2 months ago SUS hit the Pacific Ocean. Time is zipping by, and I still can't believe what we did this summer. I've processed most of it now, so I will try to tell the tale over the next few months, but for now, more numbers.
As a team we raised $144,057! I raised $4500. I had 44 donors plus the 4 fundraising events I did on campus, at Walmart, in Cincinnati, and my local bike shop. I was fundraising for Cover Indiana as well, so some wrote checks for that and not Bike & Build, and as promised I ended up matching by 20.1682%
| Route | Total Funds | Total Riders | Funds/Rider |
| P2C: | $180,119 | 31 | $5,810.29 |
| ME2SB: | $180,461 | 33 | $5,468.52 |
| P2S: | $169,095 | 31 | $5,454.68 |
| CUS: | $167,074 | 31 | $5,389.48 |
| SUS: | $144,057 | 27 | $5,335.44 |
| SC2SC: | $159,590 | 30 | $5,319.67 |
| NC2SD: | $99,361 | 19 | $5,229.53 |
| NUS: | $166,068 | 32 | $5,189.63 |
On our route B&B spent $4.03 per rider/day of which only $0.71 was food. This was $8704.80 over the summer of 80 days.
In an earlier post I reported that I had spent $1,133.39 on gear before the ride. I kept all my receipts while on the trip and now I present the hidden costs of Bike & Build. I post this to let future B&Bers see what it may cost them. There were several occasions when I borrowed money, and the May 15th receipt was faded so my total and dates are not exact.
| 13-May | 1.33 | Cracker Barrel - Henderson, KY | |
| 14-May | 3.11 | BP - Eufaula, AL | |
| 15-May | target | ||
| 16-May | 10.58 | Panera Bread - Sanford, FL | |
| 17-May | 3.75 | k-Mart - Neptune Beach, FL | |
| 17-May | 28.87 | Champion Cycling | |
| 18-May | 7.89 | k-Mart - Neptune Beach, FL | |
| 21-May | 0.98 | Walmart - Lake City, FL | |
| 25-May | 15.88 | The Owl Café - Apalachicola, FL | |
| 25-May | 22.3 | Chili's - Panama City | |
| 27-May | 1.07 | Walgreens | |
| 27-May | 16.29 | Walmart - De Funiak Springs, FL | |
| 29-May | 17.72 | Mary's Place - Coden, AL | |
| 30-May | 11.25 | OK Bike Shop - Mobile, AL | |
| 31-May | 59.95 | Cadence 120 Bicycle Works - Mobile, AL | |
| 1-Jun | 6.83 | Cane's - Pascagoula, MS | |
| 3-Jun | 25.44 | Walmart - Chalmette, LA | |
| 6-Jun | 3.29 | McDonald's - New Orleans | |
| 7-Jun | 2.2 | McDonald's - New Orleans | |
| 8-Jun | 2.2 | McDonald's - New Orleans | |
| 10-Jun | 2.73 | USS Kidd | |
| 11-Jun | 7.1 | McDonald;s - Port Barre, LA | |
| 12-Jun | 22.73 | Amazon.com | |
| 12-Jun | 5.79 | McDonald's - Eunice, LA | |
| 13-Jun | 6.45 | Melrose Plantation | |
| 15-Jun | 9.21 | 8th Air Force Museum | |
| 15-Jun | 30.41 | Scooter's Bike Shop | |
| 18-Jun | 307.72 | Plano Cycling and Fitness | |
| 22-Jun | 2.71 | McDonald's - Lawton, OK | |
| 24-Jun | 3.36 | Subway - Hollis, OK | |
| 25-Jun | 4.6 | Starbuck's - Amarillo, TX | |
| 25-Jun | 5.77 | Dairy Queen - Claude, TX | |
| 26-Jun | 30.59 | Home Depot | |
| 26-Jun | 16.33 | Ye Old Pancake Station | |
| 26-Jun | 32.47 | Radio Shack - Amarillo, TX | |
| 28-Jun | 7.85 | Dairy Queen - Clayton, NM | |
| 1-Jul | 18.55 | Walmart - Santa Fe | |
| 2-Jul | 162 | Mellow Velo | |
| 3-Jul | 8.2 | Blake's Lotaburger - Espanola, NM | |
| 5-Jul | 4.27 | Dairy Queen - Farmington, NM | |
| 6-Jul | 32.14 | Cottonwood Cycles - Farmington, NM | |
| 7-Jul | 5.08 | Beclabito Express - Shiprock, NM | |
| 8-Jul | 3.77 | McDonald's - Kayenta, AZ | |
| 9-Jul | 3.27 | Keibeto Market | |
| 10-Jul | 3.16 | Big Lake Trading Post - Page, AZ | |
| 11-Jul | 11.3 | Jacob Lake | |
| 11-Jul | 10.23 | Jacob Lake | |
| 12-Jul | 27.91 | North Rim Country Store | |
| 12-Jul | 8.03 | Grand Canyon Lodge | |
| 14-Jul | 11.3 | Jacob Lake | |
| 17-Jul | 27.3 | Amazon.com | |
| 17-Jul | 6.69 | Sub Zero - St. George | |
| 18-Jul | 4.21 | Dairy Queen - Mequite, NV | |
| 19-Jul | 6.49 | All Mountain Cyclery - Bouler City, NV | |
| 19-Jul | 14.04 | Radio Shack - Boulder City, NV | |
| 20-Jul | 2.69 | Dairy Queen - Las Vegas | |
| 21-Jul | 6.82 | Charles Brown General Store - Shoshone, CA | |
| 21-Jul | 27.6 | Denny's - Baker, CA | |
| 23-Jul | 2.56 | McDonald's - Ridgecrest, CA | |
| 25-Jul | 12.22 | Walmart - Ridgecrest, CA | |
| 25-Jul | 2.99 | McDonald's - Ridgecrest, CA | |
| 26-Jul | 4.29 | McDonald's - Bishop, CA | |
| 26-Jul | 6.77 | McDonald's - Bishop, CA | |
| 27-Jul | 14.26 | Whoa Nellie Deli - Lee Vining, CA | |
| 29-Jul | 9.97 | Meadow Grill - Yosemite, CA | |
| 30-Jul | 4.3 | Happy Burger Diner - Mariposa, CA | |
| 31-Jul | 6.28 | Bass Fork Mini Mart - North Fork, CA | |
| 31-Jul | 4.03 | Friant Depot Shell - Friant, CA | |
| 1-Aug | 4.31 | McDonald's - Fresno, CA | |
| 1-Aug | 6.75 | Subway - Fresno, CA | |
| 2-Aug | 11.5 | Fosters Freeze - Hollister, CA | |
| 3-Aug | 2.98 | Los Lomas Market - Salinas, CA | |
| 4-Aug | 10.94 | In and Out Burger - Salinas, CA | |
| 4-Aug | 16.77 | Gilbert's Monterey | |
| 15 | Flat Rate Box | ||
| 10 | Half Dome | ||
| 5 | Leader picture frame | ||
| 15 | SUS t-shirt | ||
| 7.5 | lunch at random bar | ||
| 5 | Monument Valley | ||
| 3 | Four Corners | ||
| 1323.22 |
$1323.22! That's $16/day and $112/week.
Ouch. But let's adjust this a bit. I'll take away some not so typical expenses. Without my $300 bike fit and new saddle in Plano, TX, some tights ($60) on sale at a shop in Mobile, my flag project ($32), two-way radio from Radio Shack ($32), and hammock ($28) from the Grand Canyon, my expenses seem a bit more reasonable. $10.54/day and $73/week. Before this summer I had budgeted for $50/week.
The bike fit was a process I went through in Plano, TX, because I started to experience a lot of pain on the bike. The more you ride, the more you find out is wrong with your bike geometry. Riding 70 miles/day is way different than 150/week I was doing before Bike & Build. A host in Athens, TX, recommended a shop and I couldn't have been more pleased. That shop was the friendliest and most knowledgeable I've ever experienced still to this day.
I bought tights in Mobile because they were dadgum cheap.
I don't see anyone in the future doing what I did with the flag. I don't recommend it. I will explain the building process in a future post.
Trent and I split the cost of two-way radios in Amarillo. We are both introverts and riding with the buddy system policy instituted by our leaders was quite draining (not that the buddy system was a bad idea, but occasionally I need to ride ten miles by myself). So, Trent and I used these to ride a quarter of a mile or more apart to get some down time. Unfortunately, Trent injured his knee for quite some time, and we were unable to use these as much as we would have liked, but they were definitely worth it.
I bought a hammock right outside the Grand Canyon, and I am really glad I did. I've used it a few times since Monterey as well. I never had to camp inside our tents this summer, and I was able to sleep under the stars... and rain... and hail...
Others bought some not so typical things as well. Some bought cowboy boots in Texas. Other souvenirs were purchased... shoot, I just remembered I spent about $30 or $40 on parasailing in Panama City. Maybe everyone buys not so typical things, and future B&Bers should budget that for their summer.
Cold at McDonald's. A lady bought us hot chocolate and coffee. I managed to get a free refill of hot chocolate and then I bought a third :: Alexandria, LA
I visited McDonald's and Dairy Queen 17 times for a total of $72.77. I seem to remember more, but that's what the receipts and credit card bills say. These places were a refuge this summer. It was great motivation knowing that a DQ was only 20 miles away. Just imagine being in the heat with no shade for scores of miles. Ice cream is heaven, and I was willing to spend on it after I figured out how much of a difference it made in my day.
Dadgummit. I just remembered I bought two pairs of socks and a cycling cap during orientation. +$40
Update (11-3-2012): I updated the total in the "3 Months Later" post. Also, I just noticed that Cracker Barrel is supposed to be $11.33 and not $1.33...
