Midnight now…. Dadgum, this bridge is 3.5 miles long! Well… There is the Texas sign… And 3/4 of a mile further… There are the bonkers…. High fives! Hugs !

And we are done. Wow. How could this be our last shift? We just left Greenville! What a feeling. We just rode over 320 miles in 4 shifts, and suddenly, pile into the van to search for a hotel.

It has been a privilege to ride as part of the Polka Dot team. It has been an honor to ride for my mom and dad, and for my friends John McDermott an Famin Chou, and to honor those who have survived cancer… who battle it daily… and to ride in memory of those who lost the fight. Numerous names, numerous families, numerous friends.

The LiveStrong Challenge weekend will be memorable, but the hours I spent on my bike thinking about those affected by cancer will never be forgotten.

Thanks.

Our dinner at Penn’s Restaurant was fun, despite the mostly fried nature of almost all the food.. sorry, Kelly! It was nice to have Taylor, Kelly, and Lisa join us prior to their departure for catching up to the lemon bonkers, and our hunt for a hotel. We settled in and simply passed out for the night.

After breakfast, Jennifer talked a bit about an epiphany she had regarding why we rode backwards yesterday. It was the exact way I felt, she just put it into words much better than I could ever do. We travelled the same road twice on this journey, the same way some people do if they get cancer twice, or if they get a recurrence. We turned a routine ride effort into an effort to honor cancer victims like Jeni, like Rene, like Laurens, and like countless others who battle recurrence. Our road was tough, but nothing like theirs.

So, here is to a new day. A new road, a refreshed road. For team Polka Dot, and for you, Jeni… and Rene…. and Laurens…. And the countless others who fight the fight.

Our event is well ahead of schedule, thanks to excellent rides by all teams involved. So, we began the day by meeting the LiveStrong team just 10 minutes from our hotel. Easy, until I remembered that I left my bike computer in the hotel. #*+£# it… Hate when i do dumb stuff like that. But thanks to Beth, Maribel, and Donna for their selflessness and fetching it for me. HURRAH !

Now, back to the story. Because of being ahead of schedule, and to be sure all teams get a chance to do all their shifts, we decided to ride BACKWARDS, heading north on the Nachez Trace Trail. Against a nasty, blowy, strong headwind… For almost 20 miles. Draining our legs. We finally turned around and headed south, and even with a tailwind, the wind was blustery. Upon reaching our original starting point, we stopped to enjoy some p.b.& j sandwiches. Then, we decided to try to reach 100 miles on the bikes, sort of the biker’s equivalent of a marathon.

We headed out with fresh intent, and team Polka Dot came alive. We began an awesome pace line, reaching steady speeds of up to 25 – 30 mph. We worked together, taking turns up front, and really started putting the miles behind us … Now, despite a LOT of training, my legs still began to tire. We hit 85 miles, and I felt my thighs burn. 15 miles to go to get our 100. And only 30 minutes left in our shift. And the road had a steady uphill grade. My legs were getting worse. Ed’s legs were tiring, too. Then, a great inspirational sentence came out of one our team rookies: Brandon yelled out, ” this is better than chemotherapy!”.

That jelled our team even more, and my now burning legs no longer were an issue , as I dug very deep and literally used mind over matter. As I turned those pedals, the last few miles passed in a blur. FINALLY ! 101 miles. 5 hours, 59 minutes, 30 seconds, our team finishing our century bike ride by 30 seconds. I was totally in the pain cave, my legs, back, and arms totally numbed from the effort. This is why I did this ride.

Emotional for me, as I recalled my dad having to endure chemotherapy for his colon cancer. Dad, this ride was for you. I love you and miss you. I still hear your voice and used your voice to help me finish this ride.

Our epic ride today began at about 3 am, after getting to bed at about midnight. Our schedule was t ride 6 am til noon. The Dream Team arrived after their ride, and we got up to let them ‘hotel share.’. This means they get our rooms after we leave, keeping costs down and that means more money goes to the event. Our friend at the excellent Jamison Inn, Jackie, allowed us to eat breakfast at 4 am instead of the usual 6 am, so that was a great help. We made it to our transition time easily, and met up with Team LiveLong. Our riders are awesome on all teams this year, and we are about 1 to 2 hours ahead of schedule.

Today’s ride was dedicated to my friend John McDermott. Although I don’t get to see John as much as I would like, I am amazed by his life prowess, and wish I could be more like him. He is a great dad, stepdad, and husband, and works hard a running an advertising agency well, despite these tough economic times. John was diagnosed with lymphoma, and is now over a year from being cancer free. My whole ride last year was dedicated to him, and one he is LivingStrong. My next goal is to get him involved in this event. You are my hero, John-Boy……

So, today’s ride ended up being 6 hours long to the minute, 76 miles long, with a nice average of just under 18 mph. We had a couple of good, solid climbs, and a couple of really fast descents, once daylight came. Our first great descent was in the dark, and Toni’s battery was almost dead, so we took it really easy, with JD and I teaming up to light her way. With a fresh battery, we rode on, and ended up on some REALLY beautiful rolling hills in the Tennessee countryside. Finally at noon, we transitioned with the Lemon Bonkers, and rolled into some little Tennessee town to have a nice Mexican lunch with the Dream Team and massage, mechanic, and photography now collectively known as Team Party Rockers…

And now, with tired (but good) legs, a full tummy, and a rolling vehicle, it is nap time… See ya later. Zzzzzzzzzz

Why?

Why put myself through what will be a very challenging ride? Easy answer: Cancer sucks. My mom and dad had it, I have had it, and I treat patients every day who have it. Cancer sucks. The C3 ride is one way I can put forth more effort to help those who have been affected by cancer. Now, don’t get me wrong. I treat patients who have cancers of the the eyes, the eyelids, the areas around the eyes, and in the eye sockets. But once I see them, formulate a plan, treat them, and then release them, my part is done. But what about them? Who deals with the psyche of knowing they had a cancer in a very important area? What if there is a problem with vision even if the cancer was successfully removed? What if they lose an eye? What do they do then?

This is one reason I ride. To extend what I can do for them. To help after the initial treatment that I can provide is done. To raise money that goes towards helping thwart cancer in the first place. To raise money that goes towards helping them cope with life after cancer. To raise money that goes towards helping the family cope with a loved one’s cancer.

This year I am on a new team, Team Polka Dot. (Also known as Polka Dotay !!). The name derives from the polka dot jersey that is awarded to the best bicycle climber in the Tour de France. It also represents a dear friend who we lost a couple of years ago: Perry Lyles. Although Perry did not die from cancer, he was on the original Team Polka Dot, and the name has stuck in his honor. This year, Team Polka Dot consists of me, Brandon Lee, Ed Hernando, John Davidson (JD), and Toni Leopard. Our managers are Jennifer (Mom) Jerina, and Cara Mathis. I am proud to be part of this team, and look forward to the challenge and to who we ride for. Each of us has our story to tell… so pay attention! You will laugh. You will cry. You will be amazed at what you will read.

So, enough of the heavy stuff. Usually, I blog lightly.. but here goes 2011…

RIDE STRONG ! LIVE STRONG ! ( and please, Dear Lord, no crash this year, huh???)

As I mentioned, life is fluid, and you have to adapt. Just like a cancer victim does. So, recalling the meaning of the ride, Polka Dot made their second straight century (100 mile) ride, and we joined them for the last 10 – 12 miles. You must understand that for a cyclist to ride a century ride is akin to a runner running a marathon. So try running two marathons in a row.. the first one day and the second the next day. Simply amazing strength and conviction of Team Polka Dot…. they are awesome.

Now on to more fluid changes. Once we took off, we were hot to trot to make our own century, as we knew the roads would be flat, and it would be our last ride before reaching Austin. Well, the biking gremlins were out to get us again, as Dustin got a flat in the first MILE of our ride, slowing Polka Dot’s finish, and our start. Then, his derailleur began to misbehave, and his bike turned into a fixie (non-bikers: ONE gear. like low on your car.. you only go slow). I began to get really grumpy and rode off the front alone for a bit. I actually said a little prayer that the gremlins would find a hole to crawl into, and leave us alone. I am happy to say that the good Lord was listening, and the gremlins went away.. YAHOOOOO !!

Team Blue Agave finally found our mojo (just a day late, Bo!!!!). We cranked it up, and through the early morning hours we began to work together as a team as never before. Never mind that I crashed yesterday and probably cracked a rib and cant breathe deeply. That we had flat after flat, and delay after delay.. we CRANKED it up and absolutely KILLED it! We crossed into Texas at about 1:30 or 2:00 am, stopped for pictures, but only stopped 3 more times for food and bathroom breaks. Jimmy constantly hammering at us to get moving…. well, it worked. At 2 1/2 hours, were were at 50 miles…. at 4 hours, we notched it up to 75 miles, and as the 6 am transition loomed in front of us, we began to know in our hearts we would get our century…. and not only on time, but even a bit early. John and Parker kept us motivated by radio, filling us in on our negative splits (going faster each mile), and making our stops fly by. No mechanicals, no flats, no crashes, just fluid pedaling in a sweet uniformity. The only ominous thing we noticed was the rolling STEPS of climbing we were facing as we neared our transition. It was like pedaling up a series of long, even steps, and not going back down! LOL.. pissed us off, and we went even faster. Each of us pulled, even myself, but Jimmy did MONSTROUS pulls and probably was the one who got us there.

So as not to keep you in suspense: Team Blue Agave finished 101 miles at 17.9 mph, at 6 hours and 2 minutes finishing time. WOW !!! We all had such emotions… you just do not know.

We were met by a beautiful Team Yellow, who presented us with beautiful flowers (um.. mums? I am simply not a flower kind of guy).. and lots of hugs and smiles. What a finish. We began to change, and saw Yellow off with cheers and waves, packed in the van, and headed to the hotel in Lufkin, Texas, where Yellow left us towels and cool rooms to recover in, as well as a nice breakfast compliments of the hotel….

The next several hours were to be suffered packed like sardines in a can. Travelling to Austin took about 4 1/2 hours.. each seemingly longer than the next. However, we are here. We expect to greet each team as they arrive and will now get laundry cleaned and prepare for LIVESTRONG’S weekend of events.

Sigh.

I am rambling again, as I am prone to do. Before I sign off for now… my thanks to the following:

Kevin Dunn and Lisa Barwick – for conceiving the P3.

Ron and Jennifer Jerina – for countless hours me planning .. etc

P3 members – for your dedication.

Jeni Schumacher – my coach and conscious… thanks for training me.

Parker Carlisle and John Colacioppo – for your awesome abilities as team managers.. you kept Blue Agave together despite your trials of suffering potty humor in the van.

Kelly Vanleeuwen – awesome hands, elbows, and knees. Your massage techniques have kept us all on the road, and you have worked tirelessly to keep us there.

Jimmy and Heather Brehm, Rene Mccurdy, Dustin Retherford, and Beth Rusch.. what great teammates. couldn’t have asked for more… you each ROCK!

John McDermott – my friend who inspires me either on the bike or in life… I wanna be more like you…

Brian Powell – sorry you lost Carmon.. she is still with you, my friend… stay strong.

And to countless others who put their lives on hold to help…. thanks soooo much…

and last but not least.. to you who have cancer.. we ride for you. Stay strong and fight…

SO we are due a little break… tonight .. here is to a boring, uneventful ride!

Now… since we have ridden in the dark for the past 2.5 shifts… anybody know what day it is????????? LOL

As we passed about 65 miles, we were greeted to the wonderful site of a full moon. Wow, a SECOND full moon.. no.. make that at least EIGHT full moons… all across the road greeting us as we rolled along!!!! A wonderful pick-me-up from Team Yellow, especially in view of our ride up to then! Now, I do not have to tell you what 8 shining white <derriers> look like at night as you roll up with bike lights.. but it is one hilarious sight. We slapped a couple as we rolled by, and laughed almost the entire way back. What Dustin and the rest of our team cooked up in retaliation is best told by them. hee hee hee

Now, back to the reason we ride… and why you still get out of bed…. as we rolled along mid-ride, we began a very nice and touching thing. We rode two-by-two tonight, and each time we changed who were up front, we spoke aloud the name of someone who we knew who is or was touched by cancer. My choices were my friend John McDermott (mile 51), my late friend Carmon James Powell (mile 54), and the late father of one of the ophthalmic technicians who works in my office, Amos Gillum (mile 56). We each spoke aloud the name of the person mentioned. Makes the ride come home to your heart.

So, maybe we shoulda stayed in bed. But look what we would have missed (although I could have given up the crash.. sigh). Remember that all the discomforts we suffer. The pain of the difficulty of the ride. And it is STILL SO MUCH EASIER than dealing with cancer. So, there it is. I am tired and sore. But cancer free. And I thank God for that. Good night, friends.

PS: A shout out of, “HELLO! and thanks for keeping up with us!” to the patients of the GHS Cancer Center. You folks keep the faith, and keep fighting. We are out here getting our <derriers> beat up for you!!!!

I wish I had the writing skills of my friends, like Kelly and Jeni… but I don’t. But these are the words of a rambling man, even after a good night’s sleep, and being awake and refreshed.

Now… WHERE IS BREAKFAST ??????????????

Now, on the lighter side…. half the ability to blog is to pour your heart and feelings out, but half is the crazy things that happen during the journey. So, let’s see. Hmmmmmm. Toyota Sienna minivan. Team Managers in the spacious front seats… driver, navigator. Check. Dustin (6’7″ 270 lbs), me (6’6″ 235 lbs), Jimmy Brehm (5’11″ 185 lbs)… all sharing the second row of seats (seats spoken sarcastically!), Beth, Heather, and Renee stuffed in the 3rd row of seats (even smaller). 2 bags for each of us. bike stuff. bike helmets. computers, Kindles, ipads, helmets with horns (see photos on Facebook.. a whole different story!!!).. and you can envision just what adventures we live in transition!! Last night we laughed until we cried discussing definitions from the ‘Urban Dictionary.’ Now, I have been alive almost 54 years, but I NEVER heard of some of the stuff in THAT website…. I’ll need a month to recover from it…. LOL!

I also want to thank Karen Goodman, a great friend and sister to Carla McDermott. She offered her home to us tonight.. which was unbelieveable since she had no idea who is on this team!!! LOL.. BUt with the change in plans, we cannot stay in Nashville tonight, we are pushing on to somewhere south of Memphis, which saves us 7 hours in this spacious van (thanks Ron!!! LOL) tomorrow… Karen, I will take a rain check on visiting you.. I sure miss you and your infections laugh…..

Ok, we are nearing our transition. gotta begin to get mentally prepped and physically stretched.

THank for following our blog! Team Agave loves each of you….

So, when I first rode to Austin, it was probably for the wrong reason. For me.  Some difficult personal problems made the trip seem perfect as a way to heal. Boy, was I wrong!  Healing is not the word, but not how I expected it…  I matured so much as a person, and the trip actually made me a better doctor in terms of how I deal with cancer patients! 

That first trip has an entire story to itself, but this year will be a new chapter.  My team is new.  I am much more fit, and the reason is still strong..  made especially urgent because of  my best friend from high school (Brian Powell) losing his wife, Carmon, to lung cancer just three weeks ago.  I hope you follow along  with us.  You will hear stories that will make you cry.  Make you laugh hysterically, and will hopefully get you involved in the fight.  Come with me, and come with all of us as we trek along another epic adventure from South Carolina to Texas.   WOOO HOOOOO!

I was enjoying my ride and my legs were feeling pretty good on the descents and level roads, and I was averaging just over 17 mph, good for a guy my size!  I hear a siren, and knew that there were a couple of crashes.  So I thought they were ambulances.  NOT !!!  A couple of motorcycle cops cruised by me on a straight, slightly descending road, and I suddenly realized….. YES  YES   YES  !!!!!   LANCE !!!  Lance and Taylor Phinney pulled up to my left, and Lance actually glanced at me…  I was suprised and said ‘Hey, Lance !!!”  He nodded !!!!  and of course then dropped the hammer, and he and Taylor rode off like a locomotive.  No wonder they called Lance and US Postal, ‘Le Train Bleu’  !!!!  I was happy to get my Lance glance.  I also figured out that since they caught me at mile 55 of my ride, they must have already finished his 45 mile loop and was on their second loop!  What fantastic athletes.  Well, I finished my ride in under 4 hours, which was my goal, and I was very happy.  A great ride for me, and teh 65 miles made my total for the week at 395 miles.  I shoulda rode an additional 5 miles….!!!!!

Later I was fortunate to go to the stage where Lance was speaking, and afterwards I was even more fortunate to meet him and get his autograph!!!  A coupe for me….  and I told him of our team and our efforts, and he said he knew of us.  I was proud to be part of this……

And as a great finale, we all had an impromptu dinner in the atrium here at the Embassy Suites, then we walked to Lance’s bar, Six, and had a nice time.  Then home and to the airport bright and early.

What a trip.  Memories for a lifetime.  Thanks P3.

John S 

I could not have found a better team to be a part of than Team 4.  How in the world can 5 people who barely know each other, let alone have ever ridden together, put together such a fantastic team?  We all bonded so well, each of us offering our personalities and strengths to the Team.   We rode well together, almost from the start finding our place within the peloton, and using that to cover many miles and many hours.  We shared limited space (all of us in the van, including Lisa and Mike), without nary an incident… unless you count the many hilarious events we shared.  Our inside jokes will forever be burned in my mind ( ‘ANIMAL!”…..  “SH_T-G__D__N!”…  “Hampster… PULL, CHASSE !”…… “WHERE THE HECK IS THE ROUTE?”…. you name it, we laughed. Laughed. And laughed some more. 

Austin has been a place of fun, too.  Since arrival, we have eaten a celebration dinner together and some enjoyed the .. ummmmm.. evening ‘festivities’ of 6th Street in Austin, arriving back at the hotel shall I say, at one-ish. 

This morning was the first LiveStrong event, the Run for the Roses 5 K.  More than 3000 people ran, walked, rolled, and even uni-cycled the course.  Yellow was everywhere.  People cheering. People screaming.  Giant smiles on lots of faces.  Grimaces of those who crushed the run for personal bests, or for just finding the ability to finish.   THe walkers, dogs, kids, babies, and the bike-taxis with kids from the local Children’s Hospital.  My gosh, what an event.  How it takes your breath away.

Then, back to reality.  Back to the hotel for laundry.  Yep.  I figured that it was time to stop smelling like I have been on a bike for a week.  OH!  I WAS on the bike for a week.  No WONDER I smelled.  Well, Lisa, Ray and I tossed our smelly stuff into the washer and dryer, and it is so nice to pull on a shirt that smells nice!  Then we all had a nice afternoon of whatever the person wanted.  Joe, Ray, and myself did an impromptu bike tour of Austin, shaking off our legs to be ready for tomorrow.  We saw a HUGE bike shop ( I found a great light bike jacket. And it FIT !!!  YES !!!  AND.. Ray talked the bike shop into an additional 10% more off the 30% already off the jacket.  Now, if you haven’t figured it out already from following the blogs, I am sort of a big guy. BIG.  And if I find clothing that fits, I usually have to buy it.  So to find a bike jacket I like, and that fits, and looks good…. I buy it.   YAY !!!    We went by the convention center where LiveStrong was set up, and I was able to snag a photo and an autograph with Chris Carmichael..  the guys and I then rode up to U.T.’s campus, and realized that Texas is playing Oklahoma State this afternoon….   WAY TOO MUCH traffic to deal with, so we turned around and headed back to the hotel to rest up for a nice dinner tonight and rest for the Ride for the Roses.  Hopefully, we will have the ability for our group to be recognized by Lance.. ya’ll keep your fingers crossed.  We all put in a lot of heart for the cause. 

Well, off to my bed to put my feet up and watch football, or perhaps to channel surf!!!  Ha… old habits die hard !!!  Talk to you tomorrow !!!

Thanks again for tuning in and following us… 

Big John

THe day started of windy, cold, and moist.  I think we each approached the day with a different attitude.  We were tired. Dog tired.  Tired of biking.  Tired of being nice.  Tired of riding all cramped up in a minivan.  But as usual, you tend to mire yourself in your personal problems and forget why we ride this ride.  Cancer survivors that ride, like Chasse, don’t forget.  They have done much harder things. So you shut your mouth, get on the bike, and ride!  Ride to honor. Ride to remember.  Ride.

We awoke to cold winds at 4 am.  We had a hearty (hearty?) breakfast of egg sandwiches and egg bagels, constructed by Chef Mike and Chef Kevin, with the help of a microwave and a bowl and fork.  I, of course, added my usual cherry Pop-Tarts as a supplement. Yum. Now we piled (again) in the van and headed towards the Transition with Team 3.

Once we met up with Team 3, the ride started out in fairly good fashion… but where do we go???!!!!  We again started unsure of our route, but soon rememdied that, and took off.  Renee and Ron from Team 3 apparently had not had enough, and rode with us.  Ron eventually took to the van, and later on in the morning got back on his bike and finished with us, but Renee….  Renee…..  Renee eventually rode 12 hours today, 6 with her team and 6 with us. She probably ended up riding 150 + miles on the bike today.  Not bad for a cancer survivor.  Go get ‘em Renee. 

As we rode, I began to see what a toll the ride took on me.  I had very little ability to focus, think, and concentrate.  I was not sure why, and several times wanted to get in the bus.  But I endeavored to perservere.  So I rode on. Team 4 +2 rode on.  We then noticed something unusual.  It brought new life to us, and I believe helped us go on.  SUNLIGHT! ! !  By gosh, real live, honest sunlight.  Now, there were clouds all around, and it was cool, but sunlight!  You must remember that for the 15 hours of riding we did before today, only around 1 hour was in the light… sunset in Florida / Alabama!!!  And now, we get our chance to ride in the light!  WOW !  I believe it helped each of us to go on.

The weather stayed cool until we rolled into Austin.  The wind stayed active all day, mostly side winds, a bit of headwinds and tailwinds.  The terrain was mostly flat, but begain to show long, rolling hills as we continued towards Austin.  The traffic also became very heavy.  But with the protection of the van and bus, we moved steadily towards out goal.

As the hours passed, we stopped a few times to take on food, fluids, and we steadily made progress.  Suddenly we noticed that the amount of businesses on either side of the road, and we rode into Austin.  The city of Austin had not ONE ‘Welcome to Austin’ sign on our route in, so we didn’t stop for a photo op, and rode steadily on, looking for our hotel.  Finally, we found our street, and turned.  We rode past a cheering Joe Julian shooting photos of us, and then saw a big crowd of P3 riders and personell awaiting us with cheers and bells.  As I mentioned earlier… there were lots of hand shakes, hugs, smiles, tears, and relief.  All five teams arrived in Austin with no injuries, no real problems, and success with the ride.

I was not part of the dream of this ride, but know of its origin.  I was one of the first to commit to the ride, and am proud of that.  But thanks need to go to the following people:

Kevin Dunn
Lisa Barwick
Ron and Jen Jerina

The cyclists who committed to the ride: Forming Teams 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.

The drivers, mechanics, medics, and support personell who went along.

The companies, businesses, and people along the way who donated goods, money, and time.

More that I probably do not know about, and I may forget about.

The Greenville Hospital System Oncology Research Institute and Lance Armstrong’s LiveStrong Foundation.

And NONE of this would have ever come to pass without the real reason for the ride in the first place:

Those people who fought cancer, beat cancer, succumbed to cancer, and the families and people involved in cancer care.  You are the reason we ride.

Thanks for allowing me the honor of riding for you, each and every one.  I will be back.

Now, however, I will finish my Mountain Dew, savor my full tummy, and am already thinking about the activities for the next couple of days…… As soon as I can figure out the way to do it, I will be putting some photos on the website and link to Flickr.

Take care….. thanks for listening !

John Siddens
Greenville, South Carolina 

I planned a nice long blog, but my stomach calls.  After we arrived and many hugs, high fives, smiles, and cheers were exchanged, Team 4 checked in and now plan a nice BIG lunch…  REAL food.. mmmmmmmmmm.

Back to you later.

John S

Now, let me lead you up to our departure.  I noticed where another blogger mentioned Nowhere, Louisiana.  Boy was this right.  We travelled from our nice hotel Lisa mentioned in her blog to the netherworlds of mid-southern Louisiana.  Flat.  Did I mention flat? Flat as in pancake?  As in griddle?  As in FLAT? I forgot there are places where the sky keeps going on forever.  What a difference from the mountains and rolling hills of the Upstate.  We seemed to roll on forever past farming towns and areas seemingly recovering from the hurricanes.  We pushed on to reach Morganza, Louisiana, a thriving village of 859 people (as of the 2000 census).  One gas station and a cafe (Not Your Mama’s Cafe) in one building, the only thing open as of 830 pm.  We stopped with trepidation, assuming we would be fed to the nearest Cajun’s alligator.  However, we were stupidly and laughingly wrong.  We ate FABULOUS food at the Cafe, met great locals, who donated some helpful information (can you say “The ferries are closed after 9 pm! You can’t go that way tonight!”, some stories of cancer in their familys (thanks Chuck and Lisa), and allowed us free reign of their gas station (lucky Chasse won 5 whole dollars on one lottery ticket.. me.. as usual I donated $3 to the Lottery).  We contacted Team 3 and found that we needed to move on to find them, so we packed up and moved on.

We chased Team 3 down somewhere down the long, lonely stretch of Louisiana 190, transitioned with them and took off.  Less than one mile later, Kevin, who was leading, yelled, “ANIMAL!” and swerved to his left.  Now who the heck yells ‘ANIMAL’ while on a bike?  Who the heck knows what to do if someone DOES yell ‘ANIMAL???!!!’  Well, obviously not me and not Chasse.  A split second after Kevin yelled it out, I ran SMACK DAB over what was probably an armidillo…  and of course Chasse, tucked in right behind me, hit it, too.  Well, I am not sure what happened to that animal, whatever it was, because we were so shocked and amused at the same time, we began laughing uncontrollably.  Now, not to slight the poor injured or killed animal, we felt sorry for it, but imagine someone not saying, “Gravel!” or “Rock!” or “Bump!” but “ANIMAL!!!”  My gosh we giggled for what seemed like an hour.

So, then the ride settled down to a rhythmic humdrum of each of us pedalling in unison, taking in the night, its sounds, its smells, and its darkness.  We travelled some pretty harsh roads, actually veering off the course because of the gravel road it turned into.  But despite the occasional grumble about Louisiana needing some of the P3C3 funds, and the crappy roads, we pedalled on.  We actually stopped because of some small bladders (hear that Ray !!! LOL ), some udating of Chamoix Butt’r, battery changing, etc but made pretty good time.  We did a time trial for a while, ripping up the road at a blazing 21 mph (sorry Chasse!) but that was one time.  The morning approached and the miles seemed to become longer and longer, especially as the Transistion approached.  But we finally saw some blinking yellow lights in the distance, and came upon some fabulous ladies representing Team 5 chomping at the bit to get going.  GO TEAM 5!!!!!

Once gone, we packed up, headed to the nearest filling station – yes filling station – for massages from Renee…  now THAT must have been a sight to behold by the locals !  I’m suprised the local constable didnt come by and cuff us all !!!!  We then hit the local Waffle Shop for  some tasty and filling waffles, eggs etc.  We again found that the cook and waitress both had family members affected by cancer, and they gave us $20 of their hard-earned money and filled out two magnets..  It is amazing how many people along the way have stopped to look at us, and once they get past the disbelief and shock of what we are doing, share their stories, and often give money to us….

Now we have arrived in a town north of Houston, Texas…. Brenham or somethning… you kinda loose the towns after a few days of riding, no sleeping, and long drives in the van.  Anyway, the hot tub awaits us… then a brief rest or sleep in the Best Western, a nice Mountain Dew (nectar of the Gods !!!!), and our 6 am shift awaits!

Thanks to each of you who follow us in this effort, and we hope you are inspired to do something within your own skills and means to fight cancer and it’s terrible effects.

Soo, once again I bid you farewell, and until I have energy again to blog ….

John S

One interesting thing to me is that we have had a (nice!) lack of dogs chasing us… but of course I guess dogs sleep at night!  LOL !  BUT, while rolling throught a small town approaching Daphne, Alabama, a dog suddenly awoke, saw us and began a sudden, viscious barking and growling.  The owner must have been sleeping, too, because he suddenly screamed: ” Sh__! G___mn! What’s going on!? Who is out there?!!”  We all began to laugh hysterically… knowing that one man’s dog may be TOO GOOD of a watch dog..  LOL.. still makes me laugh to hear the guy cuss and scream out all in one sudden breath…

We had ANOTHER ‘unofficial’ police escort last night.  Do we look like we need police???  But we like it!  While pedalling through Daphne, Alabama… there were a series of stop lights about half mile apart.  We noticed a sheriff sitting at a left turn lane at a stop light.  I figured he was watching for speeders.  But he suddenly sped up, and raced ahead of us to the next light where he did the same thing.  We realized that he was watching the intersections for us, and actually blocked one intersection for us as we rolled through.  Mike thought that he may have had a crush on Lisa !!! Cause he kept near her van, which was leading us!!!!  LOL…  Anyway, he eventually turned around, and sped of with blue lights blazing to confront some law-breaking citizen.

We then rolled on into Fairhope, Alabama, and realized we were passing our hotel!  We caught up the 30 miles we were behind when we started!  So we rolled on, and about an hour later, rolled through the industrial port area of Mobile, Alabama.  A last climb over a BIG suspension bridge (GO, CHASSE !!!) brought us in to the Transition area, where Team 5 was ready and roaring to go.  We drove BACK 20 miles to our hotel, and fell into bed, tired, happy, and awaiting the dreaded midnight to 6 am shif tomorrow.

LIVESTRONG  !!!

John

PS:  Laurens.. we did NOT get lost… we simply wanted to tour Barnesville, Georgia thoroughly!!!  We got a might, ummm, confused for a half hour, but simply found our way back to our proper course !!!!!!!!

GO Team 5   make us proud.

Good night…  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz

John

1) my dad died as a result of colon cancer     2) my mom nearly died from vaginal cancer     3) I have had 2 different types of skin cancers myself     4) I have been blessed by the stories from several donors who entrusted me with their money to honor or memorialize a loved one who was touched by cancer     5) one way I can attempt to regain my self respect after making some terrible decisions that cost me my marriage to a wonderful woman who was my best friend, wife, confidant, and outstanding mother to my 3 beautiful daughters.

These are actually only 5 of many reasons, but seem to be the most dominant for my ride.  I hope to use the many miles on the bike to constantly think of the reasons I ride, and when I am fatigued beyond belief, to buckle up my helmet, think of more than myself, and keep going.

At 6′ 6″ and 245 lbs, I am probably too big to ride bicycles, but I love cycling so much that I cannot fathom not being out on the bike feeling the breeze in my face and enjoying scenery.  The P3C3 ride will give me strength to begin my life anew and help me face a new and uncertain future.  I dedicate the ride to each person touched by cancer, and to each person touched by my recent decline…  I promise to find ‘Happy John’………………………