August 5, 2001

Journal Entry/Day 1

Two years of planning and before you know it the big day is here.  “Beyond Extreme” is a reality.  I managed to get permission to start at the east bay of Prudhoe Bay.  I was told that only two other people had been able to get permission to cross the 11 miles from the ocean to the edge of the oil fields.  Security on the oil field is extremely tight in order to protect the pipeline from vandalism or terrorism.  I started cycling relatively late in the day, at 10:30 a.m.  The road was bad as the weather was at 5 degrees Celsius and raining.  Travel was very slow as you can imagine, I am eager and on top of the world.  After two years of planning this is my day in the sun.  As they say, “a bad day on the bike is better than a good day at the office.”