Sunday, February 27, 2011

Day 8 Eloy, AZ to Tucson, AZ




Wow, what a day!!! This was probably the second coldest day so far. Our ride started out from a cemetery in Eloy, we could see snow on the mountains and the wind at that point was in our face. We headed East on I10 until we got pulled over by johnny law, guess we weren't supposed to be riding on the interstate. He kindly advised us to take a frontage road which worked out to be a better option. The wind changed direction and was at our backs. As we got further into our ride we could we see a nasty storm front at the base of the mountains. We had brief moments of snow, hail and rain but we didn't let it stop us. The highlight of our ride was an exit sign we rode by as we entered into Tucson, it said Miracle Mile. A big thanks to Ryan and Matt for joining us on such a chilly ride.

We ended the night with an interview at a local Tucson new station, KOLD News 13.

JB & Cory
East Bound & Down

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Day 7 Tempe to Eloy


The day started off well, there wasn't a lot of wind and the temperature was nice. We had a great group with us and it was the first day we had a hand cyclist ride in the group.
As we got out of Tempe and into South Candler the wind started to get progressively stronger to the point that we couldn't see 100 feet in front of us. We also encountered a sand storm, the winds kicked up to 35 miles per hour bringing our speed down to 6 miles per hour.

Tonight I spoke at the The Neuro Institute, in Tempe, AZ. There were about 30 people in attendance, 1o of them having SCI (Spinal Cord Injury). It was such a great reminder of why I am working so hard everyday on this journey.

We are a little worried we might encounter rain tomorrow, keep your fingers crossed that it stays dry.

JB & Cory
East Bound & Down

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

One State Down, 7 to go!


I've been riding with Jimmy and Cory since day one on Sunday and it's been amazing trip so far. We've climbed massive hills, rocketed down canyons, pedaled through snow and cruised on the side of little roads like the I10.
Jimmy has been absolutely amazing to say the least, and the crew involved in this ride is as well. I've watched Jimmy battle physical and emotional demons just to get through the first few days, and it's been inspirational to say the least. Most people will never know everything Jimmy has to do just to be able to ride every day, but just imagine having your worst day when you wake up, then riding a bike 80 miles. Welcome to many of Jimmy's mornings. It's a good thing he has Cory by his side to keep his body in the best shape possible.

Today was day 4 of the ride, and we crossed the border into Arizona 17 miles before the end of today's ride. It was a huge boost to say the least, and a sense of accomplishent for all of us. My part of the ride ends (for now) in my home town of Phoenix, but Jimmy and the crew will soldier on to Daytona. They have a long ride ahead, but we started singing 20 million bottles of beer on the wall, so we'll see if they can finish the song before Daytona. We're somewhere around 19,872,000 right now:-)
Pray for Jimmy and support this ride any way you can, you will be better for it!
-Ari Pace

Arizona

Just entered into the great state of Arizona!! Not only was I born and raised here but most of my early rehabilitation was also done here. The first time I walked again after the accident was in Arizona and now I'm getting ready to ride my bike through the state. What an amazing feeling!!!


Day 4

So far Day 4 has been the toughest to get going but we are back out on the bikes. Leaving the middle of nowhere and headed to Blythe with our final destination being Quartzsite. The weather is amazing, clear skies and 65 degrees.

Like the song says.....Slow Ride, Take it Easy.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Gearing up for Sunday


Sunday is the Day!! All the hard work to put this trip together is almost hear. Jimmy has been training hard for months to prepare.









We will be updating the Blog often (probably daily to every other day). Check back a lot and see the adventure as it happens.

Gearing up for Sunday


Sunday is the Day!! All the hard work to put this trip together is almost hear. Jimmy has been training hard for months to prepare.









We will be updating the Blog often (probably daily to every other day). Check back a lot and see the adventure as it happens.