Muckleroy Day 5

Great day today.  88 miles great weather and good roads.  For anyone that knows me will understand this.  My wife would be so proud of me, so far I have passed up 3 links of chain with hooks, a Crescent wrench, a 6 inch ratchet extension and about 75 cents in change.  Tomorrow we head intoNew Orleans.  I am looking forward to finishing the ride, but I am also sad that it will be over.  It has been a great time with a bunch of great people.  The riders are awesome,  but the crew that is taking care of us is beyond awesome, we want for nothing and if there is something we think we need they already have it, this is the most organized and well supported ride in the country.

Muckleroy day 4

Day four was great.  Stopped at the Tabasco plant had some Tabasco flavored ice cream, then we were back on the road again.  Had lunch in Franklin on the banks of the Bayou Tish.  Had a great meal and entertainment at supper.  Tomorrow it is on to Gonzales for day 5.  Tomorrow we cross the Mississippi River at Gramercy.  Weather was great today and looks like it will be great tomorrow.

Day 2 & 3

Not easy to get to a computer, so here we go.  Day two the wind was bad.  we came off the Pleasure Island Bridge and could only get up to about 14 mph on the way down the wind was so strong.  The ride down the beach was tough.  After lunch we turned mostly north and had the wind to our back that was great.  Made it into Sulfur to finish day 2, 92 miles.

Day 3  Rained all night and when we woke up it was still raining,53, and a strong northwest wind.  By the time we started it had stopped raining but the wind was still blowing.  Did not warm up, we had lunch under a bridge.  Day 3 was 106 miles.  It is clear today.  It is a short day today we only have 74 miles.

Day 2 Beaumont to Sulphur

92 miles from Beaumont to Sulphur. Sounds like a breeze, for those of us riding in the cars!

The weather was promising this morning. Slightly cloudy, not too hot and a little breeze. The riders were all feeling pretty good after a successful Day One of the Tour. The first leg of Day Two was very smooth.

Our Fabulous Riders Getting Ready to Go Over the Bridge

The first big challenge of the day could possibly be one of the biggest of the week. The Pleasure Island Bridge. All of the riders gathered at the base of the bridge in order to cross over as one large group. The local authorities were so supportive of our group. They closed down the bridge for us so that our riders could be sure to cross over safely. Have we mentioned how much we love the authorities in the areas we are lucky enough to cycle through?!

It's All Downhill After This

We are quite a sight when all of the riders are riding together as a group! Needless to say, going down the hill was much more enjoyable than going up! Just after the bridge we stopped at the first rest stop of the day. The American Red Cross Orange Chapter hosted our first rest stop at Riverfront Park at Pleasure Island. After the bridge our riders were happy to see them.

It was VERY windy on the other side of that bridge. The cyclists were riding along the coast for approximately the next 35 miles into a strong headwind and they took a beating. There was a pot of gold at the end of that wind tunnel though!

The wonderful employees at the Apache Corporation facility at Holly Beach hosted a lunch for all 90 riders and crew. They spent their entire morning grilling sausage so we could all have Cajun sausage po-boys. The riders were thrilled to have their first taste of cajun country!

Our Wonderful Hosts at Apache

After lunch the riders were blessed with a tail wind that was almost as strong as the head wind they had been fighting for the past two hours. All the riders finished  strong and were smiling when they crossed the finish line.

The first two days have been challenging, but the alumni riders assure us all that things get easier from now on. They must be right, because most of them are back for their third Tour!

It’s time for us Red Crossers to head off to bed. It’s an early morning again tomorrow but we all love every minute!

Day 1

Hello everyone, well we finished day one.  It was a bit windy, about 4 mph shy  of tropical storm force winds, but it was a good day.  Any day you are on a bike is a good day.  88 miles today – 92 tomorrow.  We cross over the Pleasure Island Bridge and then very shortly after that into Louisiana on our way to Sulfur and that will be the end of day 2.  The most exciting thing today was an alligator on the shoulder that had been run over.  Hopefully we will see some live ones in the next few days.  Well I will report on day 2 tomorrow, good night.

Ray is preparing for a 500 mile + ride.

Ray Johnson – Hey family and friends – just setting this blog site up to keep you posted on our Tour du Rouge ride from Houston to New Orleans. Will connect with all later.

Team Hobbs Anxiously Anticipates Tour du Rouge

Team Hobbs (Hobbs, New Mexico) is sending four cyclists to the Tour du Rouge – Donnie Hill, Mesong Harrison, Ric Crosby, and Bob Reid.  Bob rode in the inaugural event in 2009 and looks forward to returning after taking a year off.  Donnie, Mesong, and Ric will participate for the first time.  Team Hobbs (sponsored by Southeast New Mexico cycling – http://www.senmcycling.org) supports charity bike rides throughout the Southwest from Tucson to New Orleans and is pleased to support the Tour du Rouge.

In each of the first two years of the Tour du Rouge, the Texas and Louisiana state flags have been carried through downtown New Orleans upon conclusion of the ride.  For the first time in 2011, the New Mexico flag will join our Texas and Louisiana colleagues in the procession toward the ending point.  Team Hobbs is proud to be part of this challenging (526 mile) and worthwhile event and we are especially pleased to have the New Mexico flag to demonstrate unanimity with our friends in Southeast Texas and the Louisiana coast in support of hurricane victims.

Donnie, Mesong, Ric, and Bob look forward to spending six exciting days along side of (and occasionally drafting) our fellow cyclists.

Almost There

The Tour du Rouge is just three days away!  I made it to Austin, got my bike reassembled and rode for about an hour yesterday afternoon.  This morning I plan to ride for an hour or two at the Veloway just to get some exercise.  The Veloway is a 3.1 mile paved loop through a wooded area in south Austin dedicated solely to bicycles and skates (no walking or jogging).

Tomorrow I drive to Houston for registration and the kick-off banquet.  We are staying at the Sheraton near the Intercontinental Airport.  Then Sunday morning the ride to New Orleans begins!

I just found out that two of the tour participants who are Red Cross employees have been deployed to Alabama for the disaster relief effort there.  Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the storms.

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The Countdown Has Begun!

The Tour is only three days away! That made me a little nervous to say out loud! We are REALLY busy here at the American Red Cross offices getting everything ready for our fabulous riders. The amount of detail involved in getting 74 cyclists ready to hit the road is a little overwhelming. But it’s really fun as well!

The 2010 Tour du Rouge Riders

This blog will be available for our riders and crew to post updates along the way. 526 miles over the course of six days! That’s just amazing to me and I am sure there will be plenty to share with friends and family.

Well, back to work (if you can call it that). I am personally so excited to be going along with the crew this year. The countdown has begun!!

-Leslie Schulze – crew