Today was Friday the 13^th, so like any horror movie  I woke up to a puncture and stormy weather 50F weather. Again we were taking the I-90 as there was no alternative.

At first the rain was merely light droplets but before long it became so heavy that it was starting to become so difficult to even maintain proper control of the bike in the narrow hardshoulder.We were literally drenched as if we had just swam in the river which was shadowing. Just as the forecast predicted the storm had most definitely arrived and we were smack bang in the middle of it. There was no respite ,no shelter and without any coverage to call the support team we were forced to keep cycling through the difficult conditions with difficult visibility continuing along the interstate. For a period of the road it was so treacherous that just one slip, one lapse of concentration and you were to fall into the path of oncoming trucks.

After pedalling for 1.5 hours in tough conditions we finally made it to the first stop along the road Livingston where we stopped at a garage for some shelter and grub.

We tried contact the support team whom had bought us some hot food but with network coverage down communications were broken down there was no such luck of a fresh pair of clothes or even to try ourselves off properly so we went back onto the  dreaded I-90 to complete the final 45 miles or so without a break. Barely a picture was taken fearing the camera would be destroyed under the conditions. We had a number of the usual puncture problems which is no fun. I keep telling young Kerwin and McNamara if they want a break just ask rather than feigning a puncture and slashing their tyres to get a break but they simply won’t listen.

As is typical of our luck of late, the storm cleared just as we approached the small town of Big Timber.

At 2pm we had made it, finally, freezing cold and drenched to the bone, in great time due to the pace we had pushed ourselves and the lack of just a couple of punctures.. Support team driver young Donal Lucey was on hand with the hot food warmed up.We then loaded the bikes onto the back of the car to drive upon the gravel road to get to our stay that night.

Our lodging for the night was “The burnt out lodge” a 7 mile trek down a dirt road through the mountains in a big, log cabin (http://www.burntoutlodge.com/ )

Never seen anything like it before,it was unreal.With it being Friday the 13^th ,I had thought the scene was set for a great story. The cabin was  isolated surrounded by the mountains and wildlife and great view. It was difficult to find even in the light. It was the height of comfort and luxury and Ruth and her husband could not be more interesting and accommodating. Was intrigued by their stories of wolves, mountain lions and bears which they have come across down the year. We made the 10 mile journey back along the dirt road for dinner together in Big Timber and made sure to make it back before darkness fell for safety purposes.Even young Robert Shiels wouldnt risk heading out for a night out in Big Timber and walking home 7 miles in the cover of darkness among the bears and other wildlife that surrounded the Burnt Out Lodge

Don’t be deceived by the myth that Montana is always warm in August. It is as temperate as a certain Robert Shiels’ temperament if the full 8 hours beauty sleep aren’t gotten.

On a freezing cold morning which you would expect to find in Dublin in Mid December.Patrice lead the way for us to take the “backroads” rather than the more dangerous I-90 less scenic.Where possible  we are taking backroads although it may add an extra 10 to 20 miles to the journey we do this as on the interstates we are more prone to punctures. What is causing these punctures is staples which is coming from the tyres of the juggernaughts on the I-90 .Literally every second vehicle is a massive truck 18 wheeler gliding by at 70 miles per hour. When one of tyres explode which happens quite regularly judging by the huge amount of tyres along the I-90 its punctures galore.

We took the backroads to three forks and then rejoined the I-90 as there was no parallel road to Bozeman

Despite our efforts numerous punctures to be reported evenly spread amongst the team. We are spending a small fortune on tubes every day averaging approx 8 punctures a day amongst the team. This isn’t the issue more so the amount of time it is taking up. We are going through tyres in the same fashion Russell Brand swaps girlfriends

As the day proceeded the sun began to shine on the COA team. Regular breaks were had and numerous snaps taken of the Rockies. We seen all sorts of wildlife,Deer,bald eagles .So far we have not seen any bears despite the high population of them.We have been told there are grizzlies and have been told stories of some horrific attacks from them. They can run speeds of up to 30 mph so we always try to maintain the pace and avoid getting in between them and their cubs ,or swimming in lakes full of salmon. The mace spray is always at the ready nevertheless

We also need to watch out for grass and even rattlesnakes when were changing tubes fixing tubes by the road side. Bear grills eat your heart out

After the support team met us with some food in Three Forks we proceeded to pass through Belgrade and Manhattan to our final destination of Bozeman. When we got to Bozeman we were met by Jason Delmue and Melissa whom had nachos and chocolate milk waiting for us. Great people! They were enthusiastic about the cycle  and put us up in their holiday home which hands down is the nicest house I’ve ever stayed in. It featured moveable stairs, rolling hinges made from skateboard wheels and tri-coloured bedsheets.3 stories high it was similar to the house you would see on cribs on MTV and plus after a quick game of Rock paper and Scissors it was agreed myself and Eoin have 1 room each while the others shared the 3^rd story room

Last night we stayed at Burnt Out Lodge, a big, log cabin out in the wilderness. It sits in a valley beside a creek, in the midst of a forest that was burned by a forest fire in 1994. There are burned tree trunks everywhere, jutting eerily from the hillsides. There were also a lot of deer! William "Beastmaster" Kerwin went hunting deer with his bare hands after spotting them outside the lodge. A huge thank you to Ruth and her husband for letting us stay free at their lodge, and for the massive breakfast this morning!

We took a trip into the town of Big Timber, ate some truly gigantic burgers (pounders!) and had fun playing with the merchandise at the local gift shop, "The Fort." Cowboy hats were bought! Thanks to the lovely ladies working there for putting up with four mad Irishmen.

Today was to be a relatively “easy” day. Just 40 miles so we enjoyed the sleep in waking at 8am rather than the usual 6am wake up call “Lenny are you awake” from the human alarm clock that is William Kerwin.We expected the cycle to take 2.5 hours.Also we had an interview lined up with KXLF TV station in Butte upon our arrival .Our premier TV performance

Young McNamara lead the peloton under the blue skies of Deere Lodge towards Butte, following I-90 road .The road itself could not be faulted, it was perfectly smooth with few uphill climbs, very little traffic and a wide shoulder size to accommodate the 3 of us to cycle side by side.

But as is per usual for COA there was a twist in the tale and drama was never far away

Approximately 15 miles outside of Butte there was road works taking place…

The hard shoulder was occupied by a  a construction vehicle and cars were bought to a  slow pace/standstill in the other 2 lanes but COA  not wishing to be delayed for the scheduled interview with KXLF TV news proceeded to overtake the traffic and cycle through the tarmac which just been laid down by a steam roller.

After seconds of cycling we realised quickly that the tarmac was sticking to the tyres like glue.Not only were we destroying the newly paved road we were also destroying our own tyres.45 minutes on we were still  pulling pieces of tarmac..until one of the construction workers called Steve came to the rescue out with DUV40 de greaser which done the trick…we were back in business and one hour later were in Butte

This was a schoolboy error that the 3 stooges would be proud of. Do not try that at home guys

After grabbing a bite to lunch we made it to the big interview with KXLF .the interview

The link for the interview is the below…

http://www.kxlf.com/news/irish-cyclists-riding-for-cancer-stop-by-kxlf-studios/

And before minds begin to wonder, yes it does look like I thought  the camera was on the ground before me but in reality the sun was in my eyes and a certain McNamara had mislaid my sunglasses prior to the interview.

Seriously though, a massive thanks to local reporter Melanie Yuill for taking an interest in our cycle

Following the interview we then went to the house of Patrice Evans, who kindly hosted the team that night. she whom is pulling the strings for this weekends Irish Ri-Ra FESTIVAL in Butte this weekend and will be organising a booth for us to fundraise on Saturday 14^th August. Patrice and friends even brought us along to a picnic where we met where we received a royal

The people of Butte whether it be the strong Irish American community there or not we were treated as family and we can’t thank you guys enough for this

A big thank you to Jason Delmue and Melissa for putting us up in their amazing house in Bozeman. I wish I had taken some pictures of it! It featured moveable stairs, rolling hinges made from skateboard wheels and tri-coloured bedsheets. Thanks guys!