We'll be leaving Ruili tomorrow!

[Photo by Neil Dana]

Journal by Nancy Olson

(I should be writing about how we're leaving Ruili tomorrow and going to Myanmar, and all that good stuff, but I am swamped with other writing assignments. Instead, please enjoy this submission I wrote for Santa Cruz Mountain Bikes' website.)

TEXT:

One of my teammates looked at my bike shoes and commented that bringing them along was a bit “excessive.” How can I argue with a guy like that? Clearly, he just doesn’t get it.

We were embarking on a yearlong driving expedition that would take us around the world, through 25+ countries, across four continents, and over a distance of 30,000-some-odd miles. We were packing nine team members and all of our gear into four Certified Land Rover Discovery vehicles, and we were carrying two Santa Cruz Blurs that had been hand-delivered by Mr. Rob Roskopp (professional skateboarder back in the day, El Numero Uno of Santa Cruz Mountain Bikes) himself.

The expedition is called “LONGITUDE”, its purpose is to raise money and awareness for Parkinson’s Disease research, and it is the Drive Around the World non-profit organization’s third vehicle expedition. This is the first time mountain bikes have been on the gear list.

In the months leading up to our departure, I was accused by each of my teammates, some more than once, of being “obsessed” with the bikes. I think the label is unfair and a little extreme, but I guess there are much worse things I could be called than bike-obsessed. They just didn’t understand the ramifications of bringing not one, but two, of what most consider the “the Range Rover of mountain bikes” along on a journey around the world. I mean, these aren’t just bikes, for Christ’s sake, they’re works of art. Why couldn’t my teammates understand the consequences of traveling through third-world nations and some of the remotest areas on earth with a pair of Picassos?

There were secure bike racks to be researched and obtained, unbreakable locks and cables to be purchased, and a tool kit to be sourced. None of these things could be taken lightly if I was to achieve my goal of getting both bikes from start to finish without incident. The votes against my success were about seven of nine.

We left our headquarters in Los Gatos, California, behind Nov. 1 to have our official kick-off at the Parkinson’s Institute of northern Calif. That was more than eight months, 19 countries, and 22,000 miles ago. And you know what? The bikes are still with us, and they’re still in near-perfect condition.

With the rapid pace of our travels, and with the intensity of the workload each of us juggles each day, the bikes haven’t tasted quite as much international dirt as I’d hoped they would, although they have seen action in all but five of the 19 countries we’ve visited. And I’ve only tasted dirt in two of those…(minor headers down sand dunes and rocky switchbacks…and one embarrassing tumble on some steps in a Chinese alley).

I’ve had a blast zipping down monstrous sand dunes on Peru’s coast, flying down muddy switchbacks in the Andes, darting messenger-style through Santiago, Chile, traffic, circumnavigating glacieral lakes in Patagonia, chasing roos in Australia’s Outback, racing pedicabs in China, and enjoying a 1.5-month solo sabbatical down the east coast of Australia. My bike is my refuge and my therapist.

Since we can’t very well drive across oceans, we had a span of about two months to kill while waiting for our vehicles to ship from South America to Australia. I had time, a bike, and orders to Australia, so I packed up my Blur and hopped a flight to Cairns. I planned a route that would take me approximately 1200 miles down the right-hand coast of Australia, from Cairns to Brisbane, and it was some of the best fun I’ve had on this entire expedition.

I ordered a B.O.B. bicycle trailer from the U.S., strapped my gear to it in Cairns, and headed off on an incredible, 37-day, solo adventure. Because I was by myself, I was able to meet more people and become more intimately familiar with Queensland, Australia, than I ever would have with my team and vehicles in tow. Everybody wanted to talk to the crazy American dragging a trailer behind her “push bike” (That’s Australian for bicycle). My Santa Cruz helped me make some very dear new friends during that 1200-mile journey. (For a daily report from the trail, click HERE)

Actually, my Santa Cruz helps me make friends in every country, because people are just drawn to its majesty. And that’s a lot of what this expedition is about: meeting new people and exploring different cultures. We have close to 10,000 miles and at least six countries left in our travels, and I’m looking forward to many more Santa Cruz adventures. I intend to sample some of the rocky trails and thin air of the Himalayas, the sands of Pakistan, and the frigid tundra of Siberia before touching down again on U.S. soil. We enter Myanmar (formerly Burma) tomorrow, and the bikes are cleaned, lubed, tuned, and ready. This is the jumping-off point for the Himalayas, and adventure awaits. Am I glad I packed my cycling shoes? Affirmative. Am I bike obsessed, as accused? You bet your pooper I am. Now, bring it!

Nancy Olson is a U.S. Marine Corps reservist, an adventure racer, and the United States’ representative in the 2003 Land Rover G4 Challenge global driving/adventure-sport competition. She hails from Southlake, Texas, but currently resides in Los Gatos, California (when she’s not living out of a Land Rover).

Logbook for Aug 12th, Day 283
Start: Ruili, China Time: N/A N: E:	Finish:Ruili, China Time: N/A N: E:	Mileage:
Notes: Our guide is meeting us at the Myanmar border early tomorrow. Once we cross into Myanmar, we probably will not have access to the Internet. I might not be able to post logbooks or journals until we reach India. So, don't fear! Just assume all is well, because it will be. We're in good hands! (N.O.)

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four Certified, Pre-Owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking HERE. One hundred percent of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research, and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.