It’s Friday – 4 days after the ride finished.

Monday was just excitement in all directions – seeing Sue, finishing the ride, introducing Sue, saying goodbye, kissing Sue, laughing, joking…. It was all a bit of a whirl.

And then there were pauses. The pause when I held Sue and the whole world disappeared for a momentary eternity. The pause when Sue and I drove to the hotel. And in between more intoductions, more excitement and some goodbyes.

A large crowd of us went out for dinner and as we recounted our tales, our partners were sucked into the ABB family although they were actually part of a parallel ABB family – the ones we left behind. It was great for riders to meet the spouses we had talked about for 50 days and hear more stories or the same stories told by someone different. As the evening wore on the numbers dwindled with Heather and Murray, Darin and Patti, and Sue & I ending up in the only bar within walking distance of the hotel drinking – yes me too, Jim Beam of course – as we all slowly wound down.

Tuesday morning I was up at 6am to say final goodbyes to the folks getting the shuttle to Boston Airport and then Darin, Patti, Sue & I went for breakfast – NOT stale raisin bran, stale bagels, and plastic eggs – but pancakes with real maple syrup and almost fresh orange juice. Then Sue and I were on our own.

We drove the 110 miles to Boothbay Harbour together. Not in the obvious sense but in the way I guess only people who have been apart for 8 weeks do. Talking, comforting silence, LuLuLemon outlet shopping, holding hands – pretty decent fun with the added bonus that I could smell Chanel 19 and not Bengay.

Then we arrived at our little bolthole in Maine.

And when I say little I mean little – this is the view from the kitchen, balcony, and bedroom. But it doesn’t matter we are together and I cycled across America – all 3,691 miles of it – and I haven’t worn Lycra for 4 days.