The Journey is Complete.

Hello everyone this is Julie writting from Santa Isabel, our final destination.  The last few days have been filled with emotion and uncertanties but we´ve made it.  Last night we rode to the outskirts of Sao Paulo and then once the freeways got too hectic we packed up the van and headed across the city with the bikes on top.  This part of the trip was always factored into our total kilometers but in actuality there is no way to do it on bike.  Travel in South America is always a guessing game.  At one point the highway we were on had 27 toll boths going one direction.  We got to a hotel and prepared to leave for the final short leg of the trip this morning.  We were in good spirits and excited to see everyone waiting for us on the other side.

Chuck and the foxy ladies.

Irai preoccupied because he couldn't find his brazil jersey.

The van crew with Tio Milton and Mario.

Neto and I, also know as equipo amarillo.

Roomies.

 quick trip through a neighborhood to get onto the freeway.

Another issue with tires, it was relentless.

Sooooo close, and waiting for a flat to be fixed.

From the highway.

 Mission accomplished.  Our team made it to Santa Isabel where there were many familiy and friends waiting.  It was a trying journey, that was oh so much fun.  We learned things we would do differently next time and learned more about ourselves than we ever imagined.  Emotions were always right under the surface, I've never laughed so hard and so frequently as on this trip.  We were thrilled with our journey and even more thrilled to have had all of you supporting us and more importantly supporting the Stansberry´s family.  With all of your help we were able to raise $60,000 that will go towards continuing the mission of Stansberry´s in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.   Praise the LORD.  You are all part of the Stansberry family now.

They are here!!!

More to come later this evening.

The Home Stretch

Well they are down to the last day.  It has been a long haul but the end is in sight. They did 115 km today and ended the day loading their bikes onto the van and driving through/around the city of Sao Paulo. They are about 30 km out from their final destination and we have a team on the ground here waiting to receive them.  It should be before noon that they get in and I will upload the victory post as soon as I can after that. Today they spend lots of time fixing flats which shows that even the bikes are ready to reach the finish line. Here are some highlinght from today.  

An accident on the highway.  Notice the fog cover.

This was an all to common activity today.

Again

again

and again.

Futbol fever has set in...

always time for a match

Load em up.

Entering the big city.

Tomorrow marks the 14th and final day of this journey.  We await the big celebration.  Thats all for now, come back tomorrow for the finale!

Oh so close...just a few more days

They continue their ride and a hitting the final stretch.  They have clocked 1955 km or 1222 mi and have 288/180 to go.  Today was a shorter day and was welcome by most. Jen was back up and on the bike and did a full day.  Neto still had issues with his stomach muscles and after about an hour had to call it quits for the day.  Chuck as well battled some type of stomach bug and in the end it won out so he too had to call it quits early.  They stayed last evening in the house of some Bolivian friends of Neto and Irai and had a nice but short visit.  Their friends live in a condo and there was no garage to keep the bikes so they parked outside and had the night guard keep watch over everything. This evening after an 85km day they were warmly received by Igreja Presbiteriana Jardim Paraioso, a Presbyterian church that Irai made contact with.  They church brought them fantastic hot food and provided them with great accommodations. This will be their first night in the past six days where they will be able to get to bed early and get a real nights sleep.  Tomorrow, the penultimate day, has them scheduled to do around 190 km but since they have no planned stop at the end, they will just see how it goes and stop when they must. This is what the day looked like for them.

Bolivian friend who opened their house for the group.

The guard kept watch over the bikes by night. He then rode his bike with them back out to the highway. He appears to be a cyclist as well and enjoyed helping out.

Putting on new rubber.  The old tires were shredded.

Trying to fight off the bug.

As you can see, pretty worn.  Irai's uncle did have three flats today, I guess it was passed on to him.

A quick break for a good lunch!

Rest

And hills...

and hills...

and more hills.

Here they are at Igreja Presbiteriana Jardim Paraioso

Here is what tomorrow looks like on paper.

You can see Santa Isabel (their final destination) a bit to the right of the city of Sao Paulo.  Almost there!!!

A Day of Trials

Well they are getting close to the end and they are feeling it in many different ways.  Today started out early with a long day ahead of them and quickly became more complicated.  About 25 km into the trip Jen began to have some knee issues which she was unable to work through so she had to wait for the van to clean up breakfast and come pick her up.  At this point a few cyclists stayed back with her to wait while the rest continued on.  After loading her bike, they continued on and multiple flats later Neto began to have some stomach pains so they took a break to eat and rest up.  They continued on but he didn't feel any better and around then they were passing a paramedics post on the highway so a few stopped with him to get checked out.  Turns out that he was having a muscular problem and was told that if they treated him for it they wouldn't let him back out on the highway to continue on so he stayed there and Julie, Deneen and Irai road ahead to meet the rest and make plans for the van to go back and pick him up.  Julie then experienced  two more flats in the short span so they sent Irai ahead to meet the van while she and Deneen went back to the paramedics to wait with Neto.  By then end of they day, everyone cycled somewhere between 25 and 150 km but they ended up loading up the van at dark and riding the last bit to their destination.  There may be some schedule modification to finish off the last three days because 200+ in a day is not realistic with this terrain.  Here is what it looked like.

A good breakfast to start the day

Waiting for the van to come pick up Jen.  A good place for a rest.

A beautiful view.  They say this doesn't show the extent of the hills buts its all up-n-down.

Thumbs up for the patient.

An all to common sight today.

Hanging out at the paramedics post waiting to be picked up.

Day 12 as planned.

Tomorrow they are scheduled for a little under 100 km and depending on how they day goes, they may go longer to cut down on the 209 km they have planned for day 13.  We will wait and see what the tomorrow brings.  For now they head off to bed for a too short night and a morning that comes before it should.  Three more days!

(This is a brief summary of the day and is subject to change upon Julie reading it.  Our connection wasn't great and we got cut off mid conversation.)

Two Days in One...

As in two posts in one.  Day 9 proved to be a very challenging day in many areas.  The first problem occurred when the camera on Julie's phone malfunctions and she was unable to get it working again.  This has been the method of sending us updates so we were "in the dark" on that front.  Secondly, they road conditions proved to be a hazard for the cyclists (shoulder turning to grass and gravel and places with 10 inch drop-offs) so after around 120 km and with 100 km still to go before reaching a place to stay and the sun rapidly setting, they decided, for safety reasons, to load up the bikes and drive to Tres Lagoas.  They were able to rest up a bit and started off this morning for another long day.

Day 10 saw them from Tres Lagoas to Aracatuba, a 130 km ride.  Again it was a very hilly ride and appears it will be that way for the remainder of the trip.  The up side is that they have now entered the State of Sao Paulo (just realized I have been spelling this wrong the whole time) and are riding on a brand new highway with about a lane's worth of shoulder.  This will allow for a less stressful ride although terrain will remain hilly from here on out.  For those of you who think this is all just fun for them, I have been assured it is not.  Fun, yes. All fun, not even close.  Here is a look at day 10.

Entering Sao Paulo

They stopped for a rest in the shade outside of a police station.  After seeing what they were up to, the officer had them in for cafezhino (brazilian style coffee) which you will find anywhere you visit.

Mario sitting down for breakfast

Fresh coconut water to rehydrate

They met the guy in grey on the road and he said he has been on the road for a few months now.  He left from Lima, Peru with a final destination of Sao Paulo as well.

Van transportation.  This is what it looks like with ten in the vehicle.  Three up front, five in the middle and two in the back with the supplies. The end of day 10, driving around town.

Tomorrow they ride from Aracatuba to Bauru, a 200 km day.  At this point they have approximately 1580 km or 987.5 mi.  And for those of you who still want to donate to the cause, act now while there are still kilometers to go!