The participants began to arrive a little before1:00 and luggage was everywhere. Lots of hugs upon arrival and then packing began. Polka Dots packed up and our Miami teammate was still not there. I called him and he informed me that he had missed his flight. I quickly made the decision-cause I’m a thinker- to load his bike on the bus and started thinking of ways we could pick him up on the way. LUCKILY he is a practical joker and walked up right after we secured his bike on the bus. We got his bike put on the van and his bags packed too. It was great seeing all of the people that came out to see us, I know I didn’t get to see and speak to everyone. Thank you all for being there!! We all gathered on the the hill in front of the cancer center for a group photo and then gathered together for heartfelt thoughts from Ron and Dr. Stephenson. Our warriors were there and it was a powerful moment to see them gathered together. They are our inspiration for this ride and I look forward to spending time with them this weekend. Mother Roxanne delivered 3 beautiful prayers asking us to call by name those that we are riding in memory and in honor of. She gave thanks for the team and prayed for our safe journey. My heart was so full of love for this group of people as I too thanked God for this team of humanitarians.

It was now time for the riders to get on their bikes and the managers to get in their vehicles. But not before saying some very tearful goodbyes to my children. They have been so patient and giving during this busy time in their parent’s lives. I am so blessed. It is so comforting to be able to leave them with their loving grandmothers during our absence. Thank you Julie for being there for me as you always are, and thank you for the crosses for the entire team. Near my children stood my teammates from previous rides that also had tears which kept mine flowing. Gave quick hugs and reminders for them to call me. Jumped in the team van with Cara and we were rolling. Ringing our cowbell and waving I saw so many people on that road! (Laurens, I am so glad I saw you by the road before I left-what a gift).

For the past three years, I have stopped with all of the riders to re-load the van and head to Clemson to Mellow Mushroom. This year I am with the Dots which is the team FIRST in the rotation so we rolled right on by the parking lot where the rest of the teams loaded up in their vans – beeping the horn and ringing our cowbell. Our team of riders: Ed, JD, John S., Brandon and Toni ( our lone diva rider ). Our team has ridden together before, so they settled right in through our tour Powdersville, Easley, Clemson, Seneca and Westminster. Our first 3 hours flew by. We also got to see friends along the way. The Garners were following us to meet a couple of teams for lunch in Clemson. So good to see them! We had a great ride with beautiful weather and transitioned with the Lemon Bonkers who were ready to go. Our team was treated to their post ride massage by the wonderful KVL. We loaded back up in the van and drove to where we thought we would transition for our 6am ride. Cleveland TN here we come. I let the Dream Team know where we were to see if they wanted to take over our rooms when we left at 4:30 for our next shift. This was especially exciting for me, because Ron is on that team and I would get to see him. I put my head on the pillow some time after midnight but kept receiving texts and I was too afraid to sleep in case I would miss one. I think I managed a few naps. I kept thinking about driving the bus up and over 3 mountains praying that it wouldn’t overheat and that the brakes would definitely do their job as I followed our precious riders around curves. I had told dream team to text me upon arrival but I heard them before I got one. I jumped out of bed and rushed to the balcony to see my knight in shining armor emerge from his team van. They informed me that they had a great ride on that beautiful morning. I had to wake up some polka dots and get them moving so that we could get ready and so that Dream Team could grab some rest. It was so great seeing them and I got to kiss my sweet husband. We ate a great breakfast that the hotel put out early for us and loaded up. We did have to drive a little farther than we anticipated to catch up with Team Livelong. They had already climbed a mountain!!! We found a church on the plateau and cheered them in under one of the most beautiful skies I have ever witnessed. We exchanged hugs and shared thoughts about the ride. We found out it was Dave’s birthday and we gathered around and sang to him!! They sent us off with lots of cheers and we were on our way through the Tennessee mountains. In my nightmare the night before I had envisioned roads without guardrails so I was ecstatic when these roads we were traveling had them. The riders looked awesome riding up those mountains. I was so proud to see how they all worked together. However, in my wildest dreams I never thought of how fast I would have to drive the bus down the mountains. I’m pretty sure that my fingernail marks will permanently be imbedded in the steering wheel. I don’t even drive my own car down Caesars Head at the speed I was having to drive the bus. However, there was no way I was letting my team out of my sight. That bus and trailer hung on those curves, making some crazy sounds, like a champ – whew! I was so nervous I was shaking a bit, but let me tell you, by the second descent I was excited. It was amazing to watch those 5 riders fly around those curves!! I forgot to mention that the weather was amazing and warmer than all 3 previous years – Perfect ride conditions. The daylight was also a new treat for me this year. The countryside was so beautiful. Lots of cool barns, silos, horses, fences, etc. I cannot wait to see all of Lisa’s pictures. After the big mountains, there were lots of rollers so we made some recovery stops. It has been so much fun hanging out with KVL, Taylor and Lisa!! We were stopped for a while at a repair shop and I’m so glad we asked for directions because the road we needed to turn on was right beside us – we would have missed it for sure had we not asked. Lemon Bonkers found us at our rest stop and then traveled 12 miles down our newly found road to find a transition spot at the Church of Christ at Pocahontas. The team was going to change in the parking lot but Toni suggested we just go in the church since “they were playing bingo”. Everyone was treated to another massage under a pretty tree. I got a phone call from Ron asking where we were and they were close by so they came to the church too. We all decided to grab some lunch together. How cool is that? Dream Team, Polka Dots and Party Rockers found the closest mexican restaurant and proceeded to eat way too many chips and some not so delicious food. But the company was priceless. We gave hugs and kisses and went our separate ways.

We got back in the van and headed to Tupelo, Mississippi for the night. We checked into our hotel. We met for dinner at Logan’s and headed to the laundry mat to wash some well worn cycling gear. It was the SAME laundry facility that my team from last year used – too funny and kind of cool. We got in late again for bed time and decided to meet for breakfast at 8am. Some of my teammates were confused as to which time zone time we were supposed to be using (despite covering that in emails and meetings ANYWAY, we went to the iHop for some protein and Brandon ordered enough food for a small country: 2 Stuffed French Toast Combos- 2 pcs of Stuffed French toast, 4 eggs sunny side up, 4 pcs of bacon and a 1/2 pound of hash browns. He was done with the first combo before I ate a pancake. We then looked at the maps and talked with Sally and loaded up to go and meet them on the Natchez Trace. We were ahead of schedule by a full 3 hours so at breakfast we decided that we would just ride backwards 20-25 miles and turn around to try and even things back out so that all teams would get 4 shifts. We found a beautiful overlook to make our transition. It had been drizzling all morning so when LiveLong rolled in, they were soggy but said it was a great ride. The temperatures have been so great. We took pictures and gave them hugs and then got some nutrition off the bus for the van. We told Keith to have a rest and turn the bus off to rest while we were gone for our “backwards” ride. It did seem strange to travel the same stretch of road that our teammates just finished. I struggled just a bit with this concept. I was fully on board with the idea because instead of adding a loop, the Trace is the safest place to add miles. In my prayer before bed last night, I asked God to help me make sense of such a counter productive idea. I awoke this morning with a comforting idea. Yes we went backwards. Yes Team LiveLong had just finished that stretch of road. I know of two beautiful ladies in my life that have traveled down the road of hearing “You have Cancer” and then going through chemo, surgery and losing their hair ONLY to hear and go through it AGAIN. More so than wondering why we were traveling the same part of the Natchez Trace, I was overcome with emotion thinking how it must have felt to them knowing they were back on the same road again with this awful disease. I’m one of those people who feels like things happen for a reason and I feel like God put us on the same path twice to remind us of our friends and family who are battling and inspire us to understand that some of those with cancer will have to go down that same road AGAIN. It’s a terrifying thought and it makes me angry. But it also makes me so proud of this team- this group of people who are doing something to try and make a difference. We all gathered around Cara this morning and prayed that she will never have to go down the road with Cancer again. It better just stay away!! This team is doing what they can to raise funds for research, and on an emotional level this team is beside our warriors in the fight.

We are now in the car traveling to our last transition of the trip- the week has certainly gone by quickly as it always seems to do. We just stopped and had a nice lunch. I asked the team to leave their phones in the car. We have all been busy talking with other teammates and family and friends via all of our technology. I wanted us to have a relaxing lunch and talk with each other before beginning our last ride. It was great- I think we all learned more about each other. I have come to love these six people just as I knew that I would. We are looking forward to our last shift, rain or shine. We should cross over in to Texas tonight. We look forward to welcome the rest of our teammates into Austin. Our shift is lucky. We will be at the hotel when our warriors get in tomorrow. We are looking forward to meeting all of them and sharing our journey.

Godspeed to the rest of our team: Lemon Bonkers, Dream Team, Purple Power and LiveLong! We can’t wait to welcome you with hugging arms

Much love,
Jennifer

My husband can’t sit, or stand around, or be idle in any way.  Which is why this ride is taking place.  We can’t cure cancer, I wish we could.  We tried to think of something we could DO.  We CAN help raise funds that will allow the research to be done to get us closer to a cure. We CAN encourage others to do the same.  We have met the most amazing people over these last 4 years.  People that are now part of our family.  We have all been touched by this disease and God has put us on this path of healing and hope, together.

My husband is the man that he is because of his father.  There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t think of Mike Jerina.  I am blessed that I get to see him through my husband and 3 boys.  This day, this ride, is for him and for all of those that our entire team rides for.  Loved ones that have recently been diagnosed and loved ones that we have lost.  In the morning I will print the name of one of my sorority sisters on an “In Memory Of” magnet – last year her name was on an “In Honor Of” magnet.   The question mark by Challenge in the title is a symbol.  When we started this ride it had a couple of meanings.  Challenge to raise lots of funds for research.  Challenge in the number of miles to go in a week.  The physical Challenge of riding a bicycle that far, that long, being stuffed in a vehicle like sardines, etc.  Those challenges will all be there again as we leave later today. We will travel some of the same roads, we will change shifts as it has been laid out for us, we will ring cowbells as we cheer on our teammates.  However, the ride/challenge will be different and new for everyone – even those of us who have been all four years.  I look forward to the challenge.

God Bless our Team of selfless, dedicated, loving peeps!

oh my, it is 1:18 am and I haven’t packed a thing.  I do love a challenge

As you have read in previous postings, we, um, can’t help but bond with our teammates on this journey.  You are in the van A LOT.  If you are one of the fortunate ones that can sleep in a van while traveling curvy roads, you grab some shut eye.  However, if you can’t , you are still fortunate that you get to know your fellow loving human being that has taken on this fight.  And now through technology, we can keep up with teammates through our blog.  Team Yellow hasn’t seen the Polka Dot or ScottStrong teams since Sunday.  We are looking forward to being reunited with them tomorrow.

Team Yellow has had some ups and downs this year.  As you have read, all of the teams have.  That’s why this ride is a Challenge.  We try to prepare but there are some things we just have to figure out along the way.  We ran a little late to our transition for our first 6 hour shift which had us a little anxious.  But guess why?  We wanted to take the mountain route that the Polka Dots had to ride to see their challenge that morning.  NOT knowing that our entire team would get a little van sick and that we would learn that Anne could be a NASCAR driver.  (we did make it on time which made Ron’s smile come back)  The team got on the road and I was in charge of navigating the bus to catch up.  Well I missed the first turn, Bob had to turn the bus around in a weird parking area where I know we bumped over some of those concrete parking bumps.  Anyway, we caught the team and settled in behind them.  Our first shift had been 12am-3am (dark) and this shift was 6pm-midnight so we started out with sunshine blinding us in the face (well thru the bus window).  And a good bit of traffic too.  The team was riding over in the bike lane in lots of debris.  A water bottle got ejected and Laurens stopped to pick it up without any warning to the bus.  All I could think was that we were gonna knock her over with the open doors.  We didn’t, but it sure looked like it from my front row bus seat.  Stomach officially in knots.  Then I see the team weaving in and out of the bike lane and a couple of the riders almost collided.  Scary scene, but we soon settled in.  Oh I forgot to mention that the speed limit on the road was 65.  Cars were zooming.  I was so thankful that the bus could block the traffic from getting so close to them.  We get a little further down the road and we leave the team to go get gas for the bus.  We had to drive a good 20 miles down the road to find a town.  We figured that it might take the team an hour to catch up.  So I made a bad choice to go back and find them.  But guess why?  I thought, “what if one of their lights is burned out” (a frequently occurring problem), or “what if they are cold?” (their extra layers were on the bus), or “what if they are hungry or thirsty?”  So we set out to find them. Now understand we didn’t have cell service so thats why we had no idea that they were VERY close to us.  In fact so close, that we did not even see them when we PASSED them on the road looking for them.  CRAZY huh?  How could I, along with 2 others on the bus, MISS seeing 6 YELLOW cyclists and a van with a flashing light????  Well we didn’t get cell coverage until we were back on a 2 lane road where we had to perform a 42 point turn to get the bus and trailer back on the road in the right direction to find the team again.  I was feeling pretty awful about letting my team down.  I actually fired myself and begged their forgiveness when we met again at the McDonalds in Hohenwald, TN.  They forgave me and would not let me fire myself.  We were now on a NEW section of our trip this year.  We passed the entrance to the Natchez Trace that we used last year to add some miles to the journey.  It was a little hilly to say the least but the team took those hills like the well oiled machine they had trained to be.  We made our transition with the Conquistadors and started loading our van.  When we made it to our hotel, our hearts sank to see that we had lost a wheel (Donna’s) on our way.  Oops.  Errors.  Human errors occured on this shift and Ron and I were feeling a little low.  Of course our team didn’t let us stay low for long.  We had to get back in the van to start working our way to our next transition.  We had a little more team bonding at the laundrymat and headed toward our midnight – 6am ride.  We were on the Trace looking for Blue Agave, we found them and showed our love for them on the road.  We got to see and hear lots of wildlife that dark night.  We tried to rest up in the van, wasn’t happening.  We found a transition spot and began to get ready.  We took over at midnight and started our early morning.  It was a great ride.  Our Honor Ride, naming all of our own personal reasons we ride.  2-1/2 hours of six people naming family and friends either lost to cancer or fighting it.  It was my great pleasure to see Laurens on her bicycle this year!  When we finished at 6am we refueled at Waffle House and decided to drive the van to where we thought we would be at 6am.  We have all been awake more than 24 hours at this point so we share the driving.  Thanks Laurens and Scott.  It is now 9:30, I have had a power nap but the rest of the team is asleep.  I am going too.  I think our wake up call is at 4am.  Each of the journeys over these last 3 years have been wonderful and unique.  I am proud to be a part of this group of loving, giving people.  We all are unified to do our small part to fight this battle, side by side. 

I miss my boys at home.  They know why we do this.  They know they want doctors to find a way to cure a disease that took their PaPa.  They know they don’t want anyone else in our family to have to worry about getting cancer.  I know that they can say, “We have LOTs of friends who help fight cancer, we help too, do you?”

ons better if I can just close my eyes and people can tell me when we are over the bridge or safely through the turns on the mountain when the fear of plummeting down the side is gone.  However, when you are the driver, and you have other precious people in the car, you have to keep your eyes wide open and muddle through the panic attack.  I share this somewhat frivolous, but very real phobia of mine because I had it hit me in the face once again this week.

I had a meeting at my son’s school on Monday and when I got out of the meeting I noticed 3 missed calls from my husband.  I was on my way to run a few errands before I had to return to school to pick up the boys.  I called Ron on the way to Big Lots and asked “Hey I saw that you called 3 times is everything ok?”  He replied, “Beth called, Rene’s cancer is back”.  6 words.  Many things run through your mind when you hear that kind of news, but my reply was, “Where are they?  How do I get to them?”  Turns out they were on top of a mountain.  I’ve lived in Greenville my whole life and had never visited the towers on top of Paris Mountain until Monday.  As I maneuvered the turns in my gigantic SUV, I wasn’t sure if all 4 tires were gonna stay on the road.  Didn’t matter.  All I could think of was getting to them.  Well, my heart was fluttering and probably skipping some beats, but I think it was a combination of emotions running through my mind and very scared heart. I was uncertain where I was going but I knew I would get there, and I did.   Once there, I jumped out of my car and ran to them.  I just hugged them and then sat with them for a bit before we said anything.  Ron came up too, shortly after I did.  I didn’t have a lot of time because I had to return to elementary school to pick up our children.  Before I left that mountaintop, I reminded Rene that she has lots of people that are by her side.  Lots of people to help out when she needs it or even when she doesn’t realize she might need it.

I hate cancer!  The word itself is even awful.  I guess thats why some people call it the Big C, because its an awful word to even say!

When my father-in-law was diagnosed with cancer we were all very scared to say the least.  When the doctor came out of surgery and said, “We took his bladder, gave him a chemo wash and got it all” I was so relieved.  That was way before I really got to know cancer.  Before I got to know how cancer works.  To say I was in shock when he told us it had come back, is an understatement.  He fought so hard.  I never, not even once, thought he would lose the battle.  It was devastating.  Our world was UPSIDE DOWN.  By the grace of God, Ron found an outlet for his grief in exercise.  Running, then cycling which led him to participate in the Palmetto Peloton Project’s charity ride.  In 2007, he was a top fundraiser and we won a trip to the LiveStrong Challenge in 2007 where the idea of the “Challenge to Conquer Cancer” ride was born.  This year is our third annual journey.  It has been a way for us to do something.  We hope that with the dollars for research, doctors will find a cure.  It has also, to our pleasant surprise, been very healing.  We were angry and broken after losing so many family and friends to cancer.  But what we have found out along the way is that there are so many other people with similar stories.  Cancer is universal.  We all can do our part to help.  I am proud and honored to be a part of this beautiful group of people who are fighting side by side. I think we all hate cancer, but it has done ONE good thing.  It brought us all together.

I look forward to our send off tomorrow at 3:00.  I almost said I look forward to starting our 3rd annual journey tomorrow, but that isn’t a true statement.  The journey already started.  Lots of planning and training began a long time ago.  Logistically we get on the road tomorrow.  Lots of uncertainty ahead.  Traffic.  Temperature.  Wind.  Sleep Deprivation.  Darkness.  Animals running in front of us.  There might even be a bridge or a curvy road without a guardrail.  Doesn’t matter.  We will be side by side.  I do ask for your prayers.  I pray that God watches over us and continues to guide our minds and hearts to be the loving people he created us to be.  Thank you for following us, supporting us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.  Austin, here we come.

the 2009 LiveStrong Challenge 5K

Our next shift was the 6AM to noon shift on Thursday and we were all very excited that  were finally going to be able to ride in the daylight.  Our previous 3 shifts have all been in the dark.  We could not wait to start because this was the day that Laurens was going to join us on the road.  One thing we were not expecting was a tropical storm from Mexico moving into the pathof our ride.  I don’t mind riding in the rain but I don’t like starting a ride in the rain.  Watching Team Green come in from their shift soaked to the bone, i was starting to dread the ride.  As they pulled in my mood changed when we got huge smiles and hugs from Team Green.  The rain did not slow them down and excitement started overtaking my body.  If all went well, we were going to be the team to bring the ride home to Austin.  We took off in the rain and it didn’t take long to be wet down to the skin even with rain gear on.  We road as cars and trucks passed by probably trying to figure out why 5 people were on their bikes out in this type of weather.  At one point, Tedd and I were on the back of the paceline and an 18 wheeler came flying by and hit a puddle and a wave the size of a house curled over us as we surfed thru it.  At that point, we were already soaked so it did not matter and we had to laugh.  As we rode thru a small town we sent the support van ahead to find all of our turns and as we came down a road we saw the van leave ahead of us and Laurens was standing there waiting for us to pass by.  As we did, I noticed she had her bike bag which got me excited because that meant she was going to get her gear on and come ride with us.  The bus picked her up as we continued to ride.  At our next sag stop, Laurens was ready to ride.  That was a huge pick up for all of us.  The rain had slowed down and our spirits were amazingly high.  We continued to get closer to Austin and this was the point I realized our team with Laurens on the road with us were going bring this ride into Austin.  Tears and joy overtook me and I could not imagine doing this with a better group of people.  We were within 10 miles of the hotel and we had our first flat of the ride.  Tedd blew a rear tire.  Quick change then off we went getting closer and closer.  THe ride turned slower as we got closer because of lights and stop signs then bam, another flat.  This time it was Laurens.  Another quick change then off we went.  We knew we were getting closer because we saw Ray and Joe Julian on the side of the road cheering us on and continued to see them several more times.  The wind picked up and we had our first tough head wind.  I was happy for that head wind because it slowed us down more and I did not want the ride to end.  I think it was the people we have lost to cancer thinking the same thing.  We made our final right turn and we put Laurens, Robin and Beth in the front as myself, Tedd and Joey were behind them and our two wonderful support ladies in a vehicle behind us.  Team Yellow was bringing the ride home.  We saw all the other riders and support folks cheering us on as we approached the hotel.  Tears were in all of our eyes again and we pulled into the hotel.  We got off the bikes and Team Yellow all embraced for several minutes.  We did not want to let go of each other.  We all became such great friends on the journey.  We celebrated our arrival with the rest of the folks then went into the hotel showered then cleaned up our bikes.

Friday morning was our final ride of the 2009 Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  All the teams and support who brought their bikes rode together into downtown Austin lead by 2 LAF employees.  It was a beautiful ride through the neighborhoods of Austin.  We stopped by Lance’s house but he was not home so we were not invited in.  I am sure if he was home, he would have made us breakfast.   We made it to our hotel downtown where we would stay for the next 3 nights.  Had another small celebration then went to lunch and the expo for LiveStrong weekend.

Friday night was the Challenge to Conquer Cancer celebration dinner.  It was at Scholz Garten and it was a great meal.  Brats, smoked turkey and brisket wre on the menu and we all had full tummies.  We got to see the pictures taken by EagleShotz (www.eagleshotz.com)  and reminisce about the ride.   I told my most memorable story about the ride and then asked others to come up and tell theirs.  It was an emotional evening.  Lives were changed on this trip and it was wonderful hearing the different stories about our ride.

Saturday was the 5k walk/run.  Over 3000 people participated and it was a sea of yellow.  Most of us walked with our warriors and survivors.  I was touched by the strength of so many people.  I saw an old friend that I met in 2007 at the LiveStrong Challenge.  Brian Fox is his name and he is a 5 year brain cancer survivor.  He was one of the 3 people I met that year that changed the way I was going to deal with cancer.  Before meeting Brian, Kim and Jenn in 2007, I felt sorry for myself because my dad died because of cancer at the young age of 61.  After meeting them, I was inspired to celebrate life and do something to beat cancer and that is how we came up with this ride.

Sunday was the LiveStrong Challenge ride.  I decided to do the 65 mile ride and hoped not to miss the turn this year like I did last year and ended up doing th 90 miler.  I started out with Tedd and Beth and 3800 other people.  We stayed together for a few miles but because there were so many people we got split up.   I had mechanical issues with my bike and had to pull into sag for repairs.  After getting it fixed I took off and rode most of the ride by myself.  It was nice to have some alone time to reflect on the ride and think about all my friends and family who have been affected by cancer.  I saw so many people out there with “in memory”, “in honor” or survivor cards pinned on their jerseys and prayed that I will never have one on my jersey with Jennifer or RJ or Reed or Ridge or anyone else.  Each year my list gets longer of family and friends with cancer and I want that list to stop growing.  I saw Chasse in the last sag stop and we continued the ride together.  We caught up with Jessica  and finished up the ride.  I laughed at all of Chasse’s one liners and was so proud of Jessica for doing her longest ride ever.  We crossed the finish line and I saw my beautiful wife who was walking towards the line after she completed her ride.  After the ride, I watch Joey and Joe pack the bus and trailer with precision and sent them home with the help of Dennis and Jeff.  The rest of us went back to the hotel to shower then went out for our final dinner in Austin.  Went to a great Irish Pub for dinner with a great group.

Monday morning we woke up early for our flight home.  I was concerned we would be delayed because bad storms but we made it out just in time.  I understand after we got out, they cancelled all flights heading east.  We made it back to Greenville around 12:30.

This years ride was incredible.  The route was great, everyone arrived safely and we had a great time.  I did not want the week to end but I was excited to get home.  Jennifer and I went to pick up Reed and Ridge from school and they both reinforced why I do this ride.  They both came running at us full speed and jumped into our arms.  RJ was the same way when he got home from school.  Like I said earlier, I don’t want to see their names on any card.

Thank you everyone for your support.  We will start planning next years ride soon and hope to max out the riders.  I would love to double the $200,000 we donated to our charities this year, next year.  Until then …

ScottStong, RideStrong, LiveStrong

I admitted in an earlier post that I didn’t think we would ever find enough folks that would agree to take 8 days off of work, sit on a tiny bike seat for 6 hours, or ride in a vehicle for 1300 miles. Ron, Kevin and Kim KNEW we would.

Our journey here last year was incredible and everyone on it is a part of my heart. This year has proven to be incredible in a new way. It seemed strange to me leaving Greenville this time with some of our teammates from last year waving goodbye to us. I wasn’t sure if we could duplicate the bonding that went on last year, but oh how we have. When you are on a trip of this magnitude, you can’t help but get to know the people on your team. Our team is unique in that we have lots of returning members: Ron, Beth, Laurens, Joey and me. So we all knew a little bit about what to expect on the trip. It didn’t take any time for Tedd, Anne and Robin to blend right in. All the riders have been doing alot of training together and Anne and I are Iron wives together (Louisville 2007) so we have that bond already. The reason the definition of TEAM is on our jersey is because I wanted it there. It is such a key ingredient to this trip. I have been so touched by all of the teams who are posting here. It sounds as if they have had the same experience bonding and gelling as a team as we have.

Our midnight to 6am shift touched my heart in a way I didn’t know possible.  My sweet husband’s voice came over the radio advising the team that they would be dedicating each pull to those for who we ride.  I was in the bus behind them watching as they worked together.  Beth had a dedication where she wanted the team to kiss the sky.  In unison all five riders raised a hand to heaven.  I was both touched and saddened as Joey and Ron named so many family members.  Name after name, sometimes multiple names at a time kept coming over the radio.  Tears welled up and spilled over as I looked at my watch to see that they had been doing this almost THREE hours.  How could these five super- people still be calling out names?  At one point I saw Tedd reach out for Robin’s hand.  My heart swelled up with pride as I watched and listened.  I was in complete awe of my team.  Then they got out of their paceline and were riding side by side.  I instinctively knew what they were doing.  I knew what the next radio transmission would be.  They wanted Laurens to know they felt her riding with them, that they missed her physical presence beside them, how we are in the fight with her.  This ride, this team….I can’t express how honored I am to be here.  Cancer: it’s UGLY, it has broken us, it has ripped people from us, but….it has brought us together.  I feel so blessed to have these people in my life.  And when I say these people, I mean the entire P3C3 family.  I type this as we head to our transition with Green (Awesome) at 6am.  It’s dark again, it’s raining, we are cranking tunes in the car, singing to “It’s A Beautiful Day” and looking forward to seeing the rest of our family when we get to Austin later this morning.   I can’t wait to hug and kiss each and every one of you.

Love to you all,

Jennifer

I am so proud to be part of such a great team.  I will never forget the hardest ride of my life.

Chasse  said on our ride last year that a bad day on the bike is better than a good day getting chemo.  That has always stuck with me and although our ride was cold and not the best one I have had, we were out there pedaling.  Thank you Scott and Dale for the push on our ride.

Thank you Julie for the goodies.  They are fantastic and I don’t see them lasting all week.

Miss my boys.  Love you guys.  Write me and call me (and mommy).

ScottStong RideStrong LiveStrong

Over and out.

When Ron and I first had the notion to start this, I remember telling him, “We will NEVER find enough people that want to ride for that long and that far.”  Little did I know then just how many people were in the same boat with us.  We were (and still are) ANGRY at Cancer!  In 2005, it took Mike Jerina away from us.  It changed us.  But through our heartache and sorrow, we have found a purpose.  We have joined with others who have the same feelings: What can we do?  We feel so Helpless.  We’ve got to DO something!  We CANNOT just stand by and watch this disease continue to take away our loved ones.  

My sweet husband found running and cycling to be a good outlet for his frustration.  He rode in his first P3 Charity Ride in 2006.  We went to the LiveStrong Challenge in Austin in 2007 where the idea for the Challenge to Conquer Cancer was born.  With the support of so many, he made the ride a reality in 2008 and we are about to ride again in 2009.  I need to thank the Palmetto Peloton Project for that.  This journey has helped us heal.

Anne asked me today at lunch, “How is Ron handling working, being a dad AND planning this ride?”  Without much hesitation I responded, “He’s part Superman”.  (Just a little something he inherited from his father.)  I am extremely proud of Ron – words really cannot express my true feelings.  Saying that he is a Super Man is somewhat of an understatement.  His passion for this ride is contagious and I can’t wait to get started on our new journey together.

We’ve assembled a TEAM of 26 Riders, 10 Support Drivers and 6 M&M&Ms(Medics, Mechanics and Massage Therapists)  for a total of 42 wonderful people that have committed themselves to this common cause.  We are ONE team that is divided into 5 parts so that we can get there by Thursday.  Our jerseys this year have 2 definitions on them:  Team- a group on the same side organized to work together and Victory - defeat of an opponent.  The state of having triumphed.  I KNOW the heart and soul of this TEAM and we want a VICTORY over this Ugly opponent we call CANCER.

Thank you to all of those who have supported us both financially and emotionally.  Please pray for our safe travels.  Stay in touch with us through this blog – we love reading your encouraging messages.

The countdown is on.  Let’s go Conquer Cancer.

The new journey begins in 4 days,

Jennifer Jerina

I was aked a couple of weeks before departure, could I drive the bus? Sure, I can drive a bus. It’s not TOO much bigger than my suburban….WRONG, not to mention it’s pulling our snazzy new trailer. Needless to say, I’ve been losing a little sleep over having to drive that monstrosity. Back to our departure. All bus drivers for the teams were asked to ride the first leg on the bus to get some ON THE JOB TRAINING. I ended up staying on for the first 3 legs so I got to see the first 3 teams do their three hours on the road. Team 1 started us off strong, even left the parking lot without the bus (their van was with them). Learned to swing wide, try not to bottom out and scratch the new trailer (well John took care of that one early coming out of BILO). We’re on the road and catch up with the riders. Things went great and we made it to the first transition. We all took a pit stop at the INGLES, and the bus got refueled and thank goodness it wasn’t me driving. Team 2 set out, again without the bus (they had their van). We got up to almost 60mph trying to catch up. We thought we were already lost. We pulled over at a church and asked what road we were on and they told us, “Oh, we saw some riders go through here a little bit ago” Back on the bus and away we went. Team 2 was riding fast. Alot of this stretch was 2 lane and the traffic behind the bus was backing up. We ended up having to pull over 3 or 4 times to let them pass, some with happy beeps, some with not so happy beeps (and some interesting hand motions). Our nice little 2 lane road then turned into interstate with traffic coming in from the left AND right. I’ve never experienced that kind of stress in my life and remember, I was on the bus. These riders took it all in stride and we finally saw exit 4A (couldn’t have be 4B that was 1/2 mile earlier). We safely met my team (3) in the parking lot of a lovely church. I jumped out of the bus, tripping all over myself to hug these brave riders. Their simple comment, “that was fun. Thanks for being behind us”. Amazing. This group of cyclists are just amazing. OK, it’s go time for my team! Again, THEY leave without the bus. Can you tell everyone was excited? Now I’ve already been on the bus for 6 hours with no lunch….who could eat with all of this stress? (I did have some cookies and a muffin, thanks Julie S!) The ride was great, good terrain, nice roads. Still lots of traffic. Lots of beeping (of both kinds again) and lots of passing. But the bus is keeping em safe. We were in constant contact with team 4 who was anxious to get on the road. Kevin kept calling me and asking “where are you? Plug this address into your GPS and it will tell you what time you will get here.” Lesson learned most GPS systems aren’t accurate on back roads. ANYWAY, we finally hook up with them at a church. When we got there, I thought they were holding a service for us. Everyone was outside waiting for us to get there…kind of cool. Renee (our AWESOME massage therapist) also met us at the church to give the team their much needed rub down. Toby cracked us all up by holding his chap stick tightly in his hands like a security blanket as he got his massage. I will try and upload the photo soon. He did it again today (day 2). He is very attached to his chap stick. He even offers it to us when he thinks we’re feeling down. I digress. Back to Sunday night. We leave the church and finally find a dinner spot around 9pm. It’s a Chili’s. We try and work our fundraising magic and the manager responds by gladly giving us the “Senior Citizen” discount of 10%. We smiled and thanked him and I quickly asked for a kids menu. I needed Reed or Ridge there to open it, because I had a hard time figuring it out. (It did have 2 crayons folded into a fancy shape) We then traveled to Rene’s cousin’s house arriving at 12:30am. We visited and tried to go to bed around 1:30. We woke up this morning and she had cooked up quite a spread. It was great. We didn’t have to drive too far this morning to pick up Team 2. We found them and cheered them on. They also rode into Florida with us. It was a beautiful and rare site to see 2 of our wonderful teams sharing the road. Our team was ready for their first 6hr leg. It was a gorgeous day. We couldn’t have ordered a better one. Again, roads were good. YEAH a little less traffic today. Not nearly as stressful as day 1. And I’m not driving the bus. One of our medics, moderately sized Dave, (I had referred to him as Big Dave cause he’s tall like Ron, but he didn’t like that name) is driving for me. He’s my new best friend. We chat on the bus and figure out that he will be coming off the road with us and wants to come to Pensacola with us. Our van does have an extra seat so we got us a new teammate for the day and night. After much confusion with 6 different people giving different details to one another, we find team 4 for the transition. DARN, we were 3 miles short of 100! Beth and Ron were so mad at me. Toby was glad we were in. His shoulder was giving him trouble. Our medic, David Porter (that’s his real name) fixed him up with an ice pack and bandage. Stacy and I were in charge of getting chocolate milk for the team as they got their SECOND massage in 2 days. We do understand that this hasn’t been the case for everyone, and we think that ours are over. They were cetainly good while they lasted! We had already figured out that we were taking over team 4′s rooms in Pensacola. Chasse told Ron “Don’t worry, they changed all the sheets…except one and we’re not telling ya which one”. We headed toward the hotel and decided we wanted dinner before 9pm tonight, so we stopped at OUTBACK. We checked in with the hostess and she actually asked, “do you need any kids menus?” Everyone looked at me for my response. “No, I’m gonna eat good tonight”. We sat down thinking it was 7:45 and Happy Hour was over (7pm) But…bonus…it was only 6:45 and 3 of us ordered 2 margaritas a piece before it was over. We all ordered lots of yummy food. I did get the 6oz special and my new best friend (moderately sized Dave) said “I didn’t think you were getting a kids meal”. We get to the hotel and had to do our own laundry and it cost us 4 quarters and it’s hanging all over the place. I came back up from the laundry room and 3 of our teammates were missing. I had a nighttime reading of our wonderful blog to the remaining teammates. Then the other 3 came in and told us that the ocean felt great! Can you believe it? That was after they sat in the hot tub.  Note to self: pack suit in 2009. We are having a great time. P3C3 team: thanks for doing what you are doing. I miss seeing the folks from team 1 and 5. Susannah, it was so great talking to you today. You guys are on the road now…it’s 1:29 SC time…I need to go to sleep. The rest of my team already has. I’m sure they are dreaming of our first ride in the dark tomorrow. I think we are slated to be in Louisianna.

Thanks for all of the mail on the blog. It has given us such motivation, inspiration and joy. Thanks for taking the time to read my long entry!

Goodnight,

Jennifer

Team 1:  Riders:  Joey Sullivan, Matt Tebbetts, Parker Carlisle, Johnathan Pait and Rob Dempsey
Drivers: John Colacioppo and Thomas Heaney

Team 2:  Riders: John Harris, Ed Hernando, Kristen Weinacker and Clifton James
Drivers: Dana Spark and Rick Shepard

Team 3:  Riders: Ron Jerina, Rene McCurdy, Beth Rusch, Toby Coker and Dennis Zeiger
Drivers: Jennifer Jerina and Stacy Coulter

Team 4:  Riders:  John Siddens, Joe Sullivan, Ray Stonitsch,  Kevin Dunn and Chasse Bailey-Dorton
Drivers:  Lisa Barwick and Michael Clapp

Team 5:  Riders:  Kerrie Sijon, Crystal Myers, Susannah Hogan and Laurens Flanagan
Drivers:  Joe Julian and Tom Cross

SAG/Support/Medical Team:  David Porter, Keith Houston, Reuben Hawks, Renee Killian-Zeiger, Donna Gregory and Arthur Reaves

It brought me to tears when his teacher told me this.  I have been so focused on the logistics, the details, the data entry that I had lost sight of the real reason we began our journey.  We have lost many family members and friends to cancer.  However, when we lost my father-in-law our world changed.  My husband had lost his parent, his colleague, his best friend.  I had lost a man that truly took me in as his own daughter and our children had lost their grandfather.  Ron is a wonderful, doting father because of the father he had.    Mike Jerina is a proud and doting father beyond cancer.  I feel it, see it and hear it through my husband and children.  He is with us in spirit and guiding our way.  That is the silver lining that has come out of our dark cloud of cancer.

I am so proud of Ron for dedicating his time and his passion to this ride.  I am proud to be a part of this journey/adventure we are about to participate in.  I am so grateful to have met all the riders and volunteers that jumped at the chance to join this fight.  As our First Grader said, “…the doctors will have to know what to do to help him.”  A six year old makes it sound simple and it can be.  With fundraising dollars for research, I’m confident they will figure out how to help.   That’s why we all are doing what we do.

(P.S.  The response from the school was overwhelming.  I was at school that day in a sea of YELLOW shirts.  Most all of the kids who didn’t have on wristbands first thing in the morning had them by noon.  I found out that Ridge’s Kindergarten Aide is a 10 year breast cancer survivor and our efforts brought her to tears.  Needless to say, I am very proud of what we are doing in our community)

Pictured here: Ron’s Mom, Dee, with our boys: RJ, Reed and Ridge.  God bless her, she is flying out with all three boys to join us in Austin on Thursday.