THE END

I chatted with Tim a while as I used the vending machine to get some Coke and get cleaned up in the restroom. After five days without a wash I was feeling pretty filthy, covered in layers of sun cream, sweat and dust from each day. Tim told me Alex had arrived the day before at 15:30, which put him further ahead than I was calculating. I'd had no updates on his location for a week at least. He hadn’t left AW until the morning though and had been on the shuttle that passed me. I was sorry not to have met up with him.

As I’m lying on some cut grass out the back of the building in the shade of a tree I hear my pick-up, Bryan McDonald of Out N’ Back Trails, arrive. It's spot on 12:00 and I hear Tim tell him I got here at 10am. Bryan tells me he saw Bruce on the road 40 miles out, and pulled over thinking it was me. He arranged to pick Bruce up too and will wait for him at 2pm ETA.

At almost exactly 2pm Bruce arrives. We get a quick photo of both of us in front of the sign for Antelope Wells Port of Entry, and load the bikes onto Bryan's vehicle. I feel bad about being plucked from this place by a vehicle when I have a strange feeling about being in the middle of something.

Bryan drives Bruce and I back to Silver City. It seems we are travelling scarily fast, but at 60mph I guess it is my mind that just needs to adapt back to a car pace of life. In Silver we book into the Drifter Motel and then Bryan gives us a lift up to Wal-Mart to buy some clothes. I find some scales, strip down to shorts, and weigh myself; I’m surprised I’m 66kg, which means I’ve only lost about 2kg (4.5lb). That’s good news. I leave with a new wardrobe and shoes all for $100. I’m really excited about wearing some clothes again for the first time in 25 days, as these cycling bib shorts were a bad choice for this event and have been nothing but misery. My feet are in pieces too and I can’t wait to put shoes on again and walk somewhere.

THANKS

I’d like to thank all those people I met on the way for their kindness to a filthy cycle tourist in a hurry. In particular I thank Alan Goldsmith for providing the motivation that got me into this event, but who through injury was not able to make it himself. I thank my parents for supporting my endeavour, and my friend Matt Clarkson for always encouraging me and believing in me. Thanks to the staff at Orange Peel bike shop in Steamboat for being a revolution in the bike shop world, and the staff at Gila Hike & Bike in Silver City for boxing up my bike to fly home, and just generally being so friendly and enthusiastic. A big, big thank you to Tim at the border, for his friendly manner being all the finish-line welcome I could ever want. And of course I thank Josh Ficke, Bruce Dinsmore, Matt Kemp and all the other GDR racers for shortening the road ahead and sharing so many good times. Guys, it was a blast, a road trip of incredible proportions I will never forget.