got to know when he coached at Tulane. “I talked with Archie and he said Peyton’s working hard and to just give him a call,” the coach said.

SPEAKING OF INDY A big fan of the David Letterman Show, Teevens would love to meet the talk show host's mother when he hits town. So if you know her -- or Dave -- let them know ;-) I can see a Letterman's Top 10 list coming out of this ...

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The DartmouthBiz blog writes about the ancillary benefits of Buddy Teevens' ride. ... Independent candidate Stephen Smith has been elected a Dartmouth trustee. ... Donations to The Prouty inspired by Teevens' ride have surpassed $4,000 and the Prouty home page now has a link to this blog.

More Photos; Day 11 To Come

Thanks to Mary Nicholson of the Whitetail Bed & Breakfast in Brunwick, Missouri for sending along these photos of Dartmouth Coach Buddy Teevens at her inn and heading off down the road. Ironically, during a detour caused by local flooding she passed Teevens on the road and was surprised sometime later to find him knocking on her door in search of a place to stay.

Mary reports that she, like so many Buddy has met on his journey, has seen her family touched by cancer over the past few years. From her note: "We have made such wonderful friends (by word of mouth – that’s how Buddy came to us) and we can add one more to the list with Buddy’s departure." Today's update is going to take a bit longer. Hopefully I'll have it up by 12:30. (The roofing contractor was here from 7:45 until until almost 11 a.m.. After signing to have a new metal standing-seam roof installed I am now officially a pauper ;-). Think one year of tuition, room and board at an Ivy League school.