Finish Line: Andrew Ratzlaff Achieves Coast-To-Coast ‘Ride Against Lymphoma,’ Raises $5,000 For Research
‘I guess that does it,’ says the 27-year-old AustraLearn alumnus
Andrew Ratzlaff snaps a finishing photo before the Golden Gate Bridge, which marked the finish line of his cross-country charity fundraising ride.
Andrew Ratzlaff cruised across the Golden Gate Bridge last week and marked the end of the road for his roughly 4,400-mile cross-country bike trip that raised $5,000 for the Lymphoma Research Foundation and honored his late father who died from the disease.
The amateur cyclist and freelance video editor’s summer cycling journey kicked off May 9 on a gray, windy morning in New York and officially ended on July 26 during a fair afternoon in San Francisco.
“Well, I guess that does it,” Ratzlaff wrote on his blog, A Ride Against Lymphoma, posting a photo of himself in front of the Golden Gate Bridge on Monday, July 26. “I guess I’ll go eat a burrito.”
California here he comes.
After crossing his personal finish line, there wasn’t any cheering, fist-pumping or party throwing.
Instead, the understated 27-year-old Colorado native climbed some steep hills into town and waited for some friends to get off work. A few days later, the CU-Boulder graduate traveled to his mother’s house in Parker, Colo., where he enjoyed the comforts of being off the bike for a while, including a dry bed and home-cooked food.
Ratzlaff met many different bicyclists crossing the country or portions of hte country during his three-month trek.
“I think my mom’s just really proud and probably relieved – she’s not going to tell me that, but she probably is – and doesn’t have to worry,” he said during an interview last week.
Ratzlaff, an AustraLearn alumnus who studied abroad in 2004 at the University of Waikato in Hamilton, New Zealand, inspired a growing blog, Facebook and Twitter fan base over the course of his three-month trek, keeping his followers informed through descriptive blog posts, photos and videos.
A roadside diner meal when calories don't count.
In fact, the virtual diary of Ratzlaff’s journey is virtual collage of American backroads and state highways circa 2010.
There were the accommodations – tents, livingroom sofas, and on occasion, a fully furnished cabin. There was the food – from vending-machine caloric desperation to rich gravy-and-fried roadside diner meals that made a reader’s mouth water.
Ratzlaff got to see his family and friends during a break in Colorado, where his home town is Parker.
Most importantly, there were the people from all walks of life in the U.S.A. – those personally touched by cancer, those offering a free meal or place to stay, those with quirks, suspicions and strong opinions, and many fellow cross-country bikers who shared the road, campgrounds, cold beverages and wild stories.
“The definite highs were just all of the really nice and generous people I met along the way,” says Ratzlaff, who got his first taste of traveling different countries as a child living in Korea and other countries.
Despite the enormous elevation gain, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park didn't prove the toughest leg of the trip. That came later in California.
It is an adventurous spirit inspired by Ratzlaff’s father, Roger, who died in 2001 after a nine-month battle with Burkitt’s Lymphoma.
“He was always into backpacking, camping and just getting out there,” Ratzlaff said during a pre-departure interview in April. “I think that’s definitely where I get my passion and drive to always be outside.”
Overall, Ratzlaff says the ride brought many interesting moments, caring people, stunning scenery, physical triumphs, and a more lean and muscular physique.
“I think I hit my stride – really hit it – right after Colorado,” he says. “It’s really hard to tell, because I just kept going, going and going.”
It also brought some setbacks, including bad weather, nearly getting hit several times while riding at night, and food poisoning that took him down for about four days.
“One of my days in California was the most physically demanding day,” Ratzlaff says. “The steepness of the hills, narrowness of the road and just the cool, damp weather.”
Ratzlaff plans to head back to New York soon to figure out his next move.
But more immediately, he’s planning to get back on his bike for some rides up Flagstaff Mountain in Boulder.
“I’m starting to feel lazy all of a sudden,” he says.
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