Day 18 ~ Rest Day

Today started off by meeting Dr. Marsh in St. Louis. Brent said Dr. Marsh and his staff (especially Kristen) were great!
Pictured above from left to right are: Brent, Dr. Marsh, Regan, Carissa (Regan's mom) and Kevin (Regan's Dad).

The boys, Brent, Mike and Kevin spent the day touring a bit. With time spent at the arches. They also were able to play the 1st Annual BWS putt-putt tournament. They had a great day and Brent was actually in bed by 8:30pm for his next ride day tomorrow. Only 4 more days of riding left.

Day 17 ~ Washington, MO to Dorsey, IL

Today was a short day mile-wise. Was only supposed to be about 75 miles to Alton, IL but Brent decided to ride a bit further to break up the miles on Wednesday. He rode to Dorsey today with a bit of a drizzle on and off which kept the heat down. Also, Brent wanted me to mention all the dead frogs along the road. Weird sites I tell ya!
Brent's major excitement today was that for the first time this whole trip he got ran off the road by a garbage truck, straight into the ditch. He's OK and his bike was OK too!
Spending the evening again with family at the hotel. Tomorrow is the big day. It's a rest day so in the morning they are all going to meet Dr. Marsh. After that, the girls will head back home and the boys will continue on bike route.

My mom says Brent looks so great! Not even exhausted. All I know is that the kids and I can't wait to finally see him and hug him!

Miles ridden today: 88
Total to date: 1914

Day 16 ~ Eldon, MO to Washington, MO

Not even these barricades will stop Brent at this point. Brent just took the path anyway and ended up being fine except for one crane in his path. It was almost like having his own road.

Today Brent faced STRONG head winds and rolling hills all day.
He thinks he might be Missouri's #1 bike rider with all the fingers he got today. ;-) (Is it normal in Missouri to hold up the middle finger if your telling someone they are #1?, Brent sure hopes so).


Just a picture of one of the landmarks they passed today.

Today Brent was greeted by more family, including little Regan. At this point, I think it's just such a relief just to be with more familiar faces.

Miles ridden today: 106
Total to date: 1826

Impressed by what Brent is doing? Please help the foundation today!

Day 15 ~ El Dorado Springs, MO to Eldon, MO

Brent said he was fast riding today, feeling good.

Support Crew change today which also means hotel rooms from here on out instead of sleeping in a trailer.
All he's asking for at this point is a bed where his legs don't hang off the edge. It's amazing how grateful you become for the little things in life.

A HUGE thank you today for Mike (Brent's brother-in-law) for taking over as Brent's Crew Chief! This means so much to us.

Sorry, there were no pictures today!

Miles ridden today: 108
Total to date: 1720

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=162001

Day 14 ~ Eureka, KS to El Dorado Springs, MO

Woo Hoo, finally out of Kansas. Brent is excited about that (as you can see below)


With 4 states down, only 3 to go. Brent was happy to enter Missouri.

Many things will start happening just to change the scenery a bit. Tomorrow night, Brent's brother-in-law Mike will take over as Crew Chief. Brent will be sad to see Dan go as he has put in 2 weeks of grueling work with Brent. Driving & waiting, driving & waiting, oh and driving & waiting. I'm sure he's ready for a change in scenery as well. Thank you so much to Dan for being there for Brent and taking this time away from his own family to support this wonderful cause.

In a few short days Brent will meet up with his sister and brother-in-law and Regan to meet one of Regan's surgeons, Dr. Jeffrey Marsh at St. John's Mercy in St. Louis. He is known for his work with children who have Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome.

From St. Louis on to the finish, in Milwaukee, Brent will then ride with both his brother-in-laws as the support crew.

Miles ridden today: 128
Total to date: 1612

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=162000

Day 13 ~ Pratt, KS to Eureka, KS

Another beautiful day weather-wise and not much construction but not too much excitement, again! Kansas has been pretty uneventful. The only issue today was that he got sunburn pretty bad. He just forgot to put it on today!

Also, Brent wanted to know if anybody realized there were so many armadillos in Kansas?

Miles ridden today: 146
Total to date: 1484

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=161229

Day 12 ~ Garden City, KS to Pratt, KS

Today was Brent's best riding day yet. He had beautiful weather, in the 70's and a great tail wind. He is hoping for more days like today. Without all the slaughter houses. He asked a guy on one stop about how many cows a day they slaughter there, and the man replied "from Garden City to Pratt about 20,000 cows a day get slaughtered". YIKES!



Miles ridden today: 126
Total to date: 1338

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=161222


It's not too late to donate, click below to make a tax deductible donation to BWCF:

Day 10 ~ Las Animas, CO to Garden City, KS

Not much excitement today. Brent said it was flat, VERY HOT, there was a ton of road construction and right at the end of todays ride was a thunderstorm with rain and hail.


Arrival into Garden City, or as the boys would put it, Garbage City. They said it stinks so bad where they are at. Luckily for them tomorrow is a rest day so they get to hang out tomorrow in the stink.

Some great news: they are officially at the half way mark!

Miles ridden today: 137
Total to date: 1212

Day 9 ~ Fort Garland, CO to Las Animas, CO

Today was a hot one! Here is a picture of Brent having to cool off his feet!
They started the day climbing the last peak in Colorado to 9438 ft. Then downhill to about 4000 ft from there. Right now, besides the heat, its the headwinds that are kicking Brent's butt.





He had a couple of exciting sitings today, a few deer and a quadraplegic man traveling across country on his motorized wheelchair.
Here's a clip from a news article I found on him: A Massachusetts man is trying to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records as he makes a trek from Boston to California in his motorized wheelchair. Matt Eddy is a quadriplegic and the goal of his trip is to raise money and awareness of the need for housing for folks with severe disabilities. Matt Eddy and his team of supporters have been on the road for 17-days now and only about 113 remain.

I told Brent, "that must be taking him forever to get anywhere" and he responds with "I'd love to have one of those right now".



The only other picture I got today. I'm not sure if he's trying to decide to continue on or turn back.
You know Brent, there's no way he'd ever turn back.

Crew Chiefs Tip for today: Never pee into the wind

Miles ridden today: 142
Total to date: 1075

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=163455

Day 8 ~ Pagosa Springs, CO to Fort Garland, CO

Today's ride was "epic" climbing the highest peak = 10,864 ft. They made it...not with smiling faces as I imagined they would look once they got to the top but hey...it must have been exhausting. We are all so proud of you guys, what a challenge you have conquered.








Hooter, I know there is a message I'm supposed to post specifically for you today but I can't quite remember what it was and I didn't get to talk too much to Brent. Something about him telling you that he would be able to do it with some gear or chain. Obviously words coming from a non-biker. He'll be so disappointed that I botched this up, but Hooter, you should know exactly what I'm trying to say. Feel free to leave a comment explaining to the other readers.

Here they are at the Continental Divide.




One picture showing the beauty they are riding through. Today was a hard day, apparently hot too. They were extremely tired but they did finish on schedule arriving in Fort Garland after riding 115 miles.

Miles ridden today: 115
Total to date: 933

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=163443

Day 7 ~ Cortez, CO to Pagosa Springs, CO

Today a total of 104 miles were ridden. It was a slow day since much of it was spent climbing. Brent said he climbed to 8300 ft today and he could feel it. It was harder to breathe and he felt like his muscles were even getting weak. One of his knees is giving him a little trouble too but they were going to try and visit some Hot Springs tonight to see if that would help work out his muscles.

They visited Chimney Rock, in the picture below you can see it in the background.


Here is a little more of a closer look:


In this picture, Brent actually looks whooped, I think he meant for that look.


But here he is again, still with the same look! Hang in there Brent, we're all cheering for you!


Brent is very excited about tomorrows ride. He says it will be "epic". Within the first 25 miles he will face a huge mountain where he will climb almost 11,000 ft.

Miles ridden today: 104
Total to date: 818

For more details on todays actual ride, please visit:
http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=163440

Day 6 ~ Kayenta, AZ to Cortez, CO

Brent steps foot in 4 states at one time: yes, he was at the 4 Corners National Monument today.

78 miles ridden by lunch, he was excited to start heading into Colorado. He is actually looking forward to the climb for the next few days. (delirium must be setting in). He said for avid bicyclists, this is the kind of thing they look forward to, climbing high peaks and training in this altitude. Now he gets to experience that feeling.

After lunch Brent spent the rest of the afternoon climbing. He ended the day feeling great after riding 119 miles.

Also worth mentioning, Brent has surpassed the quarter mark of his ride.

Miles ridden today: 119
Total to date: 714

For those of you who would like more details of the actual ride, please visit for todays route:
http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=158668

It's not too late to donate if you haven't done so yet...

Day 5 ~ Flagstaff, AZ to Kayenta, AZ

Huge storms were shaking the trailer all night last night. The boys wondered if they'd be able to ride this morning.
The rain last night made it cool so Brent appreciated that but not the headwinds he was forced to ride with today. At least he didn't hit much rain throughout the day.

Today was Brent's biggest accomplishment yet. Today he rode the most miles in one day then he has ever ridden = 150.57 miles. But, the downside to that is that he said his hinder is very sore.



The boys were actually able to make a tourist stop today. Neither Brent nor Dan have been to the Grand Canyon so they made sure to stop and see it. Here is a picture of Dan and Lucy in front of the Canyon.

Brent is still laughing and having a good time. You couldn't have put two goofier guys together. Have fun boys!!




Miles ridden today: 150
Total to date: 595

Day 4 ~ Yarnell, AZ to Flagstaff, AZ

Ahhhh...refreshing change of scenery! Climbing to some riders is no fun but if it means less heat, it's well worth it.

Today was pretty uneventful, which is good. He said the scenery today was so much better then all the sand he's been used to seeing. He did purchase a new helmet-type for the sun:


Now why don't they make huge brim helmets to keep the sun out? Oh, maybe it's because no one in their right mind would ride in that heat. :-) But, well put by David, "Brent doesn't live in a world where a task is too hard, too hot, or too far". Couldn't have been any closer to the truth with that statement.


Brent arrived in Flagstaff around 5pm tonight after riding about 129 miles. Some of that in the rain. He's feeling good but needs to get good rest as he has a big day ahead of him tomorrow, 150 miles!

Here's one more picture they sent me (sorry they are so small)



Crew Chiefs Tip: Check lists are a must - No Rain Gear for either of them!

Miles ridden today: 129
Total to date: 445

Day 3 ~ arrived into Yarnell in the morning

This morning Brent arrived in Yarnell, AZ after riding all night. He said riding at night when it was cooler was so much better. When he called me this morning he actually sounded refreshed and not like he'd been riding all night. He said he felt great! The best part of his ride today was seeing all the animal eyes staring back at him when his spot light hit them. It took his mind off things as with each one he tried to visualize what animal it might be, how big and how far away they were. Hey, whatever takes your mind off the miles.

His plan today was to sleep all day and start riding again around 8pm. When I talked to him around 5pm he said a lightning storm was due to come through so he might not be able to leave tonight. As we spoke it started pouring rain so it is likely that his next start will have to come in the morning. He said actually "the high today only got to 97, which isn't bad" so tomorrow morning might not be so hot. I guess if you've been used to 110-113 degree heat, 97 isn't so bad.

Brent called back around 8pm, it's still raining, he will wait to start in the early morning. He said this might be better anyway since there are a lot of twists and turns on the next route. Tomorrow he is expected to hit rain, wind and a lot of climbing. The boys seemed to be having a great time tonight, lots of laughing...I told him to keep it up, those moments will carry him further.

Until tomorrow!

Day 2 (into Day 3) ~ Blythe, CA to Yarnell, AZ

This adventure actually took place in the evening hours to try and avoid some of the heat. Brent started at about 8:30pm on Sunday night and rode until about 8am on Monday morning...breaking in between of course for hydration. This was about 110 miles. The plan will be to ride in the evenings until safer conditions permit.

Crew Chiefs Tip: Do not charge your phone on the dashboard in 110 degree heat, it will melt your phone!

Miles ridden today: 110
Total to date: 316

Day 2 ~ Brawley to Blythe, CA

Today's ride started a bit earlier due to the extreme temperatures. At 5am it was already in the 90's, by noon it was 108 degrees. Plans have changed a bit. Brent rode 92 miles today to Blythe where it was decided that he would sleep 8 hours and start riding in the evenings. At least until he is passes all the desert areas.

At just after 8pm he is heading out again with just spandex bibs on and an orange reflective vest (of course his helmet too).

This picture is not that great but it's a nice visual of the outfit if you haven't already pictured it:


(you can giggle now)

Miles ridden today: 92
Total to date: 206

Day 1 ~ San Diego to Brawley, CA

Some years ago Brent gave up bull riding and wearing chaps and decided to start riding a bike instead.
Certainly wearing spandex is a little different picture of this modern day hero.




Brent began his journey at 7:00am along with about 11 other riders, each going different distances but starting it all off with Brent. Also present to see Brent off were many family and friends. We know there were many others who wish they could also be there as well, your presence was felt. There were tears, hugs and kisses, then cheers as he left in route.

Weather today: a bit foggy at the starting point but where he is riding later…others simply would walk away, the highest clocked temperature on my vehicle was 113 degrees.






5 of them rode to Julian and from there only 3 remain. Brent, Kim and Sean. This group I tell ya, they battled the worst of riding conditions. With the sun coming down upon them, they consumed gallons of water as the temperature slowly reached 113…and remained as hot well into the evening when we arrived to Brawley, some 114 miles or so from the starting point. Brent was so fortunate to have Kim and Sean for this difficult part of the journey. I thank the both of them for being with him this first day!



Special thanks goes out to his Best Buddy Dan for volunteering his time and chase vehicle/trailer for most of Brent’s journey. Certainly he should also be recognized for the time and energy he is putting into this event. Quite honestly…Brent would have been lost without him. Thank You Dan! Also a quick thank you to his wife Jill for everything she must go through to have her husband gone for the next few weeks.






Another special thank you goes out to Black Mountain Bikes and Laces for helping Brent get through the preparation. You have done so much for him. Couldn't go without mentioning the best bike mechanic ever, Matt @ Black Mountain Bikes. Your knowledge and friendship have meant so much to Brent through these times as well. Matt is another person he wouldn't have made it to this point without.

Brent's mom, brother and nephew followed along until Julian and Brent's daughters Zayden and Tatum and I were happy to be able to do the first leg to Brawley with Brent. It was hard to say goodbye this morning but we know it is for a wonderful cause! We love you very much Brent and wish you the safest travels. We'll miss you and can't wait to see you at the finish.

Miles ridden today: 114
Total to date: 114

Tomorrow is the Day!

Packing last minute things...
Final tune-ups to the bikes...
Support crew/vehicle arrived...
Spending time with family...

Ready to go!!!!

In less that 8 hours I will be heading out for the journey of a lifetime.
My niece is my inspiration. She has taken all her challenges in stride and
compared to what she has been through, my challenge seems easy.
My goal throughout this journey is to make people aware of BWS.

For those who have supported me to this point, I thank you!
All of your thoughts, prayers and well wishes are very much appreciated.

Andrea will be taking over from this point on. She will blog as often as she can.
Please feel free to post comments under each post. I like it when she reads those to me.

Going to try and get some sleep now, not sure how much with all this excitement.
Can't wait to see you all at the finish!

~Brent

Ride 4 Regan Send-off

It's that time - the time we've all been waiting for!

I will start my journey this Saturday August 14th.
I am leaving from the Laces Running Store parking lot at 7am.
Please come and join me for the send-off or grab your bikes
and ride along as far as you want to.
My first day will end in Brawley.

Hope to see you there!