By The Time I Get To Phoenix*

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For the last few years I have been involved with an organisation called Zwifters Against Parkinson’s (ZWAP).  This non-profit group was created to promote cycling as a highly beneficial therapy for Parkinson’s Disease; mostly via the online virtual cycling platform Zwift but also occasionally in the real world.  I have led a real world ride each year since 2023 but this year it is the big one...we are going to the US of A where we will ride to attend the World Parkinson’s Congress in Pheonix, Arizona.  Where better to start such a ride than 2100 miles away in Seattle?  We will ride the Pacific Coast Highway all the way to San Diego then turn left across the desert to Phoenix.

We are an international group with riders from the UK, Ireland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the US.  The ten with the largest testicles will ride the whole thing, with the remainder joining in San Francisco or LA.  We will roll into Phoenix as a group of 27, merging with another 20+ riders from Salt Lake City and Chicago for the final grand procession to the Convention Centre where a knees up awaits us.  It's quite a thing.

The planning and preparation for the trip has been significant, with complex accommodation needs, a multi-vehicle support team, a documentary film crew and some challenges that my Norwegian co-organiser and I have been beating our heads against for well over a year now.  What could possibly go wrong?   Last time I led a tour on the West Coast we had hotel disasters, mechanical problems, room fires and riders being arrested so I suppose the sky is the limit…strap in! 

For me it all starts on Monday, when I board a plane to Los Angeles to collect our first support vehicle.  1-way rental of the sort of vehicle we need is prohibitively expensive so I will collect from, and return to, Los Angeles.  This means my 1st task on arrival is to drive 1100 miles north to Seattle.  Actually that  will be my THIRD task, the 1st is to go to Walmart and procure a magnificent beer cooler and the 2nd, obviously, is to fill it!

*Since I will be linking my blog to the group’s Facebook page I may have some new readers for this trip.  If you are looking for detailed data on the riding, or elegant prose about the majestic beauty of the surroundings, this blog may not be for you.  I should also briefly re-explain the rules:

  1. Each blog entry must have a song as the title.
  2. The song must, in some way, connect to the content, though the connection can be as obscure as I like and can be to the artist not the song.
  3. I am granted some latitude to use album titles and plays on song titles
  4. Re-use of songs is discouraged BUT: I have been doing this for a long time, my memory isn’t what it was and the pool of remaining suitable songs is diminishing.  If you catch me re-using a song be sure to mention it…just not to me.  Maybe try and tell someone who gives a sh*t.
  5. It is my blog and I reserve the right to ignore, or change, the rules at will.

 

 

 

 

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