[HAMR] Tarzan (Kurt Searvogel)

[Von Broad]

Hey, Kurt's back on the road again. Great, I can follow him again for the final few miles. And why wouldn't you.

[Wowbagger]

Another big day today. The tracker says 207 miles, and his route has been mostly made up of straight lines, so I doubt if that's too far below his final total, but he doesn't seem to have stopped yet! He is entering his penultimate day. Will he have a final flourish?

[mrcharly-YHT]

My 'Steve-Bias' was such at the start that I didn't think Kurt could do it. I thought he was a racer with no concept of the day-in day-out slog required.

He's grown on me. How can anyone not be impressed by what they've achieved?

Exactly what I thought.

It is very much a 'they' as well. Alicia deserves a record of her own. We all know how foul (smelly and grumpy) exhausted riders are. A whole year of supporting someone through this is really quite something.

[Von Broad]

What on earth must it be like to finish something like this, particularly as regards to eating?
I know after PBP I normally eat for a week before surplus mode comes about.
Kurt's body's got so accustomed to burning so many calories every day, I can imagine the appetite after burn could be quite enormous when a rider stops, and could take some controlling!

And as for all the sitting around all day 'not doing anything' might feel a bit strange too to begin with. 

[SoreTween]

Nothing to do?  There's the interviews, wind down to control, family to reaqaint oneself with, honeymoon to plan and go on, catch up with what the world been up to for a year and then get back into the important business of running his business while at the same time planning Alicia's crack at HAMR.

(go on K&A, you know you want to )

[αdαmsκι]

Kurt's heading back up the Keys to the mainland. I realise it probably isn't the nicest road for cycling and yet I still have this urge, having watched Kurt's tracker, to ride down to Key West.  It's gotta be better than riding around Suffolk at this time of year:

[Martin]

92 miles in the tracker, wonder if he'll get all the way up to the start of the 300 tomorrow?

[toontra]

He's really motoring!  140 miles in 8 hours including stops.

[Wowbagger]

He's really motoring!  140 miles in 8 hours.

#48959 on 08:16:36 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (8 minutes ago) 1.74 mi traveled at 21.0 mph
#48958 on 08:11:38 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (13 minutes ago) 1.70 mi traveled at 20.4 mph
#48957 on 08:06:39 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (18 minutes ago) 1.78 mi traveled at 21.6 mph
#48956 on 08:01:41 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (23 minutes ago) 1.79 mi traveled at 21.5 mph
#48955 on 07:56:41 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (28 minutes ago) 1.23 mi traveled at 14.7 mph
#48954 on 07:51:41 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (33 minutes ago) 2.13 mi traveled at 26.3 mph
#48953 on 07:46:49 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (38 minutes ago) 1.78 mi traveled at 21.6 mph
#48952 on 07:41:52 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (43 minutes ago) 1.42 mi traveled at 17.3 mph
#48951 on 07:36:55 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (48 minutes ago) 1.71 mi traveled at 20.7 mph
#48950 on 07:31:58 PM (GMT) 01/08/16 (53 minutes ago) 1.70 mi traveled at 20.4 mph

Isn't he? That makes for very impressive reading.

[Clemo]

Emptying the tank I reckon

[Pale Rider]

Emptying the tank I reckon

Today's pace is roughly what he's done all year.

[Von Broad]

Emptying the tank I reckon

Today's pace is roughly what he's done all year.

If there was ever any uncertainty at all about Tommy Godwin rode the miles, there is no such uncertainty as far as Kurt is concerned - we've all had a good view of exactly how he got the record. Bruce also looks like a fast cyclist too.

[Clemo]

ahh ok

[Wowbagger]

If you were in Kurt's saddle, with mission accomplished in some style, what would you do with your last day?

[Pale Rider]

If you were in Kurt's saddle, with mission accomplished in some style, what would you do with your last day?

Hasn't a 300km audax been mentioned for the last day?

Although if he does chose to empty the tank, it could be 300 miles rather than kilometres.

[andrew531]

Well done Kurt!!!Hope 9/1/16 is a big one. No words could really describe just how hard 365 days in the saddle could have been!

[LMT]

If you were in Kurt's saddle, with mission accomplished in some style, what would you do with your last day?

First off I'd want to crack 76000 miles as promised, and then in no particular order:-

Smoke a cigar

Have a drink

Have sex with my wife

Have a McDonalds

Try for a moment of quiet reflection

Look at myself in the mirror, nod my head and say 'well done, you done it.'

Make sure the Merc is dieseled up for the drive back to Arkansas in the morning.

Go to bed, sleep and not have to worry about the alarm waking me up in the morning and for me to go on yet another 200+ mile bike ride.

[hillbilly]

The possible reality:

Checking Strava every day to see how Bruce and Steve are doing
Realising the number of people you've lost touch with and starting to build bridges with them
Feeling guilty for not riding as much but not being motivated to do anything about it
Dealing with aches and fatigue that were accepted during the challenge but get in the way of real life.

Welcome to the decompression chamber...

Enough Gloom. I'd love to shake Kurt's hand and wish him well. I greatly respect him and his achievement.  Or would it be a high 5 or fist bump, given he's a Leftpondian.

[Von Broad]

So he's away. Tracker fires up for the last time for Kurt.

[Mr Larrington]

Scene: a hotel room in Florida, tomorrow morning afternoon.

Alicia: I've got a great idea for a honeymoon!
Kurt: O RLY?
Alicia: Let's go cycle-touring!  (Pause). In England!
Kurt: ["Censored because this is the ruined-for-TV version" - Ed.]

(KURT disappears into the bathroom with a bottle of JD and a determined expression)

[danridesbikes]

from Facebook

76,066 OR BUST!!!! Tarzan needs to ride 223 miles to up the record by 1,000 miles. I'm PUSHING HIM to do it. He him-haws that 76,000 is good enough. No! He's done but he's not done. I'm not riding in the brevet so he can ride from Jupiter to St Augustine. This is it. 223 MILES TODAY!!!! ~ "The Whip" aka Alicia

[Freya]

Must admit I am slightly surprised that he has eased off after getting the record. Not that he hasn't earned the right to do what he wants, but I would have thought he would want to set as tough a challenge as possible to other contenders.

[Basil]

*stands by the virtual roadside applauding*

[red marley]

I too was slightly surprised given how driven Kurt and Alicia appear to be. Perhaps we underestimate how close to the edge both physically and mentally riders have to go to have a chance at the record.

[crowriver]

Perhaps we underestimate how close to the edge both physically and mentally riders have to go to have a chance at the record.

Indeed.

Easy for we armchair enthusiasts to pontificate. Meanwhile, those riders are doing amazing things we can only wonder at.