Grand Junction, CO- The Team left Britt Reed's home in Salt Lake City, Utah bright and early Monday morning on a quest to Grand Junction, CO. This was a weary day of travel for Dave and Emmett because the strip of highway between the two cities is one of the nation's deadliest. Over 100 traffic-related deaths occur on this highway each year and many vehicle vs pedestrian/bikers. To couple the very serious mood of the day, road construction made it nearly impossible to ride bikes and navigate on this dangerous road.
Safety first!
Even though the boys cranked out over 100 miles on their bikes in a matter of just 5 hours, we drove past the construction and dangerous road, then biked back into Grand Junction before it got dark (leaving at 5am out of Salt Lake City was a smart move!!!). Along the way, Dave and Emmett stopped off to play tennis and pose for pics along the Utah/Colorado border, before finding another Fronton Court in Grand Junction.
Emmett and Dave stop-off to pose for pics along the Utah/Colorado border
Even though this wasn't like the Fronton Court in Elko, Nevada, the Grand Junction Court bared the same name.
Dave and Emmett, rode 100 miles before noon, then drove over 100 miles past construction and dangerous highways, then jumped on a Tennis court and Fronton Court all before supper time. Oh, did I forget to mention, they also did a clinic for over 40 locals, TV and Radio media crew? These guys are earning their keep!
DF and EP see a tennis court and quickly jump onto it for a quickie-game leading up to their Fronton exhibition later that afternoon in Grand Junction, CO
Jason Jones and family, Kevin Price (former CO St. HB Champ) and his kids, plus the locals bond with Emmett and Dave as handball exhibitions in Grand Junction bring out the media on this day!
The theme for today's big adventure was to keep safe, but I am sad to report that both Emmett and Dave are suffering from ailments. After Sunday's handball match, and 8th round of play in 2 days, Emmett played 1-wall handball and Cricket at a Salt Lake City Park in his bare feet. Blisters on both heels were the size of dollar coins.
"Walking or running feels like I am stepping on bags of water." Said, Emmett Peixoto
Meanwhile, Dave Fink scratched his leg playing Jeu de Paume along the bike trip when Emmett drove him off the platform with a driving return (right into a cut-off tree stump). The wound didn't heal and he re-injured it when, playing Fronton Handball, he smacked it again. This time the bleeding wouldn't stop and when it did, the wound swelled up to the size of a Golf Ball. The Hematoid-like swelling was looked at by local handball player, Rusty, and Doctor of medicine.
"Thanks to Rusty I can walk today. I don't know what you did, but this is the best my leg has felt in two weeks." Claimed, Dave Fink.
The Team got their gear on this morning for Denver, Colorado and a visit with Jed Seigel and Co. Details from the road are forthcoming!
On May 19th, 2008, two world class athletes and personalities known simply as The Team embarked on a 3000 mile/25 city Bike Tour starting in San Francisco, California and potentially ending in New York City to promote and play the extreme sport of handball across the Heartland of America. The Team is comprised of the devastatingly handsome and sublime professional musician, Emmett Peixoto, who is also the #2 ranked world handball pro and his eccentric side-kick, and strangely lovable best pal, David Fink. Fink is currently ranked #7 in the world (with a bullet), according to the World Pro Handball Rankings. The Team made stops in: San Francisco, Berkeley, Sacramento, and Grass Valley, CA, then rode across the Nevada Border making stops in Reno and Elko, Nevada to play ball. While in Utah, the Team played handball in Salt Lake City (4 and 1-wall) before riding to Grand Junction, CO to play Fronton Handball and 4-wall handball with the locals. The Team will not only impart their vast handball knowledge, prodigious handball talent and charm in various handball clinics and exhibitions, but will also be playing in the 2 most prestigious events on the handball calendar—The USHA 1 and 4-wall Nationals.
The Team is riding across America to raise money for professional handball and production costs for a youth instructional handball video.
To sponsor or donate to the World of Pro Handball and the Toyota Tundra Bike Tour, please contact us at weplayhandball@cs.com : Dave Vincent, C/O WPH, Box 208, Rough and Ready, CA, 95975
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