With over 27 hours in the saddle and nearly 38,000 calories burned in six days, I was reminded that luck runs both ways when presented with the opportunity to carry the American flag into New Orleans. After securing the top fundraising spot outside of the Gulf Coast region and 3rd overall by raising nearly $9,000, I was both honored and grateful to be rewarded with crossing the finish line first. While everyone continues to gnash about the distance traveled, I settled on just over 525 miles per the Garmin Edge 305. That’s just about 20 mph average…but hey, who’s counting? 
ModSpace Team La Place with Marc, Keith, Kevin, & Mike
The entire ModSpace team at the La Place Louisiana branch greeted eager riders seeking the finish line on our way to New Orleans. With festive music in the background and no short supply of smiling faces and supportive cheers, the ModSpace team gathered in front of the ModSpace unit for a photo not to be forgotten. This same unit would later follow the parade of riders into downtown New Orleans.
Echelon Formation to the Finish via Police Escort
You really can’t argue with the fact that the last 20 miles were spectacular as we were personally escorted by local officials along a bike path levy into the city while riding in a pace line at speeds well in excess of 25 mph while the wind switched around in all directions. With two miles to go, the police skirted to the side to let us pass, honked the siren three times, and announced “Welcome to New Orleans!” across the intercom. It would not have been a ride without challenge if we were not greeted with the strongest headwind so far with only one mile to go before reaching the staging area at a local park before the finish. We were not disappointed.
New Orleans Times-Picayune Photo Finish
The ride down victory lane was the sweetest but it was the first time ever cutting the tape across a finish line that I’ll remember the most. When all of the Tour du Rouge riders gathered for one last photo as a traditional New Orleans riverboat cruised in behind us on a day of perfect weather, I reflected upon the journey we had accomplished together and admired the character of those who had endured the rain, wind, heat, mosquitoes, road obstacles (snakes, turtles, gators, etc.), injuries/accidents, and flats to achieve what most can only dream about; we made the escapade a reality together in the name of the American Red Cross presented by ModSpace.
What a perfect day!
So I would like to thank the 100 friends, family, co-workers, and suppliers who sponsored my ride and the 20 volunteers/crew who supported 57 riders to the finish. Your hearts have pedaled with me along the way and collectively helped raise the level of awareness and financial support needed for this region. Your contribution gives all of us just a little bit more hope that when trouble is near so are kind and thoughtful people who rise to the occasion when you need them.
Lastly I want to extend a sincere appreciation and spirit of gratitude for hooking up with riding partners Mike and Darrell who hammered each other every day to the end while enjoying the company of Tommy, Rich, and Bob along the way…and so I’ll leave you with a few new tricks I learned from the folks I met on this grand adventure from Houston to New Orleans:
1. Use baby power in your tires to keep tubes nice and slippery to help avoid flats
2. A Quikoin rubber coin purse can hold your salt tablets to keep them safe and dry
3. Ride in an echelon formation and rotate to combat cross winds
4. Spare no expense on Boudreaux’s Butt Paste. Active ingredients include 16% Zinc Oxide and also contains Peruvian Balsam. It gets two thumbs up and a snap!
Boudreaux's Butt Paste Rating
Relive the unforgettable journey of the inaugural Tour du Rouge with this 
Hey Everyone,
-”car back”, ”drop in”, ”hole”, “gravel”, ”car up”, “clear”, ”good pull”, “on your left”… It’s quickly become my new vocabulary!
Yesterday we arrived in Gonzales, LA to another ModSpace 
Speaking of pavement, the roads in Louisiana have been quite an adventure. We’ve stopped yelling “hole” and “gravel” because it was becoming a waste of breath. But all in all the rides have been entertaining and I’m sad to see it end. However, I am definitely looking forward to a night in New Orleans with all the riders celebrating the fact that we’ve made it to the finsih line and the great fundraising we’ve done for the Red Cross. We are all excited to see what a difference it is going to make along the Gulf Coast for disaster preparedness and awareness as we approach the next hurricane season. 
