We have been keeping tabs on Gracie Sorbello and Matt Burney as they unicycle the entire “Great Divide Cycling Route” to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. They began earlier this summer on July 2 and finished last week on September 16. The day after they finished their journey, Gracie posted this thought on their blog:

Thursday, Sept 17, 2009

“It didn’t quite kill us, so i guess we’re… stronger?”

YES, we have finished the Great Divide journey!
YES, we have a big game of media catch-up to play!
NO, I am not recovered!

Early on in the adventure, it became clear to me that riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route on a unicycle would not be a test of technical riding ability; it is a test of will. It tests one’s ability to endure: fatigue, extreme weather, dehydration, pain, etc.

We checked on some of their interesting stats from their adventure.. they amazed and humored us all at the same time!

total route mileage = 2,628.7*
riding days = 67
average daily mileage = 39.2
# of pedal strokes (based on route miles, tire circumference, and squiggle factor) = 3,670,621
most # of saddle sores at one time = 11
total # of continental divide crossings: 32
# animal species I had never seen before = 9
# of Wal-Mart sightings = 4
ratio of bags of chips consumed to threatening hummingbird encounters = 3.33:1
# of flat tires = 6 (each) (Matt got 3 in one mile near the Mexico border!)
most # of saddle sores at one time: 6 (currently I have “only” 5)
favorite trail foods lately: Cheetos, Oreos, Kit-Kats, and water.

For those of you that have taken long journeys, the solitude and quiet can be amazing .. and it can lead to interesting stories . We’ll let you decide on the effect it had on Gracie and Matt:

“Back in the real world, I am savoring every bit of music I can get in my ears; such a remote trip created quite a deprivation of one of my basic needs, as evidenced by frequent singing during the journey. Songs stuck in my head represented genres including, but not limited to, rap, children’s songs, Gracie & Matt originals, and orchestral soundtrack scores to movies such as Dances With Wolves and Mr. Holland’s Opus.”

We were equally entertained by another one of Gracie’s lists:

Things I will not miss:
1. mosquitoes
2. flies
3. bees
4. perpetual dehydration
6. wet-wipe baths
9. smelly feet
11. lack of fresh food consumption
12. being too tired to eat dinner
16. running out of toilet paper
21. chasing daylight
22. wondering what is floating in my water

Things I will miss:
1. killing mosquitoes
2. killing flies
3. killing bees
5. uncluttered horizons
10. sleeping outside
11. rarity of mirrors
13. taking breaks wherever & whenever I want, even sitting in the middle of the road
14. eating junk food and getting into amazing shape
17. seeing new things all day every day
20. groves of aspen trees
21. creating an evident positive impact on others simply by pedaling
22. receiving uninhibited friendliness from strangers.

On that note, we wanted to share one of the examples of that amazing kindness you often find in strangers and such an epic adventure. Because, this one we found on Gracie’s blog seemed serendipitous based on the mission behind their journey.

“We continued rocking our descent into Pinedale, stopping for a wonderful cafe breakfast at “The Place” along the way. Just outside of town, a lady named Kathy Raper stopped us who had seen us earlier that morning on the road. We got to talking and found out that her daughter is a Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor, and she helps with an organization called “Kicking Cancer,” which aids families with costs of cancer treatment that health insurance doesn’t cover. Just when we were intolerably parched, she offered us water and (gasp) ice, and made plans to take us to dinner. Not only did she treat us to an amazing Mexican food dinner, but she brought us angel food cake, berries, and whipped cream to enjoy as a dessert on my birthday. Dang!! Her generosity extended much further than just the tangible gifts, and we are so thankful for her encouragement, enthusiasm, and all the work she is doing in the community to help others battling cancer.”

Isn’t life on the trail good! We want to congratulate Team Blazing Saddle Sores on the completion of their adventure and wish them luck on their next endeavour ….. which is …

“We are preparing to take on the worst (best?) of the Great Basin and are trying to get creative in ways to carry more water on our unicycles, not on our backs.”