 Are you ready? I'm ready. All right ladies and gentlemen, it's Friday night here in Stanton, Nebraska, Nebraska. Wow, we have a lot to talk about. It's been a while since we've done one of these. First of all, I would like Ally to show her shirt. Look at this. Oh, yeah. Look at that. She's so strong. She's like the Hulk. She's ripping. She's ripping through her shirt. I am taking this interview seriously and I wore my finest button-up. You look good, babe. Yeah, I don't look good. First of all, thank you all for following this adventure. It really means a lot to us that people are enjoying this, right? It does mean a lot to us. Thank you. And yeah, enjoying it as we're enjoying it and yeah, keeping us going, supporting with your words and your cookies and all that good stuff. Not enough cookies. More cookies are always appreciated. More cookies sent to us, please. We have a bunch of questions that social media has directed towards us that you're very curious about. We'll try to answer as many as possible. But the first question comes from one of my Instagram friends, Marissa in California. And she asked, has riding together with your loved one, with your partner, been all you ever imagined? Good question. Very good question, Marissa. Ally, you want to start? Yeah. Has it been all I've ever imagined? All that and more. I mean, I would say that it has been more beautiful and heart-wrenching and transformative than I had imagined. And it's also been more challenging than I had imagined. There has been moments where I've been like, oh my God, can we actually do this? Can I do this physically? Can we do this as a couple? And then there have been moments where I'm like, wow, this is, it really is like just a dream come true. Like these things are almost, we couldn't have written this out. We couldn't have scripted this. So let's say yeah. Yeah. And to go along with that point, we couldn't have scripted this. We're always exactly where we're supposed to be. Like we might think, oh, we're not making enough mileage, but we end up being where we're supposed to be. And we're having the experiences that we're having because of the speed we're going. And at times I can get uptight about, oh, we need to be doing more mileage or whatever. But if we had been on my schedule, we would miss some things. So it's really fun to think about it in that way because you're like, wow, this is where we're supposed to be with the people we're supposed to be with. And we're having the road magic that we're having because of the speed that we're going. And that's just amazing. So yeah, all we ever imagined before doing this ride, of course, I've done a lot of bike rides before and I've done them alone. And I've imagined that someday I would do it with somebody that I love. And so I have all these fantasies. And I think a lot of them are coming true. We're going to small town fairs. We're dancing to a band in a field on the 4th of July. We're under a sky full of stars. That's so incredibly beautiful. You can't even explain it in words. And there's just been so much physical beauty, landscape beauty, but also with you and me. We have these moments where we just look at each other and we're like, wow, we are so fortunate and so lucky. And so yeah, I think in many ways it is all we ever dreamed and all we never dreamed things are happening that I had never dreamed about, you know. And thank you, Marissa, for that question. So people have asked, you know, what it's like being together 24 seven. We're both pretty individual independent people. What's it been like for you having been stuck stuck to you? Oh my God. It's been a it's there's been times where it's been very difficult. Like, like you said, I'm used to being alone a lot. I'm used to doing these bike tours alone and I can do whatever speed I want to do and I can eat what I want to eat and stop when I want to stop because it's just me with you. I have to take into account your needs and your wants and your desires and that's been it's been a change for me and it's been difficult at times because I want to go faster or I want to wake up earlier or I want to get to a certain town. But overall, it's been it's been amazing and being with somebody 24 seven. I mean, I don't care if you're so madly in love. It's it's like a fairy tale. You do get annoyed with that person and we've definitely gotten on each other's nerves. We've had some moments where we're like going back and forth and back and forth and you're just like I'm not really enjoying you right now. And that also has been both scary. But at the same time, when you have a little argument, you can't run away from it like in real life. You're like, I'm leaving for an hour. I'm going to go hang out with my guy friends. That doesn't happen. You have to deal with it right then and there. So we've learned problem solving skills that that have been very useful. And we've learned them very quick. I think we're living a lot of relationship in a very short amount of time. It's only been what six weeks we've been on this trip, but it feels like this has been a year crash crash course in relationship 101. Yeah, I agree with that. I think that we are definitely going through at least a year of relationship in this two and a half months. And there's been times where I'm like, whoa, maybe this was too much too fast. Maybe we don't have the base and really the trust. Trust is something that it takes time to develop. Maybe we don't have that going in. We don't know each other well enough to be taking this on. But in the end, I think it totally is worth it. And I think it totally was the right decision. You and I both go hard when we do things we tend to go all in. And I don't know. I'm not trying to mess around here. I think it's good to figure things out. We're working things out. We're figuring out whether or not how things work together. For example, we were riding in Wyoming down the continental divide, and we got into it about something that had happened a few days earlier. And we were going back and forth and back and forth. And you're like, I don't think this is a good time to deal with this. And I was like, I think it's a great time to deal with this because we have a big shoulder and it's just you and me. And we're just talking. So let's just keep talking. And I mean, I was kind of saying it in the moment to be funny, but it was true. It was a great time to talk it out. We were on our bikes. Our bodies were moving. We were heated up in our debate or our conversation. And we did work through it. And we got to the point where we're like, okay, I see where you're coming from. You see where I'm coming from. Deep breath. Yeah. And it really, it pushes, I think, both of us to kind of get over ourselves. You know, our friend Dana who's just here said something really wonderful, really wonderful reminder. It's like, sometimes you're with your person and you are, you know, you're getting annoyed at the little things and you need some alone time. And it's not that you need time away from your person. It's just that you need some time to yourself. And when you reach that space of like just needing some time to yourself, it's not something personal against you, right? It's just that that's a human need. Yeah. And so, you know, we're in a situation where we can't necessarily take too much space, but we can come in and remind myself, I know I can be like, okay, I'm really irritated with pretty much everything Ryan does right now. But it's not because of him. It's just because I've been around him 24 seven for however many days. So that was just a really wonderful little reminder to check and like check in. And I think it's been, yeah, it's been good to have that like constantly having to check myself to make sure that I show up in a good way for you. And I think also, you know, I know I went into this, this deal like this, this trip, this adventure is like commitment, right? Like, I'm going to do it when do the whole thing. There's no backing out. It's kind of like a short term marriage, you know, like we're together over two and a half months, regardless of what happens. And that also like really, I find pushes me to try to show up in my best way. Like, I'm going to love this person regardless. For the next two and a half months, like, I'm going to do all I can to like show up and like love this person because I've committed to be there with you. And also, it's a lot more fun to go on an adventure with somebody when you're really enjoying that person. So if you let those negative thoughts or whatever is annoying you, just overcome your heart and soul. You're not going to have any fun. And you're just going to be like, I hate when she does this and this and this. But you don't want to do that. Because what we're doing is such an amazing opportunity to be riding our bikes. We want to be enjoying each other and the world and the people we're meeting. And if we're in a grumpy mood, we're not going to be enjoying this experience. For example, the other day coming out of a hotel, we got into it a little bit. We figured out the problem. We talked about it and we started riding our bikes and we're just talking and life is good. And you know, I was like, Allie, let's take a break. Let's stop. And I just wanted to stop and hug you and tell you, I love you again. And of course, me being the softie that I am, I get a little teary-eyed and I hold her tight. And it was just one of those moments. And this came from Bob and Michelle who came to visit us where they said, sometimes you just need to stop and hug. And that's what I did in that moment. I just stopped what we were doing. Allie pulled over really quickly. And I just grabbed her and hugged her. And that little gesture made me feel real good. And I'm guessing made you feel really good. Yeah. No, that was, I think, a really healing moment in our relationship. Things have been rough for, I don't know, I would say, you know, we had that fight, but like, we were getting on each other's nerves that week. Like, we weren't getting along super well. And, you know, the love advice that we've been getting has been very helpful. It's helpful to get these reminders of how to treat each other in relationship. And it's often like things that you know, you know, be kind, be patient. But, you know, they reminded me that Bob and Michelle also reminded me to be patient with you. And I was like, yeah, thank you. Like, it's good to have that reinforce, like to remind me to like, just like, be patient with my partner, be patient. That was a hard time for me. Like, I was not feeling that you were, you weren't being very physical with me. You weren't telling me that you loved me. And, you know, for me, those are really important reaffirmations of a relationship. And I, you know, I've been waiting, I was like, man, it's been almost a week now. Ryan hasn't told me he loves me. And he's not being very physical with me. And like, that's, that makes me feel insecure. But I'm like, going to sit with this and I'm going to be patient. I'm going to wait it out. And eventually I buckled in. I told you that I loved you because I couldn't hold it in anymore. And I was just seemed like we needed that healing space. But, but those reminders have been really important to come back and sit with things and allow them to unfold in their times, you know, that were in this, not just for the short term, you know, enjoyment and bliss, but for the long-term development. And these things sometimes take time and patience. And just like being at the right place at the right time, sometimes we're getting love advice right at the right time where we need to put it into action. And that was one of them. Just stop and hug. Yeah. All right. Here's a fun, quick question for you. Everybody keeps asking how I'm getting the drone shots. Well, a lot of times I'm flying the drone as I'm riding my bike and holding it like this, like a video game. And that might seem very, very dangerous. I only do it on roads where there's no cars essentially. And I'm just, you know, making the slightest moves with the controller like this and like that. And that's how I'm getting the drone shots. And I'm glad that you're enjoying them. I think it's pretty cool. It is a fun toy for sure. What's that? We're already at 14 minutes, so maybe another seven minutes max. Okay. Food and nutrition. Okay, food. Talk about food. We get a lot of questions about how we managed to eat as athletes on this adventure. It's a challenge. Ryan's a vegetarian. I am gluten-free. We eat at gas stations a lot. Fritos, I would say, are key to gas station nutrition. They're gluten-free and they have no preservatives. Really simple food. Chocolate milks, a really good way to get some protein. And it tastes good. And it tastes good. You can find a good country breakfast pretty much anywhere with some home fries and some eggs. We drink, I would say, a lot of sparkling water and nutritional soda. What else do you have to say about nutrition? I also take vitamins every day. I take omega-3 fish oils and turmeric. But our nutrition is actually pretty, it's negligible. I would consider it like a, it's a passing nutrition. We do our best. We get salad when we can. But we're not in Boulder anymore. Yeah, for me, I mean, still a lot of tortillas, a lot of beans, peanut butter, jelly. Definitely when at gas stations, you treat yourself to some ice creams and snickers. I drink a ton of water throughout the day. I stay very hydrated. But other than that, you do, you eat what you can with what's available. And yeah, a lot of times it's not the healthiest food. A lot of you out there are like freaking out about how horrible our nutrition is. And yeah, it's probably not good for our teeth. It's a lot of sugar and we're burning through a lot of it because we're burning a lot of calories. But that's essentially it. Lots and lots of beans and snickers and ice cream. And ice cream. Oh, and Nutella. Nutella and peanut butter. Peanut butter is a good way to get some fat and some protein. I mean, admittedly, this is the worst I've probably ever eaten in my life. And for me, it's the best I've eaten. That's what makes us different. As far as nutrition wise. It is fun to eat. I've never eaten this much sugar in my existence. But it's hard to find foods that aren't sugar loaded at gas stations other than the Fritos. And even, you know, we want to be healthy. But a lot of times we're like ice cream. You're just so hungry and your body is, you know, starving for fats. Of course, you're going to go for the ice cream. It tastes damn good. Ice cream is amazing. And also a cold soda in the middle of the day when it's super hot is there's just nothing like it. So. Muy bueno. All right, one more. Oh, our route. A lot of people have asked about our route when we're going to post it, when we're going to share it. The best way to follow along our route is really to follow us on Instagram because we're posting stories with locations in them. But we won't be posting a route until after the trip is over. And we're not doing that because we want to keep it from you. We just don't have time to deal with all that stuff, which leads perfectly into this next part. I know you've been loving the videos. I've been loving making the videos, but it has completely taken me out of the moment too many times. Like we'll have a rest day somewhere in a really cool town and I'm staring at my computer for 10 hours and I'm not interacting with Ali or the local people. And I don't want to do that anymore. I want to be here for Ali. I want to be here for me. I want to enjoy this experience to its fullest and editing these videos, having it hanging over my head, constantly, you know, logging footage from three different cameras has been really stressful on top of riding our bikes for eight to nine hours a day and camping and navigating and food and all the other stuff. So I am going to slow down with the edits. I don't know exactly what that means or how it looks. I will edit when I have time and when I feel like, you know, it's okay to leave Ali for a little bit and dig into it. So I'm sorry. Definitely not going to have two videos a week anymore. Hopefully one, but I will do all the videos. That's, I'm not saying it's over. Like if I don't make another video this entire trip when I get home in early September, I'm going to crank them all out. So this is kind of like a mid season break. And I can't thank you enough for following along. Everybody who's been a fan of this channel since day one or if you've just subscribed, you keep us going. You keep us inspired. You keep me motivated to create this content. And it's hard to let it go. It's hard to not fulfill your wishes to want more and more and more, but I need to, I need to be here in every way for Ali and for this adventure. Sorry. Thank you for tuning in. And do you have anything else to say? Um, no. All right, we're going to just have a nice night in this little town park here in Nebraska. We're headed to Iowa tomorrow for Rack Brie. If anybody's at Rack Brie, come look for us. We're the stinky people. Thank you so much.