Reflections of a great ride

Reflections on the most challenging thing in my life thus far - I’m just gonna talk as I see it in my head.

Amanda is amazing. I can’t explain it because I’m truly amazed by her. Her true worry for my well-being expressed in her face. Her true devotion exhibited by stopping in to see me at Logan on my way back alone because she “just happened to be near there”. Her pride apparent in the hug and kiss she gave me at the end and the smile when Chris and I came into Athens. Her dedication to a cause I jumped into made obvious by her encouragement through training and her waking me up and stretching my muscles in Athens before I jumped back on the bike, feeling like I was going to throw up. I can’t enumerate the plethora of ways in which she supported me through this ride.

To my sponsors. As I signed up for this ride, I knew that I wanted to help raise money for cancer research while getting into a better fitness level for my own future health. What I didn’t realize was both the scope and the depth of the Pelotonia in Ohio. All along the route there were people lining the ride and cheering with signs and cowbells. So many cancer patients and children with memorial signs were along the route, thanking the riders for their efforts and I just thought it’d be good to pass on to you how much your contributions were appreciated by the people of Ohio and I know the research towards a cure for cancer will provide hope to people all around the world. Thank you for your support of me and please look forward to next year as we try to put together a team which will require about $10,000 in donations. We’re going to need your help.

To the family of Michelle Kazlausky, I would like to express my deepest sympathy for the fact that she is never to return from a cause which she believed in so decisively. I will continue to pray for the family. I can agree with the statements in the article about frustrations with cars/trucks on the road and I think Chris agrees also that there were some very rude and inconsiderate people who behaved as if they gave no thought to how we would survive after they shoved us into the shoulder and guardrail or who decided it would be a great idea to gun it into a tight spot assuming that the bike would just vanish or miraculously stop. People need to learn to be safer on the road around bikers. I realize bikers can be rude as well, and if you’re one of those people, you need to behave better because you’re giving the rest of us a bad name.

My body aches. Chris had marching band practice and so on day 2 he needed to opt out because he has tryouts coming up soon. I can understand that, but it was increasingly difficult as day 2 progressed to do the ride solo. I’ll admit, I made better time on day 2, but that’s because Chris set the better pace. Instead I tagged behind faster riders on day 2 and passed many people. The only things holding me back on day 2 were broken spokes going into Logan and helping a girl in the hills fix her bike chain. To that girl and to the guy going on the 102 ride in a single gear, I give mad props. Both of them took the same course that I struggled through with a 70’s classic, but they had even fewer gears than I did. To the rest of you, congrats on a good ride, but we worked harder on our bikes. I’m so happy to have finished on my LeJeune. And as I rolled her into Baer Wheels on High St., the tube finally burst (which I assume is from a bad spoke installation), so hopefully she’s put back together soon. My knees are absolutely killing me, but in truth I know that my knee is considerably better than it had been before I started training and it has made miles (pun intended) of improvement since the wreck last summer. Plans for next year include getting an iPod (or offbrand) on an armband that plays music by stereo. Conversation alone can’t get me down there and back… I need some music and headphones are banned. Second addition is a new bike seat. Sure, my bike is original, but let me tell you… that seat is a little too original.

Anyhow, that’s the most intense thing I’ve done in my entire life, ranking near but more difficult with MSU tailgating and “education”, hiking the Grand Canyon and getting married (which turned out to be easy).