Getting close to Austin

Team Yellow is within a day of Austin! Last night’s slog through the LA countryside was actually one of the nicest rides I can remember in years. I dreaded the 12 midnight to 6am shift last year and basically thought it would be the same this year. Not so! The temperature was decent and the mood was upbeat. It started up like any other ride segment. You know, get out there, try to stay warm, get your lights going and work your body into the ride rhythm. Except, on this night we did a dedication portion to the ride. As the team rides a paceline, each time you pull to the front of the paceline for your turn, you name a person you know that has been affected by cancer. It sounds like a drill of memory but became a process of thinking about why we were doing this and how many people have created this affect on why we ride.

I started with a cycling friend name Jackie Whitted. He left to early with pancreatic cancer. He was the biggest George Hincapie fan I have ever seen! He was a rider just like us and would probably be there if he could to support this ride today. I went through my family list (Harrington’s, Sullivan’s, cousin’s. aunt’s, uncles, grandparents…..). I put some unusual names out there like the people of Bogalusa LA that have dealt with a blight of cancer due to environmental issues. Paul Newman and musicians. I left my personal reason for the end (and most importantly as it is Susan my wife but I always think of our 5 year old son as he too is part of this battle!). In what seemed like just a little while we were through with nearly 3 hours of our ride, just saying names and making our pulls in the paceline. Quite amazing and truly surreal.

Last year was the first year. Amazing ride but we were all trying something new and had no expectations. This year is way different. Different people, new course, new people we meet on the road that look at us funny and many that are bewildered by the meaning behind this ride until they look at the magnets and realize that they too are surrounded by Cancer. I think this year has been taken to a new level. For this team, it is not about pace, it is not about hurrying to the next point and not about how great we are climbing. It is simply about the cause.

We wrapped up our dedication portion with the group riding side by side as we named our warriors and our current survivors on the ride. I am not sure I personally considered how hard it must be to be in the support vehicles listening over the radios as the names were being called out for hours. It could have well gone on all day and night from Greenville to Austin. It was quite amazing to the see the light on the back of Scott Schuey’s bike as it rode on the support van in front of us for nearly the whole night. That red light was a constant reminder to all of us of why we ride and a person on the list that was there with us that night.

I am leaving to get some dinner, and go to bed early as we have a 3:30 wake up call to get us going to meet our 6 am transition. It should be our last ride of the process of going to Austin. Friday morning the team will ride as one into downtown Austin and enjoy the fruits of our labor. The sleep should come easily enough as we all are tired and are over 24 hours without sleep. I apologize for my rambling but it is hard to put all of these thoughts together in one page.

Austin, here we come! Thank you to all of our supporters, friends and families who understand why we ride! 

Joey Sullivan

Team Yellow