Warning: this may be my longest blog post Ever…

[THURSDAY]
To complete my blogging notes, I’ve stolen a pen from the Comfort Inn in Alexandria, Louisiana. I figure it’s the least this place owes me after stealing what will amount to about 19 hours and 4 transitions from our mission.

During this time we may have watched a bit of the overacting on Miami CSI. Cue the redheaded crew leader, who tilts his head, puts his index finger to his lips, pauses dramatically, and the—lingering over his syllables and over spitting his consonants—says, “What Causes This?”

Long story short: Lisa, the Medics Swangham and I hole up in Alexandria (a city big enough to be embarrassed about the state of its cell service) from about 8/9pm Wednesday until about 2:30 pm Thursday. It is KILLING us all to be away from the teams, to feel disconnected from the story, to be far enough away to not matter in the event of an emergency, to be unable to beam our love and support to each and every one of them.

We wait on the transmission guy to come fix the bus. Or even call us back. Which does not happen for a long time. [Lisa and I look at each other, put our index fingers to our respective lips, and ask, “What Causes This?”]

We plan to get a U-Haul to drive to Austin, and then drive home with all the bikes inside. We are told there are no available U-Hauls in a 150-mile radius. [What Causes This?] Apparently during the last storm, everyone rented a U-Haul and got the heck out of Dodge…then no one returned them. Thanks, everyone.

We gut the Bus, a happy/sad moment for me. We find super old packs of Gatorade powder mix under the bench seat [Ew!, and What Causes This?] We carry out boxes of bottled water, pack up LiveStrong magnets, pull letters from cancer patients off of the bus walls, and unscrew bike racks and tire hooks from the panels. I find an old bottle of lavender lotion labeled “KVL” from my first tour with the Challenge to Conquer Cancer in 2010.

[I remember spending the last 4 hours of that first trip in a face plant on the bus bench, as the bus was sick and we had climbed aboard as it limped through the final miles into Austin. Upon waking, I gave Kevin Dunn a piece of my mind, telling him what was great about the trip and what could be tweaked and how important the darn thing was in general. All I remember him saying in return is that up until that moment they all had thought I was shy. Yeah…not shy.]

Eventually we rent a Suburban, drop the Medics Swangham at the rental company, and refuel. Gas, check. Veggie-apple-cheese platter with edamame hummus, check. Starbucks, check. Now, go!

We make a beeline for Texas—Crockett, then Centerville, then Kosse—as we get location updates from Anne, via text. We are trying to sneak up and surprise the Handlebar Heroes with loud music and cowbells. Instead, we miss transition by a hair, due to the longest train crossing ever. [What Causes This? & Everything’s bigger in Texas!] We catch and pass the Crusaders on the road, cheer like crazy people, then head straight to Austin.

Almost there, and we can’t get the Garmin to recognize our destination address for the Fairfield Inn about 18 miles outside downtown proper. We vaguely remember this problem from last year. We call, a human being finally answers the phone, and are told it’s Mo-pac, not Mopac. [I’m writing this down so I remember next year.] At this point it seems like one final mental test. We pass. Finally, we get there.

Lisa and I HUG, like people who thought they might not make it.

It’s about 9 pm. We have the Crusaders coming off the midnight transition left to massage, then FinishStrong coming in from the cold on an extra 3-hour shift, plus anyone already at the hotel that wants a make-up massage from the day’s missed transitions.

Still in business mode, we dutifully trudge to the reception area and determine to eat some cold Hawaiian pizza so as to be ready quickly for the barrage of massage requests. After 5 shifts, everyone is breaking. But we can’t do it. It’s too gross. And the lemonade I swigged turns out to not be lemonade. Ouch. Defiantly, we stand up, dunk the pizza in the trash and set out to catch OCC at dinner at the Iron Cactus. The moment we re-enter the car, we realize the error of our ways and the road trip crazy descends again.

Short story here, because a better one is coming up…we find ourselves at the Iron Cactus downtown, a full 25 minutes away, instead of the one OCC went to 2 minutes away. You’d think we could find a team better after 5 days of practice. But we were never given directions, and I took the first address Google gave me. We come back empty handed, except for a bottle of gas station Malbec that I buy Lisa as a wedding present (shouldn’t we be common law married after the amount of time we just spent together?) that I made 2 U-turns to get, and we return to our previous sad little seats in the reception area.

Everything seems pitiful and hopeless at this point in the trip, when all you want is a shower, but you can’t move because you’re too hungry. The Heroes save the day with leftover BBQ, because our Teams truly do love us. There are new signs of hope in our eyes (but no one ask Lisa again if she looks tired!).

And the better story…Team FinishStrong finally brings it home around 3 am, signaling the collective end of our journey. Ron’s left calf decided to quit about 20 miles from the hotel; however, and he limps straight to the couch, where my thumbs are waiting. I am sitting on the floor massaging him, when a random, wasted young man ambles in—phone cradled to his ear, talking loudly—and promptly sits down on the floor next to me, puts Ron’s other foot in his lap and begins to stroke Ron’s right calf. Nothing about what he was doing could be called Massage.

Ron sits there, paralyzed. He finally asks if the stranger is a massage therapist. The stranger finally hangs up the phone and speaks to us. No, he is not, but his uncle massages horses.

Well, ok.

[FRIDAY-SUNDAY]
There are too many little stories and observations to include from the next few days, from when we rode in as a group to downtown Austin Friday morning, then rode in the LiveStrong Challenge on Sunday, to finally sitting in the food court in the Chicago Midway airport with the reassuring sounds of Ron sipping a milkshake.

Soon, we will disband and go back to our normal routines, ambling about like zombies due to an acute onset of Family Withdrawal. [I will miss you all, but please no one call me at 2 am for a massage.]

One moment in particular I will carry with me is the Celebration Dinner with our warriors on Saturday night, where I spent the majority of my energy keeping my peep-toed flats out from under everyone’s new cowgirl boots. (Our group probably made Allen’s Shoes’ quota for the week.) I didn’t speak. I never have at these dinners the past 3 years. I am far more confortable writing, but even then I tend to hide behind humor and other people’s stories.

But each year, I want to say this: I find it rare anymore to meet someone who’s life has not been affected by Cancer or someone who doesn’t know someone else—even remotely—who has it. When you Love someone with this condition, you cannot feel everything they can. You cannot feel their physical pain, their side effects, their digestive discomfort, their nausea, their insecurities about their bodies changing or losing their hair or losing weight or gaining weight. You cannot feel their fear, their anger, their depression, their sense of being overwhelmed, their hope fading, their fighting spirit under attack, the burden of worry they carry for the ones they love, their sense of aloneness—as they look around even at their loved ones and feel misunderstood, or wonder if they are a source of more harm and sadness to their family than good. And most of all, you cannot feel their specific, acute sense of detachment from Life and Hope, that cloud that takes away the assumption that they will be here in the next 30 years, or 10 years, or even tomorrow, and what that does to their dreams and plans and relationships.

You cannot feel all that as they do. Part of your burden is not being able to know their experience, and feeling outside it. But I swear, you—I—can feel a Pain and Love for them, all its own and so intense that some days it seems it’s all you are. To love someone deeply and feel like you cannot help them is a Hell all its own. We would change places and bodies with them if we could, without a second thought.

This Hell has taught me unconditional love. It’s taught me selflessness.

It’s also taught me that we can help—usually more than we think we can. Maybe we’re not directly helping the person we wish we could. Maybe we’re donating $20 to a crazy Ride we just heard about that benefits the Cancer Center where we don’t personally know any patients. Maybe we’re massaging crazy cyclists on a Tennessee roadway. Maybe we’re making PB&J sandwiches in a breaking-down bus. Maybe we’re sending an encouraging message to a friend when they cross our minds. Maybe we’re saying hello to a stranger.

Maybe we’re simply out there, wherever we are, beaming our love to the world and keeping people sane.

You never know what someone may be going through. And it all helps.
–kelly

***

p.s I am missing the pillow I brought with me to sleep in the car. I lose a pillow each year to this ride, so I am not surprised, and it’s a small price to pay for such an adventure. On the bright side, my team managed to avoid McDonalds completely this trip.

p.p.s. After some study of our group behavioral patterns in Austin, I have determined that once our party exceeds the number 8, a collective ADD sets in. Decision making powers and all forward momentum cease. Hywel likened it to herding cats, which I think would be much easier. The lure of food does nothing to get the group’s attention…clearly I like to eat more than they do.

p.p.p.s. Vince has threatened to strap an ankle bracelet to me that will alert the group if I try to permanently leave the state. Which seems sweet, in a way. Until he informs me that it will blow off my left leg if activated. Can you feel the love?

p.p.p.p.s. Once again, this Ride can count on me for as long as they want. I will continue magically appearing in the dark and the rain and the mountains and random Shoney’s parking lots to soothe their knots and idiosyncrasies. It seems next year our journey will take us to the Dempsey Challenge, somewhere close to Portland, Maine. Stay tuned…

At 0 dark thirty, we rolled back out of beds that we had barely had time to warm up, and loaded everything back into and onto the car, heading for Austin, unofficially. It seemed wrong to arrive and then leave again so that we could arrive again, but that is just what we did. We stopped for photographs and a snack at the Texas state line. They had a little gift shop with mustache rings, which we had to have for the Handlebar Heros team. Then, we pressed on to the hotel, where we refueled our engines and rested a bit for the ride to come. We were determined to make this transition on time! We found that the fortitude of the Cancer Crusaders had made up some of the lost time, leaving us with only about fifty miles for our bonus ride. The night was a bit chilly by the time we set out at midnight. The Texas highway department needs to know a few things about paving roads:
1 Pebbledash is not a fit surface for a finished road. I’m not sure if everybody is familiar with pebbledash. I first saw it used as a sort of cheap stucco siding for lower income housing in England. It describes coarse gravel embedded in mortar, or in this case, in tar. It requires at least twice the energy to propel the bike, and it makes your hands, feet and …other points of contact quite numb. This is generally a surface that is ready to be paved with smooth tar, not an endpoint in the paving process.
2 It is customary to scrape away the cow pies prior to paving with a thin layer of tar and no underlay. I think the underlay was all used in the previous paragraph, and the finishing layer was saved to be used as a stand-alone in the paving process. Somebody needs to have a talk with those Texans!
3 It is also generally preferred to remove the larger dead livestock from the area that you are fixin’ to pave. I’m convinced that they just tarred right over quite a few dead cows to judge from the large lumps in the road.
4 It is advisable to fill the gullies and washes prior to paving. They seemed again to have just paved a thin layer of tar right over the dry streambeds without filling in the drop off areas. This made for a road with many challenging obstacles in the dark. It could have been quite a lot of fun in the daylight with no traffic about, but such was not the case for our ride in the dead of night.
Thankfully, we negotiated the terrain without mishap. But Ron had developed a severe pain in his calf, and he could barely pedal if we hit a hill. We had all dropped back in order that he would be the one to lead home the ride he had begun five years before. Vince moved up to help physically push him up the hills. I thought about helping, but I was quite certain I would only push him right over with my poor bike handling skills coupled with my typical excess of enthusiasm, so I decided to just stay out of the way. I am sure he will appreciate this if he thinks about it. Just when we thought we were almost there, we saw a barrier. Vince and I rode up the road a bit to see if we could get past it on our bikes, but there were small trees growing beyond the further end of the barrier that made it quite impassable. We turned back and the GPS “recalculated” our route. At long last, we approached our destination. Ron, ever the quintessential team player, tried to fall back and let us all go ahead of him until we made it clear that we were prepared to sit there in the hotel drive way all night, waiting for our leader to lead us in. He began the ride, and he should be the one to finish it. He did, to much applause and Silly String. Finish Strong!

We had a good rest at a really nice hotel that actually could accommodate five people to a room in reasonable comfort. We have our dear friend, Jamie and his wife’s frequent flyer miles to thank for two nights’ comfortable quarters. We also had the opportunity to do laundry for the second day in a row. The bus was not doing well, and the medics and drivers surely must have been getting tired. I think the plan was to send them on ahead again.
We planned to be at our transition site far in advance, but we went straight, and the road turned left. There were very few options for food, and Hywel finally made an executive decision and pulled into a little country pizza and sandwich shop. I think he did this because I have told him on many occasions that pizza seems to work wonderfully well for my distance rides. Something about the large quantity of salt and carbohydrate suit my metabolism perfectly for endurance on the bike. I only hope it works as well for all of the others and that this is not just another of my peculiarities. After leaving the restaurant and taking pictures, we discovered the error that placed us far, far behind the team that was finishing their shift at 6pm, and we scrambled to catch up. I was happy to have changed in the restaurant while waiting for the pizza since I am particularly unskilled at changing quickly on the side of the road…in the wind. Need I say more? We caught up at just about 6pm, and ran a little bit late because you just DON’T skip the hugs. I mean, some things are important after all. Okay, Ron had also won them some prizes from “the claw” machine in the little eatery. I think I pulled out first, just past Jonesville LA. I remember noticing as I dropped to the back of the pace line that I got absolutely no draft off the bike in front of me. The wind was coming diagonally from the left for the most part, and there was no way to escape it without stringing ourselves all across the road. When Ron dropped back, he tucked in just a bit to the right of my wheel, so I did the same later on when I wanted a break for a little bit. The shoulder was littered with debris, but it was as wide as a full lane in some places. Then, Ron got a call that the bus was suffering badly. We had only just had a break, but this was unavoidable. He was required to discuss the problem at some length before we could get underway again.
As the sun set, the wind died down, the calm before the storm. We settled into our pace and fairly flew along the flat deserted road when we suddenly saw our bus pulled off into the gravel on the left with a state trooper just beside it. Again, we stopped. We all loaded up on peanut butter and jelly, courtesy of Kim, who seemed to have felt that she had somehow let us down. I would have thought that the sheer force of her determination would have kept the bus going. It sure kept us going! How could we even THINK of stopping with that kind of enthusiasm behind us?! Kim and Keith already had the situation well in hand, and Scott was discussing plans with the trooper, who was extremely helpful to us in our predicament. It took quite a while for us to decide that nothing more could be done after all, and we moved along our route, hoping to make it to the planned transition at the appointed time.
We happened upon a lovely little country store in Joyce, LA. Although it was closed, the parking lot looked like a good place to pull in. The owners were still there, working hard to prepare the food that they planned to have ready for their customers on the following day. They instantly came out to see if we needed to use their rest rooms. We had plenty of PBJ, so rest rooms were exactly what we needed most. They warned us of the logging trucks along the road ahead of us in the Kisatche National Forest. The trucks were used to having the road to themselves at night, and they would not have thought to be cautious of unexpected cyclists. Little did we know that Jerry Page had already spoken with the local police, who had patrols out in force just for us. We rode along the dark deserted highway with the sky threatening to open. Gusts of wind splattered us with drops of rain, and we could see flashes of lightening in the distance. We picked up our pace a bit. Then we saw the sign for the state penitentiary, and a little further along, a sign that warned us not to pick up hitchhikers. Good thing they warned us! I was in front and calling “bump” and “hole” at every shadow I saw. Then, I saw a big stick in the road, probably storm debris or something off a logging truck or “SNAKE!” It was a big, fat ol’ rattler. I’m glad I didn’t roll over it. Just a bit further on, after I had pulled to the back of the line, I heard a clatter ahead, and I thought that somebody had gone down. Thankfully, Donna was able to correct and pull out of a severe fishtail after hitting some road debris. I bet she was even riding with only one hand at the time. All of those years of barreling down switchback descents have honed her skills quite well, I think. We pushed on as the wind whipped up, and we crossed the raised road over the boggy land heading straight into a wind that spat rain into our faces with a spectacular display of lightening illuminating our way. At midnight, just as we reached our transition with the OCC team in Clarence LA, the storm broke, driving rain sideways at us under the awning of the deserted fuel station. We were wondering how the OCC team would fare in this weather, when another police officer pulled up. His mother had suffered from breast cancer, and he led the team in an inspired prayer and insisted on providing police escort with a flashing blue beacon to guide their way in the waning storm. This would not be our last shift. The earlier delays caused by weather and mechanical difficulties with the bus ensured us a few more hours on our beloved bicycles. We finally decided to get a couple of rooms at a fairly cheap hotel nearby and sneak a few hours of sleep before moving on to Austin, which was at least six hours’ further driving. It seems a shame to pay for a room and then only use it for 3 or 4 hours, but we had to have some sleep!

Well, everyone is safely home now, thank God. After the excitement, intense focus and close community of the last week, it’s time to get back into daily routines and regular life. I couldn’t help smiling as I made Timmy’s lunch sandwiches in the kitchen, using a cutting board and a knife, with a sink nearby, as I remembered making PBJs in the van using a couple of pieces of kitchen towel to catch crumbs and a finger for scooping and spreading. Ah, civilisation!

What are the memories that will stay with me? Every time I close my eyes, I see hardtop with yellow lines to the left and white ones to the right. I see Donna riding one-handed as she nursed her hurting left arm for the whole week. I see the rest of the team forming up around Beth on the Natchez Trace to shield her from the wind and encourage her, with Ron singing to the whole team for two hours. I see Vince riding up and down the line to feed those who were running low on energy and then, as we approached Austin in the early hours of Friday, I see Ron determined to finish the ride even though one leg was useless and the other was exhausted, with Vince literally pushing Ron up the final hills, then the rest of the team dropping back and insisting that Ron be first across “the line”.

Perhaps best of all were the scenes at the celebration dinner on Saturday. One after another the warriors told their stories and, immediately, another of the warriors or riders was able to stand up and recount their near identical story complete with the hope and encouragement that comes from having already been in the dark valley and having come through.

To paraphrase Melissa Etheridge’s song “And remember, one day, if the darkness knocks on your door, we will be riding for you…”

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the people who made this possible – the sponsors who opened their hearts and wallets to donate so generously to our cause.

Wow! What a ride! A statement our good friend Perry Lyles would say after every ride he did. As I am flying home reflecting on our whole journey, that statement keeps coming back into my head. Our journey did not start on October 14 at 3:00 when we left the Cancer Center. It started back in January when registration opened and it wasn’t 15 minutes after I sent out the email that registration was open that Ed had already signed up. Our training rides were always an adventure. Led by Tedd and JD, one never knew what road we would be riding on that day, if it would be paved or not, if the ride was “JD Flat” or when Tedd says the ride was 60ish miles, what did that really mean. They were all fun and it was a great way to get to know the folks we were going to be really close to for a week in October. We had two lake rides this year and they are always one of my favorite training rides we do. We do a challenging ride down to the lake house, have a cookout, play on the boat and in the water, then those who want spend the night and ride back the next day. We have loads of fun on those weekends and I always look forward to them.

Mine and Jennifers big fundraiser the past 3 years has been our BBQ Cook-off. We have wonderful friends who volunteer their time and resources and smoke pounds and pounds of BBQ with their own special sauce and compete to who is the best. The week of the BBQ we received some very sad and shocking news. Our good friend Alan “Big Daddy” Howard was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. Very ironic that Big Daddy was helping me raise money for the ride and defending his title of having the best BBQ the prior 2 years when he was diagnosed. I was very excited when he told me he was going to compete again even though he received the news and was having surgery the following week. Big Daddy won again this year for the third year in a row. His surgery was successful but he is still battling and I know for sure he will beat this disease.

Even though we are working on making sure everything is ready for the ride all year the 2 weeks prior to leaving is always very hectic. Last minute details and worrying “is everything done?what have I forgotten?” keeps me up at night. It is good training for the ride since our sleep habits are all thrown out the window. Once departure day gets here I figure if it is not done now, we will have to figure it out along the way and we do.

Send off day is always bitter sweet to me, more this year than the prior four. It is always hard leaving my boys for nine days but this year Jennifer was not able to go as support and was just meeting us out in Austin on Thursday. It was hard leaving her behind. It is always great to see so many people at the sendoff. GHS and the Cancer Center always do a great job getting everything set up and ready for us. It is a crazy time getting the vans packed, bikes ready, pictures, hugs, kisses and good byes. Mother Sally from St. James Episcopal Church, again this year, did three beautiful prayers remembering those who have passed, honoring those fighting or in remission and for our safety on our ride. After a few more pictures with my family and a tearful goodbye, it was time to start the ride.

At 3:00 sharp all the riders of the 2012 Challenge to Conquer Cancer took off from the front of the Cancer Center to the sounds of cowbells and cheers. I love riding through hundreds of people cheering for us and wishing us luck on this part of our journey. We all rode together for the last time until we reached Austin for fourish miles. At that point all the teams except for team Finish-Strong(my team) pulled over and loaded their bikes on the vans and headed towards their transition area to rest and fuel up for their part of the ride. The first rotation of the ride is a three hour shift then we go to six hours. Our first shift was missing Beth because she had to work at Fall for Greenville. The shift was uneventful and we were happy to hear the cowbells of team OCC who replaced us come from behind us and cheer us on. Not long after that we saw Kelly, Lisa and Ed who stayed close as Lisa took pictures of us. We then had Beth come zooming past us in our van, off from work early. We transitioned with team OCC in a parking lot in Walhalla. We gave hugs and well wishes to team OCC and they were off. Kelly gave us a massage as the locals stared at us wondering what was going on. We then loaded up the van and went to refuel before going to bed for the hardest day we would have riding, or at least I thought. We all stayed upright on the ride but the only accident we had was when we went to get something to eat that night. We had to get something out of the back of the van and when we opened it several pieces of luggage fell out. Instead of being smart and repacking we tried to just throw it back in and shut the door real fast. After a couple failed attempts we thought we had it and I said slam it now so Beth did. Neither one of us saw that Donna’s arm was still in there. Donna was very good at not screaming out bad words but was in a lot of pain and she would have to deal with that pain throughout the week.

I blogged earlier about our Trail of Tears ride so check out my earlier blog. Our next shift after the Trail of Tears was going to be on the northern end of the Natchez Trace, my favorite road to ride on. This part of the Trace is rolling hills and we couldn’t ask for a better day weather wise. The leaves were changing and the scenery was beautiful. We all suffered a little that day and we worked together well as a team to get each other thru the tough parts. We crossed the TN/AL state line and team OCC was there cheering us on and taking pictures with us. We then crossed the AL/MS state line but did not see a sign for a picture so we just kept on pedaling. We all did our share of work at the front of the pace line and I was constantly riding in memory or in honor of the people on my sleeves. There are so many people suffering with this disease and I want them to know that they inspire me to push harder and get thru the pain I am suffering because I know what they are going thru is much worse than what I am experiencing at that moment. We covered a lot of miles that day and I was ready to get some real food in me. Like clockwork, Kelly was there to get us ready for the next day and Lisa was there documenting everything we do. I love transitions. We stayed in Ridgeland, MS with several other teams. Like I said in my other blog, Jamie’s wife Lynne got us hotel rooms using her points at the Hyatt Place. A much nicer hotel than we are accustomed too. Thank you again Lynn and Jamie for providing us the hotel rooms.

The next day we had a little drive to or next transition somewhere in LA. We packed up and headed that direction. Our next shift is 6pm – midnight. I love riding in the dark so I was real excited about this shift. We were all feeling pretty good and ready to tackle the job ahead of us. We transitioned on the side of the road with the Cancer Crusaders and they had an awesome shift. They had to push through very high head and cross winds. We started and we were experiencing the same thing. Luckily it didn’t last too long and we were blessed with good weather conditions. Unfortunately, the road surface was a different story. There were a lot of bumps and holes and it was very tough on Donna’s arm. She had to ride almost the entire shift with one arm. She never complained, just kept on moving forward. We would stop every hour or so to refuel. There were some bus issues that we had to stop and deal with but our team took it in stride (except for me who was a little stressed) and we continued on. Took a rest stop at this cool café that was closed but the guys working invited us in to use the bathroom. Once back on the road, God gave us a really cool light show. There were storms to the north and also the west of us. We had to keep moving toward transition and hope that it held off until we made it there because there was nowhere to stop along the way. We were about 10 minutes from transition and it started raining a little. The lighting was getting worse I was praying we could get to the gas station that Hywel radioed to us that wasn’t too far ahead before the skies opened up. There it was. What we were looking for, our transition point. We made it. We got off our bikes, got hugs from OCC and then it came. The winds picked up, the rain was coming sideways and we were all standing wherever we could to try and stay dry. After about 15 minutes of the washout, it slowed down enough to get changed and everything packed up. It delayed OCC from getting on the road but once it cleared up, they had a police escort to get them thru the little town we were in. We headed to find a place to sleep for a few hours before getting up and heading into Austin.

Typically, we would have been done with our riding at this point except for the short ride into our downtown hotel with everyone together. This year was a little different. Because of a couple of nights of bad weather delaying the teams, we were behind schedule by about 3 hours. Our team would have to get back on the road and finish up the last 50 or so miles of the ride. Team Finish-Strong was ready to finish this ride strong. We found a good transition point for us to transition with the Cancer Crusaders in Bartlett, TX. We were lucky to have extra support with us for the ride. Dawn and Jeni were in the navigation car in front of us because we knew we would have a lot to turns and Hywel, Jennifer, Merideth and Vince’s kids were behind us. We started off really strong and were making good time until my left leg just gave out. I had no power in it what so ever. I was OK on flats and downhill but I could not go up a hill. The last 20 miles I had to ride with just my right leg. My team was awesome. They slowed down for me and kept me motivated and moving. Beth would get if front of me and get me up hills. Donna’s arm was hurting her too. I was so ready to get off the bike but my team kept me going. Again, names would go thru my head of who I was doing this ride for. They pushed me. We made a wrong turn on an unmarked dead end street and had to turn around. I had nothing left but my team went slower and slower for me. The last few miles my right leg was so tired I could get up a hill so Vince would come up behind me and push me up the hill. Finally, the turn for the road the hotel is on. We arrived a little after 3 AM to a crowd of cheering people who waited up for us to finish. It was a great moment. I have never experienced that kind of pain before and have never been to the point where I was ready to quit. If it wasn’t for Beth, Vince, Donna and Jana on the road with me that early morning, I would have quit. If it wasn’t for Hywel, Jennifer, Jeni and Dawn pushing me from the vans, I would have quit. If it wasn’t for those names on my sleeves, I would have quit. I can’t thank you all enough for getting me thru that morning.

Once inside the hotel, Kelly started working on my leg with hopes I could ride in with everyone the final 15 miles of the 2012 Challenge to Conquer Cancer. I was on the couch in the lobby and she was sitting on the floor working on me. A guy comes into the lobby talking on his phone and he plops down on the floor next to Kelly, grabs my other leg and starts massaging my other leg. It’s never safe to assume and I should not have here, but I assumed Kelly knew him until she extends her hand to him and says “Hi, I’m Kelly, who are you?” He hung up the phone, told us his name and kept on rubbing. I was very uncomfortable at this point and Kelly asked if he was a massage therapist. He said “No, but my uncle massages horses so I know what I’m doing”. Wow, that made everything better. He kept going until Kelly told me let’s go finish this upstairs. Thank you Kelly for getting me out of there. He had had a few too many adult beverages and continued to hang around our group downstairs. It was a funny but very uncomfortable moment.

After a few hours of sleep we were going to close the book on the ride. We had 15 miles to go and we have everyone ride those miles together. All our warriors were there and they would ride in the vehicles behind us. Tom Schumacher did one of the nicest things. One of our warriors Scot Todd is a big cyclist but did not bring his bike. Tom and Scot are about the same size so Tom offered his bike, helmet and shoes to Scot so he could ride in with us. That was an awesome thing you did Tom. I was concerned about my leg with just a few hours of rest on it but didn’t want to miss the last part. Kelly worked on it again in the morning and it was feeling really good. I decided to ride but it was a mistake. Enough about that. We were led out of the ride by two guys from the Lance Armstong Foundation. They have led us on this part on the ride all five years. Thank you Justin, Darren and LAF. It was another beautiful day and we all took off together. Winding our way thru neighborhoods, stopped by Lance’s house, then climbed up a hill to get a beautiful view of the lake. We finished up the ride down the Lance Armstrong trail to our hotel. We had Scot, our warrior, and the cancer survivors of our group to lead us into the hotel. It was a great finish to the Challenge to Conquer Cancer 2012. After a small reception at the hotel, we checked in, cleaned up then went to lunch.

Friday night is usually our celebration dinner where our whole group gets together and has a nice dinner and talks about our journey. We moved that to Saturday night because the LAF Gala was moved to Friday night (it is usually on Saturday). The Gala is a dinner we send our warriors to every year where Lance and others speak. This year LAF was celebrating 15 years so it was bigger than usual. Nora Jones performed Robin Williams, Ben Stiller, Matthew McConaughey and other big stars spoke. The warriors all said it was a great night and they all had fun. I was impressed at the amount of money LAF has raised over the 15 years…nearly $500,000,000. That is one impressive number. No matter what you think about Lance Armstrong, you can’t take away how much good he is doing for cancer research and advocacy. You have to respect that.

Saturday we woke up and just did our own thing until our celebration dinner. The dinner is one of my favorite parts of our weekend in Austin. This year we had it at the hotel which was nice and easy. Everyone involved who came out to Austin comes to the dinner. This year we had 48 of us. We had Fajitas and they were really good. My favorite part of the dinner is when whoever wants to, stands up and talks about their journey to Austin. I love hearing these stories especially from the warriors. When they speak, there is not a dry eye in the room. It is amazing hearing their stories. Our worriers as so inspiring and I hope we inspire them.

Sunday morning is the LiveStrong Challenge bike ride. Most of our riders participated in it along with 4000 other riders. It was great to see so many people out there who raised money and rode for those battling cancer or in memory of a loved one. There were people from all over the world. Many of the riders are survivors or still battling cancer. I did not participate because of my leg but went out there to cheer everyone on. It was amazing to watch. After the ride we loaded up the van and trailer and sent Jeff, Milt and Keith on their way back to Greenville with our bikes and bags. Several folks flew home after the ride and the others who stayed to Monday went out to dinner.

A good friend of mine, Kerrie Sijon, told me when I was training for my first marathon that it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. I will never forget that and carry it with me all the time. The journey to Austin this year had many bumps along the way but all the negatives along the way are shadowed by all the great things that happen in this journey. We have raised a lot of money for cancer research and advocacy. We have raised awareness by riding our bikes to Austin. We have made many new friends along the way and have come closer to old ones. But most of all we are making a difference and I want to thank everyone who rode, supported, donated, prayed or cheered throughout this journey. Wow! What a ride… I look forward to next year.

So we completed our 3rd ride Tuesday at 6:00pm (only my second ride because I had to work on Sunday) and it started on the Natchez Trace at noon. We were all so excited to ride the Trace. It’s beautiful, flat, and Ron and I were super excited to see it in the daylight (1st time for both of us to ride it in the daylight in all 5 years). We had a great night’s sleep, like 9 hours when the night before we got less than 3 hours. We were ready to rock it!!! Donna’s wrist that I tried to break in two from an accident with the trunk of our van was still hurting but she was determined to ride the Trace. We started our day silly stringing Team Cancer Crusaders as they came off the bike and before we got on! We know paybacks are tough, we will be ready…
So off on the Trace we go… 1.5 hours into the ride I barked out I need a sandwich, when is lunch?! So we pulled over and ate and all was well. We are on our way again and 2 hours into the ride something was not right with me, we were keeping a 19 mph pace line against a strong head wind. The drama for me began, I kept falling back and had nothing to give, my body was getting stiff and I just wanted to stretch. My team hovered around me protecting me from the wind and it got real quiet, or at least I did and we all knew something was wrong.
Team OCC was waiting for us at the Alabama/Tennessee State line at mile 50 for a photo opp. I rolled in and spotted a Diet Coke in Team OCC’s car…I grabbed and downed it, sorry Jerry! Ate a bunch of food and then we rolled and I was a new woman, I was not going to let my ailing body ruin this day, nooo-way! I have never felt my body bonk like that before and I will never go that long without eating and pushing hard.
We finished out the day with a fabulous 105 miles and we were all hurting and the key was for us to eat every hour and hydrate more than usual. I was really worried I was going to have to come off the bike and that would’ve been a first for me in the 5 years but it happens, it’s all part of the challenge!!
We get in our vans and drive to The Hyatt Place in Ridgeland, Tennessee, we were staying in the Ritz thanks to Jamie and Lynne Cole and their Hyatt points!! You both ROCK!! So…up to our rooms we go and Ron opens up our hotel door and holy TP’d room!!! The room was totally white and they TP’d every inch of that room, it was so awesome!! Job well done Crusaders…and yes we got our pay back!!
Wednesday’s ride started in Jonesville, LA on a busy and very windy stretch. I said a 1,000 Our Father’s and called in all Angels to keep us safe and to cease the wind and it worked about an hour into the ride the wind calmed down and we were flying and feeling good. We stopped every hour to refuel so no bonking would occur and then Ron gets word of the bus not working so we hauled it to the bus where Team Cancer Crusaders were with the bus as well. We were there for a while so our leader could figure out what needed to be done. Everyone rallied and we hit the road again and we all told Ron to not stress and enjoy the ride. Our next rest stop was at a really cool little country café and we refueled there for a bit before finishing out our last 15 miles. The last stretch was windy, hilly and the temp dropped. I started the prayers again and called in the angels as I just wanted us all to push through the pain and get there safely. I gave one of my pulls to Deena and said come on sista take me up this one, show me what you got!! It was awesome and at the top of the hill we descended into the most awesome skyline of a lightning firework show. It was heat lightning everywhere and then there was a storm off to the right fast approaching so we pushed it into high gear one last time for the night. We got to transition and OCC gave us another warm welcome, like they always do but they looked a little afraid of the weather that was moving in on us. We were changing and the storm hit, massive down pour and everyone was dancing in the rain.
We have had some tough challenges this year but every single challenge has made us stronger and has made the journey so much more special to each of us! We knew this year would be different from years past but we were all up for the Challenge. No pain, no gain and if it was an easy journey would you feel complete that you didn’t suffer? Is finding out you have Cancer, dealing with Cancer or getting a chemo treatment ever easy? Life isn’t easy so how would a journey on a bike cross country be easy? Bring on the Challenges, bring on the fight, we are a strong group and we will never stop fighting…we don’t give up…ever!!!

I suppose I left all of my friends and sponsors in suspense the past blur of days and nights. My meager reserve of socialization was exhausted in the first couple of days of riding in the van, and I now feel practically catatonic. I do my best, but unless I can get to a gym to recharge with a wipeout workout, this battery is dead.
Let’s see. Where were we? The third day we set out in the beautiful rolling hills of the Nachez Trace at noon. I say at noon, but Our Fearless Leader discovered a flat just as we were about to roll. He located the offending road debris and swiftly changed the deflated tube. We sent the bus on ahead, hoping the medics could get just a bit of rest while we rode on a relatively hazard free part of the route.The leaves on the trees were changing, and the scenery was lovely. We had a bit of a headwind, so that everybody was feeling the drag by the time we had done about fifty miles. Predictably, the smaller cyclists felt the wind the most as they were buffeted all over the road. After a halftime break of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, everyone seemed to recover remarkably well. We stopped for another lengthy break during which we encountered a heavily laden cyclist heading north on the trail for a destination somewhere on the East Coast. You meet some pretty fascinating people on this journey. I can’t imagine climbing with all of that extra gear on board. Every rolling hill would seem to be an intimidating mountain. We were close to the coveted century mark and flagging a bit when Vince shouted, “It’s time to Finish Strong!” That rekindled the fire under our boilers, and we surged back up to speed with Vince in the lead. Each of us was mentally calculating the speed we would have to maintain for the remaining minutes in order to meet our goal. It was going to be close. Then, just a few miles shy of a full century, we saw the OCC team ready and waiting. They immediately recognized our disappointed goal and cheered wildly, waving us to continue onward. This meant that they had to load up and move on down the road a few miles, which they did with enthusiasm. We actually cycled about 104 miles according to my bicycle computer before pulling off to transition on the shoulder of the road. I swear that I was nearly cross-eyed from staring at Ron’s seat-post the entire day. I’m terrified of overlapping a wheel and making my team mates all go down with me like dominoes. So, I can hardly force myself to take my eyes off the bike in front of me for more than a split second. For me at my current level of experience, riding in a pace line requires intense focus the entire six hours. What an amazing day! Never has a potato tasted so delicious.

Due to technical difficulties, the Cancer Crusaders have not been able to “blog” until now.
So, i’ll try to recap a week that seems like it started just hours ago.
First, thank you to all of you that have supported us thru your generous donations and support of our fight against cancer. Without your help, this ride would not take place.
In my opinion, the riders have the easy job. We get to do what we love to do – ride our bikes!
The fact that we ride for cause such as the fight against cancer is an extra benefit.
Those individuals that support our efforts while we are on our bikes deserve all of the praise for their work during this ride. They are the team managers that do the driving from point to point, follow us in the car while the riders are on the bikes, make sure that we have everything that we need while on the bike such as water, food, Gatorade, etc.
Jamie Cole was our team manager. Not only did he do all of the above, but also sang to us over the radioes that the riders carry, provided us with the game scores, pointed our wildlife that was along the route, and protected us from chasing dogs. So, our behalf of the riders of the Cancer Crusaders, thank you Jamie, just doesn’t seem like it’s enough for all of your work.
Let me tell you about two people who were our medical support – Kim and Keith. Their job is to keep all of the riders save. I want those of you who read this blog and have not been on the “ride” to know the effort that these two put in to make this ride possible. They spent their time following each team starting Sunday and ending when we rolled into Austin at 2am Friday morning on the bus eating, sleeping, etc. All of the C3 riders owe these two a big, giant THANK YOU!!!
Finally, to the spouses and family members that put up with us while we trained for this ride and were left behind for the week, thank you – hugs and kisses.
As for the ride itself, it’s a blur, except for a few special moments, the pouring rain that was our first shift on the bike, the beauty of the Natchez Trace just before sunrise on the second shift, being “silly stringed” by the Polka Dots when we transitioned with them after our second shift, the darkness of eastern Texas that was our final shift.
To those of you at the Greenville Cancer Center that left individual notes for each team – it was real reminder of why we do this ride. Our thoughts and prayers are with you always during your personal fight with Cancer.
To my teammates, Kim, Leslie, Scot, and Jamie, thank you for such a special week that I will always remember!

Herding cats is easy compared to getting half a dozen cyclists organized and moving after they’ve had a chance to unwind, but we managed to find the Crusaders outside Austin, backtrack to find a suitable transition spot and then be ready when they arrived. Yay!

The temperature dropped from 75 degrees down to 54 as the riders checked their bikes and bottles, but the night was otherwise fine and clear.

Jenn Schumacher took a lead car and navigated us faultlessly through windy back roads, avoiding the fast moving traffic on the big roads. The team did well and brought the relay into Austin at 3am, to applause and a warm welcome from the other teams, who had all arrived by then.

Highlight of the day: the ending.

Weird event of the day: the driver of the SUV that followed my Pennsylvania-tagged van for Ten minutes and then pulled alongside to ask how to get to Austin, apparently completely unaware of the twenty mile wide “bright lights, big city” display ahead of us.

All’s well that ends well.

1. The mating habits of lobsters
2. Barry earns all those nicknames
3. Will drools on the massage table
4. Jerry will ask anyone for money
5. Barry has an inner fear of rubber boots
6. Will Yancey and Kim Swangham are navigators extraordinaire, especially through those rural TN roads!
7. Food goes right through Mynah birds…and so does Waffle House grits & butter
8. Jerry’s pond scum is not for everyone
9. Burger King at 4:00 am….Jerry will stick his entire self in a drive thru window in order to protect our bikes
10. Jerry’s special…a whopper, no meat, extra onions and extra pickles…
11. Barry has shown some nesting behavior in the back of our SUV
12. Where do you get these things Jerry??
13. Barry must have been a rapper in a previous life….he’s quite good at it
14. From here on out,  Team OCC will be known as B Burd and the funky chickens
15. You meet some fabulous people on this journey!!
16. The Lord works in miraculous ways…they may not be evident at the time, but open your eyes and your heart.  All praise to Him who kept us safe on our journey…

There are many experiences you go through in your life that shapes who you are, what you believe and what you focus on.  P3C3 is an experience that has shaped me in many ways.  One of the many ways I have been influenced is a better understanding of what friends are all about.  Six months ago I knew one person on the entire team.  Now, I have many more people that I can call friend. Team OCC carried each other through thick and thin.  Each team member rallied the others, raised spirits and sometimes had to slap each other around.  We laughed.  We cried.  We encouraged.  We yelled at the top of our lungs in the dark.  All the time we did what was best for the team.  I love my Team OCC!  I love the C3.  I encourage everyone to participate and to dive fully into team and cause.

Well, we had quite the ride last night. We took over from the Cancer Crusaders outside Jonesville, LA, barely catching them in time after I misplaced our team by missing a turning and shooting off into cotton country. The winds that had plagued the riders earlier on we’re lessened as our route turned slightly. All was looking good, until…

…the call from the medical team on the SAG bus, who were supposed to be running ahead to get some food and rest. Very sick bus. The Crusaders found the bus and together they limped off to a convenient road junction where we caught up with them. A very friendly state trooper pulled over and spent half an hour making calls. End result, the bus limped off to Alexandria, LA, Crusaders went racing ahed to find OCC and hand off various supplies and we got rolling again.

The team were pretty feisty and pushed through with a good ride on dark, lonely roads through a forest and reached Clarence, LA just before the storm that had been brewing caught up with both us and OCC. Sideways rain, minimal shelter. Ask the riders about the “stick…SNAKE!” Episode. And the surreal lightning all around as they came out of the forest.

What a joy to see team Orange Cancer Crushers ready for us with hugs and smiles and the magnificent Jerry Page, who gets my vote for best team manager-cheerleader this year.

OCC had to wait out the storm, but when they set off, they had a police escort, care of Deputy Powell, who has two family members battling cancer.

On the subject of police, a huge thank-you goes out to the state troopers and deputies who did some gentle “traffic calming” on the forest road stretch after Jerry had contacted them, he being worried by the logging trucks flying down the road.

And then on to a hotel for a few precious hours of rest before the long drive to Austin.

Team Finish Strong is currently sleeping (I hope) before we head out away from Austin to pick up the midnight (and final) transition and ride back into Austin.

And that’s why we’re here unofficially. We won’t be here officially until we’ve finished the relay.

Ramble over.

Can you believe it?  Once again we are done. Our journey with the 2012 edition of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer is all but done.  Team Firefly ( named thus, if you recall, because or team rode all but one shift at night – and we lit up the night to fight cancer ) did our 6 am to noon shift. We rolled out early and rode with Team OCC for about half an hour, then ended up riding 90 + miles to meet up without Team Mustache Heros near Kennard, Texas.  We celebrated with a cold refreshing adult beverage and a toast to the team Warriors  and took pictures.. Then we were done.   It is my hope that we made, in some small way, a difference in the life of someone with cancer.

So when I threw it out to the Universe this morning that I all wanted from the day was an early lunch and two bra straps, I probably should’ve been more specific.

Maybe it’s just because I’m conditioned by now on this trip to expect the unexpected (meaning just roll with whatever happens, since there never really is a Plan), that I’m not surprised by our current state of affairs, or I should say, our current State. Right now, we are still in Louisiana.

After we sent FinishStrong on their way with fresh water bottles and hugs and then massaged the Crusaders at the 6 pm transition (much to the amusement of the truckers that passed our set-up on 84 West about every 7 seconds and to Jamie, Jeff and Scott who watched the truckers’ heads turn and vehicles veer onto the rumble strips), the plan was to jet over to Center, Texas. Ron had opted out of the midnight massages, so we were shooting for an early night and then an early morning so as to catch the 6 am transition and take pictures of the sun rising over the misty Texan highways.

We were on our way through the maze of Alexandria, La., trying to find dinner at what would be the last real chance to do so and congratulating ourselves at what had been a surprisingly smooth run of transitions up to this point. After losing Ed, we were reminiscing about our driver Taylor Lyles from last year, thinking that we could really use a fresh infusion of energy to carry us through the night. But we were determined to keep things light and make miracles happen.

“We are artists,” Lisa says.

And then…

(this is when I would fade to commercial just to keep the suspense high)

…came the phone call with news that the bus was sick and crawling back to Alexandria at no more than 30 mph with Medics Swangham aboard. We were to find a hotel (our Garmin sending us round and round the highway in our search, “turn left then turn left…”), and then stay put with Kim, Keith and the bus until the morning when someone might be able to fix it.

And just then, we get a text from Taylor saying we are both ROCKSTARS. (thank you)

Everyone needs a support. Even the Support team. We’ll be there, right behind you, rooting for you, waiting for you, and all that stuff, as soon as we can. Until then, here we sit. Updates to come.

–kelly
p.s. Dear Universe, please don’t take me so literally next time…

I know this is an old cliché, but it really has hit home with my experience with our team – The Handlebar Heroes. This group takes care of each other and hasn’t focused on “how far” or “how fast”, rather on encouraging each other as we struggle through the hills, the wind or the cold. If we need to slow down to pull someone up a hill or stop to rest so that we all stay together, we do it. We celebrate each other’s accomplishments and actually enjoy each other’s company.

We’re all proud of what we’ve done on our rides, but proudest of our focus on the purpose of our trip – to remember the victims of cancer, to honor those who battle it and to raise money to, one day, find a cure.

I’m proud to be a “Stache”.

The riders are each looking at our last segment /assignment with mixed emotions. We are so happy to be close to the end of pedaling, but not really prepared for the end of the Journey. Our trip has been a constant source of encouragement to those along the “trail” that we would love to go on and on. However, bills and jobs are all calling us back to reality. The privilege to share in the fight against Cancer is surreal. It’s awesome to feel like we can help. Our mission of hope and cheer has been tempered with miles of opportunity to show how much we care and how stubborn we are to not give in to the easy or cheap alternatives. May those we ride for never give up or give in! We ride for them and pray and cheer and raise money for those really expensive treatments that we are so glad someone is trying to improve everyday. We ride into the night that will be met by sunrise because there is always a brighter tomorrow out there if you just endure the night . Lots of Love to all our teams on road and off and our prayer warriors at home. Love Barry

What a great few days it has been!!! For.5 years I have participated in this ride and each year brings about a newness to something that should be routine by now. new teammates every year alongwithin new support. Different routes and new surroundings.  The one thing that never changes, however , is the  cure for cancer. Not here yet. But,within GHS and ITOR, we have  made advances.  We have been so touched by the letters we received  from the cancer patients and staff from GHS. Last night on our ride Kim, the EMT, and Jerry., our support, read letters aloud as we rode. So moving. Thank you to all who have supported me over the last 5 years. I couldn’t have done it without you. Continue to  pray for a cure and pray for peace and comfort  to those suffering from this violent disease.  Tonight is Team OCC’s last ride. We are excited and ready. Pray for our safety as we take part in the finish line of the ride to Austin.

Today is Wednesday right?? Going on that assumption, yesterday consisted of 6 hr road trip from Nashville TN thru Birmingham, Al and ended in Starkville, MS. We staged ourselves about 100 miles north of Jackson and 20 miles east of trace in Starkville, home to Miss State University. We had dinner @ Ruby Tuesday then hung out in a Holiday Inn Express lobby for 3 hrs. Headed out around 11 to the midnight transition with OCC.
It was a beautiful night although a bit chilly (60 degs) to start. We rolled in the small ring for the first 5 miles per Coach Jeni’s instruction to warm up the legs (ask John what happens if you put it in Big ring).
At mile 10 we started our dedications, riding 2-by-2 we rode each of us taking turns saying who we ride for and why, then a moment of silent riding. This is a very emotional time and you could tell it on the voices of those telling the story. Me? I ride for the following: Jeni, Nicole, Aunt Barb. Uncle Don, Jennifer M, Aunt Jean, Uncle Clem, Tammy P, Dixie G, Judy J, Krista C, Hoppy, John S, Phyllis C, Stephen S, Hank M, Frank M, Terri M, Don C Rebeal W, Jennifer K, Laurens F, Dustin R, Sally D, Nancy A. George M, Tony B, Helen K, Celestial T, Mark W, Kathy S, Gil M, Keith H, Tina B, Jesse H, plus many many more. There are just to many names….

An overview of 3:30 am till 4:30 pm in nugget format:
6:50 am: “My bum is raw.” [Jeni, when I asked her before her massage what was ailing her]

7 am: “I can’t drive this thing. I’ve been driving all night.” [Dawn, on steering the luggage trolley into the door]

8:20 am: “Who gave Jerry a Red Bull?” [me, on hearing at breakfast that someone had given Jerry a Red Bull. This explains his attempt to board his van from the passenger side last night]

8:45 am: “All I want from this day is lunch before 3:30 pm and to find my second bra strap” [me, trying to get out the door to the noon transition]

9:12 am: “I’m wild and sweet!” [Ron, co-opting attributes from his wild orange Tazo tea bag]

9:50 am: “The blue dot is stuck and confused.” // “That’s how I feel sometimes.” [me, then Lisa, on the faltering GPS tracker as we navigated a closed road detour to get back on the Trace this morning outside Jackson, MS]

12:20 pm: “She was A-MA-Zing.” [Tedd, on Anne’s completion of her longest bike ride ever, at 62 miles]

12:50 pm: “I’m the PB&J Queen!” [Kim, on her general awesomeness as Bus mom]

12:55 pm: “I’m going to auction Kelly off in exchange for hamburgers.” [Tedd, on his plan to finagle lunch early from the bike riders having a BBQ cookout at the rest stop where we transitioned. Thanks, by the way.]

12:56 pm: “Pardon me, do you have any mustard and ketchup?” [the strange bike riders at the transition to Anne and Lisa in the rest stop bathroom]

1 pm: “I’m going to take out my eye and throw it at you.” [Dave to Lisa, in retaliation for asking—again—if she was taking enough pictures of him this year]

1:45 pm: “You’re the bees’ knees!” // “Thanks, grandma.” [Lisa, then Tedd, post-transition]

3ish: “I was feeling depressed, but listening to your stories has made me feel so much better about myself” [random stranger at Fat Mama’s Tamales, listening to Tedd tell a previous life drunken mistake story]

Somewhere in the middle of it all: “There are no big cities. I looked with Tedd at the maps from here to Texas, and there is nothing.” [Ed, surveying the terrain that we are about to plow through, in endurance sports style, from now until midnight Thursday.]

*****

Sitting here at the Natchez Coffee Co, about to run out the door and leave WiFi sadly behind for a while. Sat here with Janelle, my first year driver (missing you and your down to earth, make it work attitude), two years ago, blogging away furiously. Ran through the shop again last year with Lisa and our driver Taylor (missing you and your DJ-style cheerleading!). Now it’s down to Lisa and myself to make the finish line of Austin, Tx.

Ed has had to move on, renting a car in Alexandria and driving ahead 7 hours to catch an early plane in Austin tomorrow morning back home. A huge Kelly & Lisa style THANK YOU to him for driving us thus far. Not going to lie, this is the part where the word “tired” takes on all sorts of new meanings. Wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

–kelly

How can a bike teach you a life lesson? Let me tell you a story….
My training has lacked this year vs last due to an unexpected Surgury in June, and a nagging pulled muscle in my right leg. The muscle usually bothers me most on climbs and in cold weather. So after our 77 mile cold/hilly ride on Monday evening it was really hurting at the start of the last nights ride (the Goody’s headache powder samples I loaded up on at the NASCAR race last Saturday are really coming in handy). So I get on the bike and start feeling it right away. Trying to find a comfortable position and I look over to see mile marker 192 roll by, one mile down, “Are you kidding me, I will never make it 6 hrs!!! This is going to be a longggg night” I tell myself, but you have to push on, “shut up and pedal dang it” As the miles roll by, we start our dedications. Listening to the stories, I know my pain is nothing, keep pedaling. Before I knew it, we had reached 30 miles without stopping. The night sky was clear and painted with beautiful bright stars, there is a cold thin layer of fog, the trees are tall southern pines and the smell of pine….ARMADILLO… fills the air (only those who have ridden the trace will get that one ). As we continue on, it gets colder and colder, more clothes at each stop, then came 4am, two hrs left, historically the most difficult hr of the ride, we were all feeling it, I was hanging on Big Birds wheel like my life depended on it. ( I promise that is not a political reference, my 6’7″ teammate John Siddens was wearing this huge yellow jacket. ) At 4:45 we stopped, inhaled some PBJ and probably way to much Energy gummies. Back on the road, I was feeling pretty good, took the pull for a couple miles. We even got in a short sprint in Memory of our great friend Perry. Now I will use his words…”WOW, what a ride!” 92 miles in 6 hrs at 17mph avg.

The lesson(s)??
1. You can’t give up, even when you want to and think the journey is too long, keep going.
2. Nothing will be given to you, you have to earn it. The best things in life are earned.
3. Give something back in honor/memory of someone.
4. In your toughest times, ask for help from those closet to you.
5. Give your family/friends a big hug, you never know how long you’ll have them.

All that from a bike and a 6 hr ride on the Natchez Trace at midnight.

What a special place…. And a special group of people, love my P3C3 family!

This year has been so different from three years ago.  For one…I left my support person-extraordinaire husband at home.  Not having him here makes me nervous.  And this time we have two kids which makes me even more nervous!!  Put those things together, and I could be a nervous wreck in regards to safety and making our transitions on time.  But this team has a fabulous dynamic…one that is solely focused on the cause, as well as the physical and mental condition of teammates.  We don’t get distracted with time or miles, but rather focus on the people we meet along the way, the stories they have to tell, and the hope that we’re able to instill in this fight against cancer.  

I won’t make this long-winded, but we have felt God’s presence in SO many different facets of the ride…hotel stops, bathroom breaks,  fuel ups, and for me the scenery on the ride itself.  The Natchez Trace has long expanses of fields sandwiching the road.  And last night we had the sunset behind that terrain…and as I did three years ago, my dad was in my heart.  Day two was Brad with the blue skies and butterflies, and day three was my dad, Jim with the purple sunset fields…LOVE.

Tonight I look forward to the midnight to 6am shift, and the continuation of our “dedication ride.”  Yet another affirmation of the reasons we do what we do.  Go Team OCC! And just for those of you who have missed…that’s short for Orange Cancer Crusaders

This segment of the P3 Challenge to Conquer Cancer’s journey has traditionally been one of lengthy musings and posts,  the advent of  Facebook has often doubled what is said.  With increasing fatigue, more emotional shifts honor the Honor Rides, you may see quite lengthy  posts.  Thus my post:  shortcuts.

last night: midnight to 6 a m – 92 miles, 17 mph average.  temps in the low 50′s, mostly flat with rolling hils.

the ride:  an Honor Ride. Names lots of names. Too many names.  Took a while to honor and memorialize them.

the terrain: flat. Boring. Perfect for the Honor Ride. Cold. Animals…dead and alive… armadillos, foxes, deer, turtles, and birds.

the bodies:  sore. Sore legs. Sore butts. Sore shoulders. tired minds. Strong hearts.

this is why I ride.

I’m sitting in a nice hotel room near Jackson, MS, thanks to the generosity of Jamie Cole. Amazingly, with five zonked people in the room from 1.30 this morning, there was very little snoring.

I’m tremendously proud of my riders, who pushed for 106 miles down the Natchez Trace yesterday; the weather was fine but there was quite a crosswind, which occasionally veered to a headwind. Ron Jerina sang to them for 2 hours, Vince kept feeding them energy food and they all looked after each other, blocking winds and stuff. way to go, Polka Dots!

Random musings now:
Support drivers need to keep themselves hydrated while fussing at their riders.

Support drivers should grab every opportunity to tinkle, even if they don’t think they need to.

The ride food is difficult to reach from the driver’s seat if it is on the third row.

Miss GPS sometimes chooses “interesting” routes.

The Natchez Trace is home to all sorts of wildlife, apart from cyclists, much of which thinks it is fun to play “dodgems” with night time traffic.

Your passengers expect you to stay on the right hand side of the road, even though the left lane is perfectly good.

Some people are paranoid about losing wheels from roof racks, so let them see you check the racks whenever you stop.

Team Firefly are really sweet – they decorated our van in the middle of the night and left gifts.

Team Cancer Crusaders decorated the bedrooms and left towels in the fridge. One word, boys and girls – escalation…

Whilst all our riders are responsible adults, it is best to go through their pockets before doing laundry.

And now it’s time to move again. Til next time!

Team OCC had a great day. Kerrie”, Meggan and Jerry got up early and did laundry. A second breakfast was hadaround 10 and then we loaded up the truck and headed out. Our goal was to try to mecet up with the Dots to cheer them on. We got to the Trace and set up camp at an overlook. While waiting we met another cyclist who was doing the route byhimself as well as two motorcyclists. Both had great stories. The Dots showed up shortly and we cheered hugged and encouraged them on. After they continued on we went ahead to get lunch. With nothing in site we Pi med a random turn off and searched. Providence took over. We went to a little market at the corner of 25/30. They had great food but more impotlrta fly we added several magnets and $70 in donations and 30% off our food. Great people!

Oncewe got started (a little late) we rolled through quickly. After a few hours there were calls for a bathroom break and one appeared within a mile. While we were taking care of business 4 men showed up. It turns out they were cycling north. One of the men is in remission for leikemia. Fantastic stories and another magnet for the car.

Overall we had a great day. All were safe and in good spirits.

After a great ride a 1.5 hourdrive and dinner we found out that there was no space at the Hyatt. BUMMER! We tried three other hotels and finally got into a room at 5 AM EST. Canyou say exhausted?

(still sitting outside my hotel room. Now listening to the sounds of someone snoring…why do I think it’s Vince?)

When we caught up to the 6 pm transition Tuesday, the area was suspiciously devoid of cyclists. There is Jerry, There is the Bus, but where are all the people??? Jerry informs us that FinishStrong is going a little past 6 pm to finish 100 miles. He is so excited we watch him get in the passenger side of his van as he attempts to drive away. By himself.

Donna, still nursing her wrist injury, finishes with one arm.

Then team OCC is off down the Trace, and after massages, we follow FinishStrong to an Outback in Tupelo, MS. Ed pretends it is ok to park in the curbside pickup spots, even though I am suggesting that it is not. He tells the very young waiter (who comes out to take our order) that he is a prisoner slave-driver.

“Dude, that ain’t good,” the waiter says.

Another three hours and 190 miles down the Trace, and we land in Jackson, MS, for the night. The Crusaders have been kind enough to reserve a block of rooms ahead of time for everyone. They’ve been even more kind to team FinishStrong and decorated their room as a thank you for the silly string donation earlier today.

It’s either that, or an entire 32-pack of TP exploded in room 614. But how did the towels get into the fridge?

I will ponder this as I sleep for three hours until my wake-up call from the FireFlys.

–kelly

And the Trace has done it again. I have no idea what time it is. I had to look at the phone to see the date. It’s 2 am on Wednesday morning (oct 17), and I’m sitting on the floor outside room 618 in a Hyatt in Jackson, Mississippi, feeling strangely awake yet absent. Like one of the hallway lights that someone forgot to turn off. The checkered carpet pattern is oddly fascinating…

I should be in my room, trying to sleep on the couch like the cat I can become on road trips, but I have some time since the OCC team will not be connecting with us here after their transition at midnight after all. So far this makes only 2 teams we have not massaged post ride. Pretty damn good, Team Legggs. This leaves me some time to nap (er, blog) before the FireFlys roll in around 6:30 am after their dedication ride.

Inside my room, Ed, Lisa and two interlopers—Hywel and Jana, are already sound asleep. I can hear Ron and Vince one room down the hall joking with their team. They should be exhausted. They finished their shift at 6 pm, completing a century (bike slang for 100 miles), had a big dinner at Outback, then drove 3 hours to get here. But the Trace has worked its magic on them too. Also they may be still cleaning up…..how shall we say?…..some 3D fiber artwork left in their room by the Crusaders. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Back up to the Subway in Belmont at 3:30 pm Tuesday….

The idea of leaving the small pocket of civilization that Belmont is is making me nervous. Who knows where the next available food and flushy toilet will be found once we re-enter the Trace. I’ve already peed about 8 times in an attempt to leave on the emptiest bladder possible. And I am tempted to hoard enough foot-longs to last until breakfast, but instead I practice my yoga breathing and walk out of the establishment clutching the second half of my sandwich.

Lisa is having loftier thoughts than I. She asks why do trips like these make her want to change things, to sort things out and commit to a new direction? My yoga breathing must’ve kicked in. Easy, I say. Experiences like this take us out of our normal routine and small, circular thinking. They shake up our mind and re-inspire our dreams. And they plug us back into the idea that there is something bigger than us, and a cause worth giving ourselves to.

Outside, Lisa and I spot a man whose flimsy (Tedd-esque) shorts and kinesiotape scream “runner,” and he asks about our van tattooed with messages about fighting cancer. Lisa asks if he was the guy she saw running down the Trace pushing a stroller. (I either did not see that, or am starting to forget entire sections of this trip.)

Apparently we missed a famous stone wall a bit North on the Alabama section of the Trace, he tells us, that is chest height and built of 25 million pounds worth of rocks. It was erected—each rock transported one by one in arms and a wheelbarrow—in honor of its creator’s mother who escaped the Trail of Tears.

Our new stroller-pushing friend then tells us he is running from Canada to Galveston, Texas. He has three weeks before he arrives. He has run from Oregon to Maine before. Intending to offer him a massage, I ask about his tape job around his knees. He tells us that the short story is he was born severely knock-kneed and had surgery to straighten out his legs. He has almost no side to side range of motion, but, he tells us matter-of-factly, “I can go straight pretty good.”

Whether you have caravans of family and friends propelling you along a transformational journey, or whether you’re out there all alone, without signage and pushing your things in a stroller, keep going.

Some days it will feel like you are lifting heavy rocks all by yourself. Some days it will feel like you are effortlessly skimming along in a pace line. Some days you may have friends cheering you on, perhaps with cowbells and hip hop. Some days, it will be silent except for the sound of the wind in your ears and your own footsteps on an otherwise deserted path.

All that matters is that you keep moving forward. One boulder at a time. One step at a time. One pedal stroke at a time.

–kelly

I modified it slightly but that is from a church sign we saw in the final hour of today’s 6 hour ride through the mountains of Tennessee. Today was the day I was dreading the most because I knew it was going to be the hardest ride our team faced physically. There are three big climbs and plenty of miles to cover. Because of the storms that rolled thru last night the group is a little behind of where I anticipated we would be. Instead of being on the west side of Cleveland, TN when we started, we were on the east side. Because of that we had to deal with a lot more traffic than we had in the past and many of the drivers were, how should I say this nicely, not very pleasant when they drove past us. My mouth would have been washed out with soap if I said words like that. We also saw many 1 finger waves as they drove by. We tried our best to pull off the road at let cars by but I guess it wasn’t good enough for the fine folks around Cleveland, TN. Once we got past the “rush” hours in and around Cleveland, the drivers were much nicer and we got several nice beeps and wave. Donna got the first flat of our ride and we quickly changed that and moved on the best part of the day…climbing.
We were planning on having three intense climbs today but they should have come early in our shift. Because we are a little behind, we didn’t start the first climb until we were three hours into our shift. We were a rider down because Donna’s wrist was hurting her so bad from a baggage handling incident at dinner last night. I can’t say who is to blame for it but it kind of went like this. I thought I gave my wallet to Hywel so we were searching for it. In the meantime I asked Donna earlier to put it in her bag and she was getting it for me. When we opened the back of the van up and several bags fell out. Instead of taking our time and putting them in neatly, we tried to stuff them in and close the back real quick. We threw the bags in and I said “shut it now” so Beth slams the back hatch not realizing Donna’s arm was still in there. I was very proud of Donna for not saying any bad words and quietly walking away. Back to today. The first climb (this section of the ride is call the Trail of Tears) was the longest of the day. It was hard but Beth did a great job pacing us all the way up the mountain. I was struggling and kept asking my dad and Aunt JoJo to push me up the hill and they did. I got a second wind and was able to get to the top. The next several miles were rolling hills and we kept a good pace going. Then the decent. It was awesome. It was steep and fast. The curves were long and sweeping so you can keep your speed all the way down. It was a blast. I knew it wouldn’t be long before we started our next climb so we refueled and started our next climb. This climb was shorter but to me felt steeper. Again I asked for a push from all my family and friends who I have lost to this horrible disease and I felt them behind me the rest of the way up. We reached the top of the mountain hoping for a long decent but it didn’t come. It was rollers for a while and we were starting to wear down and the wind decided to be in our face which made it a little tougher. We worked together great as a team and were looking forward to finding the transition area. We were a little bummed we weren’t going to be able to do the third climb because of time but we were rewarded at the very end of our shift with that long decent we were looking for. Just like the first decent in was fast and fun. We found a great place for our transition, dirty diapers and all. Team OCC got ready as we stripped down and got ready for our rubdown by one of the hardest workers on this ride, KVL. Kelly, our message therapist, doesn’t miss a shift and gets us ready for the next day. After our rub downs we went to eat lunch joined by Team Legggs and we ran into Handlebar Hero’s and all had a great time at lunch. It’s always fun to run into other teams that you don’t expect to see until you get to Austin. We then went to our hotel. A big shot out to Lynn (the wife of Jamie from Cancer Crusaders) who used her rewards points to give us all great rooms at the Hyatt Place. This hotel is way too nice for our group. Thank you so much Lynn. We went to dinner with the Cancer Crusaders. We went to Logan’s Roadhouse for dinner and they were generous and gave everyone $5.00 off our bill. That is $55 more dollars we will be donating to the cause. Our waitress Kimberly, told us her dad, Roger, was just diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. We are riding in Rogers honor today. As we were leaving Logan’s, the always entertaining Kimberly Elmore continued making us laugh. She turned and waived and proceeded to try to exit out the emergency exit. She pushed open the door and the alarm started screaming. The WHOLE restaurant turned stared. Of course we were laughing hysterically. Kim just waved and high fived all the others in the restaurant as she walked out. We all went to be early and had a good night s rest. Had a good breakfast and are on the way to our noon transition.
My teammates are again this year making fun of me on how long it takes me to write a blog so I will have to back track and talk about the sendoff and our first shift in another post. But first back to my modified title. As I said earlier, we saw that on a church sign and it really hit home with me. I started riding because I needed a release from the frustration I was feeling after losing my dad to cancer. We started the C3 to raise money for research and advocacy. I ride for who are suffering from cancer or have lost the battle and am honored to do it…
More about today’s ride in my next blog.

Tonight is the Honor Ride. This ride is why we ride. It is to honor, or memorialize, those affected by cancer. We say, out loud, the names of those we honor at least each hour.

I honor: Nancy Siddens, Alexis Russell, John McDermott, Jeni Schumacher, Dawn Williams, Renee McCurdy, Dustin Retherford, Mark McKnight, Douglas Elliott, Hywel Morse, Famin Chou, Sally Dunn, Keith Houston, and the others I cannot recall at this moment. I want to include my patients, the hundreds of them, whom I have treated through the years. I think of you, too, and hope I gave you my best effort each time. To the current patients at GHS and gather cancer programs… This effort is for you. Do not give up. I won’t.

In memory of: my parents, Delma and Freda Siddens (whom I love and miss), William Kenney, Hilary Kahne, David Eckels, Joseph Younan, Jamie Riehl, and the others I am also too tired to name, although I willnkeep you in my thoughts.

1. When you drop your prescription bottle of muscle relaxers behind the back of HAL (our team van) in the dark, at the 6am transition, there is a low probability of recovery – and the ones that are found are picked up with a few extra blades of grass or other ground debris. So, I’m now rationing my muscle relaxers for the remainder of the trip, but at least the animals on the north end of the Trace will be chill.

2. After the midnight to 6am shift and only 2 hours of sleep, nothing hits the spot like Five Guys burgers and fries.

3. If you wear an IcyHot patch on your lower back while riding, you get a cool sensation down your butt crack when you sweat.

4. It is clear to me that I could not make this journey this year without the pain that Kelly VanLovin’ brings through her hands, elbows, and knees. It hurts so good.

5. The sky is amazingly beautiful on a cold, clear TN night.

6. Kim, one of our fearless medics, may in fact be, THE Energizer Bunny. Does she ever sleep?

7. The Challenge to Conquer Cancer is a time warp. By two days into the journey, you have lost all track of what day it is and things that happened a mere 24 hours earlier, seem like they happened days ago.

8. Nature’s bathroom is much preferred over the myriad of gas station and McDonald’s bathrooms we use along the way. (Come on KVL – you know nature is cleaner than the places we’ve all been visiting!)

9. After 2 rotations on the bike and countless hours in the car together, laundry is a must. However, the amount of time it takes laundry to dry is inversely proportional to the amount of time you actually have.

10. Warm, clean beds and nice accomodations are an uncommon treat on this journey. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Jamie (the Cancer Crusader team mgr) for sharing his Hyatt Place points. Thanks Jamie! You Rock! This frees up more money for cancer research.

Addendum for 7 & 8 above:
After yet another stop on our road trip to Jackson, MS ( we drink lots of water which requires lots of bathroom stops, but this time HAL actually needed a drink – gas) our team (really just Dave) was discussing how the time warp also messes with your body’s “natural schedule”.

Last night’s Honor Ride was a moving experience. Riding from midnight to 6:00 am with nobody else around but a few owls and barking dogs is surreal and gives great opportunity to reflect on those who battle this nasty disease. People who I’m riding for (My Heroes):

In Memory of:
Steve Lipe, Bess Wyche, Jeanine Miles, Susan Bowers, William Newton, Debra Tindall, Phyllis Kalish, Dale Miles, Dan Bull, Rich Rust, Nancy O’Leary, Doug Highley, Mac Harrison, Patsy Boone, Herb Scott, William Bain, Jr., Curtis Tichenor, Charlotte Hardee, Marie Burgess, Berkely Little, Dr. Leila Diamond, Linda Dennis, Debbie Martin, Jeanine Starling Ferrell, Joan Valle.

In Honor of:
Paul Valle, Marcy Cornutt, Janet Jackson, Lisa Jackson, Mic, Beverly & Harry Snyder, Sherry Hooper, Esta McCrary, Jackie Day, Cindy & Todd Moore, Betsy Smith, Michael Bradley Darling, Mark D Stein, Nancy S Diamond, Christie Seear, Irene Katz Feuerberg, Preston Holder, Jay Murphy, Doug Kennedy, Hugh Southard, Sharon Saunders, Maggie Worsham, Jane Lister.

I was trying to post this last night prior to our ride, but I was having technical difficulties. So, I’m sharing now.

—————————————-
Tonight we will spend most of the ride sharing the stories of our friends and family members who are battling or who have lost the battle to cancer. Tonight is a very emotional ride but one of the most memorable.

In Memory of my Aunt Maureen Funderburk who lost her battle to breast cancer years ago but is forever in our hearts.

In Memory of Meme Brown who lost her battle today with ovarian cancer at the young age of 21.

In Memory of Shane Sampson, who earlier this year went to the doctor for a stomach ache and found out he had a massive tumor. Doctors tried immediate surgery to no avail. He died the day after finding out he had cancer at the young age of 38 leaving behind a wife, children, and countless family and friends.

In Honor of Sandy Grubbs who is currently battling pancreatic cancer.

In Honor of my father-in-law John Miller who is currently battling prostate cancer.

There are so many, many more.

Tonight I ride, we ride, for you all.

Update post ride – It was a tough ride. The Handlebar Heroes are NOT the Dots (meaning – we don’t like hills). Anne Garner did great for her longest ride ever. She managed 5 hours which was phenomenal – that left Milt, Dave, and I with 18 miles left to get to the start of the Natchez Trace. We made up our minds that we could do it, grabbed a few fig newtons for one last bite of nourishment and set off. Dave, Milt, and I rode off like a well-oiled machine and to our own great amazement, managed to actually make it to the Trace! In fact, we even took the first big hill on the Trace.

I’m not gonna lie – it took all I had to push through at the pace we were riding over that last 19 miles. We ended up climbing over 3000 ft in a total of 60 miles of relentless rolling hills. That’s nothing for team Finish Strong, but for us mere Handlebar Heroes, that was quite an accomplishment. And none of us would have pushed through if we hadn’t kept thinking about the reason behind this challenge.

Top ten travel tips for charity bike rides:

10. Carry a blanket and pillow… Not that one can sleep packed like sardines.

9.  Do not eat beans.

8.  Make sure everyone likes hip hop music. Really?

7.  Bathe regularly. And completely. With soap.

6.  Wash your clothes every two days. With soap. See previous rule.

5.  Make sure each person goes to the bathroom during a rest stop. And stretch.

4.   Do not wear underwear, as it is easier to moon another team thusly dressed.

3.  If you DO wear underwear, refer to Rule # 6.

2. Carry at least one cowbell.  We need more cowbell.

1.  NEVER listen to Suri or a GPS when deciding on the route.

Oh, Natchez Trace, how I adore you, and your endlesssssssssssssssssss monotony. (Note to Ed: that thumping noise may be the sound of me beating my head against the van window. Just ignore me. I will use my words again in Louisiana.)

This is historically my least favorite day of the ride, mostly because I dislike the feeling of being trapped in a car with exits every 50 miles or so, and even fewer restrooms. Why did I have orange juice AND coffee at breakfast?

The morning begins with the Crusaders on the Trace, and us in pursuit. We pick up Keith Owen again to deliver him back to the bus, much as we used to deliver a Subway sandwich back to Keith Houston, our old medic, in years past. It always gets there, just a lot late after getting a little lost. (–miss you, and your Louisiana bear hugs–) This time K. Owen is using his words, as opposed to my last encounter with him at 6 am in Cleveland, TN, where he simply nodded and stumbled away to a hotel room, trusting that I could intuit his phone number and his hotel room number and would not leave him behind.

K. Owen proves to be delightful company, matching our sarcastic banter point for point. We snake our way through historic downtown Franklin, TN, and commence our 400+mile journey down the Trace, beginning in TN and ending at the lateral border of Louisiana in a little town appropriately called Natchez.

“Say goodbye to your cell phones,” I warn.

This begins our third day together, stuck in a van together, and now we have no iPhone lifeline to both amuse and guide us. Ed continues to advise Lisa on how to do her job. I continue to advise Ed on how not to drive. Lisa threatens to use her camera lens as a bludgeon. I threaten to both throw up down the back of Ed’s neck or stab him in the neck with my pen. At this point it’s a toss up as to which could happen first.

Keith seems worried. I tell him he is safe. Newbies to our van retain immunity for at least an hour. Keith, unsure of how near we are to the bus, threatens to open the passenger door and roll out: “I have a door handle, and I know how to use it.”

Looking out his prison window at the fall colors wistfully, he says he wishes he could take a nap on the grassy fields we are buzzing through. A good way to get arrested, I say. He counters with, “a good way to get a free meal.” (Ron, how far are we willing to go to save expense money on this trip?!)

We catch the Crusaders, Lisa nonviolently shoots them, and then everyone gathers at the rest stop sign for a group photo…..to those reading at home, you know where this is going, yes?…..then the FinishStrong team silly strings the Crusaders, pinning them up against the Natchez Trace historical information sign with orange weirdness originally meant for team OCC.

(note to the rookies: if you ever see me nonchalantly avoiding a photo op, there may be a reason)

Never have I seen so many bugs during a transition. I am not exaggerating when I say I looked like Pigsty from Charlie Brown during my massages, due to the swarm of gnats and other winged foes circling my head. Sorry Crusaders for your one-armed rubdowns, but I needed the other one as a fly swatter.

We scoot ahead, shoot FinishStrong on the road and then wait for them at the TN-Alabama state line, another Natchez Trace informational history board. I try to do an ill-advised handstand against it, and then Lisa and I scamper to the roof of our SUV and share a life/crossroads/decision girl chat. Seems appropriate when one of our butt cheeks sits in Tennessee and the other in Alabama.

The team is on its own for the Mississippi state line pic, because WE are hungry. Meaning I am hungry. Code Orange, to be specific. High alert. And the next real chance at civilization is Tupelo.

I knew I should’ve trusted my instinct this morning to steal the whole breakfast buffet and stuff it in our trunk. Now, the real question of the day:

Just how far will you drive for a Subway sandwich?

–kelly

This ride was a night of fun that we desperately needed after our Monsoon ride the night before -whew! We started the ride dancing at a BP cheering on team two as they rode into the transition station and we were graciously welcomed by the Handle Bar Heroes as we finished 77 miles at midnight. The cheers and welcome sound of cow bells at midnight never sounded so sweet! It was also such a peaceful night as we began our shift at 6pm and caught every moment of the sun slowly setting as we paced along our way. It was interesting how fast the air cooled as the night went on and true to form, John has taken great care of me. He made sure I had plenty of warm gear for this trip. So as we rode our last 40 miles in my three layers of shirts, two sets of arm warmers, warm bib pants, gloves and even booties for my shoes (so cute ) , I felt I was riding with big hugs from John … And when I say big (he is 6.6) , as well as all my friends, other teammates and family! So we danced and had fun ….. We also prayed …..prayed for our safety and for the ones we love and those battling this horrible disease. We love you all!

Sometimes, when you are nearing your limit on a physical or mental task, a little humor goes a long way in taking the edge off.  Last night’s 77 mile ride was an example. I was riding for Alexis Russel,  the granddaughter of a high school buddy, Tom Cantrell.  As the miles of our ride wore on and the temperatures dropped, and as the route… Um… Changed a few times, I reminded myself that I wasn’t battling cancer like Alexis. I steeled myself and   told myself to shut up and ride…it’s just pedaling.  I moved on.   However, I began to think to help our team, and since I am NOT a singer, my (really bad) jokes and one-liners helped to ease the discomforts…  Seeing smiles…whether a result of enjoying the humor or having pity on my comedic talents, makes me smile…and pedal on.

The night went smoothly. The Fireflys arrived in the Franklin hotel around 2 am, and then the Heroes around 6:45 am. Both teams were cold, but happy. Again, I slept next to my phone, waiting to be summoned.

To be able to wait in a warm bed, then run down the hall in my bare feet (or as my sister says, “just my toes”) when called and then back to bed was a gift. A big THANK YOU from my team to the Heroes for thinking ahead of/for us.

Jeni had to be lured off the room heater with the promise of a massage. Tedd was the only one who chose to assume the horizontal position on a mattress instead of my massage table. I love you, too.

Hugs are that much sweeter at 3 am when you’ve been riding through the darkness and finally find your self in the arms of a friend.

Tuesday. Day 3. Natchez Trace Day.

It begins with me getting a crash course in being an impromptu medic from Hywel, who is, according to Jana, “pretty good.” The most basic idea, he says, is to apply pressure to the source of the injury. All you need are these, he says, holding up his thumbs. I should be fine, I counter. I’ve got two, and they work pretty well.

Hywel says I could probably manage about 4 people at a time, as long as they were close enough together to assume “the spider position.”

On one hand, we’re roughing it on this ride. But on the other hand (or is it the other thumb?), we’re spoiled. We get to eat breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner with some of the people we love the most. It’s like a family vacation, but with the family members you’d voluntarily choose to take with you.

Gotta go. Family reunion at noon on the Natchez Trace, somewhere near the TN-Alabama border.

–kelly

On Monday, our team took the road at 6 a.m. and had to work our way through some angry morning drivers getting to work. We started behind schedule as the previous nights teams had the pleasure of riding through a terrible thunderstorm. It took us about 2.5 hours to reach our first climb “The Trail of Tears”. It was a beautiful climb. Today, I was riding and praying for my mother in law Gladys Kohl, Lilly Clark and Howard Milligan. As the legs started burning up the climbs, I tried to remember the pain was nothing compared to the pain of cancer. I believe we ended up somewhere around 77 miles. After our shift, we were able to meet up with the Handlebar Hero’s and Team Leggs for lunch. We had a great night of rest in south Nashville. Ready for our shift today starting at noon until 6 p.m.

Started day 2 with the trip to laundry as mentioned in previous blog. Headed south then west thru Chattanooga up to just south of Nashville. Stop at a Love’s truck stop for change into riding clothes then PBJ lunch in parking lot. Meet an older gentlemen in the parking lot that asked me about the magnets on the car. After a lot of discussion, he told me that he had been in the Twin Towers in NY on 9/11. Not much to do with Cancer but, was a very interesting conversation nonetheless, oh the people you meet on this ride.

Meet up with OCC team for 6PM transition at a BP gas station, a lot of dancing, hugs and laughs. There was a young lady that came and told us that a fellow employee was battling Cancer and she wanted to put a magnet on our car to Honor her. Then she joined us for some photos, great to see the support on the rode.

Ride started off with 70 deg temps but quickly there was a sign of things to come, missed turns. You see in rural TN roads are not marked very well, so it can be challenging. Lisa and the gang joined us on the road for a sunset photoshoot (and a second missed turn) man did we have some beautiful views. As day turned to night, temps started to fall as the sky reveled a beautiful display of stars. Was feeling great thru the first 4 1/2 hrs about the 3rd missed turn, no wait we ARE on the right rode) then I started to fade. That is when I started looking at all the names on my arm warmers, that help me get thru that next 1 1/2 hrs. At 11:15 we started down a longgggg sloping hill, must have deserted for 5 miles, and anybody who rides bikes, knows what that means. On that decent we were passed by the on coming shift, the “stashes”. Just another motivational moment. They were 8-10 miles ahead of us to find a transitional spot. Then it came, yup, the payment for the long decent. The climb back out of the valley, by this time the temp had dropped to 48 degs and was I getting cold. That was a very tough last 7 miles, but man was I glad to finally see the stashes, in the middle of the road with cowbells going and yelling for our arrival, thanks gang for the warm welcome and the Pez treats!

Now it’s 3:30AM, hanging out in hotel room getting massages from Kelly. Then it’s off to bed….onto Jackson Mississippi tomorrow for our midnight honor ride on the trace. Sure to be an emotional ride.

It seems to be a day of wrong turns. The 6 pm transition with OCC coming off and the Fireflys going on looked much like a typical dance concert. Except that it happened in a BP gas station in Tennessee right next to what could only be a pig farm judging from the sweet smells wafting through the air, and everyone was wearing spandex.

The Wobble song set everyone in motion, and suddenly heads were bobbing, people were stripping, and bikes were being hoisted up onto the roof racks, all in time to wobble baby, wobble baby. Even I was massaging to the beat.

In an attempt to flee the pig manure stench as well as catch up with the Fireflys for pictures, we wrapped up the transition like the pros we are and scooted out. In spite of another missed turn somewhere in Unionville, the sunset held for Lisa, and she got some great shots.

(I have been told to tell you that Lisa does not in fact Shoot cyclists, as one would with an actual gun. She does hang out windows, and there are moving targets at which she does aim, and when she shoots them, she does immortalize them. But that is all. She really is harmless.)

Tom took advantage of the impromptu map pow wow to relieve himself—which would have been quite an ordeal for a woman in broad daylight especially if she were wearing bibs—after which he and Siddens agreed on how fabulous it was to be a man.

“The world is your bathroom,” they said. Who can argue with that?

We found ourselves shortly after at a Cracker Barrel on Hwy 65, refueling and re-strategizing over how best to approach the night’s transitions. We raised our coffee mugs to toast the fact that no matter if and how we botched the night’s logistics, we had still made one shining executive decision to not eat Mexican for dinner (sorry OCC, we love you, we just swore we wouldn’t).

Our waitress Tara took our story in stride. “As adults, we forget how to play,” she said.

I do. All the time.

It’s easy for me to shift into my efficient, logistical, make it work, pony up and do your job, hard a$$ managerial persona on jobs like this, especially when a part of me feels that my job is to keep people safe, to play Mother Hen. It’s hard for me to relax, to embrace the crazy, and remember we are all on this roller coaster together, and that at some points, the only thing to do is simply throw our hands up and scream for joy.

So the rest of this trip, we will still work hard, but we will play hard too. And tonight, we will sleep hard. Thanks to the Mustachio-ed folks, we’re all settled in to a hotel in Franklin, where the Fireflys will come to us after their midnight transition and the Handlebars will come after their 6 am transition. I will wake up around 1 and 7 to massage them, and Lisa and Ed will get an actual night’s rest.

See you in the morning. This is the part of the trip where you just throw your hands up, scream for joy and let the momentum carry you through to the end. It’s the Natchez Trace, baby!

–kelly

Did you knows that lobsters mate for life. This is the type of trivial you learn riding in a car for lots of hours. The great thing is that this is also a metaphor for all of our support. They take care of us through thick and thin.

Today we also were reminded of the Providence of our ride. We met a young woman at Waffle House whose Pappaw just passed away from cancer. Another man gave us a donation at our 6 PM transition. We drove to Decatur AL to find a hotel. Every hotel in the city was full. A hotel manager got us hooked.up in another town. The hotel manager at the Comfort Suites gave us a terrific rate and made a donation for his father-in-law who just passed away.  More reasons to ride!

Our actual ride was eventful as well.  Due to storm last night, the previous teams were not able to get as much mileage.  We picked up one of Team 1′s mountains to start our ride. The weather was geat except for the constant headwind and the sunburn I got.  We got a little lost as well.  Everyone had a great time, had geat teamwork and kicked a@?! in the final hour.

Did you know Barry can rap?

Things are deteriorating here. Lisa is ferociously scratching her fire ant bites from last week. Ed is organizing grand business schemes from his earpiece phone attachment. And I am pretending to be Gene Simmons using a giant slice of dried mango as a prop.

This is what happens when we are left to our own devices, meaning this is what happens when team OCC takes a wrong turn, and we have nothing to do but idle on the side of a postcard perfect slice of Tennessee highway, complete with white puffy clouds, a lake and a red painted barn.

Yet again this year Jerry’s sense of map reading and direction following seems dubious (though when I call him to find his location he seems happy as ever). I hear Tedd loses his maps altogether. I rip mine in half, as soon as the folding and unfolding of it gets in the way of balancing my coffee cup on my knee. This sort of impetuous behavior leaves me with a 4-inch tall sliver of a Tennessee map, skinny and long—much like the endless state—with a green highlighter line marking our path across its cell phone tower-less terrain. Any towers belonging to At&t, that is.

We are aimlessly rummaging around in our snack bin. Chances are we’re more bored than hungry. I have already threatened to appropriate the sticky buns from other vans for a game of disc golf.

This afternoon slot is a lazy lull in what has been an eventful day so far. I tried to take a nap in the van with my legs propped up between the window and headrest, but no luck. A metaphysical conversation from the front seats brings me back:

Ed: “I can see, I just can’t read.”
Lisa: “ So how does that work with street signs…”
Ed: “I follow my team directions. I have very good intuition.”
Lisa: “Yes, but how do you know where you are?”

Earlier, Ed was demanding editorial review of blog posts before publishing them. Now that I know he can’t in fact read, I will of course honor that request.

The FinishStrong noon transition went off without a hitch (or is that a hatch, Donna?). Before they hit a stretch of mountain rollers; however, they hit a highway at rush hour. Let’s just say the drivers weren’t practicing their finest Southern hospitality on the road. We did our best to entertain OCC as they plowed through a windy fall day by blaring tunes and hanging out the windows and waving.

Pulling up beside teams today on the road, we found our DJ capabilities disappointing. Clearly we are in need of another BestBuy run. Does anyone know how to wire amps into our van?

–kelly

Wow! Weather has shifted our schedule a bit, but we adjust and persevere as a P3C3 group.  Team LiveStrong made a strong showing for day 2 and saved us a nice climb We have some great pics with the beautiful fall leaves and a scenic two lane highway cut into the side of a mountain!  LOVE!  After our climb, my comment from yesterday was like a prophecy…blue skies and butterflies surrounded us for many miles.  I felt my Dad and my friend Brad today…like they put those two things together as a message of encouragement for me and the team.  Love, LOVE, LOVE…

Had a great transition with Team Firefly in Shelbyville, TN.  Casa Mexicana in Shelbyville took great care of us during our food stop afterwards, where the manager wanted to remember his uncle who’s battling cancer.  Everyone has a story…and cancer doesn’t discriminate age, race, nationality, or even lifestyle.  We do this for a reason…and we are reminded all along the way!!  Keep your prayers coming!

Wow! Two hectic days gone already. The kickoff from GHS was touching, with a lot of family and friends to cheer us on.

Team Finish Strong did we’ll on the short Sunday ride. We eventually crashed into hotel beds in Cleveland, TN somewhat after midnight.

The Finish strong riders performed magnificently today! Bad weather in the mountains after we had driven through put the team we were relieving well behind schedule (and forced them to take shelter in the SAG bus as bits of tree were hurled past by the sideways wind). The Polka Dots (aka. Finish Strong) ended up making their way through a mist-shrouded Cleveland and Dayton just as the locals were leaving their nice, warm beds for Monday morning at work. Evidently some of the local drivers had not had their coffee and happy pills. Oh well.

The team rose to the challenge and covered 70 miles including two of the three big climbs they would have faced if all had been on plan. Way to go, team!

Now we’re in Franklin, TN, resting up before we set out tomorrow morning to hunt that elusive prey, the team on the road. How far will they get before we find them?

Our Internet connections have been very spotty, so we haven’t had much opportunity to write yet. The first day was fairly straightforward. We rode from 3pm to 6pm without incident and transitioned at the targeted area with the OCC team. Beth Rusch was required to work at Fall for Greenville and caught up with us just a bit prior to the transition time. I guess I got a bit excited to see Beth roll past in the van because Donna has now forbidden me to chase cars. As we opened the back of the van to retrieve necessary items, the baggage tumbled dramatically to the ground. Donna is an expert at packing trunks, but the luggage had shifted as we drove. In trying to cram it hurriedly back in and close the door, we managed to catch her wrist in the slamming door. She hardly made a peep, and we only noticed her just in time to prevent a second attempt on the injured limb. She brushed it off at the time, ever the stalwart trooper. The manager at Appleby’s in Seneca very kindly gave us a bit of a discount on our dinner. We enjoyed the company of Kelly, Lisa, and Ed from the Leggs Team. Ed is recovering amazingly well from his collision withban SUV only a few months ago. we hope he will be on the Polka Dot team with us next year. We drove on into Tennessee and along the Ocoee River, the site of the. 1996 Olympic Kayak and canoe events. As we descended into the valley beyond, we watched the flashes of lightening that heralded the approaching storm. We were snug in our hotel rooms in Cleveland by about 1 am, long before the storm caught the next shift of our peloton. Some of us may even have fallen asleep briefly before getting up at 4:30 or so to be ready for our next shift. We need not have worried. The treacherous weather had delayed the other teams somewhat, so we met the Cancer Crusaders right there in Cleveland for our next adventure.
Monday began with us chasing our shadow in the thick fog while trying to track down the Cancer crusaders for our 6:00 am transition. We looped around few highway interchanges before finally reeling them in to take over in a dimly lit gravel parking lot. The delays of the storm left us battling Monday morning rush hour traffic heading out of Cleveland. Curiously, they did not join in our enthusiasm for our battle. A bit farther out of town, the road widened to include a broad shoulder, littered with debris. As would be expected, we had a flat tire, which Ron skillfully changed. The bus was leaking oil, necessitating another stop. Just before we began climbing, Donna finally admitted the severity of her discomfort and actually agreed to ride in the van. As the sign on the church proclaimed, “There is honor in suffering.”. I’m sure Donna would have been content to have declined that particular honor. We had to climb without her, knowing that she would also miss her very most favorite part, THE DESCENT! This year, we had the distinct pleasure of climbing the Trail of Tears in the early morning sunshine. We climbed at a nice comfortable pace and enjoyed the autumn scenery. It was spectacular! The wind whipped up after the second climb, and we really had to work together to reach our planned stop at the appointed time. We were deprived the third beautiful climb, and transitioned with the OCC team at the bottom of the second descent. They made short work of the mountain and were far, far ahead when we finally caught up with them on our way to lunch after a quick change and a brief, (Well, can you blame me if I wish it were longer? All the same, I don’t know how she keeps that up around the clock for the whole trip. I’m only grateful that she does.) massage from Kelly. We met the Leggs team and the Handlebar Heros at Raphael’s Italian restaurant in McMinnville TN, which is run by a family from Argentina. Only then did Donna show how traumatized she had been by the day’s events. She intended to launch a polka dot attack in retaliation for the handlebar mustache painted on my window. Instead, she polka dotted our own van. I hope our photographer, Lisa, got some shots of that before she wiped out the evidence. I LOVE my team, and I mean my WHOLE team. This is a remarkable and colorful group of people with enormous dedication for what they do.

What a night! Our midnight to 3am shift started out fantastic. The night was cool, transition good, and our ride was quick and steady. Looooong rolling hills with 6% grades… But as we approached 2:30 am, we got news of some severe thunderstorms coming our way.. oh no! Indeed a few minutes later, the skies opened up.. Heavy, and I mean HEAVY, rain and wind let loose. It got cold and climbs and descents were brutal… Finally, a couple of flashes of lightning got us pulled off the bikes at 2:45 am.. 15 min shy of our end of shift.. But a nice warm bus welcomed us… 35 miles in 2 1/2 hours at night was fine for a first ride. I’m SO proud of our team for hanging in there.. And especially Lauren, who completed her first night ride in the dark and in the rain as well…

i confess that I did reach in a little to nt give up by thinking of why i ride… And the thought of those undergoing chemo spurred me on.. GO TEAM FIREFLY !!!

1. The Handlebar Heroes team is made up of really good people.
2. Riding on the bike actually feels better for my back than riding in the car.
3. Anne Garner likes music of all types.
4. Dave is our resident social media maven.
5. Tedd’s idea of support is losing our map and telling us corny jokes while we climb hills.
6. Milt needs new pants because his keep falling down.
7. Our new medics, Kim and Keith, are good cheerleaders.
8. Kelly’s hands, knees, and elbows should be insured due to their value. (ok – I knew this already, but it bears repeating.)
9. There are a lot of law enforcement officials along our route – I think they are radioing ahead to each other.
10. Every town has a subway and/or waffle house.

First 3 hr shift under the belt. After hanging out in Hampton Inn lobby in Murphy TN for 3 hrs, we had an un-eventful roadside transition with Handlebar Heros at midnight. This was not the sign if things to come. First 25 miles was quite a nice ride, 16 mph pace with our pace line working like clockwork. Then we hear over the radio that there is rain up ahead. We stop at the TN border and prepare with rain jackets and warmer clothes. The rain starts around 1:45am with slight drizzle, then the clouds opened up. Just as we the crest the top of a long uphill climb, the winds starting howling, we head back down the other side on a long descent now with the road now covered in leaves and what seems to be a branch of the Ohio River running down the middle. As we make it to the bottom, we get the call from Medics to pull off the road as lightening was getting worse.

We meet Cancer Crusaders in a State Park parking lot for the transition, Jamie jumps out of the van comes over to me and holds an umbrella over my head, I just give him a stare .. “Thanks buddy” is all I could muster. LOL

After taking over Finish Strong hotel in Cleveland, TN and getting a good nights sleep, I now sit in a hole in the wall Laundromat drying out our clothes in preparation for tonight’s first 6 hr shift, at least it looks like it will be a dry one!

We’re riding in the van (Hal the Handlebar Heroes Home) headed towards the Nashville area for the second leg of our ride – the head of the Natchez Trace from midnight til 6:00 am. It’s potentially our most difficult ride but we’re in good spirits and are looking forward to face the challenge. It’s my second year on the ride and I think I’m finally “getting it”.

The week leading up to the ride was very emotional, but helped my mindset as to the true reason for riding. On Thursday, Kim Elmore and I were asked by a friend to visit a patient named Steve in a hospice in Greenville who was close to the end of his battle with brain cancer. His wife, Sandy met us, listened intently about our group and then allowed us to spend some time with Steve. He wasn’t coherent, but we told him what we were doing anyway. I walked away from that meeting with both a knot in my stomach and a greater sense of purpose on why this wonderful group of friends is so dedicated to find a cure for cancer. Steve died Friday evening and Sandy came to our send-off. Her gratitude was inspiring.

The morning of our departure, I asked all of my contributors and friends for the names of people they wanted me to ride for. The response was overwhelming and almost brought me to tears. Someone had a friend had just lost a 28 year old daughter the night before. Bess was a vibrant young lady from a great family and it showed me that cancer is not prejudiced…..it strikes people of all types and right now we still don’t have an answer. More inspiration.

We had a wonderful send-off, finished our first shift last night and had some fun along the way (several full moons). All during that time, there are people out there like Steve and Bess who are fighting hard to beat cancer.

I think I’m getting it.

On the switchbacks now, blogging on my laptop in the backseat of the SUV as the Edster is streaming along through the gorgeous red-tinted fall countryside of Tennessee. We have been ‘Stached (with bright yellow window paint) since eating breakfast with the Handlebar Heros, so the sunshine filling our car is making mustache shadow marks all over the inside of our home away from home.

(Every third thought is “please don’t let me get carsick and vomit all over my keyboard”)

I must backtrack to about 1:45 am last night, when things were not so sparkly. Leaving the midnight transition, we were scooting ahead of the action to Cleveland, TN, to bunk down for a few hours and let the transitions come to us. The thought was for the Fireflys to stay in our hotel after 3 am, when they finished (and I’d massage them when they got in), and then for the Crusaders to stop by us on their way out of town when they finished at 6 am. Lisa and Ed would sleep through the morning, and I would wake up when called…

So, sharing a bed with my cell phone, I answered texts throughout the night as plans were made, then changed, then changed again. Mother Nature sometimes has other ideas, and She always wins.

(Yes, no one else was answering their phones because they were sleeping. And no, just because I was answering doesn’t mean I wasn’t asleep. No worries…that’s why I left it on.)

So, about 1:45 am, raindrops hit our windshield. No sooner has Lisa uttered the words, “I didn’t think it was supposed to…” than it really started coming down. Rain, and hail, and then lightening. Now lightening is the one thing that we crazy cornballs actually stop for. Otherwise, this train rolls night and day, rain or shine. Much like the Postal Service. Except we change outfits on the side of the road.

The driving is slow, and Lisa is an expert. Without saying it, we know we’re both thinking about the team on the road. Turns out, Firefly pulled off the road about 30 minutes before the shift change when the lightening got close, and cut their shift early. (We will make up your missed massages, dear ones adorned with glow in the dark sticks.) The Crusaders waited a bit to start their shift, and then rode through the rain till 6 am, when they pulled into our parking lot.

“I will trade you 5 massages for an apple and one Keith,” I said.

Keith Owens, who joined the team last minute (thank you!) had been driving the SAG (support) bus on and off with Medics Swangham through the night and morning since the sendoff at 3 pm the day before. Our medic couple also joined the craziness not so long ago, and the 3 of them performed swimmingly their first day, like pros, in spite of the bus’s nagging brake caliper issue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I spy the motel clerk of the Howard Johnson, on a phone, observing the parking lot massage activities. (Please let no one call in a complaint and make us get kicked out of our rooms at 6:20 am before I’ve showered…) Keith heads up to Room 205, the Crusaders head off to caffeinate and drive 4 hours up the road, and I—apple in hand—head up to blog in the bathroom until 8 when I wake my team.

We leave our hotel in what Ed calls the “riot zone” and meet up with the Mustached team down the way at a Hampton Inn. They will be picking up Keith (my Heroes!) so we can zoom up the road and catch FinishStrong (we are in hot pursuit as I type). They’re talking about the switchbacks that Ron, Jana, Vince, Donna and Beth are riding.

“You have to trust your rubber,” Tedd says. It’s Joey’s saying, but it’s been passed down and around. Just trust the process. Trust your support. It’s what happens when Anne completes her first shift—in the dark, going downhill. It’s what happens when Keith falls asleep in a random hotel hoping that he won’t be left behind. It’s what happens you fly down switchbacks in a mini peleton knowing your teammates have your back.

–kelly

(p.s. I am on my third coffee. To any of my govie students, if you can keep track of my caffeine intake, I will do the pushups to pay for it.)

Team OCC found a nice transition point after the 6 pm-9pm shift, had our “hurts so good massage,” and crammed ourselves back into the vehicle to drive to our next transition point…which found us driving through torrential rain, lightening and thunder! Our thoughts were with our fellow cyclists as Jerry, Kerrie and Will were white-knuckling, and Barry and myself were trying to pretend we had blue skies & butterflies!  Along the way we stopped at the Waffle House and met a young lady who wanted to remember her grandfather who died of cancer.  The Holiday Inn Express in Manchester, TN was very good to Team OCC!  Two rooms for the price of one!!  And we are off to meet Team FinishStrong for what looks to be a beautiful noon-6pm shift

Good morning! We arevived in Winchester TN around 230 am  after driving what seemed like hours , most of it in a torrential rainstorm! Jerry, our support took extreme care driving to ensure our safety. Jerry is such an interesting person— he kept theconversation alive through the scary parts of the storm. We enjoyed about 5 hours of sleep and are now preparing to get ready to prep for our noon to six ride. Clear sunny skies await our journey today. Much love and prayers go out to the cancer patients at GHS. They sent a goodie bag with us filled with letters from the patients thanking us for what we do. Thank you for the beautiful words of gratitude. They mean so much to us. Thinking about my dad, Mike Farren, who will undergo surgery  next Tues to get rid of what ‘s left of his tumor. Thinking about Meghan Joseph, who is enjoying her rapid hair growth since her chemo has ended. And thinking about Alan Howard, who is awaiting the start of his chemo treatment. May you know you are with us every moment and we pray for you.

Barry “the buzzsaw” Burden serenaded Jerry and I last night in the room. All is well this morning with bright sunshine and blue skies. Our team got 5 hours sleep’ have eaten breakfast and are repacking. Soon we will kick off to get to our next transition.

(Still sitting on the bathroom floor, not quite as cozy)

Leaving dinner and team FinishStrong, we catch up with the OCC on the way up the mountain. 40 miles of climbing in 3 hours. I hurt for them.

It’s a hi-bye kind of transition, since we found them moments after they pulled over at 9 pm just past Clayton, Ga. Team Handlebar Heroes has already left, but we will see them and their furry staches soon enough!

The others try to prepare Will, also new to our Family, for his first transition massage from me (thanks, guys), but will is not scared of my thumbs, or elbows or knees.

“I don’t care if she uses a sledgehammer,” he says.

Climbing + sitting in a squishy SUV = angry hammies.

To stay awake, we do all sorts of things that would seem questionable to more rested human beings. We swap jokes on the walkies (Why don’t chickens wear pants?), we see how many gummy butterflies we can fit in our mouths and say long words with lots of syllables without choking (ok, maybe that was just me), and we play ACDC as loud as the car speakers will let us (an unimpressive level of 38).

Meanwhile, Team Firefly has co-opted a living room lobby area from the Hampton Inn in Murphy, NC, and seems rested and raring to go. We follow them to transition 3 at the intersection of 64 & 19.

Literally, at the intersection. As in, in the grassy shoulder right there on the road. Whether it was the shadowy figures changing in the darkness, or my butt sticking up in the air while crawling around on someone for their massage, or the very fact that Tedd had to pee and was intending to use Nature’s bathroom….something attracted the state troopers quite quickly.

And I had just been lamenting the fact that I forgot to pack my strap-on headlamp.

The troopers and their bright blue lights hung out with the team the entire transition (perhaps Tedd’s little dance aroused their suspicions), but declined my offer of a massage. They said they had seen us last year too, so when reports came on the radio of an odd caravan, they said to themselves, “well, it must be that time of year again.”

It was getting to be that time of night, so we made plans to get to Cleveland TN, for some sleep. Or, to lie down in a bed in Cleveland, TN, and randomly answer texts form 2:30-6 am.

And now I must go wake my team, and catch up with FinishStrong on the switchbacks.

–kelly

I’m sitting on a bathroom floor in a motel in Cleveland, TN, blogging with the door shut to give Lisa more time to sleep. It’s 7 am, but it feels like the middle of the night still. Leaning up against the tub, I have more legroom here than in the van. I wouldn’t say I’m cozy, but it’s not too shabby.

Now, to retrace the last 12 hours…cucumber massages, state troopers, and hail; oh my.

On the way to our first transition in Westminster, SC, we run off to Anderson to find a blower for Lisa’s camera lens. Apparently there is dust in her lens, and when there’s dust in her lens, then she cusses when editing film later, and when she edits about 3,000 pictures from this ride later and cusses, she….well you know the commercial…she does something horrible and unrelated that she will regret. This Best Buy run is our first unexpected errand. Our first was picking up Ed/Leggs at the airport ride before the send off. It will not be the last.

On the way, we are getting to know each other. Ed is learning how much he loves when Lisa chews loudly, and Lisa is growing quite fond of Ed’s ability to always have a joke handy. From the back seat, I threaten to separate them. We add new words to the English dictionary:

Lisitis: when Ed is ready for Lisa to move from the passenger to the back seat.
Editis: when Lisa is ready to retaliate with more than her “Oh no you didn’t” face.

We retain these words for later, like safe words.

Transitions are rapid-fire throughout the first day, coming every three hours. The first, in an Ingles parking lot, draws the usual head tilts and stares from the locals near enough to pretend they’re not watching. (Isn’t it everyday that you see a massage therapist crawling on top of someone wearing spandex?!) Somehow Lisa’s cucumber slices end up on Ron’s eyes during his massage, giving newbie Vince the idea that we are some sort of traveling spa.

Upon almost being stepped on by Hywel during Donna’s massage, he tells me not to worry, that I’d most likely be agile enough to hop out of his way, while elbowing him in retaliation, meanwhile never missing a beat of my massage. We should experiment with this. But there is no time. “We’re heading back to civilization, otherwise known as Seneca,” he informs me.

On the way into the Applebee’s, a couple leaving gives us a $1 donation. They are both survivors, they say, and that is all the cash they have on them.

Inside, Ron misreads a decorative sign on the wall and shouts out, “Cheers & Applesauce!” It sticks. So we all raise a glass of water (it being a dry county on Sunday) and toast to a first transition completed.

Team Fire Fly rolled out of transition with precision. In no time at all we had a great pace line rolling and at one point all I could here was the swish, swish, swish of the pedal strokes and quiet of the beautiful night. This of course came to an end as we began to make up our own wrap songs and tell the same funny jokes we seem to tell on every ride!
We were informed that it will probably rain soon and we might encounter some storms. As we pressed on I heard the Medic, Kim, shout out a message that we were now heaeded into a red zone on the radar. This was very bad. As the rains came and the winds blew, I began to think of my friends who all told me before I began this journey…You’ve Got This!
The rains were so heavy that our average of 16-18 miles per hour dropped to 5 miles per hour with minimal visibility and almost no breaks because our wheels were swimming in water.
I just kept thinking, ” You’ve  got this” much like cancer patients that head into battle to fight Cancer.
The Medics pulled us off the road with 20 mins left for safety. The storms have now passed and two more teams are safely on the road. I am off to sleep now, but I want all those fighting Cancer to remember….”You’ve Got This!”. Good Night!

Thanks to all who showed up for the send off this afternoon. Team Finish Strong had a great first round. We made it to Westminster around 50 miles. We have been able to see OCC and Handlebar Hero’s on their segments. Thought about my buddy, Marty Bain, and his mother who just passed from cancer, Carolyn. Pray for Marty through this difficult time. Also, thought about little 5 year old Lucy battling cancer. It just doesn’t seem fair for a little one to have to battle such a terrible disease. We are still on the road at 11:15 in route to a hotel to get a few hours sleep. Back on the bike at 6 am for a lot of climbing. Until tomorrow!

Great first shift for Occ! Thanks to all who came out to the Sendoff today. We climbed a lot tonight but are looking forward to our next shift. The support staff has been amazing. Rest well, ride well, Barry the Care Bear!!

Team OCC had the 6-9 PM ride tonight after an emotional send off at GHS. It was fantastic to see so many friends and family. It was hard leaving my family behind but the cause we are cycling for is worth it.

After leaving GHS, our team went to Barry “the Fed X guy” Burden’s house for pasta and pizza. The meal was awesome but we all tasted peppers for the next 3 hours!

Miss Kim made our ride even better by sagging for us! The ride itself was extremely hilly. I think we had about 1/2 mile of flat road. Everything else was uphill! Everyone did fantastic and we made good time and distance.

Shift one coming up. We are ready! Midnight to 3 am…. Western NC mountains.. I am fueled by the kind, heartfelt words of cancer survivors in the Moving On program at the GHS Cancer Center… They prepared wonderful goody bags, filled with cookies, note cards, water,etc… So cool !!!

Team Firefly will ‘light up the night’ to honor Moving On.. Dawn, Tom, Jeni, Lauren, and I are ready to roll…

Stopped at Barry & Kim Burden’s house for some fuel before our 6 pm ride!!

The send off was amazing as usual. Even though this is my third time on this journey, I can’t help but get a little misty eyed at the thought of what we are about to do, but more importantly – what it means for our warriors and for all our friends and family members who are battling cancer. I sit here with a heavy heart, riding along in HAL – our home for the next week – thinking about my good friend Jennifer and her mother, affectionately known as Mumsy. Mumsy is battling pancreatic cancer. Mumsy – my team, The Handlebar Heroes, will be on the road from 9pm ’til midnight. I send you prayers of peace and comfort.

Sincerely,
Martha Laura

Here we are, in the van again, following cyclists at 14 mph, honking and waving and being just obnoxious in general, looking at maps sideways and upside down, as if that will make things clearer somehow. Seems like no time at all has passed since this time last year when we headed out from the Cancer Center on our way to Texas. The only difference is that we’re running on at least a little sleep, and we haven’t started calling each other endearing names yet.

It’s somehow fitting that this Ride to Austin began with a grammatical question.

“Leggs is driving us,” I texted Lisa, our photographer and my van mate. “Or is it Leggs ARE…?”

Ron, our ride director, had just informed me that Ed Hernando, known as Leggs for his shapely appendages, would be our chauffeur this year. Ed, who recently suffered a bike/car collision, had just been cleared to walk and didn’t want to miss the trip this year. He had been scheduled to pedal for his 5th year. Instead, he will be trapped in our roving massage/photog van for the adventure of his life. Welcome aboard.

Lisa Carpenter is a second year. Once again, she will be hanging out of car windows shooting cyclists on roads from South Carolina to NC to Louisiana to Texas. Only this year she knows what she’s getting herself into. This will be my third year massaging sweaty cyclists around the clock in church parking lots and under bridges and on the star-lit Natchez Trace. And blogging.

In what was part pep talk and part something else, my mother requested that this year my blog be devoid of “scorchers,” so that she could follow from home without having a heart attack. To my mom, and everyone else reading at home: I’ll do my best, but sometimes things just happen. Since my van is the only team that sees the action and interaction between all the teams every 6 hours, the aim of my blog is to provide continuity to the trip and a peephole into the bizarre road trip-emotional journey-logistical nightmare that it ends up being.

“Adults doing strange things,” BW dubs the Ride.

When he calls to give me my real pep talk, I’m standing at the top of the hill at the Cancer Center, watching everyone roll in and load up the vans. Riders, drivers, medics, and friends—all in neon yellow Challenge to Conquer Cancer jerseys—greeting like it’s a family reunion. And it is. I call them my second family. Thanks to BW, a lymphoma survivor and my best friend, I now have oodles of these crazy aunts, uncles, moms, dads, and brothers and sisters that do not share any of my DNA, except the gene that makes you want to jump on a bike and pedal halfway across the country in the name of kicking cancer’s butt.

One of them, Jeni Schumacher, is telling a TV reporter behind my van about the Family—how they welcomed her in the beginning like one of their own, and how each new member to the team is instantly absorbed into the group. How they support her through the ugly moments. How they make her feel like a human being in the midst of treatment, instead of a science experiment. And how they make her feel less like a “cornball.”

A few minutes later, 21 cyclists, 7 drivers, 2 medics, 1 photographer, and myself are rolling out. We may all be cornballs. But we’re in it together. And we’re doing it for those who can’t.

Next stop: transition #1, in an Ingles parking lot in Westminster, SC.
-Kelly

The day is finally here! We will be heading to the GHS Cancer Center in a matter of minutes to get ready to go!! I’m so excited about this journey we are about to take. Thank you so much to all of our generous friends who helped us raise over $9,000 for cancer research! We wouldn’t be where we are without you. Thank you to Ron and Jennifer for creating this incredible experience and for becoming some of our dearest friends. Thank you to all of my fellow P3C3 family who have encouraged me to do this and told me that I can! Love to you all!

It’s here, today is the day we begin the final leg of our journey. There has been many sleepless nights leading up to today but I am ready (almost, except for the packing part) to go. I have so many people to thank for helping me organize this ride that I know I will leave many people out but you know you are appreciated. First, Jeni for all your help on the flights, racks, matching fund, etc, etc. Anne for being the liaison between the warriors and our group. We have a great group of warriors again this year and they wouldn’t know a thing about what is going on without your help. Tedd and JD for all the adventurous training routes and hills you had us climb to be ready for today. Joey for helping again on the route and everything. Your not as bad as everyone says you are. All our donors. This ride would not be possible without you. All the riders and support this year. It’s going to be another great year. Most of all, my wonderful family. You have put up with me being gone training, missing games and xc meets, my grumpiness these last couple of weeks and you always smiled and gave me big hugs. I will miss you this week. Thank you thank you thank you. I guess I better go shave my legs and pack.

I scrubbed my gears. I scrubbed my bike. I scrubbed the bathtub. I vacuumed the floors. We washed all of the dirty laundry and did the dishes and Hywel cooked a week’s worth of meals for Grampy and Timmy. I found the GPS. My bags are packed with lots of warm cycling gear to ensure warm weather that will make it completely unnecessary. I have suture and antibiotics and antiseptic and Ace wraps so that nobody will get sick or injured. I loaded some tubes with Perpetuem Paste and tipped in more cocoa powder than I intended to do. Can we start now????

We are almost 24 hours before we leave on our adventure. I am excited! Packing today trying to make sure I do not forget anything. Yesterday, a group of us went down to Georgia to pick up our support vehicles and then we all met at Joey’s shop to put the roof racks and decals on the vehicles. It was great to see eveyone working together to get everything done. We work very well as a team.

Please come down to the Cancer Center tomorrow @ the GHS campus on Faris Road around 2pm to see us off. Thank you to all who have donated to this cause. We would not do this without your donations. Let’s roll!

Only two days to go before the ride rolls from Greenville Hospital System’s Cancer Center. We picked up the vans that will be shuttling the teams and their bikes to and fro today and spent the afternoon attaching roof racks, team stickers and caution signs. The venerable support bus was given a once over and scrubbed clean by some very industrious children. There’s a building excitement in the air as the clock counts down…

The checklist is nearly complete:

Training … Check
Fundraising …Check
Thank You Notes … Check
Label my underwear … check
Packed … Check
Arm Warmers Labeled … Check
Magnets Completed … Check
Relax … Not Happening

My excitement level continues to build as we get closer to blast off. Work this week has been almost unbearable and time has gone by so slowly. Now that the week is nearly finished I can see the finish (start) line.

As time for starting gets near, I am trying to make sure my focus is on the core of our ride … kicking cancer in the a@#%. I want to make sure I am reminded that we are doing this to help cure a disease that affects so many.

So, tomorrow we collect the team vans and get them ready. Saturday will be last minute packing and supply hunting and Sunday is the big day! Time to check this blog and make sure it’s working…

As I sit here this Monday morning, we are only 6 days away from leaving on our journey to Austin, TX. I am really blessed to be a part of this great cause. I started writing the names of those I will be praying for on my arm warmers this morning (picture above). Some have already passed to cancer, some fighting cancer, and some cancer survivors. This is the real reason we all take on this challenge. Sure, we love the challenge of riding close to 400 miles in 41/2 days, but the most important reason is to raise money for CANCER research to hopefully eliminate this terrible disease one day. We all will be praying for those who are battling cancer during our ride, and I ask you to keep them in your prayers as well. If you would like for me to add someone’s name to my arm warmers, please post a response here and let me know their name and if it will be in “Memory or Honor” of this person. Below are the cancer warriors that have been nominated this year. Please keep them in your prayers as well.

Our warriors going to Austin:
Laura Smith – Landsdale, PA – nominated by Lauren Skelton
Bob Akin – Greenville, SC – nominated by Judy Jerina Bagley
Alan “Big Daddy” Howard – Greenville, SC – nominated by Ron Jerina and Kerrie Sijon
Scot Todd – Mansfield, OH – nominated by JB Ballenger (Jeni Schumacher’s brother) – Scot’s wife Cherrie will join him in Austin
Pam Lassiter – Greenville, SC – nominated by Renee Zeiger
Gil Morris – Greenfield, NH – nominated by Jeni Schumacher

Our warriors not able to join us in Austin:
Ashley Hart – Hickory, NC – nominated by Amy Pelley
Lori Mauldin – Greenville, SC – nominated by Justina Scalise
Andi Hopkins – Greenville, SC – nominated by Donna Carver

We rode at night for the first time on Friday night. It was so surreal, but so was the conversation I had with a precious client on Saturday morning. This was the second visit to River Falls Spa for Jenny Bright. I remembered her sweet smile and that her first visit was from wining a gift card from an Auction at the Sip-N-Safari . As she checked in she asked me if I was Lauren. I said yes and she immediately told me that she knew that I was riding in the Peloton from Greenville to Texas. She told me that her husband is a warrior and they had the opportunity to go to Texas last year but could not go again this year because her husband’s treatment were taking place at the same time as the ride. Her husband Tim has stage 4 Colon Cancer and he was diagnosed just weeks after their wedding. Wow. I just stood there stunned and then felt blessed to have the chance to make this connection with her on this day. She is a warrior for Anne and Tedd Garner and I am proud to ride for them too. You are in my thought and prayers and we will ride harder to do all we can to conquer cancer. To my new friend Jenny – we will be cheering you on Jenny and Tim – and we know you are with us on our ride.

I can’t believe a week from right now my team, the Handlebar Heroes, will be about to hop on our bikes for our first shift! I am getting so excited about this adventure beginning! The night ride Friday night was incredible and I am so glad that I didn’t let my nerves convince me to not do it. Trust me…they were trying I had never ridden in the dark, so it was a pretty daunting thing to me. That ride made me feel a lot better about what I’m about to do, giving my confidence a necessary boost.

Although I’ve participated in this ride twice before, I have always gone as a team manager. It’s going to be different this time…going as a rider ! A lot of the veterans say that being a rider is the easy part; being a team manager is the hardest job. I’m not sure I buy that, but I’ll be a better judge in about 12 days! I LOVE my team and know that we are going to have a blast as we pedal across the southeast, conquering cancer the best way we know how! Stay tuned to this blog over the next 2 weeks. Based on previous years, it will blow your mind!

I am totally stoked about the start of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer 2012. The training is over and my bags are already half packed. As the days tick away, my thoughts are beginning to turn to how best to honor the warriors I am riding for.

Our night ride was Awesome! We rode well together as one big team. It was very surreal too…watching the riders in front of me made me feel like I was watching a movie…then I realized…I am in this movie! Really cool! I think I am just about ready for Austin! Let’s Roll!

We had a great training ride this morning in the dark at 5:30. A great ride up and over Paris Mountain. I am feeling stronger now and we worked on our pace line – in the dark! Great teamwork! We have one week to go. I am thinking everyday about those going through so much fighting Cancer. Riding this morning we could see homes starting to light up as people began to start their day. I prayed that everyone we passed this morning was healthy. I pray that those we ride in honor of are healthier every day! As each team trains we have to also remember that it takes all fives teams to get us to Austin. We have to believe in each other and support each other all the way! We can do this – Go Teams Go!!!

Everyone is getting excited about leaving for Austin, TX. We are now 10 days away. Over the past week we had a cookout and informational meeting at Ron’s house. It was great to have everyone in one place and to meet people that I had not met yet. Team Finish Strong has been training hard together with Paris Mountain repeats, long Saturday group rides and working together on our pacelines. This is going to be a great journey. I am really looking forward to it. Please come see us off on Sunday, October 14th and the Cancer Center @ GHS off Faris Road around 2:15 pm.

I am very excited, nervous, and proud to be a part of this team! I am riding this ride for so many people especially in honor of a great friend – Laura Smith!  She is one of our warrior’s and one of the coolest people I know!  I feel like I am becoming a part of her circle of friends too! I can hear them cheering us on – Go Team!

I am honored and blessed to ride this ride with the love of my life!  So let the training continue tomorrow morning with a ride over Paris Mountain – 5:30am. Let’s Roll!!!

This is my first year to participate in the Challenge to Conquer Cancer. I have made a lot of new friendships with some awesome people. I look forward to continuing to grow our relationships over the years to come. A few weeks back, teams were developed and this year I am on Team Polka Dot. Our team has been training together for the last few weeks often putting in around 150 -200 miles a week. With Team Polka Dot, our route this year will include a lot of climbing. Team Polka Dot has been doing a lot of training on Paris Mountain and weekend group rides that include a lot of climbing. I believe we are ready for the SC, GA and Tenn mountains. I have been told from past participants that this Challenge will be a life changing event from the both the emotional and physical prospective. I am ready for this challenge!! Thank you to all who have donated to this cause benefitting CANCER research. Team Polka Dot…Live Strong – Finish Strong!

So here it is, September, 2012, and we are less than 3 weeks from the 2012 version of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer bike ride. If you are reading this, you have some notion about just what this ride is all about. This is my 4th ride in 5 years, and I am getting just as excited about it as I have for each year. I still remember the one year I could not go and I remember tears welling up in my eyes as the team departed that year. What changes have happened that make this year special? First and foremost, I am riding on a team with my true love!!!! Lauren Skelton made the commitment to ride, and she and I are on Team FireFly with Jeni and Tom Schumacher. Our team mom will be Dawn Williams. Because of the new meaning of riding with the one you love, and the connection each one of us has to cancer, this ride promises to be extremely eventful! We will begin on October 14, at about 2:30 pm-ish. Come see our departure at the GHS Cancer Center on Faris road!

Checking out the 2012 blog.

To say I’m exhausted doesn’t even begin to explain how I feel.  I should be sleeping but instead my mind is racing and my heart is bouncing between full and heavy.

I’ve struggled all day to concentrate on tasks for work and yet now my mind is racing back over the last week.  There are so many great memories…..too many to list and ones I will never forget.  The ones that stand out the most for me tonight are hearing some of our warriors speak at the banquet.  Hearing their stories through trembling lips of remembered agony of hearing diagnoses and joys of revelations of the important things in life had me in tears that night and again tonight.  Walking the 5k with them and knowing that was no small task for some of them was inspirational.  They are beacons of light in what sometimes feels like a dark and stormy world.  They give life perspective as to what’s truly important.  They show me blessings I know are there but take for granted at times.  They make me smile through tears and give me strength.

My regret is that there weren’t more days and my body didn’t possess more energy to spend more time with each warrior individually.  Saturday after the 5k walk while at Mellow Johnny’s for the second of what would be three times to get gifts, I hit a wall like I’ve not hit in years.  To say I couldn’t think is more than an understatement.  I honestly didn’t think I would get back to the hotel before I fell asleep.  My intention was to lay down for an hour.  Three plus hours later I finally was awakened by a phone call.  Now mind you I had missed five earlier calls and several texts.  My phone was screaming and I was not conscious.   I’m not sure why this year was far more exhausting than what I remember of last year.  I had made a vow to myself that this year I would be more present and take it all in.  Laying here tonight and thinking back over the week, I’m not sure that’s physically possible….at least for me.  There is so much to do and so little time and a deficit of energy to compound the matter.  So as I lay here feeling like I failed at what my intentions were, I’m reminded it was one weekend.  While coming days won’t be in Austin, I hope I can be blessed with more times to spend with my C3 family and our warriors.  Love you all!!

I am truly amazed and astonished at the strength and energy our warriors possess!  They are truly inspirations!  I pray for their source of strength to forever be in abundance and their health to get better and better.  I’m devoted to them and to this ride to fight cancer but would love it if someday I just ride to ride because there isn’t a need to fight cancer any longer.  Hope God heard that……………

The Top 20 reasons why I will always participate in the Challenge
20. I get smarter:
I learn new words like Cartilager
Crossword puzzles actually can be solved in 8 hours
What not to do on the Trace – Mark H.
What happens when you run your wheel through animal poo
How many bottled waters does it take to shower and brush your teeth. (9)
Slayer has a new meaning and makes me smile instead of squishing my face so I look like a cabbage patch doll
Who has the fastest phone…. Ron

19. Funny stories and happenings- a lot of funny stories. When you are sleep deprived, hungry, and well….. not very clean, you will say anything to make anyone laugh, even if it means throwing yourself under the bus… Not sure Ron will ever be the same after the CARscares. Someone please play with Jeni. Did someone turn off the air back here. Where did Martha Laura and Ashley go? Are they still in the back?

18. Natchez Trace is an amazing place to pray and to feel one with God. You find yourself being held by God’s hands the entire ride. The trace is like a giant hug enveloping your body. The trace makes you feel like you really are loved by your team, by God and the energy that comes off the trace carries you through many many miles.

17. Because I like the recovery beverages, even if I haven’t exercised

16. Snuggling for 5 days straight- sometimes for more than 5 hours

15. No Cell phone reception can actually be a good thing:
It allows you to hug your kids that much harder when you see them
It also allows you to hug your husband even tighter then you normally would when you see him after a looooong sweaty shift of cycling and he doesn’t care…..
It allows you to focus on things like your team mates and what they are experiencing
It allows you to recharge your love for your work.
You think about brushing your teeth more- it was a 10.5 hour day in the van…..what can I say

14. I learn things about myself that I didn’t know before:
How long I can bite my tongue…… 10hours and 33 minutes.
Again, how many bottled waters it takes for a shower
That I can pee anywhere
That I can actually travel 10.5 hours in a car and not go crazy if I skipped my meds
Too much chips and salsa= a long time in a small room with a sink. And they don’t taste good the second time around when on a bike.
I can be as small as I want
That I can pedal when I don’t want to pedal
I can exfoliate in a van
Baby Wipes really do feel refreshing

13. I can get a great AB workout in the Van

12. I feel like a kid in the car instead of an adult.

11. I love seeking out new adventures with close friends

10. People do Crazy Funny things that you would never in a million years expect to see them do normally.

9. It brings out the good in everyone.

8. The Challenge is contagious, infectious, inspiring, empowering, and it gives you a sense of peace, and warm fuzzies when strangers come up and tell you a story….. and then thank you for riding the ride.

7. Because I am using my God Given Talents to give back to others.

6. I have an excuse not to eat healthy

5. Because I like to climb:
Mountains
Cars
Stairs
Into fountains
Statues
Monuments
Cars
Over, Under, around and through
….. and I never thought I would say I like to climb

4. I get to use a walkie talkie

3. I get a free massage almost every day

2. Because it makes a difference- an honest to goodness difference. Strangers thank you for making a difference and you know in your heart, your mind, and your body that you are doing the right thing……. When a stranger hands you $60 after you just finished riding your last leg on Highway 7 and you wanted to quit 30 minutes before that. Having strangers thank you ….. Having strangers thank you, having strangers thank you……

The number one reason why ……. Well of course it is going to be a good one:

Watching Krista dance with her husband and the smile they had on each other’s faces when 1 year and 1 week ago she was given 2 weeks to live….. and because now she CAN ride…. And I CAN ride, and all those that I honored on this ride that are dealing with the effects of this disease and….. I know for every right foot that goes around that pedal… I am investing my sweat and my leg’s to help change the direction of cancer….. That someday I may not ever need to say….. I can’t ride in the sun, or I can’t ride because of my surgery, or that I have lost a loved one or a friend has lost a loved one.

Last year it was accepting the card I have been dealt with for me and my daughter, the year before it was about honoring my father, The first year, it was all about meeting amazing people who truly believe in you, who care what happens to you, who want to see you beat this disease, and who do not judge you on your looks, the level of cancer you have.

This year it was about watching someone else cross the finish line when she thought she would never be on a bike, in Texas, with her husband, and having a team full of people cheering her on every…..step….. of the way…….. Seeing her beautiful smile, listening to other warriors and their cry for hope and their shouts of joy for their accomplishments in their battle. This year, it was about them, not about me….. not about my family and our battle, it was about pushing that behind me, and seeing what the TEAM sees when we honor a warrior. It was about getting to learn more about a person, deeply, truly and telling them DO NOT GIVE UP. It doesn’t matter how old you are or how young you are. What matters to us is knowing we care, we want to see you pull through and not let cancer define you. Empower yourself, get moving, feel good again, and let us help you in any way possible.

Thank you Austin, Thank you Ron and Jennifer, Thank you C3 family, and most important thank you to all of you how have supported this ride, I wish we could take you on the journey when we ride so that you can see how much heart and soul is poured into making this happen. If it were not for the supporters we could not be out there spreading the message. I am sure I have a few more blogs in me…. But until then, continue reading…. Many of us are living off of less than 3 hours of sleep per day for the past 9 days….. so our thought process is a little slack.

Ps
I Love you twins, Thank you Karen and Mark and Nina for taking care of our precious little girls. Thank you to all of my family and friends who asked how they can help.

Krista and TC at the LiveStrong Dinner Saturday Night 2011

Well, I probably let everybody down if they were expecting to read my blogs. It’s tricky to do on a cellphone from the rumbleseat of a moving vehicle over bumpy roads when reading gives you motionsickness and the most comfortable seating arrangement involves propping one foot at a time on the ceiling. Seriously, the most difficult part of this ride was the time we had to spend sitting still. That was made easier by the wonderful attitudes of all of my teammates. I could not have asked for a better group of brave companions for this journey. Our second day began on the Natchez Trace @ 6am in the dark. That was just a bit tricky since we had very little experience riding together as a team and didin’t know what to expect from one another. In the dark, it was difficult to keep track of how we were doing working together. After sunrise and a brief meeting of minds, that got easier. The day was misty and beautiful. Temperatures could not have been better for me.  We watched the moon set in the West, but the sunrise was hidden by the trees and clouds.  We rolled merrily along with frequent breaks for photographs. Toward the end of our shift, the rain grew a bit heavier, but it was never unpleasant. We transitioned with the polka dots around noon and tidied up for our turns on the massage table with Kelly, perhaps the most popular person on the ride.  Then we headed off to find some lunch and a hotel. While our incredible team mom and dad, Sally and Dave, were watching the laundry go round and round, I made a foray for some chocolate milk.  Sally and Dave take wonderful care of us.  I don’t know how they do it.  That has to be one of the hardest jobs in this project, and they do it so very well.  I feel loved!

Wednesday, after much deliberation about rendezvous points, we set out at noon.  The air was hot, the roads were bumpy, dusty, and edged with cotton flotsam.  Just about the time I was beginning to feel the toll of the heat and the fierce headwind, the air cooled, and the rain relieved us of our fatigue.  It poured!  Some of my team mates saw hail.  I enjoyed every minute of it.  Rivers of runoff gushed across the road in front of us.  I suppose it delayed us a bit, but it definitely made the ride more friendly to my physiology.  We transitioned with our buddies, the Polka Dots @ 6:00pm, and loaded up for some dinner at a place called, “the Landing.”  I had the alligator, blackened.  It tasted like chicken, but with more bite  The grain was much coarser, and the texture considerably more chewy, but not tough.  I also had some crawdad etouffee, except with little accent marks over the first and second e’s, only I don’t know how to do that on the computer, so you will have to pencil them in on your screen.  It was very tasty and nearly covered the flavour of the  slightly brackish water that accompanied the meal.  Note to self:  carry bottled water through Louisiana next year.

Thursday around 6:00pm Keith and Justina joined us on our short ride in to Austin.  It was fun to have them along for the ride.  We took a different route than the rides of previous years to minimize interaction with rush hour traffic.  I think it worked out quite well.  We rolled through beautiful countryside.  Many of the roads have longitudinal fissures snaking along the right side and to the center of the lane with some pronounced step-offs, so we had to be cautious.  We were.  Our team worked together, and we suffered no mishap.  Alright, I kind of spun along in my own little world up front, and they just let me play for a while.  It felt good.  Thanks for understanding, Team Livelong.  Then, we regrouped to get our night lights and rode into Austin in a proper double pace line to the enthusiastic cheers of our team mates.

Next year, I hope we can recruit a team of more relaxed riders to balance the pace of the enthusiastic riders.  We need five.   The greatest challenge this year was trying to adjust the transition points forward since all of the teams rode faster than anticipated.  Our support staff really had to scramble to recalculate our hotel locations and transport times.  We added in some doubling back and extra loops so that our little team would get our last ride in.  I do appreciate all the effort that went into that, by the way.  ”Bringing it Home” was quite the honor.

What that last blog was supposed to say was that I had to look up “peloton” in Dictionary.com back in May when I did the Stars and Stripes Challenge. Now, I’m seeing pelotons all over the place. I saw a huge peloton of bats leaving from under the bridge over the Colorado River. Not a one of them overlapped wheels or went down. They were all in perfect form!

I did the “Livestrong Challenge” ride in Austin on Sunday. I finished 5 or 10 minutes ahead of Lance, and he had a head start. Never mind that I only did the 45 mile route, and he did the 65 or 90…possibly more than one lap… The hardest part was clearing enough cow dung out of the cleats so that I could clip in at the start.

Somehow the week has flown by and driving, sleeping, and eating took top priority over blogging. I wish I had been more diligent- there is always next year! 

I keep going over two visual images in my head as I think back over the week. On Tuesday, team dots rode the noon to six shift on the Natchez Trace. It was a beautiful day and the Trace is a great road for riding. We tried not to disrupt traffic too much so Jennifer and Keith took the bus on up the road and I got to ride behind the team. It was so awesome to watch them work together as a team. They protected one another from the wind and shouted encouragement when they were feeling tired. My heart was so full thinking about these five people that were out on the road for me and everyone else battling cancer. The team was successful only because they worked together, just as cancer patients need their team around them to successfully  beat this horrible disease. I loved watching my team be a team.

The other picture that keeps coming to mind and putting a smile on my face is from our last shift. The team rode from six to midnight on Wednesday as we made our way from Louisiana to Texas. As the sun started to set, the sky exploded in beautiful colors. I was driving in front of the team when JD came on the walkie talkie to say that the riders were dedicating the sunset to Jennifer and I for helping them during the week. I love sunsets, they may be my favorite part of the day. The team could not have known that I was mid conversation with God thanking him for each of my dot teammates and for gifting us with such an amazing sunset to ride into. The team’s show of gratitude in making that dedication was overwhelming to me as I believe it is I who need to show my overwhelming gratitude to them. They let a non-cyclists come on this trip and welcomed me on to the team with open arms. I will forever be grateful.

All week, as excited as I have been to be on this journey with wonderful new friends, I have felt incomplete in a small way. Anne and Tedd Garner, my friends who are really more like family are the ones who introduced me to p3c3 last year when I was a warrior for their team. They could not make the trip this year due to other responsibilities in Greenville and there were times this week, I just needed one of them to be with me. They are such a vital part of my own support team and not talking to them multiple times a day was a hard thing to get used to. When we arrived at the Embassy Suites in Austin yesterday, we had our big group celebration and all of the teams took pictures (polka dots climbed in the fountain for ours!) I went up to the room with Martha Laura and Ashley so we could change clothes and meet people in the lobby to go to lunch and the LiveStrong expo. We walked out our door and I looked down to the lobby to look for our group. I saw Scott and Robin talking to someone who looked a lot like Tedd but I knew it couldn’t be him because we had been texting and he was at work! I looked again and saw Anne. And then I lost it. All of the emotions of the week took over. My two wonderful friends knew that I needed them here this weekend, that they needed to be part of the celebration that this weekend symbolizes for me, so they orchestrated the best surprise I have ever had. The elevator could not carry me down four floor fast enough. I, the self proclaimed non hugger of the group, could not wait to hug the crazy Garners. With them here, everything was finally right. The feeling that something was off, that something was missing vanished and I could not wipe the smile off my face. 

I left an assignment for my creative writing class that I cannot wait to talk to them about when I get back to Greenville. I asked them to write a six word memoir. As I have spent my six hours in the car by myself driving across the country I have thought a lot about what my own six word memoir will be. It is not an easy task and I kept wondering if I should extend it to a ten word memoir. Six words does not leave room for rambling and the words must be thoughtfully and purposefully chosen. And so, this is what I have come up with, at least this memoir covers the last year- 
scars add character, cancer didn’t win.

There are cow statues everywhere here in Austin, kind of like the mice on main, only bigger, and not mice. They all appear to be cows, no bulls. Hmmm.

So, we were walking down 6th street looking for ice cream when I saw a penny lying on the sidewalk. I didn’t pick it up. I wonder what all of these mysterious splash marks are?…

At last, I found some chocolate milk! Now to find a section of wall with no starlings directly above.

Well, I tried to blog on my cellphone, but even sitting still, it is quite a challenge! So, I saved it as a draft to complete when I have access to a real keyboard. This program is…frustrating, to put it politely.

My story.  
Many of the C3 group know Jeni very well.  But you may not know my story as well or how I got into cycling and running.  I will attempt to  tell that story, ( sorry if it’s a little long)
I have never been a real fitness fanatic, hard to believe being married to Jeni Huh?  Quite the contrary.  As my long time friends and Frat brothers  can attest, my normal breakfast consisted of Marlboro Lights and Mt.dew.  Yes I was a smoker for 23 yrs.  When Jeni and I got married, I kept setting dates when I would quite, when we had kids, when they were old enough to understand what smoking was, when I took a new job,etc,etc.  Each date came and went with no action, until Nov 2005 on a family vacation to Disney.  While there the twins (6 at the time) threw some money in the wishing well.  When I asked Morgan what she wished for she told me “that you would quit smoking so that you can walk me down the aisle someday”.  (I still think Jeni had something to do with that). I can hardly say or read that today without crying.  So my journey began in Jan 2006 when I smoked my last Cigarette with a promise… Girls, I WILL be there for you!
Move forward 3 hrs to Dec 2009.  While visiting a frat brother, Yogi.  He challenged me to a 1/2 marathon in Dec 2010.  I took the challenge and complete my first 1/2 at Kiawia island.  Then I ended up running another one him in May 2011.   As far as cycling, I had always envied Jeni and the relationships she had with the C3 group.  I saw her passion for the group and it’s cause grow into what it is today.  I wished I had the strength to do that.  Then one day at Ride-on (local bike shop) one year anniversary   we won a bike.  That got me started cycling.  In May 2011 I started thinking I might be able to do the C3 ride someday.  With alot of training, encouragement and inspiration  here I am in Texas having just completed riding 308 miles in 4 days..someday has arrived.  Hard to believe what the body can do with proper training.
  I encourage anyone out there who wants to live healthier and feel better to get up and start.  It all begins with the first step, and only you can do it.  But it can be done!  I am living proof of that!

O my goodness gravy…. so when you have to ride in a wicked uncomfortable van for 10.3 hours you come up with some pretty creative ways to take your mind off of your ADD and wanting to bolt through the van door and just run to the stupid hotel….

A BLOG from Sandman- Jeff to home

Bike ride is great! I like all my mates on my team. I have become very close with two bikes in a pod with our Dream Maker who has a tired personality and is never without a story from the Natchez Trace. He tells really dark stories which make all of us delusional out loud. I have to stop blogging soon. I know I promised a long bike ride today, but this morning I washed my cycling shorts and cleats and put them out to dry on the van’s iPhone. It looks like it is getting ready to rain cats and Hamdamboogers (pink panther voice). I better get off my possum and get my stars off the moon before I run out of my foggy underwear. I promise to Facebook my wheels off before my bottom hits the pillow tonight…. or tomorrow…. or maybe i will write next Friday.

Your Loving GU maker,
Jeff, AKA Sandman
Thanks Dream Team for another fun filled day in the van… does anyone know how hard it is to sit in a van for 10.5 hours with ADD? OMW…. You have know idea if you don’t have ADD….. it was torture… my teamy’s are the bestest ever… o wait I already said that one time before.. ok wait, ahhhhhh
MY TEAM ROCKS!

It’s 7:53 am on Texas Hwy 7 when I started this post. The moon is hanging heavy and silvery in the sky ahead, and behind the sun is crawling out of it’s foggy covers and into a pink sky. The trees look like dusty skeletons. The Dream Team pace line is skimming the shoulder, expertly avoiding road kill and pot holes. Aside from the DA (dead animals-Jeni), it is picture perfect.

Picturesque; however, late. Sunrise SSS supposed to be at 7:32 am, Lisa tells us. (I tell her she’d be better off following th Dalai Lama’s Tweets.)

In lieu of rigging a makeshift and most likely unsanitary caffeine IV into the flexor muscles of my forearm, I am nursing a coffee from McDs. (Direct tweet to God: please let me never see the Golden Arches again.) Upon request for “a couple of creams and sugars,” the cashier gives me 7 creams and 14 sugars. I promise. I counted. I don’t even know what to say about that, except “is she trying to kill me!?”

So quickly now, before arteriosclerosis and/or diabetes take me out, let’s go back to the 6 pm transition–15 hours, 70 minutes of sleep, and 0 showers ago–somewhere outside Joyce, LA…..

(Lisa wishes to correct me: it’s been 70 minutes of sleep in the past 26 hours. I sit–blogging in a moving van on her iPad–corrected.)

It is the last round of shifts for everyone, which means emotions are, well, emotional. Everyone is pretty much a vulnerable mess of boundary-less raw feeling. In normal, polite society, we would avoid people in this condition, much like deer road kill on Hwy 7, but this is impossible since we are averaging about one cubic inch of personal space per person, and that space is oozing of B.O.
Personally, ew.

In a confessional moment, Taylor admits to taking his girlfriend to a Brittany Spears concert, adding that by doing so he “lost his man card.” Sometimes I think we think we’re giving up our man card by displaying emotions at all. I think the opposite is true; sometimes it takes great strength to be vulnerable, to be “emotional.” I am having a hard time this year not being emotional, altho normally I do pride mysef for being capable of showing up, doing my job, and being professional in the midde of great stress. The last few nights, not so much.

So the Dots start off on their final shift, and we skip out with LiveLong to dinner (alligator tastes like chicken, by the way). When we catch back up, the Dots are 20 miles from the Texas border, which leaves us just enough time for a Juice Run. The gas stations down here sell Juice for cheap, so we grab a few cases and shove them in the cooler. For the sake of the Greater Good (and some very thirsty Dots awaiting), we throw about three lbs of baby carrots out the window to make room.

The Dots make Texas, and the Lemon Bonkers take off.

My ex-boyfriend and best friend used to say, “nothing good happens at 4 in the morning.” Meaning, you can still be having fun at 3 am, or you can be getting a jump on the day at 5, but that 4 o’clock hour is a witching hour where if you’re awake, normally you’re wishing you weren’t. I have agreed with him until now. Beth, Donna, Mark and Mike are pulling the 12-6 am shift In Honor of cancer survivors and those currently fighting it. The 4 am hour is spent calling out names of people who inspire us with their courage and love for life. When everyone else is asleep, 4 lonely voices are shouting name after name at the skies, demanding to be heard. I name my client Margaret (who after being diagnosed with advanced colon cancer is finally going to Paris!) and BW, the man I love who is now in remission from lymphoma. He is the reason I do this ride, and the reason I have all these crazy adopted family members.

Still tho, 4 am is a good hour for sleeping, even if it is for an hour in the van in a baptist church parking lot on the side of the highway. Taylor saves the night by staying with the bus and cheering/running alongside/pushing uphill the bodies and spirits of the Lemons thru their final miles.

We toast their triumph–both in coming together as a team and riding for dozens of loved ones–with more Juice, this time from Mexico.

“I bet this is the craziest gas-up you’ve ever had,” Mike yells out to one of the several locals who pull into the gas station we have chosen for our 6 am transition. The pumps are only open for credit card purchases, and the parking lot is dark. Yes, the man laughs, as he asks about our entourage. “We’re riding our bikes cause we’re raising money to fight cancer and cause we’re Bad-A$$es!” Mike shouts in a triumphant manner. The man at the pump answers with what is becoming the traditional Southern response:

Daaaaaammmmmnn.

In this situation, less is more. Which makes BW’s favorite toast so appropriate…it’s why I do this ride:

“Not Dead Yet.”
Cheers.

For our final shift, we had the honor of bringing the team into Texas. For obvious reasons, this is a big milestone for the team. We are finishing the final legs of the ride today and we’ll reassemble at the hotel on the outskirts of Austin. When Team Livelong rolls in later this evening, everyone should be there to greet them – all the other teams, the Warriors that will arrive during the day today, and family of the riders and team managers. It is obviously an emotional time.

Our shift ran from 6pm to midnight last night. Team livelong had ridden through rain and wind before the weather broke for the final part of their ride. The temperatures were perfect for an evening ride, and we rolled out after hugs with the crew of Livelong.

Our bodies were feeling the effects of the effort from the previous day’s ride along the Natchez trace, so we started out pretty slow. Everyone in their own little world, thinking their thoughts. At one of the very early stops, several spoke aloud for whom they were riding this evening. Others, stayed with their own silent dedications.

We had over two hours with good light before we had to turn on our headlights and taillights. The sunset was really beautiful with a long line of clouds in an otherwise clear sky. Ed proposed we riders dedicate the sunset portion of the ride to Cara and Jen. They have been awesome in taking care of us this ride and we were all happy to dedicate that half hour to them.

We made a number of stops, some quite short, others a bit long such that it took some time to warm up the already fatigued muscles of our legs. I stayed lost in my own world, considering again why I do this ride.

There are a lot of small reasons that sum together to answer that question. In the end, the sum of those answers lies in the simple statement that you may have read in other’s posts, or even on the P3C3 website. Because I can.

But what are some of those smaller reasons that go into that statement? The most obvious and largest part of that equation is because of the millions who suffer the effects of cancer. These folks silently endure physical and emotional pain that I cannot even imagine. They do this with dignity and pride and truly set an inspirational example.

Some parts of that equation are probably very much the same as many others who enjoy volunteering their time to help those who could use a hand. There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that I’ve made some positive impact on the world.

Another part, and perhaps the largest part of the remaining equation, lies in this incredible family I’ve found out here on the road between Greenville and Austin. These folks have taken me in and given me something I haven’t had for a long time – a shared sense of purpose, camaraderie and a sense of family.

All of those parts sum into that statement, although now I’ll modify it to say ‘Because WE can’. WE can make a difference, together.

Life’s journey is not to arrive at the Grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting
” Holy —–… What a ride!”

It’s ten minutes til midnight, and we are racing to the Texas state line, our transition site with the Lemon Bonkers. Three minutes til midnight one, there’s the bridge! Whoops now replace groans, and adrenaline kicks in, replacing sore thighs.

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.

Team Livelong had a great evening in Columbia, TN highlighted by Applebee’s, shopping at the Columbia (dis)Mall, Applebee’s, and DAVE BENHAM’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!  A good night’s sleep for all, with the team having relegated the snorers to a separate room.  (Odd that a 3:45 wake up call seems like a good night sleep… Unless you’re Jeff, who got a wake up call at 1:45.  Sorry.)  We were the beneficiaries of yet another kindness from our hotel staff, who had breakfast ready for us early.  Thank you, Allison and crew!  The teams riding overnight continued to burn up the pavement, putting us nearly 3 hours ahead of schedule, even with an extra loop west of Nashville.  Way to go Purple Power and Dream Team!!!  Six a.m. on the Natchez Trace, saw Purple Power finish with a long descent to cheers from Livelong, who rolled out intent on getting in a full six hours of easy, rolling farmland on the Trace.  The cool morning air and the full moon made for a great ride.  As dawn approached we were once again privileged to see the moon over the Tennessee River, this time with a fantastic moonset.  Clouds kept us from seeing the sun rise over the rolling Alabama farmland, but Lisa Barwick (our photographer extrordinaire and accomplished high school chili-eater) tells us the the soft light made us look great.  After our first break, whereupon it was decided that a pub crawl bicycle ride in Austin would be a good idea, the rain rolled in.  It was a soft cool rain, and, even as it picked up, it only added to the day.  Spirits were high as we began to realize we were going to make Tupelo.  As we reached Tupelo, we were greeted by cheers from above, with Polka Dot having chosen an Overlook as our transition spot.

The Polka Dots gave Keith and the bus a break by riding the wrong way on the Trace for a bit to try to get the group back on pace.  Livelong enjoyed massages and fellowship with Keith, Kelly, Lisa and Taylor, followed by lunch and coffee.  Thanks guys!  See you again soon!  Next stop, Natchez and nothing to do until noon tomorrow.  I think we’ll all enjoy a late start, but maybe we can find some live music tonight…

My posts thus far have been team posts from Livelong.  This one is just from me.  I’m sure that each and every person on this journey has said or will say THANK YOU to the many people that made this ride possible.  This post, however, is a special thank you to my wife.  Without her support (reluctant at first, knowing that the trip would mean a week of single parenting to Henry), I would not be here.  I would not be having my breath taken away every time someone comes up, first asking what we’re doing, then telling us about their connection to and appreciation of this effort.  I would not have made the friendships I have on this trip.  I would not be shocked with how hard stories of fighters and families hit me, whether the fight ended  in triumph or loss.  I would not know that I can sprint up a hill 50 miles into the day just for the joy of getting up and going, and still feel that joy driving me 35 miles later when it really was time to stop for the day.

In short, once again, having you in my life has made a great experience possible.  Thank you.  I can’t wait to see you and Henry.

Once again, Team Livelong added magnets and friends.  In Natchez, we met Cindy and Paula, both of whom are cancer survivors.  We had a great time chatting with them and learning about their experience, and I think they enjoyed finding out about the C3 and its efforts.  After a restful morning, We hooked up with Purple Power to cross the mighty em-eye-ess-ess-eye-ess-ess-eye-pee-pee-eye and had Shannon and Todd join us to finish out their hundred mile day.

Just when the headwind and dusty, post-cotton harvest  highway were starting to wear us down, we were cooled off by a hard soaking rain.  This was no easy drizzle like we enjoyed on the Trace, but a hard, hail-infused downpour through mid afternoon, letting up just as we left Jena, LA.  Cooled off and refreshed from the rain and the attentive support of Sally, Dave and Keith, we hit a great stretch of rollers, each one, just long enough to be a challenge, but none long enough to sap ourt strength.  Looking up and seeing the Livelong Paceline power through the rolling hills of Central Louisiana was exciting and satisfying.  Although there were a couple of sprints, either spontaneous (sprint or sputter) or necessary (LaDoT workers waving us through a one lane construction site), Livelong’s day was one marked by great teamwork.

Due to a slight miscalculation on the transition, We saw the Polk Dots at 5:30.  They were gracious enough to load back up and follow us to Winnfield for a 6:00 transition.   Have a great final ride before Austin, guys!!!  The bookend to our day of new friends and new warrior magnets was meeting Jay and Colin, students at Winnfield Middle School.  They were curious about our ride and ended up telling us about their Assistant Principal, Mr. Grider, who is fighting cancer, and their Grandfather, Red Thompson, who is now cancer free.  We had a great time telling them about our rid and our reasons.

Livelong was once again joined for postride fun, fellowship and dinner by the van o’ love (Taylor, who shows our bikes love; Kelly, who shows our sore, tired muscles love; and Lisa, who is always ready to give the riders some camera love!)  The Landing in Nachitoches, La (pronounced Nak-uh-tish) showed us some love to with delicious creole food and some pretty darn good music (including some solid renditions of Norah Jones and Etta James).

Back from commercial break…

We meet all sorts of people on this trip, some more random than others. In a not so random incident on the way to the noon transition, we met a Mississippi state trooper. He lost his sister and father to cancer. We added two more magnets to our van: Ginny Jones and Milton Sizemore.

We catch the Purple team at their hotel after their noon transition and take picture with the Mississippi River behind them. Altho the weather has been moody for a day (must be on it’s period), right now it is perfect.

We cross over the bridge into Louisiana, which for me symbolizes the beginning of the end of the trip…an endurance test that ends only when the last team pulls into the Austin hotel sometime Thursday afternoon/early evening. Louisiana is also a maze of sorts, meaning everything looks the same to tired eyes, so it’s super easy to get lost. At least last year it was. Turns out, this year too. Sorry Keith, we didn’t mean to hold your Subway sandwich hostage for 3 hours while we found you…

With nothing to do in the car but snack and drink sugary, caffeinated bevies, we sample a few local gas station bathrooms. A handwritten note on one such bathroom door reminds us that “if you enjoy using a clean bathroom, please leave it that way when you’re done.” Mental note: since I also enjoy having actual handles on the sink fixtures, I need to bring extras with me next year. Since LA reminds me of last year, I down a nasty vanilla double shot, like I did last year, and toast to Janelle (my old driver). I will not, however, be rescuing a stray dog, as we did last year, since Ron preemptively said nope.

In a gas station called “Chuck’s,” we meet a native with hardly any teeth. He asks us if we are some of those “crazy cyclists.” Yes?, we say. He gives us $5 for a magnet in honor of his mother: Corinne McBroom. The clerks inform us that they would cycle with us, if they could do so in their boots while smoking.

When we find Team LiveLong, support driver Dave informs us that “happiness is knowing your massage therapist is going to be there.” And she will be for the rest of the trip…because we are Magic. (And because we will be rotating napping/driving shifts. And because we are working on a way to hook up caffeine IVs into our elbows.)

Austin, here we come!
-Kelly

This message brought to you by the Hambasket, in honor of the Yellow Team of 2010. Missing you guys-Tedd, Anne, Robin, and Laurens.

Amazing how a year can seemingly go by so slowly at times and yet now I ask myself “where did it go?”  This is my second year to do the Ride to Austin, and I was determined to enjoy every moment to its fullest.

The sendoff was quite emotional as I listened to Ron speak and looked over to see Kenya standing with her daughter in tears.  I met Kenya just a week or so before last year’s ride.  The story of that can be found in an earlier post here.  I made my way over to her and as I did Ron had asked for Davis, her son, and Ken, her dad, to come stand with him and the rest of our warriors.  I’m so happy they will share this experience together and with their family.  I don’t know how to put into words what they are about to experience.   It is for them, all our past and present warriors, and all those in my life who have had to battle cancer for whom I ride.  My deepest prayer is for better detection, better treatments, and ultimately a cure.  One dollar at a time and one pedal stroke at a time is how this group I call my C3 family will assist in making that come true.

My other Lemon Bonkers have posted about our rides to this point from their perspectives so be patient as I share mine.  Leaving the GHS Cancer Center was exciting and emotional.  As we rode out, I saw Laurens and then Tedd and Anne who were part of my life support on last year’s ride.  The tears were welling up because I already knew how much I was going to miss them.  AND I’VE MISSED THEM.  ALL OF THE 2010 YELLOW TEAM!

Our first shift was 6-9 pm and it would prove to be our most challenging with climbs.  The wind was strong but I felt good.  For night rides we are given safety vests to wear to be more visible to the passing vehicles.  This year’s vests were made for the jolly green giant.  About an hour into the ride, I leaned over to put my water bottle back in its cage.  As I sat up, my handlebars pulled quickly to the right and I knew immediately that no amount of effort was going to keep me vertical.  My vest, which was intended to keep me safe, had ensnarled around my handlebars like a python’s death grip.  I tried to tuck and roll but not sure I accomplished that at all.  Beth has since laughed herself silly saying I looked like I was caught up in a granny nightgown with it stretched over my face and helmet connecting my body and my bike.  Untangling from the safety web proved to need some assistance.  It is very funny now to try to see what I must have looked like from my teammates perspectives.  Keith, our tireless and caring medic butterflied my knee and bandaged me up as I hurried him.  He kept shaking his head and telling me I needed stitches. I rode for about another 30 or so minutes and could feel the butterfly bandages were not going to be enough.  As we came to a traffic signal and had to stop, Taylor who is our mechanic said he could hear a clicking on my bike.  I’m pretty sure everyone knew I needed to stop.  Keith had me back on the bus and soon Jana came on as well.  A needle and 6 stitches later by those two wonderful people and the wound was closed but I was not going to be allowed back on the bike.  Leaving Beth, Mike, and Mark to finish this leg of the ride was killing me.  It’s difficult enough with four and now they were three.   They rocked the remaining hour and half which made me miss being out there with them even more!  I’m not much of spectator.

The next day we had the 12-6 pm shift and honestly I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to ride.  Knees were stiff and sore but I wanted to ride.  I had worried most of the night and kept trying to move my knees as much as possible so they wouldn’t stiffen.  I’m very hesitant to ask God for things for myself but this time was I was begging.  I wanted to ride for my warriors, for my teammates, and yes even for myself.  A few pedal strokes into our shift and I knew I was good.  It was an incredible day….not without its difficulties…but one where I constantly thought of our warriors and their struggles.

Last night we were on the Natchez Trace, the longest flattest road in the middle of nothing but what seems like forest and no civilization.  Last year I was in the dark on this road and this year was in the dark from 6-midnight.  It is an intense ride as I’m not much for the dark in the woods where who knows what is going to jump out at you!  The other intense part is the last hours where we begin saying the names of those who lost their battle to cancer.  In the dark with tears in my eyes asking God why those that are so good had to be taken puts so much into perspective.

I know I’ve used that word a lot in this post…. Perspective.  Well this ride and this group have made me more conscious of not sweating the small stuff.  I love the C3 group more than I can ever make them realize.  I know I have received far more than I can ever give to this group and to this cause.

I’m in the car as I type this heading to our transition for our final leg of this relay….the midnight to 6 am shift.  I’m already sad this is the last one.  Well the last one for this year!  I’m already thinking of how to raise the money for next year.

May God bless our warriors/angels in Heaven, those past and present, and everyone who has been touched by cancer.  Keep all the teams safe on their final 2011 rides and give them the peace to take it all in.  Allow them the open hearts to be filled with the blessings and love they have and will continue to experience with this journey.

In the weeks prior to departure we (need to) install a revolving door. Lots of activity at the Jerina house. Riders and team managers come by to drop off donations or pick up maps or tires or magnets. It is so great to see how excited they are for our journey. We cleaned off our dining room table and it became “command central”. This year Tom S. and Justina came to help mark the route on all the team road maps. It was so great to come together like that prior to the trip-thanks you two. There are lots of last minute details that keep us up and busy and so much running through our minds it’s hard to sleep. So we already practice sleep deprivation before we leave. I packed our boys up and took their bag to Grandma’s on Saturday. We all awoke for church on Sunday – I almost said we shouldn’t go because we had so much to do, but I needed to go hear HIS Word before our departure-so glad we went, as always. Rushed home and packed myself because we were leaving for the hospital at 12:15. Should have packed sooner and checked the weather cause I now know I am going to be hot in Austin wearing jeans and sweaters, perhaps I will have to go shopping?

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

I am not a blogger but I feel the need to express some thoughts and observations. I am relatively new to cycling, this being my first season.  I was introduced to the P3 team through a mutual friend, little did I know how life changing this chance introduction was to become.

I had begun biking for my own health reasons, a mixture of losing weight and therapy, however, the more time I spent around the P3 team the more I saw that these riders were riding for everyone esle, for the people that couldn’t, “because we can” is the expression I hear so often. This amazing group of riders have determination and will power like I have never experienced before and a dedication to a cause that is beyond admirable.

Having first hand experienced the devastation left in the wake of this horrible disease, my wife having lost her young cousin Ellen Gstalder just a couple of years prior, I decided that I wanted to join this battle, because I could. I signed up as a rider and began down the road that ends with this epic journey, dedicating my challenge to Ellen and the huge hole left behind by her absence.

My other team members have already described the first stages of our journey so I will not try to echo what has already been described, but I have to say that last nights ride was almost surreal and incredibly humbling. We were all tired, sore and hurting. We had already started a man down and an early fall had left Donna with stitches on her knee, although you would never know it by the way she rides. I hurt getting in and out of the tiny holes in our vehicle that we had made our for ourselves, and even more when we got on our bikes, but we were here to ride, and we did.

The ride begun with a coldish chill and light rain on the Natchez Trace Trail. We were riding the 6pm till midnight, taking over after a great ride from the Polka Dots. As night descended we began dedications to friends and family who have lost their battles with this disease. The mood became very somber and not a sound was heard except the names of lost ones. Being called out with each rotation of our paceline, broken only by the occasional cracking of a voice as a name was called. It was incredibly emotional and put in to perspective that our personal pain, however great, was nothing in comparisom to those whose names were being called and to those who are still fighting and would gladly swap our pain for their chemo treatments and endless surgeries…..

We are soon to start our final stage, but I can say that without a doubt, I will return from this journey a better person, humbled by the sacrifices of so few for the cause that concerns so many and hoping that my own children will grow up in a cancer free world…

I tried to blog on Monday and lost it which is so frustrating and Mike blogged about our first 2 rides. This is my fourth year on this amazing ride and I love to sit back and watch it unfold. We spend a lot of time together on training rides, fundraisers and just hanging out and any opportunity we get. The veterans love to share all our awesome stories about our journey any chance we get and we are always recruiting new riders, special ones! When we are riding I always think to myself they have no idea what is about to hit them once this journey begins!
Well we are here and it is so cool to read their blogs, transition with them and see their tears and a completely different look in there eyes and to experience the dynamics changing every minute on my team. I have had the priveldge of a new team each year. Year one I knew Ron and Jennifer well and Rene a little so it was fun getting to know everyone. Year 2 was the ultimate Dream Team with Ron, Tedd, Robin, Laurens

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The proverbial baton is handed off at midnight to the Dream Team. So are lots of hugs and kisses. And a full moon.

We have already arranged to share a hotel with the Lemon Bonkers post-transition. So we head off after them. (spoiler alert: we will later learn they have not joined the Church of Garmin and do not have the full technological support and search options that one would prefer when trying to find a hotel in the Wild West that is Central Mississippi. No, no one gets lost, but…)

When we finally reach the Economy Inn nestled deep in an industrial section of something that I suppose could be called a town, we are, um, slightly unsettled. (I think the exact conversation went something like this. “no way are we staying here. Did anyone see the police tape on that door? Is that guy doing a drug deal on his phone in the parking lot? Holy s—. No. No. No. No.)

So, in the spirit of comparison shopping (i.e. Not wanting to die) we follow the Garmin to a Hilton (i.e. Something we recognize, and altho it sounds too expensive, at this point, one extreme is better than the other) which is slightly out of our way (i.e. The opposite of slightly). At this point, we just need sleep.

A whole 6 hours later, when we wake up, we regret that decision. We are behind schedule, we have missed the 6 am transition, but we are feeling more like human beings, or “more normal,” as I tell Ron. “Whatever normal is for you,” he responds.

No way around it, and no one is to blame, but I hate that getting some actual sleep means missing an important transition. Justina and Tom were supposed to join the McDreamies for the last hour of their ride, to honor Jeni, one of our veteran riders who is battling skin cancer. We love you, Schumachers. We were there in spirit.

So, a quick shower (Taylor does a celebration dance upon realizing the shower head is tall enough for him, he doesn’t like “facials”), a run thru McDonalds (sad commentary that the golden arches are becoming a symbol of civilization at this point), and we are on the road again. As if on cue, “Life is a Highway” comes on the radio.

We are in a race to the noon transition where the Purps and LiveLongs want to ride over the Mississippi River together. It is debatable which will come first–the transition or the clogging of our arteries.

A decent night’s rest often brings renewal and a fresh perspective. That is my outlook today. After being in the ‘pain cave’ during yesterday’s ride, team polka dot was able to recover with a nice(!?) dinner and much needed rest.

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.

As I write this, it’s 10:30 am, Wednesday. We’re flying, minivan style, across the Mississippi landscape. There are the occasional exciting moments as we go airborne over bumps and skim rumble strips. Ah Mississippi, land of fried food and no-tell motels. In other words, BFE.

But I am getting ahead of myself. We were back on the Trace last I wrote, waiting for the Dots to roll in….. (cue flashback here):

The Lemons await the Dots, silly string canisters hidden in their back jersey pockets. After orchestrating a photo shoot, they spray them down with the stuff. Team mom jennifer jerina dutifully cleans up afterwards as I Mee-ssage the Dots and honorary team member Flat Stanley. He can’t take too much pressure, on account of being a piece of paper, but the rest of the Dots need some work and get it. Riding into the wind = sore legs.

Apparently my spa-like massage atmosphere on the side of the road under Pine trees is lacking, so Lisa turns up the car stereo. Suddenly the world is flooded with Depeche Mode. Brandon objects.

Lisa: “you got a problem with my music?”
Brandon: “yeah, I’m not in an elevator.”

Dinner with the Dots turns out to be a classic Deep South moment. I can smell Penns Restaurant before we are officially inside the building. Everything on the menu is fried. And then it’s fried again. And then maybe again. At one point, Brandon whips out his 3-inch knife at the table to illustrate a story he’s telling. The two stoic state troopers sitting right next to us simply look over and then resume their dinner of Fried Food. On our way out we say “good evening, officers.” They nod. Only in Mississippi.

At least I hope.

Back on the Trace, it’s pitch black, and the Lemons are riding in silence and in sync. For an hour or so, the riders and support drivers call out names of those who have died fighting cancer. Sometimes it’s simply a name and an “I love you.” Sometimes it’s a story. Sometimes it’s a long pause. Sometimes it’s impossible to say anything at all.

***

For the last hour of their ride, we coast next to the four riders-a mobile DJ service and cheerleading squad combined. Taylor finds a clubby Pandora station, and heads start to bop and bounce. The cadence picks up. Sly smiles creep onto faces.

FU, Cancer.

I know I should not question God but after our 12am to 6am shift this morning I cannot help doing it. As I mentioned in an earlier post this shift is my favorite shift but it is my hardest shift. The terrian is easy, sleep is not an issue even though we have had very little, our pace was nice and steady and my body felt really good. The reason this ride is difficult is because of the emotions I go through. This is the shift when we ride in honor of and in memory of our friends and family. Our team lines up two by two and sometimes 3 by 3 and we call out the names of the people we want to memorialize. Keith, our medic, who is a cancer survivor (brain and testicular) himself, got out of the bus and rode with us for this part of the ride. We put Jeni, also a cancer survior (melanoma) even though its a continuous battle for her (160 surgeries and more to come) and Keith in the front to start our ride out. Keith called out a name on the radio and we rode in silence for that person for a little while then Jeni would call out a name and we would ride for that person then they would rotate to the back then it was Scotts turn, Martha Laura’s turn, my turn, Ashley’s turn, Dawn’s turn who was driving the team vehicle in front of us then Jeff’s turn who was driving the bus behind us. After we all called out a name and rotated around we would start over and do it again and again and again and again. This went on for over 4 hours. I struggled keeping my emotions in check as I called out my dad, mom, grandfather, uncles, aunts, cousins and friends. I have 43 names on my In Memory arm warmer alone. I have 39 names on my In Honor arm warmer. The hardest part of this mornings ride is when Dawn did her list. She is an oncology nurse at the Cleveland Clinic on the childrens floor. She is an angel in my eyes. She read names of children who she has cared for and told us their name, age and type of cancer. Her list went on and on until Jeni and I asked her to stop because we were so over taken with emotions that we could not ride safely. We had to pull over and I just lost it. All I could think about is what if she called one of my boys names or an neice or nephew or a neighbors child. How could I deal with that? Why does God do that to a child? She read the names and ages of children younger than 2 years old. Why? Why? Why?

Jeni’s husband, Tom and Justina from Purple Power who transiton with our team started their shift an hour or so early so Tom and Jeni could do their family and friends together and ended with their list with their daughter Nicole and Jeni herself. It was sweet seeing them riding ahead of us holding hands.

We also did a memory sprint for our friend Perry Lyles. Perry did the Challenge to Conquer Cancer in 2009 and was a wonderful human being and one of those guys who you immediately became good friends with. Perry passed away 19 months ago of an enlarged heart. Jeni led the sprint out then I took over and Scott finished it up. I am not so happy with Perry right now though because my legs are paying for that sprint right now.

I have enjoyed the time with my team. We are all having a good time and getting along great. I was able to talk to all my boys yesterday before they went to bed. As he has done everytime I talk to him, Reed ask about every team and how they are doing. “How is mommy’s and Brandons team doing, who are they again Polka Dots? How are Miss Donna and Miss Beth and the rest of the Yellow Bonkers? Is Miss Justina and the Purple Power team doing well? Where is Miss Kerrie’s team, Livelong, what does that mean? I thought it was LiveStrong.”

Wait…I take back what I said about us all getting along. I am now mad at Scott for making fun of me again on how long it takes me to write on our blog. I do recall he did the same to me last year so this may be the end for us. So taken me 1-1/2 hours to write this post is that really a big deal. All we are doing is driving to Crokett, TX and doing Mad Libs.

I guess I will pass the computer to Scott so he can finally write on this blog since all he has done in the car is play with his new I-phone 4 with a high definition screen.

Thanks everyone for your support and following us on our journey. Next shift, 6am – 12 noon. We may see some sunshine.

So. Day 3 already. Third shift done. There is a bicycling expression that relates to riding so hard that you are in the ‘pain cave.’ it is usually reserved for times in which your legs hurt so much, you can’t go on. Well, today was the first time on the bike ( after 11 years of riding ) , that I entered the pain cave.

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.

Hello all, Tom from the purple team with a quick check in. Last 36-48 hours has been very excited and LONG. Started Monday with a quick visit to Nashville after our first 3 HR ride. Traveled to transition area late in evening to catch a quick nap (45 min) then onto Natchez trace to transition with dream team.
Beautiful night on trace with almost full moon to light the way. I was really struggling thru the first 3 hrs, legs hurt and energy was gone. Wad really concerned about finishing, then I started to look at those names on my sleeves and why I was here. That got me motivated to push on.
About 4.5 hrs in we stopped to fuel, I grabbed some GU energy gel (expresso, 2x caffeine). Then Mimms, our fab support, I grabbed a handful, one bite, “what is that” I ask. “chocolate covered expresso beans!”. Holy Cow!!! Grab my wheel Justina we are rolling now. Lead the pace line most of the way home!
We missed kelly and crew at transtion, but she tracked us down on Mussels Shoals AL for our massages. Where you ask, why in the parking lot of a Shoney restraurant (while it was open) in the rain! Needless to say we had some funny looks!!
Next it was off to Jackson MS to stage for next leg. Once there it was a hot tub visit then off fora full hour if massage to prep for tomorrow.

Now getting ready for bed as I am getting up extra early to go ride one HR with dream team as they are dedicating it to our family. Should be an emotional ride.

Until next time, over and out zzzzzzzzz.

What’s that re ally mean? well, it goes back to how far ahead of our planned schedule that the C3 team has become. With so many strong cyclists in the group, we tend to ride more miles than expected. As we were sitting at IHOP this morning, and Flat stanley was about to knock down a stuffed french toast breakfast, we were talking about how we should deal with this situation. Between bites of cream-filled, strawberry and whipped cream topped french toast, Stanley whispered to me “Go back to the future”.

Of course, what this meant, was that if the Dots just rode the distance that we are capable of riding, we would go from a half shift ahead, to a full shift ahead. So, it was decided (with buy-in from Team Boss Ron) that the Dots would help slow down the overall forward progress of the C3 team with an unconventional ride along the Natchez trace.

So, What is the Natchez Trace. Lots of historical stuff surrounds this road, and we get so busy on this ride in our travels that we sometimes don’t take enough time to appreciate the significance of the countryside through which we ride. Part of this history is about keeping the Nation together in the early days. It was a pony express route that connected the towns together and kept that sense of togetherness that people feel when they are part of a nation.

Today, the Natchez trace is a National scenic road that is frequently travelled by folks who are on vacation and by many bicyclists. It really is a beautiful road and we always enjoy riding along this road. The C3 team rides for over 400 miles along this road, and each team will get at least one shift on this road. Some teams – Purple Power I think, will get two shifts on this road.

As we rode today, Lisa, Kelly and Taylor caught up with us. Lisa took many photos as we rode along in our little formation. Then, Taylor slowed down the van (I happened to be on the front of our peloton) and she told me that she wanted to do a short interview with each rider. The question she wanted answered was “Why are you doing the ride?”

One by one, we each pulled up next to the van and Lisa was hanging out the window with her video camera. I was not able to hear what my team-mates said, but my response to that question was along these lines:
I am riding for my many friends, family and loved ones who have suffered from the effects of cancer and for those who have lost the battle with cancer. And, because I can.

This occurred many miles into today’s shift. By this time, we were feeling the effects of our efforts. This means our legs were feeling a bit sore, and mentally we had to work hard to maintain our efforts. To help the team stay motivated, Brandon told a motivational story, then a little later, I had one of my own. These stories were based on our own personal experiences and certainly could help with motivation, however, a little while later, Ed gave us the best motivation – “This hurts a lot less than Chemo”.
As a cyclist, there are a lot of really cool aspects to this ride that I could write about, but that would be missing the point of our mission out here on the road. One very cool aspect that translates to both the cyclist in me, and the guy who is working to help find a cure for cancer was the teamwork.

The Dots really came together today, even more than we did yesterday. Everyone did their share of the work for today’s ride, just the same as we all worked hard to raise money to fight this disease. With teamwork like this, I am sure we can make a big difference.

A quick note, this was written on Monday but I did not get a chance to post it, so take that into account when you read it.

After last night’s dinner at one of the last restaurants on Hwy 76 in SC, the Dots decided to travel to Cleveland Tn for some rest. We arrived at the Jameson Inn where the night Manager Jackie took really good care of us. As with many people we meet, she has also been affected by cancer. She has lost several of her close family members and her sister had been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. We had her create several magnets that we have now added to the van.

We finally climbed in bed around 1230 with alarms set for 4am. Wouldn’t you know it, I couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts of all the people for whom we ride. I think I finally dozed off around 2am. The phone woke me at 345am – it was team Momma Jen – The Dream Team was already outside the hotel!

It turns out that Team Purple Power really rocked their shift and put us ahead of schedule by quite a few miles. Doing some quick calculations, Team Livelong would be doing the first of the big climbs that in the past two years have been the exclusive domain of the Polka Dots.

Thanks again to Jackie, she opened up the breakfast service and we had breakfast around 430 after turning the rooms over to the dream team. We rolled out and headed for Dayton, Tn, where we had heard Team Livelong was headed for after crossing the Tennessee River around 430am.

At 510am, we got the word that they were in Dayton, and we knew for sure they would be doing the first climb. We passed them around 540am and they had rocked the climb! We pulled a short distance ahead of them, and pulled over to get ready for our first 6 hour shift.

Compared to the past two years, The C3 team was about 15-20 miles ahead of the planned schedule. Knowing this, the Dots decided to enjoy a great ride through this VERY beautiful country. Of course, picking up the baton from Team Livelong, we still had plenty of climbing to do, they had done the first 3ish miles of climbing. The rest was up to us.

The route is gorgeous. Rolling terrain that I have been referring to as the Tennessee Walking Horse country. I say this only because of the massive open fields where I imagine beautiful horses frolicking. Actually, we saw only a few horses and lots of cows.

In fact, we travelled the ‘Trail of Tears’. I know very little of the actual story behind this, but this was the route travelled by the Native Americans as they were displaced from North Carolina.

Our climbing route took us up two excellent climbs, and three descents (Team Livelong stole the first climb, but we got the reward of the descent). After that last descent, the route remained rolling. Being so far ahead of the planned route, we took our time, relaxing with a number of quite long breaks.

We stopped at a small motorcycle repair shop to allow traffic to pass, and ended up with another extended stop. At this point, we were about 5 hours into the shift and had covered about 62 miles. The Lemon Bonkers were rolling up behind us, and met us there for a few minutes. We asked them to go about 15 miles up the road and we’d transition with them there.

Again, the roads we travelled were just awesome. More rolling hills through farmland. Many very cool barns and silos and really just outstanding beauty. We arrived at the transition at exactly noon – The lemon bonkers were ready to roll, and we cheered them on after some quick hugs.

And what about Flat Stanley? Stanley was a big help today. He helped us with Transition by helping Cara do a little driving. After the ride, he met with the Dream Team for a quick introduction before we all headed to lunch.

After lunch, Stanley helped Siddens navigate, he even climbed up on a cotton stalk when we stopped for a break. I believe he’s enjoying his little adventure out here on the road. Most importantly, I think he is beginning to appreciate what the efforts of this little band of cyclists and team managers are trying to accomplish. We’re trying to make a difference in a horrible disease by helping as many people as possible.

Tonight, Tupelo, Ms, and tomorrow, we rock the Natchez Trace.

Team Livelong had a great evening in Columbia, TN highlighted by Applebee’s, shopping at the Columbia (dis)Mall, Applebee’s again, and DAVE BENHAM’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!  A good night’s sleep for all, with the team having relegated the snorers to a separate room.  (Odd that a 3:45 wake up call seems like a good night sleep… Unless you’re Jeff, who got a wake up call at 1:45.  Sorry.)  We were the beneficiaries of yet another kindness from our hotel staff, who had breakfast ready for us early.  Thank you, Allison and crew!  The teams riding overnight continued to burn up the pavement, putting us nearly 3 hours ahead of schedule, even with an extra loop west of Nashville.  Way to go Purple Power and Dream Team!!!  Six a.m. on the Natchez Trace saw Purple Power finish with a long descent to cheers from Livelong, who rolled out intent on getting in a full six hours of pastoral America on the Trace.  The cool morning air and the full moon made for a great ride.  As dawn approached we were once again privileged to see the moon over the Tennessee River, this time with a fantastic moonset.  Clouds kept us from seeing the sun rise over the rolling Alabama farmland, but Lisa Carpenter (our photographer extrordinaire and accomplished high school chili-eater) told us the the soft light made us look great.  After our first break, whereupon it was decided that a pub crawl bicycle ride in Austin would be a good idea, the rain rolled in.  It was a soft cool rain, and, even as it picked up, it only added to the day.  Spirits were high as we began to realize we were going to make Tupelo.  Reaching Tupelo, we were greeted by cheers from above, with Polka Dot having chosen an Overlook as our transition spot.

The Polka Dots gave Keith and the bus a break by riding the wrong way on the Trace for a bit to try to get the group back on pace.  Livelong enjoyed massages and fellowship with Keith, Kelly, Lisa and Taylor, followed by lunch and coffee.  Thanks guys!  See you again soon!  Next stop, Natchez and nothing to do until noon tomorrow.  I think we’ll all enjoy a late start, but maybe we can find some live music tonight…

After missing the Purple People transition on the Trace itself, we re-route to Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Again, the tidal pull aligning menstrual cycles and changing radio dials shifts the musical theme upon crossing the line. This time it’s hip hop. All I’m sayin’ is is better than country.

Has anyone read the Alabama state map? State fathers were, let’s just say, creative when naming towns back in the day. Or they were sleepy after being on a road trip for days with their 6 other historical buddies in an 8-passenger horse carriage, plus bags and sweaty bike gear. Ok, so probably not accurate, but you get the idea. One is called “Hatchechubbee.” And that’s not even the best one.

Meanwhile, Lisa is jonesing for a Starbucks, and although Muscle Whatever is a college town, they are proverbially dry. Unlucky Lisa.

We find the Purple Peeps at a Shoney’s. I set up my table in the parking lot and knock out the teammates despite a small batch of onlookers at the window inside. Jerry overhears the manager telling a customer that he has no idea what that girl is doing outside, but “all of a sudden she opened up her “Mee-ssage table and started doing “Mee-ssages (emphasis is heavily on on the first syllables in both variations). It’s drizzling during my Mee-ssages in Muscle town and on Team LiveLong further down the Trace. So, our botched transition redeemed, we keep coming, through ‘Bama and into Mississippi.

So far we have not missed one transition. Well technically. Dreamies opted out of their 1 am massages after their first 3-hour stint, and after beginning the LiveLong 3-hour massages, my crew decided to leave in favor of capturing the sunset…. So, in my book, we’re looking at a 10/10.

The Dots have hatched a plan to backtrack down the Trace 30ish miles and then come again down the route, putting our transitions back on track. Every team has ended ahead of schedule thus far. Not a bad thing, given our stellar weather and strong riders. A wee bit of time is spent strategerizing whether to ride 30.28 or 30.32 miles back. This is important because it might change the number of Gu(s) that Brandon will take with him.

“Proper Planning Prevents P— Poor Performance,” he says. How can you argue with that?

And now we head back to the Nasty Trace to check on the Dots’ quest for a Century (bicycle slang for a 100 mile ride). Must go. Need hands to work the Garmin. Need to know exactly how long it will take us to get there so we can bring the appropriate number of Starbucks with us (yes, we found one, and Lisa is finally satisfied).

The Garmin must be obeyed. It is, after all, more powerful than even God Tweets.

-this message brought to you by Midol.

My daughter, Mimms, and I have the extreme pleasure of doin’ support this year for the Purple Power Team.  Mimms (23) is a C3 rookie.  I did support on the inaugural C3 ride in ’08 for Team Five, the all ladies team, with young Joe Julian. Mimms and I are Georgians from Atlanta.  I came to Greenville in ’08 to watch the USPRO race with my sons, Thomas Jr. (10) and Charlie (5), volunteered with them to help on the Stars and Stripes Challenge, and gave my email address to Kevin Dunn.  The next thing I knew I was driving in a minivan with 4 good lookin’ strange women and Joe driving to Texas all in the name of cancer research and advocacy.
Cancer has unfortunately made it’s mark in my family.  I lost my mother, Mary Mimms, to liver cancer in 1986 when I was 29.  In ’08, I rode in her memory and in honor of Mimms’ mother Linda, (my ex-wife) who was fighting breast cancer.  She lost that battle about one month after we finished the inaugural ride to Austin.  So this year Mimms and I ride in memory of our mothers, who were both taken from us way way too early by the dreaded disease called cancer.  
We also ride this year in honor of my good friend and bike riding buddy, Al Pless, who was diagnosed with brain cancer this past May.  Al is one of our Warriors and we send all forms of healing thoughts, energy, prayers and well wishes his way.  He is currently participating in a clinical trial at Duke.  After two surgeries and six weeks of chemo and radiation this summer, he registered a clear scan on his followup checkup at Duke.  Al is easing back into his job with the US Dept of Energy promoting off shore wind energy and hopes to be driving his car and riding his bike soon.  He sends his regrets for not making the Austin trip, however, he probably had the best excuse out there.  Oct. 15 is his mother’s birthday, and in Al’s words, “if I travel anywhere that weekend, it will be to see my mother on her 95th birthday”.  Happy Birthday Mrs. Pless and we are happy your son will be with you on your birthday.
So you see, there is no shortage of reasons for answering “yes” when Ron Jerina calls and says he needs someone to help with support. I am blessed to be accompanied this year by my daughter Mimms.  We each know a thing or two about sleep deprivation, which makes us well qualified to do support.  Our team, the beautful purple blob called Purple Power (not Barney), drew the first two night shift gigs.  On Sunday night we did our shakedown ride from 9 PM – 12 AM through the hills of South Carolina, north Georgia, and North Carolina.  The team had  Monday off and we rested and recovered in NashVegas, aka Music City.  This morning, Tuesday, we rode from 12 -6 AM, all on the Natchez Trace,  heading south from Franklin, TN to just shy of the Alabama border.  After riding and driving all morning we are now driving towards Jackson, MS where we will transition for our 3rd ride, a rare daytime first shift starting 6 AM Wed.  
We ride and drive together as a team in our collective fight against the “C” word.  When the team is riding, Mimms drives the advance vehicle, keeping us on course and clearing a path.  The five riders ride, sometimes in a rotating paceline, sharing the wind breaking duties.  They look out for each other on the road, calling out road dangers as they surface.  I follow, driving the big bus, with Keith Houston, medic extraordinare.  We finish each leg of our journey only when the last rider has pulled in safely.  Along the way we laugh, cry and everything in between.  We are joined together in the hope that cancer will be conquered.  It will be a challenge like this ride but working together as a team it can be done.  Thanks for riding, supporting, volunteering and donating.      

Good morning from Tupelo,MS! Team dots arrived last night and we enjoyed a great team dinner and a visit to the laundromat before a good night’s sleep.

I should probably back up and fill you in on my thoughts on our first two shifts and our travels through SC, GA, NC, TN, AL, and now MS. I was overwhelmed at the support st our send of on Sunday. It was so fun to see so many people excited about our journey and it was sad to see so many dear friends who are not making the journey with us this year. Not a minute has gone by that I don’t think about all of you!

You have read from others about our first shift and our tip to eat some Humble Pie. We had a long dark drive Sunday night to Cleveland TN and I kept thinking what. Huge responsibility I had volunteered for, I had to get my six teammates safely to our next transition spot, and not only that, I had to remember that their bikes were strapped somewhat precariously to the top or our van! Yikes! We did fine and made it to transition with the LiveLong team at 6 yesterday morning. What a beautiful ride we had for our first six hour shift! Our cyclists had some tough climbs but they were amazing and conquered the climbs with tenacity. They were rewarded with some breathtaking descents. I was surprised a couple of times when I looked in my rear view to find some of the team on my rear bumper. After that, I got to practice my road racing skills. Note to my students: don’t speed down switchbacks- it is scary and will make your mothers and your teacher worry!

We were blessed with beautiful weather and transitioned with the Yellow Bonkers right on time. After transition, we headed to lunch with the Dream Teamers and the Party Rockers for some suspect Mexican food and then got on the road for Tupelo MS. All of my sweet teammates took much deserved naps after lunch and for a few minutes I was worried that I was going to drift off as well, but we stopped for gas, picked some cotton in a field, and all was well. John Siddens had been my navigator up to this point, but Brandon needed volunteered to sit up front and bear my barrage of constant questions. Along with giving directions, he also assumed the role of DJ and team dots was treated to special dedications with no harsh stops for the rest of the ride.

After a good sleep, I feel like a new girl and am ready to discover this Trace that I have heard so much about. We have heard from other teams that we are ahead of our transition schedule so we had a meeting of the minds at the Tupelo IHOP this morning to discuss how our team wants to attack the day and our shift. We are all looking for a challenge and have decided that creativity is our strong point!

I am having so much fun on this journey. My teammates have become my friends after multiple hours stuffed in the party van together. I am so honored and humbled to be able to make this trek and to be in the company of these six people. We have challenged each other to think differently and we have laughed, a lot.

To my students at GTCHS: I hope you are all enjoying Fall Break. I miss seeing you and knowing what is going on at school. Please be your wonderful amazing selves for your guest teacher. Know that you are the reason I am making this trip and I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t SO important. Know that I love you all. Go and be great!

Til next time!

oWith this being my forth year doing this ride I feel like I have seen it all and know what to expect. We all raise our Monet and train very hard to be prepared for riding 6 hours a day with little sleep. But even being a veteran every day I am experiencing new things.

As it has been every year the send off was incredible. I wish I had more time to meet everyone and thank them for coming out and supporting the 39 people who are participating in the ride but that does not happen so I want to say now thank you. I was not prepared this year for all the emotions that would over take me during the send off. Seeing our warriors there and the prayers that Mother Roxanne did got me to focus again on why I do this ride which I lost some of my focus last week as the ride approached. This year was the hardest year leaving my family. RJ, Reed and Ridge, your dad misses you and loves you. I can’t wait for the day when you are older and we can all do this ride together. It was also hard leaving some of my past teammates behind this year. Tedd, Anne , Robin and Laurens, I miss you guys.

Our first shift was the midnight to 3am shift. In the past this shift has always been the coldest. Two years ago it was 30 degrees, last year it was in mid 40′s this year was so nice. The temps were in the upper 50′s. The almost full moon gave us perfect mood lighting for riding. We were all very excited to ride and I thoroughly enjoyed our 3 hour shift. As I always do when I ride, I thought of my dad and wish he was still with us so I could just give him a hug and tell him I love him. This was the only the second time our whole team has been able to all ride together. It was a great ride with great people. After the ride we took over the rooms of the Polka Dots who were coming on to ride at 6am. I was very excited about this because I was able to see my beautiful side for a few seconds before I went to sleep. I did not expect to see her until Thursday when we arrived in Austin. We got a few hours sleep and had breakfast before taking off to our next transition. The nice folks at the Jamison Inn kept breakfast open longer for us and we really appreciated that.

We have had a lot of fun in our tiny team vehicle. We have laughed until our stomachs hurt. Watching Martha Laura and Ashley peel themselves out of the back seat is a sight everyone should see. I dont know how their bodies bend like that. Scott keeps us laughing and Jeni has kept the world informed of our doings with pictures and texts. Dawn and Jeff have got us everywhere we need to be safely. Jeff is the crossword puzzle king and Dawn has gone 1-1/2 days without hitting a deer which is good for her from what I understand. She did come close this morning though but her panther like reflexs avoided the one who had a death wish this morning. We caught up with the Polka Dots after their first 6 hour shift and we all had lunch together. We were also blessed with having Kelly, our massage therapist, Lisa, our photographer and Taylor, our mechanic join us for lunch. It was another special treat to see Jennifer again. We all had our fill of Mexican food and parted ways so we could make our way to transition.

We transitioned with the Lemon Bankers who had a good ride got our hugs and kisses and we were off on our first 6 hour shift. It was nice riding in day light for a couple of hours. We had an interesting ride and met all sorts of interesting people. Not far into our ride we rode part the Hilltop Memories Bar and were invited in. We didn’t want to be rude so Jeni and I rode our bikes in and made ourselves at home. There were 3 people inside included the bartender. They were amazed the sight of us and were asking all sorts of questions about our ride. They took pictures of the aliens inside their bar and said they would post us on Facebook. They were impressed with our journey and told us to stop by next year on our ride and he will have our picture on the wall. It was another warm evening so it was nice riding. Our next stop was in who knows where TN. We pulled into a gas station and immediately had people asking about our ride. The gas station was next to a McDonald’s. And Scott had the great idea of getting a cheesesburger so I jumped on that bandwagon. So he did not have to get off his bike he went thru the drivethru which again drew a lot of attention to our cause. Jeff also changed a tire for an older couple while we were there. We continued our ride and made it to the beginning of the Natchez Trace with an hour to go. Lisa our photographer along with Kelly and Taylor met us there and Loss got some great pictures before we took off to finish our shift. The last hour was peaceful and it was a great way to finish a great ride with a great group of people. Purple Power was waiting for us with open arms. It was so nice to see them. We got our hugs and kisses and sent them on their way. Kelly did an awesome job taking care of us as Taylor worked on the bikes that needed some tlc. We loaded up t our vehicle as we waited for Kelly to finish working on everyone. Once the car was loaded, Scott and I relaxed by laying over the warm hood of the car and listened to the engine hum. I haven’t been that relaxed in a long time. I was close to sleeping and drooling until cool, laid back Dawn decided to honk the horn. I must have jumped 3 feet in the air and spilled water all over me and the car. Thanks Dawn. My heart started beating again and we were off to take over Purples hotel room in Nashville for a few good hours of sleep.

Woke up this morning excited about doing my favorite shift, the midnight to 6am shift. It is my favorite because it is the ride where we will honor and ride in memory of our friends and loved ones. It is an emotional ride hearing all those names. It’s the hardest ride of all our shifts but my favorite.

We are off to do laundry and get something to eat. Can’t wait to ride with my awesome team again tonight.

Ps – please excuse any misprints and misspelled words. I did this post on my phone and the screen fits about 3 words in it.

Q: what’s worse than eating Mexican food on a road trip?
A: eating Mexican food twice in one day on a road trip.

We would sincerely like to thank the Lemon Bonkers for a fabulous dinner last night, but if anyone else asks us to eat mexi with them, we will politely say, “No way, are you crazy?!”

Thanks to the placement of a loop on the route in TN that doubles back on itself, we had some time to catch up with ourselves before meeting the midnight transition on the Natchez Trace.

So we set out to get all our gypsy ducks in a row in the somewhat civilized town of Hohenwald before leaving behind gas stations, flushy toilets and phone connections on the unlit and unpeopled Trace.

Three coffees from McDs? Check.
Beer (which we do not ever drink while driving)? Check.
Batteries from Walmart for our dead walkie? Check.

You see, the Trace is a vortex or sorts. For 439 miles, it’s just you and the deer, armadillos, skunks and foxes. And I’m not exaggerating one teeny, tiny little bit when I say there are three escapes, I mean exits, back to civilization on the whole beautifully preserved thing.

But we are ready. We are a veritable mobile newsroom. Between the three of us, we are packing the following techie hardware:
4 garmins
3 iPhones
2 laptops
2 iPads
1 iPod
54 lbs of camera gear
1 MiFi
1 video camera
1 inverter

It is a very different world inside our newsroom compared to the TN Walmart parking lot we are sitting in as we wait for Taylor to return from the beer run.

Lisa has developed the burps, so we triple pinkie swear no more Mexican.

At the midnight transition, massaging under the stars, Ron and Scott fall semi-asleep leaning against the hood of the van which warms their, um, hands. Until Dawn leans on the horn, sending Ron flying back three feet. Scott doesn’t flinch.

It’s after 1 am, and the closest hotel is back in Hole-in-the-Wall, I mean, Hohenwald. It’s a shady establishment, and the night manager is hard at work watching adult programming. We are the walking dead, and we don’t care. Much.

It’s Tuesday morning now, and we wake up “Rested, Refreshed, and Retarded,” according to Taylor. This will turn out to be an accurate prediction of our day. Our first confirmation of this comes with the realization that we are an hour behind schedule. Two of the three alarms we set failed to ring. And Lisa’s phone switched to central time, so rang an hour later than we wanted. For less confusion, we all stay on eastern standard time until we reach Austin, precisely so situations like this don’t happen.

We shower (halfway thru Taylor’s, I tell Lisa maybe he’s shaving. Everything.), and take off, but not before deciding to blame our missed transition on the full moon (why not?).

Wait tho, which day is the full moon actually? I guess we’ll have to wait for the official Tweet on that.

-Kelly

P.S. Lisa and I have each acquired an additional passenger. And so have Donna and Jeni, or so I hear. It’s getting crowded in here. Anyone else care to disclose a plus-one before we cross the Alabama border?

I am so tired I can’t even think straight. My body is all wiggidy wacked. Not that I sleep a lot normally and the almost full moon (not milts – or Taylors) isn’t helping except lighting the Trace for us at night.

I am amazed by the amount of food I can consume in one sitting at a Mexican eatery in the middle of Tennessee. I don’t think I will eat chips and salsa for a LOOOOONg time. Kept retasting them- not fun on a bike. BLAHK.

So our next shift I was really excited about. We knew we would be seeing Laurens’ Path along the way. Found out that the DA I hit last night was the start of Laurens’ Slayer title. So it was ON like DONKEY KONG. We rode into the Sunset path of what the Lemon Bonkers whom allowed us to enjoy after their EPIC ride. Like for real…. 1 man down, a chick with stitches, and 4 cat 4 climbs… all those Paris MT repeats paid off. It was so nice to see pretty fall colors and fairy tunnels. (My twins call fairy tunnels when they see a tree tunnel where the tops of the trees form a tunnel. We like to think that is where the fairies sleep at night. Something my wonderful mom passed along to us. And yes Rene that is where the Fairy Godmother sleeps who found your keys.)

Sorry folks, ADD meds are wearing off…. where was I … O yea… we saw 19 DA* and smelled at least 5 that were unaccountable for. (Dead Animal) Thanks Laurens, we were screaming and laughing at the top of our lungs every time we saw one.

One thing I am extremely thankful for is the mesh of our team. The dream team…. we have no drama. We ride for unselfish reasons, we think like a team, we act like a team and we ride like a team. When one Teamy isn’t feelin good we do all that we can to make them as comfortable as possible. I love this team. LOVE IT. Even tho it is tight in the van, when you get off from an awesome Moon Lit trace… we snuggle up and get warm. We don’t even care that we are exfoliating each other’s arms…. I never thought I would see the day that I saw.. germafobia Ron share lip balm… isn’t that swapping germs? Who cares….we are having a McDreamy ride.

The sun was setting and I thought of Nicole… my sweet little girl, who isn’t going to be little much longer. First 12 where for you sweetness. And I ended on 10 for my dad. Loved thinking about all the funny things and memories. Morgan my love… as soon as I saw the fairy tunnel… I Yelled Fairy TUNNEL…. the team was quite clueless so I enjoyed sharing our little secret.

(bare with me folks I am runnin on 4 hours of sleep in 2 days I know my thoughts are all over the map…. hang with this ADD chick just a little longer… )

So on the ride, of the Dream Teams Embarkment to the Trace…. we had to pull over every 10 min due to traffic. It was challenging to pull over in the MIDDLE of big rollers and try to get the legs moving again… One stop tho made it fun. That would be the HILL TOP MEMORIES BAR. We found ourselves stopped at a 4 way allowing traffic to pass and noticed a small white bar on the other side of the road with 2 cars in it. We joked and said man I could use a drink… obviously we were not being serious, but low and behold this man came running out yelling HEY COME BACK AND GET A DRINK TO GO!! Oh I love a challenge…. hmmm hey Ron…. Ron, “O we soooo should..” Jeni, “HEY IS IT CLEAR?” Ashley, “CLEAR BACK!!!” and a big U ee in the middle of our ride landed us into MEMORY LANE. Ron and I rolled up in our Bikes INTO the bar… yes we Rolled in… The whites of the Eyes in the bar where well lit for sure in more ways than one. We had a great visit with our friends and as we said our goodbyes, the owner, John says… “Dude, stop in next year we will have your picture on the wall you can autograph it…. (I always had a dream of being famous… too bad I can’t remember what town I will be famous in… darn it.) ….. we neva (never) get thangs (things) like the-is (this) here!” The-is is too cool, we get Bikers like with motors n stuff but not, like people on bikes, riding to Texas…. ” I think Ashley and I counted 5 times the older gentleman asked us “…..now, where ya’all goin??????” He even let us take a few shots at pool. Well until we got thrown out for fighting… I think Keith got the photos. And off we went… I was looking forward to where our NEXT stop would be…

…………..and that stop would be McDonalds. O gross…. I can’t imagine a cheeseburger tradition like this any other way…. Hopefully i can upload a pic. You really can order on a bike at the drive thru. My abs hurt from laughing so hard.

As the moon lit our path for the rest of the 48 miles we had many Team moments of sharing and mindless talking.

Keeping it g rated… schools and kids can skip this (I would like to take this moment to thank the Rockin T train for allowing me to rest…. but I think I caught something from Lisa…. I just finished mine 3 days ago and now I have it again… not fair Lisa…. NOT FAIR. I don’t like having 2 in a row. Let alone one…. but as hard as you are working I will let it pass… we are so glad to have taking freakin AWESOME pictures…. love the glow bike one. Wish you could up load and show peeps that one.)

Hoping for more Spontaneous adventures with my awesome team….

This is my ketchup post. I haven’t been able to log on and let y’all know what’s been happening. Lemon Bonkers first night, as you’ve read I’m sure, was adventure filled to say the least. We were very excited to get started on our first leg. My dad happens to live just a mile or two from our planned spot to transition to the Purple Power, and I had asked him to put my team up for the night. Well, he went above and beyond – as did Molly, Rene and more of my fine family. Molly drove down from Waynesville NC just to help my dad cook our dinner and prepare a casserole for our breakfast and then drove back home<gasp>THANK YOU GUYS! They not only took care of our team, they fed the Purple Power and our magnificent Support Gypsies Kelly, Lisa and Taylor. Awesome start to our trip.

Anyways, back to our leg… not far in at all, Donna reached down to grab her bottle, got entangled in her night-reflector-robe (these things were made to sleep in I think) and went flying like an eagle. tangled in a huge reflector vest and a bike. She hopped up and tried not to bleed on her SUPER COOL Dave Matthews Firedancer socks, but the knee had a mouth and that aint normal. Donna went on the bus and I rolled up to the van that had Jana in it (sorry, dark and don’t remember who else was in there) aand said into the window “They need to see Jana. Donna may need some stitches.” In some describable as a jeckyl-hyde moment, Jana became Dr. Morse sort of mixed in with Batwoman. She very seriously and intently climbed directly over people and seats and out of the van and actually flew to the Bus to help. Well maybe not flew but it was impressive. The rest of our leg included 4 category 4 climbs in a row and ended in family bliss. Love you dad.

River sounds, crickets and cool breezes in Hiawassee as we all rested our bones for today. We left my dad’s and hurried to our next transition point to ‘Take Hold The Flame” from the Polka Dots. We met them at a Church for Pocohantas. No kidding. Tennessee. My apologies to the residents of the senior citizens home there, they were having dinner and I came in to use the restroom which is right there attached to the room where they were. Cyclists eat weird stuff on rides. ’nuff said. Sorry peeps!

Donna felt great and loosened up quickly and the rest of our team felt strong so we had the golden century on our minds. Cyclists like to ride 100 miles (century) I guess to say we did it. Well, we did and we did it with grand style I think. Kudos to my team – Donna’s Garmin put us at 101 miles, 19.5mph, just shy of 4K ft of climbing. This with a four rider team, one less person to rotate to the front of our paceline and pull us across the country. We rocked it and we did it for Rene, Andrew, Brandy, Jeni, John, Davis, and I can’t even think of anyone else because it’s late and I’m getting emotional but we have so many people that we pedal and pray for. Tomorrow we will challenge ourselves emotionally and ride for all of our warriors, one by one. I’ve heard about this ride from Rene and it’s already difficult to think about it. Love you Rene, Maddy, Trevor, Henson, Ryleigh, I’ll try to blog again soon. Better check my facebook page and see who’s makin fun of me before I pass out! LONG LIVE THE LEMON BONKERS!

Post transition, we have a lovely lunch with the Dots and Dream Team, albeit at a Mexican eatery in Tennessee. Mexican in Tennessee. Ok, I did already say that.

I have noticed in life that most bad decisions are a result of sleep deprivation (or hunger, or both). We are all both tired and hungry as Brandon suggests said eatery, and no one but me seems to realize the possible after effects.

Two equations:
Mex lunch + beans + beer + long sweaty bike ride = cozy collapsed dog pile in the van (Remainder: a sudden and uncomfortable awakening, motivated by a need for modern plumbing, which-like everything on this ride-must be shared in close quarters)

Mex lunch – beans – beer + warm van = long stretched out catnap over two seats

Several additional consequences (either prompted by a growing sleep deficit and/or the illusion of new energy prompted by waking up from a catnap):

Even tho I have been passed out in the car, my hips wedged in between seatbelt holders, I wake up instantly and alert at the sound of a police siren. Which goes to show how tuned in my ears are for that sound on this trip. Our decorated vans attract enough attention as is. The last thing I want to do is explain to a rural cop exactly what I am doing, Sir, kneeling on top of this man who is face down on my massage table, moaning. Sure, his hamstrings are cramping…

The fresh flood of energy turns both Lisa and me into songbirds, altho the radio now seems stuck in the Country stations. Perhaps that is inevitable when driving thro TN, same as the moon causing tides and menstrual cycles. In a moment of clarity, we realize Taylor might not be appreciating our serenades as much as we enjoy serenading. Oh no, he reassures us, our mute napping state was causing “a deep burning in his uterus.” Whew….

…wait: 1 van, 2 gals and 1 guy, yet 3 uterii (which is now the official word for the plural uterus). Can’t afford to waste brain cells analyzing that one.

Apparently decisions made under the less than ideal amount of sleep can be misinterpreted as random and brilliant. For example, during our third pit stop of the afternoon (which seems like an unusually high number until I remember lunch), it suddenly seems like the most natural thing to be doing at 5 in the afternoon when the seven of us eating communally from a Massive bag of Skittles simultaneously pelt Taylor with the Rainbow, simply because his back was turned.

I mean, wait, we healthy cyclist people never eat Skittles. In fact, I disavow all knowledge of the Massive bag of addictive candies in the back of the Dream Team van.

Finally, when running on fumes and emotions, we do crazy wonderful things like ride 101 miles with a team that’s technically a man down, where another teammate has a stitched up knee.

101 miles at 18mph in 6 hrs = Lemon Bonkers, you rock!

It is somehow humbling to read the blogs of the people that are on this trip. Their experiences and their feelings make it so hard to blog, because I want to be as funny, or as descriptive, and hopefully as emotional as they are. Well, I am just me, and although a 3 year veteran of this event, I can only continue to ramble and describe as only I may.

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

Most of my team mates have blogged, so I am a bit bogged in my blog. We finally got on our bikes last night at 3:00am, far ahead of our planned transition due to the enthusiasm of the teams that went before us. We were all eager to take our turn after so many hours of traveling and waiting. The air was warm and gentle, and the night could not have been better suited to our purpose. We all felt like riding on and on, but we were obliged to hand over the reins at 6:00am to the Dream Team. We arrived at our transition point with plenty of time to spare for big hugs and good wishes. It’s anybody’s guess where we will need to be when we begin again tomorrow morning to meet for our 6:00am transition. I hope we are well positioned to keep it on time without stressing our priceless support staff. I absolutely love these people who ride with me. Life is wonderful!

It is hard to say what we did “today” because today started sooooo long ago! We discovered that the team that we were to take over from was ahead of where we thought we would transition. Had to wake up everyone quickly and get them moving so we could leave earlier that we had planned. We left the hotel by 1:40 and had an hour drive to come in behind the other team…go ahead and find a spot for all to pull over and our team to saddle up. The Livelong Team started at 3:07 this morning and rode until 6:00ish. Since the other teams had gotten us ahead by a good bit….our team actually hit the first of the so called “big climbs”. It always is amazing for me to watch my team in my rear view mirror and see how they gel and work together. I say it every year—-it takes a team to get thru cancer and it takes a team to get thru this ride! Since it was dark the only thing I could really see were feet pumping on the pedals and the reflective vests and reflective strips on their helmets glowing in the dark as they followed my car with the bus headlights behind them. We all kept each other safe—-from cars, bumps in the road…as well as the HUGE deer that ran RIGHT in front of my car! I missed him by inches. DAWN—you are always worried about the deer and one almost took me out this year and I am not in your car????? Anyway, I am always touched by the people we encounter and their reactions. The sweet man that worked at the Comfort Inn in Blue Ridge, GA had breakfast all ready for us at 1:30 this morning! He got very teary eyed when we asked if we could put a magnet on our car for anyone for him. He told us a sweet story of his friend that passed away from cancer and cried as we drove away to continue our mission. Today as we checked in to the Jamison Inn in Columbia, TN, the young manager told us about her Aunt’s death from cancer as we put her magnet on the car as well. A lady in the hallway spoke to us and was a 3 time breast cancer survivor so her magnet is now on the car, etc. People honk as they pass us on the roads. We are getting the message out there!!!! My “family” is growing as I have new teammates this year and continue to love my old teammates. I feel so blessed to be a part of this whole thing. And I am so thankful to be ABLE to be a part of this whole thing. Because I Can……and so many cannot. I miss my family, and my friends that weren’t able to come this year. But know that I am in the right place….

Greetings from the great state of Tennessee, home of the Volunteers!!!  I know that because we went shopping today and I saw all the cute UT clothing!!!  We had a wonderful ride at 3am this morning near Cleveland, NC–not Cleveland, Ohio!!  We had a beautiful ride until 6am with great team members and support.  We crossed over the Tennessee River under full moonlight reflected on the water.  So spiritual and very peaceful riding in the dark.  We got off the bikes and drove a few miles to the nearest McDonalds and took care of business there for about 2 hours.  We hit the road and traveled many hours across the beautiful pasturelands of  this southern state.  We saw Amish carts and horses along with the beginnings of the changing of the leaves on the low lying mountain ranges.  Jana, Kim and I insisted on sitting  in the 3rd row of our SUV and we’ve had so much fun being silly girls!!!  We have enjoyed yummy cookies made by Sally, our support, and lots of healthy snacks provided by Kim.

We have 2 veteran riders on our team this year-Jeff and myself,  Anderson, Jana and Kim are new as well as Dave, our support, and it has been so much fun to answer all the questions and experience the newness all over with them.

I love being a part of this ride.  We open up our hearts and souls to all the people we encounter on our journey, whether it be at the convenience store, the local laundry mat or the various hotels who will accomodate us. Everyone has a story to tell and each one of them thanks us for what we do.  We raise awareness just by being.  It is our mere presence that moves people towards us.

I have participated every year on this ride and love it differently every time. Just like my friend, Ron Jerina said yesterday–we are getting ready to make all new memories.

I love this journey. . . . the people, the scenery, the challenges. But mainly I love it because I feel like I’m doing something. It’s not much but it’s something.

I have to thank my donors – I wouldn’t be here without you. I especially have to thank my cousin, Jack Payne, for his generosity.

The send off yesterday was amazing. I was so thankful to have my hubby and boys there. I do this ride with the hopes that when they are adults there will be a cure for cancer – that they won’t have to experience the devastation of losing a friend or family member to cancer (miss you Aunt Moe), that they won’t have to experience the scare of learning a loved one has received the diagnosis no one wants to get.

I love this journey too because of the close bonds you form with 6 other people stuffed in an SUV. You learn things about people you can’t imagine – and sometimes want to forget (Scott’s brown spot), but you love them all and I, for one, am truly thankful to be riding with the Dream Team.

Now, it’s time for lunch! Happy to have the opportunity to dine with the Polka Dots and the Party Rockers.

There is a lot more food than stomacaf=egWIEG
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This morning finds the Purple Power team in Columbia, TN after our first leg from GA to one mile away from the TN border. We had a perfect ride and paced ourselves well on the hills. Although nothing like the Lemon Bonkers or Polka Dots, we did have a few long and steady 2 mile climbs where training paid off. Coming in ahead of schedule, we passed the torch to the Dream Team where we were treated to an awesome display of light works! A brief stop at the state line for pictures and the Dream Team took off. We had a bite to eat and then drove to find sleep.

I have already experienced every emotion possible on this journey and I am sure there is FAR more to come. I started our leg with thoughts of my Dad and his lost battle to single cell lung cancer. All of the “if onlys” came rushing in at one time and I couldn’t keep the tears in. If only I had called him more often…if only I had told him I over him…if only I had forgiven him for things I could only understand from my own insecure understanding. If only…if only…if only. So I let the emotion flow, in the dark of night under a beautifully lit moon. I am sure that other than Todd, my other team mates weren’t even aware of my purging…and that was how it needed to be.

Fueled with a new found energy, I found strength to pull my team When it was my turn, knowing that the pain in my legs was nothing compared to the pain that my dad, as well as other cancer patients, suffered. And I know that Dad will be with me for my entire journey, smiling down on me knowing that my “if onlys” are now simply “I love yous”.

Well our shift last night was amazing. The weather was cooperative and the support we have rock!! We rolled out of GHS without any problems. One thing I noticed is that this year we only had 2 riders that were leading out of GHS that have had cancer. Me and Siddens. Wierd feeling. Emotions were definately running high. I was so thankful to see family and friends coming out to support. One in particular really got me…. Toya. My little polka dot…. Thank you… thank you so much for coming out and sending us off. You have no idea how much that means to me. I know I am not riding the polka dot… but once a polka… always a polka and we even have Perry’s dot on our window and Taylor’s sleeve that you made is on our wheel. For those of you who dont know…. Perry was a dear friend of mine that we lost 2 years ago to a massive heart attack… not related to cancer but his dad had passed away the year he road….. it was an amazing year for the dots….. Closer in many ways to many family members that had lost their loved ones…. JD finally got the Cancer Ride… Why we ride, it was very emotional.
This year is totally new. Dream Team. I am thrilled to have 24 hour entertainment from Scott – my boston bud, and Ron- the Dream Maker, Dawn- my roomy from college (3rd year with C3) Martha Laura – veteran – AKA Good Night and her cous. Ashley lil bit- AKA Sleep Tight, and a newbee sag support Jeff.
Our first night wasnt as bad as I thought. The windy cold air was a little tough on my lungs but I made it without stopping. I love riding at night, and the night was beautiful. No animals… well except for the dead one I ran over because SCOTT didnt call it out. Never ran over a DA before… it was creepy. Other that that… smooth ride.
Pulled into the Jameson Inn and took over the Polka Dots Room. Ron got to say good morning (as it was 3:30am when we got there) to his wife- Jen.. we got to hug the dots… and off they road into the night lite sky.
So, why the title we have been dotted?? they left DOTS on our windows… and a goody bag of chocolate on our hood. Thank you dots…. may your night ride be lite with cool glowsticks… hugs and kisses…. miss my dots, and lovin the dream team. To the Trace we goooooo. HI HO HI HO….. Yippee I O.

So we’ve named our team “Party Rockers,” since a certain song keeps hijacking our radio, and well, because we keep playing it loudly. When your van comes equipped with neon green mood lighting, you really have no choice. It is frightening tho, to not be able to connect to the Internet or my finicky “cellular network,” yet know that the Top 40 Radio is always with me.

We blog when we can. Our van is always on the move. Thankfully we’ve graduated from the rapid-fire 3-hour transitions to the more manageable 6-hour shifts. Blogging happens in large chunks, mostly while using lisa’s iPad in the back seat while Taylor is manning the wheel. Did I mention the Tennessee mountains? So you’ll forgive me if I misspell or lose my train of thought (or unintentionally vomit).

Yesterday the Polka Dots knocked out an early strong ride and handed it over to the Lemon Bonkers for an uphill climb, a nasty stretch through some cold Georgia mountains. Already a 4-person team, it dropped drown to 3 when a floppy reflective vest took Donna down. Keith and Jana sticked her up, and she cheered from the bus. We played the most obnoxious dance music on the walkie talkie that we could find, as well as mixed bottles and dug energy shots out of buried suitcases…anything to remind them we were right beside them as they climbed through the dark.

Mike’s father hosted us for dinner (huge thank you), and we were off into the night again. Found the Purple team-and by that I do mean that we got lost and then not lost again. Transitioned at a closed gas station whose owner showed up and offered to open up for anything we needed…Ron needed lip balm. Yes.

Snagged two hours sleep in a hotel, probably the only time we’ll get to do that until Austin, and then caught up with LiveLong and the Dots again before dawn. Massaging Anderson outside a McD’s, the employee who walked by us on her break tells me, “You know people get arrested for that…” I respond, “not for what I’m doing.”

Lisa decides she wants to catch the Dots on an overlook at dawn, which she tells me is 7:45 am. I ask her how she knows the exact time. “Does God twitter?” Wouldn’t be surprised…the Dalai Lama does.

Riding thru Tennessee countryside today, down switchbacks and past farms. Breathtaking. Lisa has pictures to prove it. She also has pictures of us atop plastic dinosaurs in front of Head Start (Taylor: “I don’t think I want to ride a frog”), of the farm animals (how do you tell a mule from a donkey?), or the giant yard elephant with a TN tattoo, of the construction workers who asked us if we were protesting Columbus Day (not that we know of, but tell us more…).

I tell Lisa of my plan to strap her to the roof of the minivan, belly down, with bungee cords so she can shoot and video as we fly around the mountains. And we might, except that most of them are being used as a form of life support for the bike racks/trays.

It is a perfect Fall morning, yet Ed is wearing a chamois and shoe covers. I tell him this is the equivalent of the boots/mini skirt phenomenon. The only explanation I am given is that he is from Florida. Ah.

This unwritten story (well one, at least) of this ride is the invasion of personal space. While stalling in front of a house near Spencer, TN, waiting for our team to catch up, an elderly man walks out and gives us a bag of apples. He only says that his wife died on May 15, and he gets lonely.

it is good to know that you are helping others, whether it’s keeping up a steady pep talk on the walkie thru a night climb, giving a super long hug when you know they don’t want to let go yet, or simply camping out in someone’s front yard long enough so they no longer feel alone.

-Kelly

P.S. for those keeping track, I peed outside this morning behind a church. So I’ve graduated from going in the dark, on a deserted Texan highway to broad daylight with people nearby who are known for playing tricks on others. That should count for something, right.

Dream Team, up and ready we had an awe inspiring ride into Tennessee and down by the Ocoee River Before meeting up with Team Livestrong. Everyone is pedaling strong so much that the riders opted to pedal another 5-7 mile to our flophouse at The Jameson Inn in Cleveland, Tennessee where the people were most hospitable(nice place, thanks to John Siddens and the Polka Dots for the find). After a brief 4+ hours of sleep we are rousing to blast off to our next handoff with the Lemon Bonkers. Wishing everyone well. Over and out.

Monday morning started early for Team Livelong. Dave and Sally (the best Support ever, btw!) got us rousted and rolling ahead of schedule with some exciting news. Our friends on Purple Power blew the doors off over night and put us almost 30 miles ahead of our scheduled rendezvous. (Go Purple!!!) Instead of the metropolis of Ducktown, Livelong started in Cleveland, Tenn. We had nice rollers through farmland with a full moon overhead, capped off by a glimpse of God when we rode over the Tennessee River. Rolling out on the deserted bridge, the Team was greeted by the moon reflecting off the deep waters of the Tennessee River. What a beautiful sight!
After the river, Livelong rolled into Dayton, Tn and began to climb up out of the valley. (Sorry Polka Dots!!! We know you trained for that hill, but we came to ride.) It was a nice smooth climb and at the top of the first climb, we passed the torch to the Polka Dots. Have a great ride, guys!
The next time we saddle up, we’ll be on the Natchez Trace. Between now and then, we’ll be enjoying some Team fellowship and tasting the culinary offerings of central Tennessee. More to come….

After our shift, we rolled into Cleveland, Tennessee about 11 pm. We searched for hotels that would be kind enough to help out with our cause… We found a WONDERFUL night manager for Jamison Hotels that gave our team a great rate. But, as is the way of divine providence, Jackie’ mother and uncle passed away from cancer, and her sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer. Jackie not only gave us great room rates, but came out to greet us, helped us with a quick check in, and had the breakfast room open at 4:00nam for us. Talk about awesome… So, we got about 4 hrs of sleep when the Dream Team came in… We arose from our nice, comfy beds, and ate, then rolled out to catch team LiveLong.. We are ahead of schedule, thanks to some awesome night riding teams… Here’s to another epic day…

Purple power completed our first shift and transitioned with Dream Team at Midnight. Beautiful moonlight night for a ride with perfect temps on upper 50′s. Couple climbs, not bad. Thought Alot about my aunt Barb who lost her battle with Breast Cancer 2 yrs. Ago. Believe she was with me on a couple of those climbs. Love you and miss you aunt Barb.

We’re off! Today the Challenge to Conquer Cancer team assembled to make our departure from the Cancer Center at Greenville Hospital system’s Memorial Campus.

The departure is always a very emotional time. Many friends and family stopped by to see us off. There were so many cameras! People were snapping photos left and right. Of course, the polka dot team was fully outfitted in our dots. We made quite the spectacle!

I met one of the people for whom I ride today. Marty’s friend Mike is currently undergoing treatment, and I ride for him. It was great to see him out chatting with the riders and taking in the scene. Great meeting him. Nice to put a face with the name on the magnet.

As we rode out from the Cancer Center, the emotions are always running really high. There are so many people who are suffering or have suffered with this disease. Meeting their friends and family and seeing their appreciation for what the C3 team is doing is really amazing.

So, what about this stow-away? Well, a cousin of mine’s daughter Skye, is participating in the Flat Stanley project. Skye prepared a Flat Stanley and put him on a plane to come out with us, but I thought he never really arrived.

To my surprise, He did! There he was as we were doing the final preparations with the van! He even helped mount the rack on the roof! When I asked him what delayed, he stated he heard he was going on a bike ride, and had to stop for a change of clothes.

So, he jumped on the van with Jen and Cara and rode along. Here we are at dinner after the first shift!

Well, the 2011 Version of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer is now on !!!! Team Polka Dot has now finished stage 1. We left the Greenville Hospital System Cancer Center promptly at 3 pm, and rode to just this side of Long Creek, South Carolina.. Which is west of Westminster: 56 miles, 2:55, with an average speed of 20.7 mph. Great ride, good pace, and good teamwork. We transitioned with Team LiveLong… Today, I rode for my friend Famin Chou, who is bravely fighting stomach cancer. Thinking about you, Famin.. You are gonna beat it!

And we’re off!

Thanks to the lovely crowd that gathered at the Cancer Center to cheer as we rode away. Just coming up on the first transition in a few moments. Already we’ve bonded in ways we can’t print.

At issue is our team name. Last year my van was the Beach Ball team, after the rolling beach ball icon on our borrowed garmin. So far the options are:
-Dance Fever, due to Taylor’s choice of music
-Monster Jam, after the monster truck icon on the garmin
-Cookie Train, following Brandon’s bear-like raid of our fully stocked van. Suggestions please.

So while we have one dilemma to resolve, we have inadvertently solved another mystery: how skinny Taylor managed to crack his saddle during last year’s ride. Turns out it’s the Double Decker taco from Taco Bell.

Transition! Gotta go.

And we’re off!

Thanks to the lovely crowd that gathered at the Cancer Center to cheer as we rode away. Just coming up on the first transition in a few moments. Already we’ve bonded in ways we can’t print.

At issue is our team name. Last year my van was the Beach Ball team, after the rolling beach ball icon on our borrowed garmin. So far the options are:
-Dance Fever, due to Taylor’s choice of music
-Monster Jam, after the monster truck icon on the garmin
-Cookie Train, following Brandon’s bear-like raid of our fully stocked van. Suggestions please.

So while we have one dilemma to resolve, we have inadvertently solved another mystery: how skinny Taylor managed to crack his saddle during last year’s ride. Turns out it’s the Double Decker taco from Taco Bell.

Transition! Gotta go.

I am having trouble writing this first post. Putting my thoughts into words in some sort of clear, understandable way is proving to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. You see, my reasons for participating in the Challenge to Conquer Cancer this year focus on the title of this post. For me, the beginning of this journey is really about closure and finishing my own fight with cancer. Last year I attended the send off as a Warrior for the yellow team. I had just finished six months of chemo and was preparing for a mastectomy at the end of the month. I was blown away by the support I felt from all of the participants of the P3C3. My dear friends Anne and Tedd had been telling me for a year that the people they met through their participation in this group were like family and I began to feel this too. On Thursday of that week, after following the blog and “the spot” religiously, I hopped on a plane and headed west to Austin to meet the teams and take part in the LiveSTRONG Challenge for the weekend. To say the weekend was life changing is an understatement. I decided then, that I would accept the challenge to be a support driver for 2011. I would support the people that had supported me. And so the day has come for me to close the book on my own battle and support others who are fighting cancer in their own bodies, who are researching better ways to combat and cure cancer in others, and who climb on their bikes and pedal to Texas to take on the fight of the 28 million people in the world who are living with cancer right now.

I am excited to take on this support role. I am excited to get to know my six polka dot teammates as we spend time stuffed in our red party van. And as I told my students, I am excited to use the walkie talkies!

This will be my third year. I had hoped to “ride” this year…but life gets in the way alot of times. So I will go as a Team manager—Team “Mom” again. I have been going at SUCH a frenzied pace since June. I really don’t know if I have been at home for more than a whole week at a time since. I REALLY do not have the time to go this year……but how can I not go??? Cancer has touched my family profoundly from my Mom, to my sister, to my sis in law, to me. I just had a discussion with my niece—she is only 36 yr old and is considering having a profilactic (spelling?) mastectomy to prevent the same fate as all of us??!!! How can I not go to Austin??? We have to keep raising the funds to help fight this disease. Our convoy riding down the roads to Texas day and night certainly will help raise awareness…even if it helps one person! I am tired from traveling and emotionally tired as of late. My hope is that while driving for 6 hours at 15 miles an hour with my team of cyclists….I will have the time to take a deep breath….settle down…..calm down…..and realize again WHY we do this ride! I will think of friends and family that have battled it…I will think of their family members and mine that have “Loved Them Thru It” as Martina’s song talks about. I am sure i will shed many tears but my heart will refill with hope. We ride for so many! October 9, 2011

Two years ago, I wasn’t aware of the affects Cancer has on so many people. Since I did the C3 in 2009, my eyes have really been opened. There are so many people who have suffered the effects of cancer it just astounds me.
As I prepare to make the departure later today, I think about the loved ones of my own, my friends and my family. This ride is for them.

In Honor Of
Grandma Olds
Cindy Arnold
Rachel McAbee
John Allen
Dustin Retherford
Ellen Ehlers
Jeni Schumacher
Mike Herbert
Martin Remick
Diane Rinebold
Keith Houston
Laurens Flanagan
Zach Jordal
Jeannette Wood
Caroline Schultz
Rene McCurdy
Rose Wisner
Annette Corl
David McCall
James Heaton*
Valorie Clinkscales
Linda Flanders
Crystal Myers
Kathy Vogt

In Memory of
Jerry Scroggins
Uncle Buddy
Sarah Parker*
Clara “Boots” Staton
Toni Willard
Craig Franks
Gary “Dootz” Scala
Herman Sullivan
William D. Check
Mary Granger
Fagirama
Jack H. Furr
Bob Hoogstoel
Christeen Williams
Mike and Julie Hadley
Donna Gilbert
Tommy Mattison
Dianne Teschlog
John R. Dalton
Dot Eubank
Don Corl
Jerry Bootsma
Yanna Kroes

* Unfortunately, cancer affects children as well. Those marked by asterisk are children.

Wow, I do not know how to explain the excitement I am feeling. It has been great to meet all the people involved.(Although if you know me I am terrible with names), I will surely know all these individuals by name at the end of our journey. It has been insipring to me to have all my supporters help in raising the monies to attend this Ride to Austin, In our lives we can accomplish many things but surely we do not always realize that the sucesses are due to the others who help and influence us along the way.

This is year 4.  My husband and I, along with a small band of folks, sat around a table and planned this ride we call “Challenge to Conquer Cancer” back in 2007.  I wasn’t so sure we could recruit enough people to take 6 days off of work and raise $5000 to ride on a bike for 6 hours everyday until arriving in Austin.  My husband had no doubt.  Cancer affects so many people.  It had a major impact on our lives as we watched Ron’s dad battle and then succumb to bladder cancer in 2006.  It is a helpless, indescribable feeling to watch cancer take someone that is a part of you.

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

Miss you Dad.  This rides for you.

Getting ready for my second round with this amazing group brings back memories of where I was in my life last year at this time. It’s amazing to be able to change so much in one year, yet see the things that are important to your heart remain.

I am stronger this year, yet I know more people who are sick this time around. Not to say they aren’t strong. They are tougher than nails to be able to fight cancer and keep their head up.

This year, again, I am dedicating this ride to BW, who has my heart. But I also send my love to the clients and friends and family and random strangers I have met while fundraising who are battling this Demon. They deserve our unconditional love, our support, our prayers and meditations, our bear hugs, our best homemade mac&cheeses…at the very least the symbol of remembrance and support that this ride is.

So tonight, we pack our cleats and spandex and gel packs and massage table in honor of them, the true Warriors.

Last year I answered this question with a simple answer; “For Scott Shuey”.
This year I ride for all the people who have battled cancer, fought hard, and always seemed to battle in dignity respectful of why God gave them this challenge to overcome .
I also ride for those who have fallen in the battle for where their life was called short. For that I am sorrowed for their families and friends, but joyful that their pain is gone and their life will live on and affect many others. They have risen up and received the imperishable crown.
For the reason “Why I ride”, I ride for them and for ScottSTRONG.

That is a loaded question. Just how much do you really want to know, after all? Life hurts. Sometimes it hurts more than we think we can bear. I have found that sweat seems to be a much more effective cathartic than tears. For one thing, it’s generally associated with quite a lot less mucus, except during allergy season, of course. Over the years, it has kept me strong enough to keep putting one foot in front of the other, if only just. There were many times when the gym was simply an alternative to skydiving without a parachute. I had responsibilities, after all.
For me, cancer is only the latest of many assaults. I was almost done preparing for my second marathon with “Team in Training” to fight Leukemia about 15 years ago when I discovered that I was expecting my first child. Tomos was born August 7,1997. He was beautiful. Three days later, he tried to die. The residents at the hospital coded him for 30 minutes. That began the relentless cycle of hope and despair that lasted for the next 13 years. We had no idea what was wrong with him. It took us completely by surprise. My husband quit work a few months later to help care for our baby boy. I desperately wanted to stay home with him, but it made more financial sense for me to work. So, I worked. Two years later, I had Timmy, a healthy, bouncy boy who remains the light of my life. Meanwhile, Tommy was in and out of intensive care and on and off the ventilator, each time looking like it would be his last. He had seizures several times a day, despite multiple medications. He required a feeding tube for nutrition when he became unable to swallow anything, even his own saliva. He required suctioning every few minutes whenever he was awake, and he didn’t sleep at night.
In 2002, Carys was born by emergency C-section about 7 weeks early. She weighed 2 pounds and 11 ounces, and she was extremely indignant at being cheated those 7 weeks of warm security. She tried her best to make up for it all her life, my little cuddle-bug. She looked so much like Tomos that it was spooky. By then, the internet databases had developed, allowing us to search and discover the recently written articles about Vici Syndrome. It wasn’t good. None of the children described lived beyond 3 years, most much less.
We continued to cycle through one illness after another, with a specialist for every organ system and a counter full of medications. We tried every conceivable home physical therapy regimen to help our babies develop. Our house was arranged like an intensive care facility. If I took Timmy to Sunday school, Tomos would wind up in the ICU. As expected, this worsened when Timmy began kindergarten. After a month of teetering on the brink of death in early 2005, Tomos finally came home with a tracheostomy and a ventilator. He lived until just after the ice storm in December of that year.
Carys progressed as predicted, despite our best efforts. Then, Hywel developed a mass on his jaw. He was diagnosed in the most advanced stages of CLL and required chemotherapy immediately. He had more than 30 units of blood transfused to compensate for his failing bone marrow. Fortunately, during that time, he and Carys took turns being sick. From April to May, Carys was in the hospital three times. We really didn’t expect her to come home, but she finally did. Hywel was declared to be in remission in July of 2010. The mass on his jaw remained. Upon removal, this proved to be a completely separate type of cancer, an advanced adenocarcinoma of the parotid gland, the main salivary gland. He had surgery to remove that in mid-September. October 1, 2010, our daughter died in her sleep.
Perhaps I ride because the only way to keep my balance is to keep moving forward. At any rate, I know it helps me, and I hope I can help others by doing what I do. I feel like the mythological Sisyphus with the stone removed. Now perhaps, I thought that I could put all of this to work to actually accomplish something useful. For the first time in many years, I’m having fun! What’s more, it feels really good to fight back. Thanks for joining me in the battle! Enough talk. It’s almost time to pedal!
“What do we live for; if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?” T.S.Eliot

FRIDAY!!!??? yikes! Where has the time gone? We leave in 2 days. wow. I am not ready. I have been so busy this week with my new job that I have put the bike on the back burner. Well, as of this afternoon (except for the emergency surgery I have to do tomorrow morning) I can refocus on the C3 ride to Austin. This is such a great adventure. I want to say how proud I am of each and every rider, as well as each and every person who travels with us to ‘support’ the ride (they, of course, make it actually happen). I want to say how much I want to honor the Warriors, and I will ride each day thinking about you, and hoping this makes a small dent in your life, and a large dent in your cancer. To those who we honor, and to those we remember.. I ride for you as well. Ok.. here we go!!! Everyone stay tuned!

To all of our “Warriors” out there – those who are currently battling this cruel disease called cancer, for those in remission, for the surviors and those who fought the fight we are riding to Austin, Texas for you. Although our journey’s in life are all so very different one fact remains the same – our desire to Conquer Cancer!! Cancer can not shatter hope.  Hope stands undefeated against all evils. God bless all our Warriors – we are riding for each of you and so many others “because we can” and it is truly an honor to be apart of this endeavor.  You are not only my Warrior but my Hero. I love you Dad - see you in Texas!! ~K

We’re down to 3 days before our departure. It’s an incredible feeling to be so close to such a grand adventure. Bonding with the people associated with this Challenge to Conquer Cancer has been a big highlight of the last several years.

It is amazing to meet such a group of selfless individuals. Many of the people associated with the Challenge to Conquer Cancer spend A LOT of hours preparing for fundraising events. Of course these folks have families, jobs and other activities they are involved with. It just happens that fighting cancer is something they have a passion for, and they are tireless in their efforts.

Tonight we gathered at the Brown Street Club for the Jazz Jam to Conquer Cancer. Of course it was an excellent time, and Montana Skies rocked the house. It was really great to see everyone. We are so ready to make this journey.

I hope everyone follows along with these blogs. And please, make comments on the blogs – it really means a lot to us when we hear from you.

Next post will be from the road. See you there!

jd

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has worked so diligently on this ride as well as those who are still working to make sure everyone has their funds.

What an honor it is to be part of such a wonderful group and cause. I have learned so much and am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and grow.

See you ALL on Sunday!!!!

Shannon

The following is a post from Kenya Taylor, the mother of Davis and daughter of Ken Holsombeck who are two of our warriors.

“About a year ago, I went to Fall for Greenville with friends. I was introduced to a woman there in the middle of the street. I remembered her as nice and friendly. She was very pretty, but the kind of person who didn’t even know it. She chatted with us for a bit and then we split off to meet our perspective parties. Honestly, I never really thought about her again after that day. Our lives went on….I assumed parallel, not knowing one day they would again converge.

Just over a week later, I attended this event with my children held at the front of the GHS Cancer Center. We were still pretty new at this “cancer thing” and felt slightly awkward walking around not knowing anyone. We were there because I had received a facebook message from a woman whose children, years ago, had attended preschool with mine. She asked my permission to place a magnet on this car that was riding to Austin with a bunch of people on bicycles to raise money for cancer. Of course I said yes and so, felt obliged to attend this “send off” though I really had no idea what it was all about.

The kids and I walked through the crowds to find this caravan of, well vans, lined up along the road there in front of the hospital that we visited weekly (or more). Each had what looked like hundreds of magnets on them. As we approached, I could see that some magnets read “In honor of…” as others read “In memory of…” We looked but couldn’t locate Davis’ name. That’s when I saw that woman from Fall for Greenville. The encounter was brief but I remembered her face. Not remembering her name, I reintroduced myself and told her why I was there. Almost before I could finish she said with enthusiasm, “Oh you’re with Davis. He’s right here (pointing to his magnet). I am riding for him in this car.” Davis’ name was posted there right next to Jack Huffman’s, a friend who lost his battle just months before this ride. I didn’t know what to say.
What these people do is they commit themselves to riding bicycles from Greenville, SC to Austin, TX as part of the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Challenge to Conquer Cancer. They raise money for all cancers proper and almost all of the money raised stays right here at our own hospital. Now the part about the bike ride to Austin is worth repeating as I can’t even imagine what it would take to commit to a feat such as this. There are 24 riders who relay 24 hours a day from Sunday afternoon to Thursday in honor of and in memory of persons who fight and those whom we have lost. Unbelievable….

I introduced Davis to my new friend, Donna Navarro, and without hesitation he gave her the biggest hug, then went on to sign his name across her sleeve so that as she pushed on and things got tough along the ride, she could look down and see his name and be motivated to keep peddling….It was a surreal moment how the two of them connected.

Months later, I ran into her and another friend Beth and we talked more about the ride. They both vowed to me that night that they would ride this year for Davis, and my dad who had since been diagnosed, and they would nominate them as warriors for this trip. I received the call in August that my dad and Davis had, in fact, had been chosen as part of the 10 man warrior team that would be honored this year at Livestrong Event. They will be flying them to Austin, Texas as on October 13th. I can’t even express my gratitude to these people, especially Donna, who will make this experience happen for them, together.Livestrong raises millions of dollars a year for cancer research. They are the motivation behind this team. But again, the money the Palmetto Peloton Project raises stays right here in our community. Having a father who is presently on a trial that could have potentially been funded by this group of heroic human beings is implausible.Who knows how long my dad will be on the trial. He has a CT soon. If the tumors are the same or smaller, then they proceed. If they aren’t, well then I don’t know what happens after that. They are still accepting donations for the project if you feel inclined. http://www.p3ride.org/challenge-to-conquer-cancer/relay-from-greenville.html. The woman who’s path I crossed last week and mentioned in my last post also made me appreciate that every single dollar counts. Counted all together they can find a cure….Bikes pull out this Sunday, October 9th at 3pm in front of the GHS Cancer Center! Hope to see you there beforehand to be ready to cheer them on!”

Reading Kenya Holsombeck Taylor’s journal entry this morning brought back a flood of memories and emotions. The part of the story she doesn’t know is how SHE and DAVIS changed my life!

I was committed to the P3C3 cause for all the right reasons but the day of departure last year found me flat from my own life’s issues. That morning I had even thought I wouldn’t make the trip to Austin because of those issues. I had lost sight of why I was doing the ride. The thing you must understand about the C3 family, and yes they are family, is that they never leave you no matter what. They keep you strong and focused. They even take you by the hand and drag you along, pick you up and carry you, or get behind you and shove you forward when you can’t seem to do any of it for yourself.  The months, weeks and days prior to leaving were testing me and without my C3 family (Beth Rusch, Ron Jerina, Jennifer Ward Jerina, Laurens Flanagan,Scott Blackburn, Robin Blackburn, Anne Strange Garner, Tedd Garner) I wouldn’t have even been there to run into Kenya and meet Davis at the sendoff. 

Even as I arrived at GHS Cancer Center, I was still questioning if I should be leaving town.  My heart was heavy from the stress of it all.  Just when I was about to turn to Anne and say I couldn’t do this, I saw Kenya.  When I had met her several days before, our pleasantries had not included my ride or the fact that Davis was fighting cancer.  As we discovered why each of us was there and that coincidentally Davis’ magnet was on MY van, my heart filled with such lightness of joy where the stress had been just prior.  There was no question I was doing this ride and no question that this was exactly where I was supposed to be.  Having Davis hug me and then sit in my lap as he signed my arm warmer just kept filling me up with energy and a purpose of being. 

The ride to Austin was incredible and I thought of Davis every day and pulled my strength from him and from too many others for whom I was riding.  Arriving in Austin for the Livestrong Challenge and seeing the thousands of people who all shared the same fight was overwhelming to say the least.  I am so excited for our new riders and support people to experience this.  I’m beyond thrilled that Davis and his grandfather, Ken, will have this memory together.  Most of you know I’m not good at holding back the tears.  I have a feeling I should buy waterproof mascara before I leave.  Raccoon eyes are not fashionable from what I can see. 

It dawned on me this morning every moment of the past year or more whether it has been easy and pleasant or the exact opposite has been perfectly placed dominoes.  As each one has fallen, I’ve been given an abundance of blessings.  This C3 group entered my life with a force and has shown me the strength I possess.  I am so proud and incredibly honored to know that with them we can make a difference in this fight!  Thank you Beth, Ron, Jennifer, Anne, Tedd, Laurens, Robin, and Scott for your dragging, carrying, and shoving when it was needed.  Thank you Kenya, Davis, and Ken for giving me the strength and focus again this year!

Cyclists and support crew are all hustling to get our last funds raised for this trek. Be sure to let all your friends and families know about our events and come out, enjoy yourself and support our mission:

Wednesday October 5th 6:30-11pm – 3rd Annual Jazz Jam to Conquer Cancer at The Brown Street Club (www.p3ride.org/jazzjam)

Thursday October 6th 6-9pm – Short Track Mountain Bike Race in Cleveland Park near the Zoo entrance (http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=249313941759053)

Getting people to attend these events is critical to our success. Please spread the word, help us get these events packed with supporters! You can also make a donation to help us get to Texas at https://secure.p3ride.org/donate/index.php?eid=3

Well, they told us to blog, so here goes. I seriously messed up on hydration last Wednesday, and my muscles have been twitching and spasming ever since then. Yesterday’s ride with JD and John Siddens was absolutely gorgeous, but I had to ride very cautiously to avoid disabling spasms. My hamstrings and abdominal muscles spasmed a couple of times, but I got them to relax again. We did about 75 miles with only a moderate amount of climbing since I couldn’t handle too much. They took very good care of me, for which I am grateful. Mark Hardin rode sag. I never would have made it without all of the extra water.
I had a lovely recovery ride this morning. We began downtown on the Swamp Rabbit trail and rode up to TR. That’s the first time I have ever been on that trail since they extended it up to TR. It’s quite nice. Then, we cut across to Tigerville, climbed slowly up to the bakery in Saluda, sat and enjoyed the company for a bit, and rode back the way we had come. It was about 75 miles as well. My legs threatened to spasm, but I took it easy, and they never actually did. I was a bit worried that I would have trouble when my gears were malfunctioning so badly that I decided to just leave the chain on the bigger gear in front. But, I finished the ride feeling better than when I had begun. I hope some of these friends will want to keep riding with me when this is all over. I don’t know when I have ever enjoyed life quite so much. I have always wanted to be on a team!

Year 4 of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer is upon us. While not a 4 year veteran ( I missed 2009 for personal reasons), this is my 3rd year riding to Austin.

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???)

We are excited to have many changes in the coming year for our Challenge To Conquer Cancer ride. This year there will be two starting locations and teams will meet up to arrive together as one powerful presence in Austin TX. We will be posting more information and updating the blog soon, so stay tuned to be moved once again by our passionate, committed participants as they ride across the country to conquer cancer.

(I started writing this last week, but just couldn’t seem to get around to finishing it).

So…we’ve been home nearly 36 hours and I am already having some serious P3C3 withdrawal. Now I am thrilled to be home in my house with my sweet girls, mind you. However, it’s REALLY REALLY hard to come back to the reality of life after such an incredible experience.

As you blog followers know, I had a very difficult time blogging while driving the Yellow Handbaskets to Austin (yes, Bo…I know…I’m a Mom and should be able to multi-task!). Once we got to Austin, life continued to be non-stop so I am finally sitting down to write something. I don’t even know where to begin!

First, I must thank everyone who supported us on this ride:
our girls who understand as well as they can what this is all about and why it’s an important thing for us to do PLUS Mason & her friend Cata for raising $1,000 at their Cupcakes for Cancer event!!!!
my parents & Tedd’s parents for taking care of our girls for 8 days
everyone who attended one of our fundraisers and/or donated to us – you helped us exceed our goal by several thousand dollars
everyone who prayed for our journey and followed us on the blog as we made our way
my Yellow Handbasket teammates – you’re some of the best friends I have
the bigger P3C3 team – what a blessing you all are to me
our 2010 warriors who brightened my weekend with their presence
and so on and so on and so on…

This P3C3 “thing” is nearly impossible to describe. It’s not often you pile yourself into a mini-van with 7 other people you hardly know and come out as best friends at the end of a 5 day ride! That’s exactly what happened on last year’s ride. As much as I tried to explain that to people, no one could quite understand. I’m not even sure I understand! All I know is that we were an extremely lucky group of people to have been placed together as a team. Things happen for a reason, right? This year’s team was almost identical – we lost 2 riders (1 to another team and 1 who couldn’t ride this year), but gained 2 riders. It was very easy just falling back into the rhythm of the 2009 trip. We are a family – there is no doubt about it.

We all have our reasons for participating in this adventure. Some people have been touched very closely by cancer, others have been touched but a little farther away. Tedd and I had certainly been touched by cancer – lost grandparents and coworkers, watched friends go through treatments, etc. However, it hit us a lot closer this year. One of the P3C3 cancer warriors for 2010 is one of our best friends, Cara. She is very much a part of our family and is like the little sister that neither Tedd nor I have. In March of this year, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. That rocked our world. Because of Cara, we had even more of a reason to do this crazy thing! Cara was able to fly out to Austin, along with 4 other warriors, and spend the LiveStrong Challenge weekend with us. It was so great having her with us. She was completely embraced by other members of the P3C3 family and is now a card-carrying member of Team Yellow Hand-basket!! Walking across the 5K finish-line was more emotional than I think any of us counted on. As we started across the bridge toward the finish line, Cara looked at me and her eyes filled with tears. Of course, I was done at that point. Cara, Tedd and I walked across the finish-line arm in arm and it is a moment I won’t forget. A great weekend was made even better by having Cara there with us.

There is no doubt in my mind that the P3C3 Ride to Austin is an important thing in the fight against cancer. I can’t think of a stronger group of people to take on this fight. I am very honored and blessed to be a part of such an incredible group of people who are ready to win. Game on, cancer! Until next year…

Oh…and yes…even after a week, I’m still having withdrawals!

Where are my peeps

I tried really hard to get rid of my lonely feelings of missing my team…. So I hopped in to the backseat thinking this would help. No it did not.
Learning to feel again, Learning to breath again, Learning to own Cancer and not letting Cancer own you. These are a few of my favorite things…..
My 3rd year is a charm for me. I went into this year with a surgery on my mind, with being ashamed of my skin that is all wacked to H. E. double hockey sticks and low self confidence. Then I met Mark Knight. If you have not had the pleasure of meeting this amazing cancer survivor you NEED TO! He shared with me a tad bit of his journey and that he has forgotten how to feel. He has allowed Cancer to control him and consumed him. I have allowed Cancer to take over my self esteem. Not the same but some what. As He and I crossed the finish line He had a tear in his eye and said…. ” I Can” ( bear with me here.. I am aDD I will get to the point in a moment) I thought of I CANcer. I FIGHT. I WIN. I Persevere… I can.. over come my fears of my scars… Just like Mark crossed the finish line and said…. I am ready to feel again. I am ready to ride my BIKE. In my head I thought I am ready to feel good about me…. I have learned so much from this man…. in just 20 min…. God is so good to have allowed me the ability to challenge my body this way….
I say that often. And feel it when I say it. I am ready to move on away from my fears… Just like Mark, Just like Penny did when she wore her hat that exposed her beautiful head… Just like Cara did when she took off her hat…. I am ready …. Ready to ride, Ready to feel, Ready to face the challenges of “i CANcer” Bring it on. Thank you P3C3 peeps for this amazing experience. Thank you from the bottom of my little itty bitty toe. I love you all so very much. Be real. Be ready…. love. Jeni

Penny and Buddy

This is feeling....

As I sit here at home the Ride to Austin completed, my heart swells with so many emotions.  On Sunday the 17th, we met at the Cancer Center to begin our journey…our fight…our Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  Our bags and gear were loaded into our homes away from home…Sienna minivans for all except one team who had a 15 passenger van.  We were joined by friends, family, Cancer Center doctors and nurses, survivors and warriors.  Pictures were taken, speeches were given, and tears were shed.  As I walked around making sure I had loaded everything I brought into the right van, getting my bike ready to ride, and saying hello to all who came to see us off, I saw someone I had just met the week before.  Her name is Kenya Taylor.  I was surprised to see her and saw the same surprise on her face in seeing me.  I learned her son, Davis, is currently battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  His beaming smile and loving eyes told me this very young man is a very strong warrior.  I can never express how special and timely it was for me to meet Davis.  I was desperately needing perspective.  At times our own lives can seem overwhelming.  A reminder of how a day spent battling cancer can trump everything can get us back on the right track.  Davis, my man, you rock!  You got me through the tough moments and continue to do so.  Thank you for your hug…it filled me with fight!

Before I fill you in on the last week, let me first say…I tired to blog!  I spent an hour on a blog while riding in the swaying sardine can…err Sienna minivan.  When I was finally pleased (as much as I was going to be), I hit “Publish” and realized while doing so that I had no signal.  Blog lost.  At this point my brain needed resuscitation and there wasn’t a bed in sight for a while.  With less than desirable cell signals and satellite signals and others in the van who wanted to blog, I was forced to wait.  So I’m going to try again.  Please forgive my lateness in doing so and I apologize in advance for the length of this post.  However, it is my only one.

Team Yellow.  Ron, Ted, Scott, Robin, Laurens and me (Donna) were riders.  Anne and Jennifer were our rocking Team Managers aka moms.  Our first shift was the midnight to 3 am shift.  Our first transition was with the Conquistadors team.  There is something about riding at night that soothes my soul.  Riding with a group in a pace line forces you to trust those you ride with.  Riding at night increases this ten-fold.  While you may not be able to see your surroundings very well on a night ride, your other senses are intensified.  At one point we could hear a rushing river to our left while a shear rock wall was just at the shoulder of the road on our right.  While the temps were a bit cold, the exhilaration of finally being on the road made it bearable.  This first shift seemed to fly by!  We met up with ScottStrong to transition.  While changing in the dark, we were greeted by a police officer.  He seemed quite confused as to what was going on in this small parking lot alongside the river.  Two vans with spinning lights on top, a bus hauling a trailer all lit up, and 12 cyclists with lights on their handlebars and blinky lights on their saddles.  Quite a sight in the dark I’m sure!  I was just very thankful we were all changed and clothed when he drove up.  He just shook his head when Ron explained to him what we were doing and why which was my same reaction last year having never done the ride.

With only 15 hours until we had to be back on the bike, the next few hours would be spent driving to our next transition which would be with the Blue Agave team.  Transitions are moving targets.  They are decided on the fly.  They are fluid.  Everything and everyone involved with this endeavor must be fluid and easy to make it all work.  After estimating at what area Blue Agave’s shift would end, a transition spot was found in a church parking lot.  These are the most reliable and best places to accommodate 2 teams and all the vehicles.  My hope is that God understands the need to use surrounding nature as nature calls before getting on the bike or for that matter after getting off the bike.   This was our 6pm to 12 am shift.  We had just a short time in the daylight.  Knowing when to eat and how to eat can be an issue with every shift being at a different time.  On this shift, we decided to stop at a Mickey D’s for something other than a PBJ.  Being someone who doesn’t eat beef and hardly ever eats fast food, I wasn’t sure this would be the best thing for me.  I knew I needed something so I wouldn’t bonk and ordered a chicken sandwich and a coke.  The sugar and caffeine would be welcomed to keep me awake during this late shift.  All I will say is that meal energized me and kept me going and going.  Enough so to be branded the Energizer Bunny by teammates.  : ))  I was so hyper even at the end of the shift that I offered to drive to find our hotel.  We transitioned with the Conquistadors in a convenience store parking lot and headed off in search of a bed.  I was feeling good and surprised at how well I felt and how well things were going for us.  Did you hear it?  The music….signaling something is about to happen?  After arriving at the hotel, it is quickly recognized that a wheel slot is empty.  After a quick glance at the remaining wheels, I announce that it’s mine.  I had to laugh because this is just my luck and also in the big picture of what we were doing it was so not something to get worked up over.  Bob Kramer, our traveling mechanic, had brought extra wheels…thank goodness!  With that worry over, we were off to bed.

We were once again in the van.  Now at this point the van is getting a little less organized and lot more messy…or was it just my stuff that couldn’t be located quickly?  Our next shift would be to meet the Blue Agave on the Natchez Trace at midnight for our midnight to 6am shift.  Once we located them we pulled a little ways down the road to greet them as they passed.  The details of this greeting aren’t important but let’s just say after a long shift mostly spent in the dark where Blue Agave dealt with two flats and a crash that left them feeling a bit drained, they were brought to life once we came into sight.  Ha!  We got back into the van, passed them once again handing out snacks as we rolled alongside and then estimated where the transition might be.  We parked with the intention of getting an hour or so of sleep.  After about 10 minutes the temperature in the van had become uncomfortably hot.  Sweatshirts were removed and windows opened slightly.  A few more minutes passed and windows were lowered more.  Why was it that I felt like I was in some horror flick and a hockey masked chainsaw wielding mass murderer was going to come out of the woods while we all slept?  I couldn’t sleep and it seemed no one else could as well.  Technology began lighting up all over the van and Ted, Scott, and Anne went for a walk.  Several minutes later, Ron receives word from Blue Agave that we are too far down the road.  I climbed into the drivers seat and rolled the van slowly down the turnout towards our three brave walkers who seemed to not have heard about the hockey masked killer in my mind.  We were informed that Scott had contemplated what if the van rolls up and no one is driving because we are all murdered.  Yes, I’m telling you it is dark and can be scary on the Natchez Trace.  Finding an appropriate transition on the Trace is difficult when having to take into consideration the bus pulling the trailer.  We finally find a small pullout and set up there to greet the Blue Agave.  It would seem our earlier greeting gave the Blue Agave inspiration for their arrival into the transition area.  : ))  This would prove the most difficult shift for me.  It wasn’t the terrain as that was flat.  When I say flat, I mean flat!  At no time was our grade greater than 3% and finding that was rare.  It also wasn’t that we had to pedal the entire time because there was no downhills on which to coast.  It wasn’t that we were tired or sleepy because it was the middle of the night and our bodies were programmed to think they should be in bed.  The reason this ride was so tough…we formed a single file pace line and took turns taking pulls naming off a name for whom we ride for.  This took 3 hours!  We didn’t take long pulls…only 15-20 seconds or so and yet it took 3 hours.  Too many people battling Cancer!  We named off everyone on our lists which included those of the P3C3 family including one who is again having to find the fight to battle.  We took a fast pull for Perry…a member of the P3C3 family who we lost earlier this year to a heart attack.  I never had the pleasure of knowing Perry but I think the world of his wife and son.  On our last pull, we surrounded Laurens.  Laurens this time last year had just learned her cancer was back, started chemo, and was losing her hair.  She took control and shaved her head in Austin.  She is my inspiration and my angel.  Never will I ever be able to say no to Laurens.  We were six wide across the road.  No worries…not one car ever showed during this time.  Funny how that happened.  : ))  Oh and did I forget to mention that the roads were very wet and it was raining…lots of puddles…which translates into rooster tails and road grit as a meal?  When we found the Conquistador team under a bridge, we were so grateful for this transition spot.  When I tell you we were wet, I mean wringing the clothes out with streams of water falling from them wet!  Here is the unexpected joy after this ride.  Kelly V and Janelle were there!  Kelly is our massage therapist who is a tiny thing with the ability to use her hands and knees and forearms and elbows and make you feel like a noodle when she’s done.  I’m sure that all the motorists who saw her up on the portable massage table with her knees in our hamstrings in the dark or the daylight were wondering “What the heck?”  We even had one stop and ask if everything was okay?  Oh yes, at that point everything was just fine.  Changing under the bridge allowed for dry clothes to stay dry and off we were again to search for food and then a place to lay our heads….AFTER a shower of course.  Now no one would expect that every hotel in the area was booked due to a large court case and a death.  Finding rooms proved a little difficult but eventually two were found and we made them work.  By the time we were in the rooms and showered, we had been awake for over 34 hours!  Sleep.

I’m not sure I slept enough and the wake up call came early at 4 am, but we were off again to find our transition spot with the Blue Agave for our last shift, the 6 am to 12 pm.  Now at this point we had been in the dark for all of our shifts.  The thought of having to apply sunscreen, wear sunglasses, and actually see the surroundings as we ride down the road was something we were all looking forward to very much.  We also had Bob Kramer join us for this ride.  Our transition had to be on the side of what I think was a state highway with a large shoulder and cars screaming past us, and at 6 AM it was still dark.  We greeted the Blue Agave who had just completed 100+ miles with yellow roses…well they weren’t roses but it was what some of our group could find at the last minute.  Our last ride began in the dark on a busy state highway.  We pulled across the rumble strips and stayed in the shoulder as much as we could trying to dodge the debris that threatened flats.  From the start I knew this ride was going to be fast!  Our terrain wasn’t flat, but with gentle rollers we found our groove.  Yes, being in the daylight and having the go ahead of our fearless leader, we pushed on this last leg of our journey.   The Yellow Team had ridden a lot together leading up to this ride to Austin, and it showed in the seamless fluid pace line we maintained.  We did have a couple of hiccups…scary moments.  When one oncoming tractor trailer passes you, there is a delay and then gush of wind making it seem as if you are going to be blown off the road.  When there are several that pass you in a row, the gush of wind is scary and you better be holding on tight!  We also had ridden several miles in the medium successfully avoiding the rumble strips until…  They had ended for a stretch and then very quickly reappeared without warning.  These particular rumbles are difficult to see!  I’m not sure how but the only casualty was an ejected water bottle.  Laurens stopped without warning and Jenn driving the bus thought she would take her out with the open doors.  Scary moment but all were safe.  I found energy from thinking about all of those I know who are currently battling cancer…some who were riding with us to Austin and our warriors who would be meeting us in Austin.  It must have worked because I received two of the best compliments I could think of that day.  Laurens told me she loved being on my wheel because I was steady.  Bob Kramer told me when I pulled I never slowed down when ascending the rollers.  Me?  Seriously?  The girl who hates to climb?  No one has ever told me I climbed too fast!  I promise it was through the strength of those who fight Cancer that I was finding the inspiration and the power to ride strong.  It was knowing that I was helping in a small way to fund more research.  As we pulled off to the side of the road to transition with the Conquistadors one last time, the emotions were sadness knowing we had done our last shift, pride knowing the money we had raised and the good it would do, and joy to have shared it all with my very special teammates.

I wish I could tell you that I gave more than I received in being a part of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  However, I don’t think any of us can say that.  Yes we trained hard.  We had training rides in ungodly heat and ones that lasted way past the planned time.  We raised a lot…a lot…of money and went to fundraising events sometimes 3 times in a week.  We rode to Austin…on bicycles during the day and the night and in the wind and the rain and in spite of flat tires and a missing wheel and crashes on the bike and a car crash near us…but every single member of the 2010 Challenge to Conquer Cancer will tell you that what we received was so much more.

Thank you to this new family I’ve become part of for an awesome, life-altering, perspective giving, beyond epic ride!  I will definitely be joining you next year and am already brainstorming and planning on how to raise the money.

To those who donated in my name this year, your generosity and support overwhelmed me.

To those who are fighting, my prayers and love are always with you along with my continued efforts to help in any small way I can to bring about a cure.

To our warriors who came to Austin (Cara, Jerry, Mark, Penny, and Janet), what an inspiration!  You all are so incredible!  I am humbled and honored to know you.

And to my new little warrior, Davis, keep smiling little man and giving out those awesome hugs!  You are one amazing boy!

You learn an awful lot when you spend 8 days with 50 people covering 1600 miles through 8 states.  Here is a list of things I now know to be true:

 It is always hot in Greenville, South Carolina

 Overtired liberal New England Democrats should limit their exposure to overtired Conservative Southern Republicans.

 In more ways than one the C3 family would be lost without Joey Sullivan

 Window Paint can be very dangerous in the wrong hands

 It takes an awful lot to make Ed blush

 Oatmeal cookies are better for you than whole wheat fig newtons

 Keith is spelt with 2 Es in Mississippi (Keeth)

 Not all bike saddles are made equal

 Joe Julian is 71 years old!!

 The world would be a much better place if we would simply embrace “benevolent dictatorships”

 There is a lot of scary information about bats available on Wikipedia

 15 passenger vans have the soul of a race car

 Some Hotels put beds in their conference rooms

 Driving at 15 mph for 1600 miles is very bad for a transmission

 Stray dogs have flees

 The Natchez Trace can change a person

 Biofreeze is the best thing since sliced bread

 “Uncle” Kevin is okay with you riding in the back of his pick up during a down pour

 “Uncle” Kevin is not okay with you riding in the back of his pickup during a thunder storm.

 Lance Armstrong can leave even Jeni and Leann speechless.

 No matter whom you are drinking with or who you are drinking for Crown Royal is gross

 It is just as easy to identify someone but their spandex covered butt as it is to identify them by their smile

 When someone says” hey that is not the seat belt” don’t turn to look

 Cell phone service is a privilege not a right

 Hanging out the window of a mini van demand good communication with the person controlling the brakes

 Yo me gusta Queso

 There are at least 4 separate techniques for women to choose from when peeing on the side of the road

 Bat poop stinks

 Some raccoons are suicidal

 If 3 people are good enough friends they can share the front seat of a SUV

 French toast is the greatest food ever

 Oh and most importantly….. What happens on the Trace stays on the Trace

Four years ago when I attended my first LiveStrong Challenge my life was changed for the better.   I saw how all the participants celebrated life rather than be mad because cancer had ripped away some you love too early in life, seeing the surviors embrace the second chance they were given and seeing the fight being fought by the ones battling cancer was something that changed my life and will continue to be the drive I have to do what I can to make a difference.  

This years Challenge to Conquer Cancer was as unique as the first two.  Half of the riders were new and did not know what they had gotten themselves into but everyone survived and I believe had a wonderful experience.   We had 5 warriors fly out on Thursday to meet us and be there as the teams did the final 15 miles together to wrap up the 2010 Challenge to Conquer Cancer on Friday and be with us to participate in the LiveStrong Challenge.  Jerry,Cara,Mark,Penny and Janet were the warriors who were able to join us in Austin.  They joined us in the celebration dinner Friday night and they got up early to participate in the 5k.  I loved walking with Cara and Jerry and it was such a wonderful sight seeing Jerry get out of his wheelchair and walk the last 1/4 of a mile. Seeing the smile on Penny’s face as she crossed the finish line was priceless and seeing the smile on Marks face as he told me how he ran the 5k will never be forgotten.

We bring our warriors out so they can get away from the day to day grind of dealing with cancer and come to a place where life is celebrated and they can join the celebration.  We had 5 wonderful warriors celebrating life and they all had a great time.  I can get very stressed before and during this ride making sure it all goes as planned but when one of our managers comes up and thanks me for allowing him to join us on our ride when the ride would not happen without him and they have a tear running down their cheek, I know we are doing a good thing changing peoples lives and my stress goes away.  But the moment my life changed again for the better is when one of our warriors, Mark Knights, came up to me and said the weekend changed his life and he is in a much better place now than he was before he came out to Austin.

Thank you all who donated, supported and participated in this years Challenge to Conquer Cancer but most of all thank you warriors for changing my life and making it better.

I’m writing this from the office on Tuesday, 10/26, just after lunch. We are 24 hours back in Greenville, and I’ve been through dozens of e-mails this AM. I’m fighting to figure out all the meetings that the automated schedulers think I should attend.

But I did manage to pull a few photos off my camera, and now I have the C3 group photo in front of the gates to Lance’s house as the desktop wallpaper on my P/C. This will be a constant reminder of an incredible experience: the rides on the bikes, the longer rides in the van, the stories and experiences we shared among ourselves, and the Livestrong events. It’s a good way to keep one’s priorities straight.

I was writing this on Saturday night/ Sunday morning & couldn’t contain my thoughts.  After a couple of days, I think I’m ready to finish it.

Good morning.  I should be in bed asleep recharging to do the Ride for the Roses this morning, but I can’t sleep.  There is a lot that is on my heart & mind.  I have had a great time in Austin with all of the P3C3 family.  Most importantly, I had an amazing time on the journey getting here.  The trek halfway across the country with people that you may or may not know well or at all before you start the journey can make many people uncomfortable.  That was not the case for me or most of Team ScottSTRONG to my knowledge.  It seemed as if we all embraced the opportunity to be a team, and took almost every chance to get to know each other better & make this journey more rewarding for the rest of us.

As for me, I am feeling so many different thoughts and emotions about life and what is important.  That make me appreciate what I have.  Most importantly, my health and my family.  As I am writing this, my wife’s grandmother is in failing health and is not expected to be with us too much longer.  (She has since passed on as of Sunday night).  Being separated from someone you care about is difficult, especially when they are hurting.  I have asked if I should come home and if that would provide comfort and the answer was, “You need to be there.  You are doing something important”.  I think to myself, that I have planned for over a year and a half to make this journey and all it entails.  The fund-raising,  the planning, the actual ride to Austin & of course the celebration with friends.  Those are all good reasons to do this, right?

Well, today was the LiveSTRONG Challenge 5K Walk/ Run and it was a very powerful event for me.  It was great to see the mass of humanity and the excitement of the emcee build up until the start.  The other really cool thing is being a part of the mass of humanity representing the P3C3 from Greenville in our neon green shirts that are recognizable from a mile…or two away.  I haven’t run any distance over a mile anytime in the past year or so.  I initially decided that I would just stay with the group or part of the group and do whatever feels right.  Well, a few or our serious runners really jumped out of the pack & made great time.  I was pulled by a feeling that I needed to run.  Not just to run for the sake of pride in running well, like I said, I haven’t run a mile in over a year.  It was to run from the mess that I feel is my life right now.  Life is hectic, work is…work & I just need some sanity.  So, I started to follow some of our more serious runners out of the large part of the group.  They kept going making a good showing & I had one thought in my mind.  “I am going to run solo.”  Not that I was in a bad mood, but I felt like I needed to run and do it myself.  I made a very respectable showing and felt good about finishing the 5K course in just about 30 minutes.  I then circled back to find some of the P3C3 crew waiting for others to finish.   This was the when I gained a little more clarity.  Being with our group & waiting for our people to finish was great.  The cheers for them as they passed and then joined us afterward was great.  We then had our Cancer Warriors approach our position on the way to the finish & we joined with them to finish the course.  We all made the rest of the way together as one.  For me as well as our Warriors, this was a tremendous experience.  I cannot speak for them, but I know it brought me to tears to know the work & determination and spirit that it took many of them to take this journey to Austin and show cancer what they were made of.

Sunday was the Ride for the Roses which is the signature event of the weekend & culminated our week long adventure together.  It offers several distances between 10 and 90 miles.  I had originally signed up for the 60 mile distance knowing that we would be maybe just a little tired of the bike after riding our bikes from Greenville to Austin.  However, with all that life is throwing at me now I was ready to just get on the bike and ride.  Well, not really ride, but run.  Run for as long as I could by myself (maybe with a couple familiar faces).  This is where I for a few days had been thinking that the BIKE was the only place that I am feeling real peace right now.  I just wanted to keep going and going and going, hopefully to clear my mind or get away from what I am dealing with.  My P3C3 friends kept asking me how long I was going to ride & I kept saying, “I just want to get on the BIKE and ride.  I am so thankful that the 5K was the day before.  On Saturday after the 5K, my thighs ached worse than I have felt in a long time.  As we all arrived in our vans to Dripping Springs, I started to come to my senses.  There were a couple of our guys doing the 90 mile ride, but I knew that it was going to be windy out there and that I would be suffering all day long.  With that in mind, I found that most of my friends were doing the 45 mile loop, so I decided that I would join them.  As we rolled up to the start, I didn’t know how I felt about making that decision.  As we lined up, I wasn’t with the people that I had planned to be with and so I felt a little alone.  I was still in the large pack of P3C3 that was very noticeable to everyone else there, but somehow didn’t feel it yet.  Then we were off.  As a mass of cyclist takes off from a mass start it is a little drawn out process, especially if you aren’t in the front.  It goes from a walk, to mounting the bike, to pushing along with a foot, then a slow spin.  As this is happening you are trying to keep your bearings of where the people you want to ride with are & how you navigate to get together.  I caught up with a handful of riders that I enjoy my time on the bike with and we began to make our way through the mass of riders and then try to get to a comfortable riding pace.   Throughout this Ride to Austin week we have seen great scenery & I was excited to be seeing the countryside of Texas since I’ve never traveled there.  I am very humbled by God’s creation and that it is so different from what we see everyday in Greenville or where I grew up in Myrtle Beach.  I can’t remember whether it was a power stop or if three of us just  organized and did a good portion of the ride at our pace, but then we came across another pack of the P3C3 that was in need of repair.  With the people in their group they could have handled it, but we happened to have one of the best mechanics around riding in our smaller group.  We stopped and we got the other rider back on the road and joined on with their group.  This made for a nice mid-sized pack to make the rest of the ride with.  We stopped for a group pic at “Camp Lucy” where someone had made a “bicycle” out of two large bales of hay and PVC pipe.  Sorry Ron, maybe you can upgrade them to steel for next year .  We got back on & and after a bit more we started to get close to the finish.  I had mixed emotions.  I was so glad that we were finishing as we had done 45 miles on new and different terrain with a fairly strong wind and my thighs were still feeling it from the 5K.  At the same time I was sad because this was my last ride and our last ride of the week-long adventure together.  We crossed the finish line and it was over.  We did a quick appearance to promote the P3C3 and then took our bikes to get packed on the bus.

Our BIKE adventure was over and I was at peace.  I realized that although a spin on the bike can help you work through things or escape, that it isn’t about the bike.  I NEEDED  to ride with my family.  The BIKE and the CAUSE is what has brought us together as that FAMILY.  We have done amazing things together that some people cannot imagine doing.  As a FAMILY, we raised over $200,000 to fight cancer.  I am honored to have taken part in this journey with each and every member of the P3C3 FAMILY and pray that I am able to join you for each and every journey like this one.   May each and every one of us RideSTRONG & LiveSTRONG.

Rob

Today as a C3 team we participated in the Annual Austin 5Kwalk/run. As was the case in the past two years it was a very emotional experinece. Two years ago,in this same event, we took turns pushing Kim Chrane in her wheelchair. Unfortunately, after she battled brain cancer for 17 years. she lost the battle last year. This year we all had the honor of meeting her husband here in Austin. He and his friend joined us on the walk/run. This year, our team’s warrior and a special human being, Jerry Scroggins,was one of our honored guests. I had the honor and privilege of pushing Jerry’s wheel chair for a good portion of the 3-mile walk. It was an exhilariting and emotional experience for me when Jerry walked across the finish line and received his yellow rose, symbolic of a cancer survivor. Our other cancer survivors and warriors were equally impressive. My dear friends, this is what our ride is all about. Each of us is continually touched by the emotion that permeates the entire event and its participants. It’s something that you cannot explain, it must be experienced. I thank God daily my immediate family and I have been spared from this dreaded disease. As I’ve stated numerous times, I choose to participate because I can and I wish to honor and memorialize many of my relatives, friends, and classmates.
Again, it’s not about the ride but the journey. To all of our C3 warriors and all cancer survivors, God Bless You and continue to LIVESTRONG.
Tomorrow I will participate in the Ride for Roses with over 4,000 other cyclists, many of whom, are cancer survivors. It’s sure to be another emotional experience.
Monday we return home and take with us another year of emotions, tears and cheers.
The ride and the weekend will have ended but the journey will continue.
“Our third C3 ride a great success,
Cheers to us all, by God we’ve been blessed.”
JoeJ

Welcome to Austin: Land of Lance, flushy toilets, real food and boys that say “wow”

Apparently, I have fallen asleep in a face plant on the bus bench. We are closing in on Austin, and things are starting to look more civilized. Not that that’s necessarily better. Nothing inspirational about highways and strip malls.

We pull into a hotel a little outside Austin proper to wait for all the teams to arrive. Tomorrow we all ride in as one. What day would that make tomorrow? Better yet, what is today? It is Thursday, we are told.
Janelle’s friend Tara meets us there, and they take the dog to its new home. And a flea bath.

The hotel dude tells me where to walk to get food, and I head in that direction, but soon I stop. I am starving, but it doesn’t matter. Even though it’s 4 p.m. and I haven’t eaten anything real since a hotel breakfast at 6:30 a.m., it doesn’t matter. We made it, we did it, and nothing else seems important. I almost cry.

I go back to the hotel and do another face plant on the bed. I don’t wake up till 7:30 the next morning. For those keeping track, that makes it Friday.

I look around, and there’s no Janelle. First I think, she got lucky. Then I realize it’s more likely she stayed at the ranch with Tara and the dog. Apparently so, and apparently the dog’s new name is Rolin. As in Beach Ball Team Rolin’ Out. . . . perfect!

Soon, all the teams have gathered, and we’re rolling out together for a 20ish mile ride into the heart of downtown Austin. A few miles into it, Laurens has a flat, which after shouting everyone else off who is trying to help (in the nicest possible way), she changes herself. She rides in the van with us as we catch her up to team. Laurens educates me about “the painlocker,” which is that hurty place that cyclists for some reason want to stay in as long as possible to get better and stronger for it. In my mind, I think we are finally out of the painlocker, and it feels good.

By the way, Laurens is one of my new heroes.

At some point I get bored of sitting in the back seat and hang out the back window of the van. When I was a kid, the sliding door window did not go down, so of course I have to explore this. Keith hands me the camera, and I start snapping away, one arm looped around the bike rack, and an ankle wedged into the seat. Keith tells me a (rather cute, I have to admit) guy walking down the sidewalk sees me hanging out of the van and says, “Wow.” My kind of town.

At a stop light, I see a homeless guy with the typical cardboard sign. Then he flips it over, and it says: “Smile, it’s contagious.” Everyone in the van starts laughing, and so does the homeless guy.

A short list of casualties we have sustained:

*Shadows under our eyes from little to no sleep.
*I have lost more weight, for which I will probably be in trouble when I get back.
*My fingernails are now long enough to cut someone.
*I have a 2 inch bruise on my thigh from running into my massage table in the dark. Janelle has no idea where her bruises came from.
*No idea what day it is.
*I may never be able to eat hotel eggs again.

On the brighter side:

*There are no stories about me running bottomless through a fountain, unlike someone I may know. 8^) (actually I’m undecided about whether this is a good thing or not)
*I do not have a saddle sore substantial enough to have earned a name. (sorry, Robin)
*I have a new best friend (yay Janelle!) and a rather large addition to make to the group I consider “family.”
*I did not break, lose or throw out the window the GPS loaned to me.
*I am hooked. The Challenge to Conquer Cancer Ride has a massage therapist for as long as it wants me.

No matter what challenges came our way, they were worth it. No matter what we are going through, there are people to help if we let them. As the homeless guy said, Smile, it’s contagious. . .

Beach Ball team: out!

p.s.: I have to say, I do love this town. If I don’t come back, can someone please bring my dog? And my yoga students, and massage clients, and. . . ok, I’m coming back. See you Monday everybody. I miss you.

Another p.s.: B.W., I did this for you. I love you. I hope in some small way that it helps.

Team Beach Ball: 3-1+1=3 (4, if you count Felix)

WiFi, and chances to get to it, are fewer and farther between, mostly cause it’s the boonies out here (or as Sally called it: Bum F—) and partly cause as things get weirder and weirder, time to sit and type is hard/impossible to find. But so is sleep, a shower, a “flushy toilet” (translation: modern plumbing) and “real food” (translation: calories that are not squeezed from a gel pack; processed, packaged, synthesized or reconstituted from powder; candy, cookies, or any more of the once lovely but now stale cheesy scones we were sent off with. Basically, a hot meal).

So we have lots to report since Wednesday around noonish. First off, a shout out to the lovely bustling woman at the Natchez Coffee Co, where we did find the InterWeb at last. Thanks for the food which we delivered to our favorite bus crew who see the inside of a regular bathroom even less often than we do.

Kathy has merged onto the Bus Crew, to be nearer the teams on the road and get pictures. And so Janelle and I are on a mission to make all the remaining transitions: a “logistical nightmare,” according to Kevin.

At 12, we met the Conquistadors, and Milt (a.k.a. Full Moon), in a parking lot by an auto repair shop on the side of a poorly cared for Louisiana highway. This is after the team sprinted up the bridge crossing the Mississippi River. A shout out to Martha Laura for making it to the state line first. Also, a shout out to the entire team for its longest day yet, at 80 miles. Mechanics Buddy and Bob accompanied this leg.

On second thought, they may have reached 80 miles the morning on the Natchez Trace, but details are blurring together (and may begin to be fabricated, much like a Hunter S Thompson article. . .)

Proceeded to the next estimated transition, a little town called Tullos in the middle of L.A. (the state that is. Not to be confused with the city L.A., in which there is always something to do Brian Hill!, as well as readily available flushy toilets and real food). We take off driving, and driving and driving. . . Had we snagged more than 2 hours of sleep the night before we might have realized 40+ miles earlier that we had passed our target and had somehow ended up on the wrong highway. We may have distracted ourselves by talking about boys, but I can neither confirm nor deny that. For the next 2.5 hours we drove back and forth across L.A. without paying attention to what we were doing.

Me: “Look, a giant sprinkler! Ooooooo! Turn around!” Etc.

At one point we drove past the bus without noticing. This is rather alarming, because when I say the bus, I mean the bus pulling a trailer, a minivan in front of the bus and about 7 cyclists wearing bright yellow in between. Backtracking yet again, we catch up with the bus and too embarrassed for them to see us coming from the rear, we hide in a bank parking lot, then a McDonalds parking lot, waiting for them to get through the light.

While we were hiding from our team mates in the parking lot, we acquired a P3C3 mascot: a 3 month old blonde clumsy puppy wandering around looking lost. Obviously a stray. I promise we didn’t dognap. With stale cheesy scones, we lure the puppy into the van (sorry Ron, we couldn’t help it. Janelle is claiming the “better to ask forgiveness defense”) and speed off to get a collar before the transition. While on this mission we are told to pick up a pizza for the bus crew. Sure.

Pizza and puppy in tow, we catch up with the Polka Dots, who are on the side of the road dancing to the Black Eyed Peas’ “I got a feeling.” Some were gyrating. Oh, by the way, this was all happening in a church parking lot. In the spirit of the moment, we named the puppy Fergie. This wouldn’t last long.

While Janelle hides the stowaway from view in the van, I massage Scott Strong. It is then that I learn that tonight’s route has changed. All our earlier Strategery is for nought. Somehow we must ferry Buddy to a hotel in Jasper and then book it back up to the LA border to catch the midnight switch. This we pull off without a hitch because we are Awesome. Sleep deprivation is starting to distort our . . . . well, everything.

While driving like a fiend through the curvy unlit roads along the Texas border, Fergie, who had been perched on the console between the front seat vomits in the back seat (don’t worry, Ron, Janelle had previously dog-proofed the car with towels and garbage bags.)

Janelle, as she pitches everything into the woods: “I don’t usually litter, but this is disgusting.”

By the way, when we finally do reach our hotel in Austin, you may not hear from us for days. And that will also be our alibi when rumors of bizarre activities we may or may not have been observed participating in Austin reach your ears. We were sleeping. Got it Janelle, tell them we were sleeping!

I should also mention that after massaging people under the stars, my massage office will seem rather ordinary when I return, I am afraid. Also, setting my daily client schedule will seem ridiculously easy after getting used to traveling across a state (or 2) to find a moving target in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night.

Next up, the 6 am transition. The Polka Dots are done for the tour. And the Blue Agave will meet us across the Texas border in Lufkin we are told. Since there are no hotel rooms to be found in the REGION, apparently, we pull over to the side of the road and sleep from 4:30-6.

It is on this rather ordinary stretch of Texas highway that I finally peed outside. I know you were wanting to know.

When we wake, we find that the team has passed us and is checking into a hotel. We drive another 30 minutes to massage them, steal their shower and eat another hotel breakfast (we are the fence about whether this constitutes real food). We introduce our puppy and Blue Agave renames it “Austin.” We are also on the fence about that name, since the puppy will be living in Austin at a pet rescue farm that Janelle’s friend is opening: Wild Hearts of Austin. What do you think?

Pulling out our SuperWomen capes, we now attempt to rescue Buddy from the hotel in Jasper and make it to the noon transition which will occur somewhere on Highway 30 headed to Austin. Looking forward to skipping ahead to Austin after that and finally sleeping in an actual hotel bed, we are informed that our minivan is about to be, uh, repurposed again.

Janelle: “Are you kidding?”

The bus transmission is sick and needs to get to a bus doctor. We are to ride the sick bus to Austin, while the medic and mechanic follow the team in our home-away-from-home minivan. Trouble is, we are both wearing shorts again, and last we did this and boarded the bus, bad things happened to it. The sleepier we get, the more superstitious we are getting. . .

So the switch is made, and pulling into a gas station for a flushy toilet (thanks, Kevin!), smoke billows forth from the radiator and antifreeze streams onto the concrete. Poor bus. Kevin and Bob patch her up, and we are on our way once more to the Shop where hopefully she can be healed.

[Disclaimer: if you don’t like to listen to ranting skip ahead to the next bracket.]

Here’s the thing, the Challenge to Conquer Cancer Ride is a non-profit fundraising effort. Everyone working on this project, from planning, to coordinating routes, to renting and equipping vans, to forgoing sleep for 5 days straight to stay on the bus and monitor its heartbeat, to training and riding each day, to being a team mom, to driving 15 miles per hour in front of and behind the cyclists so they don’t get run over like a possum. . . .everyone doing this is a volunteer. We are either taking vacation, or taking time off from our self-employed small business to be here and work together toward a common goal. It’s not easy. It’s unpleasant at times, sometime downright confrontational, but ultimately we are in it together, like a family. So we give everything we have.

We still need help. We need a new bus. No one has asked me to say this, but we do. We also could use phones and/or radios that link each van with the others at all time, no matter how unreliable the cell phone coverage. We could use more convenient places to stay-perhaps some would be willing to volunteer their home for a night if they are along our route. We need water, snacks, bike parts, gas cards, and more, and each year we have to go out to the community and beg them. Which of course we don’t mind doing. The more help we get, the more money we can save, the more we can give toward the cause.

[ok, I’m done]

p.s. Did you know that there are neighboring counties in Texas named “Victoria” and “Brazoria”?

For the second time, I have completed the Challenge to Conquer Cancer.
This year I knew what to expect from the physical portion of the event, but the emotional side is still overwhelming.

 I did not expect this reaction form me since I had done this ride
before.
The response from the people that we meet along the route is still amazing. They all told us stories of loved ones who are fighting cancer,
survived it, and were lost.
Each story is very personal and moving to all of us on the ride.
After hearing every inidividual story, we are always asked why we are making this journey.
My personal response is that I am trying to make a difference for someone who is fighting cancer. While I am not capable of curing their illness, I am capable of trying to make a difference in their lives by raising money for research, new drugs, etc by partipating in this ride.

Maybe the difference is only to put a smile on their face for one day.
We are making a difference.

 We see it in the people that we have meet along the way.
So, to those who been kind enough to support
me with your generous donations, thank you.

I don’t know any other way of telling you how much I appreciated your support other than to simply say “Thank You”.
You have helped make a difference in the fight against cancer.
I also want to offer a BIG thank you to our team managers, Lisa Barwick and Ron Fox.
Without their constant care for our safety, welfare, and their overall concern while rode during the week, we may not have made it to Austin.
Thank you Ron & Lisa!!
To my teammates on Team ScottStrong, thank you for a most enjoyable
and memorable week!!

Finally, to my wife Susan, who has lost loved 0nes to Cancer, thank you for your support and love for the past two years while I have participated in this wonderful event.

ScottStrong!!!

We are here in Austin after another great adventure.  As you have with anything like this, there are bumps in the road but we all overcame them and we are here with only a few skinned knees and tired eyes.  Team ScottStrong brought the ride home last night arriving around 11:00. The hard work of the ride is done.  We will be on somewhat of a normal schedule now.  We can sleep when we are suppose to and eat normal food at normal time but the emotions will still be with us. 

This morning we will have all the teams ride from our hotel on the NW side of Austin to our downtown hotel escorted by someone from the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  It is a 20 mile ride that winds through the neighborhoods of Austin with a stop by Lance’s house.  Maybe he will invite us in for breakfast this year.   Once we arrive at the hotel we will have a small celebration then lunch, packet pick up, then our big celebration dinner.  Tomorrow is the 5k and a special celebration for our warriors and cancer survivors with Lance.   Sunday we will have the LiveSrong Challenge ride and the rest of the day we can relax before we pack up to head home on Monday. 

Like I said the hard work is done and it is time to celebrate.  It is time to celebrate the lives of the ones we lost.  It is time to celebrate with the ones who have beat cancer.  Most importantantly it is time to celebrate LIFE!

Thank you to all who have been following us and supporting us.  It’s time to celebrate.

I haven’t blogged much this year leaving it all for the newbes to tell the story.  There were so many good times on the bike and in the van.  We had 2 wonderful support people this year.  Kevin and Justina worked magnificant in finding the correct palces to spend the night without having to get up and drive for hours.  Today we actually drove 5 miles from the hotel to make the transistion.  Justina had so many funny stories to tell us to keep us laughing all the time.  We enjoyed the time that Buddy and Bob, the 2 maechanics, spent riding with us helping to pull and encourage. 

Team Red started and ended the Trace this year.  When we were getting close to the end Wednesday at noon we saw crossing the Mississippi as being possible and we made that happen!!!!!!  We made our transistion 10 miles inside Lousiana.  It was good to see some of the Trace in the daylight this year. 

Joe and I were the only riders to return on our team thi year.  We were glad to see Mike, Judy, and Don at the send off but missed them during the trip.  Kathy, who was on our team last year, was not able to ride her bike due to doctors orders but made the trip as our photographer.  She has taken a lot of pictures that will make a great slide show.  She also has some that …………  well let’s just say the moon was probably out during the daylight.

We are instituting an admendment to the rule “What happens on the Trace stays on the Trace”.  The admendment states” What happens on the Challenge to Conquer Cancer Ride stays on the ride”.

As we started the day out and in the van traveling the whole 5 minutes to our transistion point Kevin gave us the good news that the bus was having mechanical troubles and he would  be taking it to Austin to a mechanic.  I told him that if we had tools that I was schooled in auto mechanics and could fix it.  He said really.  I said “yea  after all we did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, right?”.  The rest of the van got a big laugh out of that.

Thanks to everyone that has made this trip possible and for your support, my family and friends.  It’s late for this older man and way past my bed time.  So night nite, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite!!!

Here we are in Austin for the third year.  Our last 6-hour ride covered about 80 miles took us from Huntsville to Caldwell, TX. Congratulations to my entire team. It was a pleasure.

My personal satisfaction was meeting our cancer warrior, Jerry Scroggins. I have been communicating with Jerry for a year now and finnal;y got to meet him.  Once again, the reason I ride was exhibited in the emotion we shared.

On Saturday we will all partricipate in a 5K walk. Jerry may not be asble to walk 3 miles but he has my commitment that I will push him in a wheelchair if necessary. This is what we do and who we are.

I thank God for giving me the health to perform this feat and my wife and children for their continual support. 

I also wish to thank all of my supporters for their contributions that enabled  me to participate in this worthwhile cause.

I’d like to give a special “Shout out” to Scott Palmer of Murrell’s Inlet, SC. Scott is also a cancer survivor, a cyclist and a real warrior. LIVESTRONG Scott!! I hope to ride with again in the near future.  

Joe J

I have accomplished my primary goal this week of riding part of the trip with each of the five teams. I also accomplished my secondary goal of riding 300 miles in the 4 day trip. Each team has there own unique group of individuals each with there own level of strength and experience. But the riding was just awsome with each and every one. Riding the Natchez Trace was some of the best riding that I have ever done.  Along the way I fixed flats and swaped wheels. I gave a rider  a cassette from my spare wheel because he came to the tour with worn out gears. A couple days later I gave my spare wheel (with worn out cassette) to Dustin on Team Agave. I was in the bus repairing his flat while he struggled to make good time with the gears slipping on all but the 3 lowest gears. He road that way for several miles, spinning like mad until I had the opportunity to put his wheel back.

I finished my riding and wrenching this morning with an 83 mile ride with Team Yellow. These ladys and gentleman are fast, the average pace for my 83 mile ride was 19.4 mph, wow!

As I was riding with Yellow, I noticed Laurens Flanagan pulling at the front at 22 mph, uphill into the wind. Watching Laurens ride made me reflect on 2010.  I met Laurens on this ride last year, at that time she was undergoing chemo and could hardly ride at all. But she came on the ride anyway to support her team. So in January the chemo was finished and it was time for her to get back in shape and she asked me to help. Which I considered an honor! At our first training session last January, Laurens could not ride for 15 minutes on a Computrainer. But today she rode for 6 hours at 19.4 mph, what a great come back !

You might say that Laurens and I spent 2010 rescuing each other, and I hope we will be life long friends as a result. But that’s another story.

I am now sitting comfortably in the Fairfield Inn & Suites enjoying S P A C E, which has not existed for the past few days. I know I posted more or less a fairwell blog yesterday, but I feel compelled to add another. Our last scheduled ride was to be midnight to 6am today. We were to take over from the powerful Team Polka Dot-ay, and ride the Texas roads by the (almost) full moon… we were amazed to find that we would be the team who crossed the Texas border, and we were thrilled… but as we talked, we were disappointed for TPD… you must understand that the state line crossing by a team during the C3 is sort of a mystical thing… I’m not really sure why, but it is what it is. The Texas crossing seems to signify almost all of why we ride, ie, the epic adventure to fight cancer and make what we do count. So, we more or less worked it out that Polka Dot DEFINITELY wanted to grab a second century ride, and we would love to ride with them across the Texas state line, and then keep on going. DOUBLE GOLD !!! WOO HOOO… But imagine to all our surprise that a change in route plans routed Polka Dot and our Blue Agave teams up around a lake, which meant only we would make the Texas state line crossing…

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.

What a ride…this has been such an amazing experience…and so, so many stories, both funny and tear jerking. Family Polka Dot, you are amazing, I’m writing this almost with tears, knowing that last night was our last night as our team riding together, but our adventure isn’t over. It’s such an honor to ride with such great athletes!
Now, let me share a little about last night’s ride. We met up with Team ScottStrong somewhere in Louisiana on the side of what seemed to be a 2 lane Interstate with so many semi’s, holy moly! Taylor got a quick seat replacement, we gave our Strong hugs, had a few words and we were off, only about 10 minutes behind schedule. We started off strong, having to ride on the side of the road quite often, so all of those huge trucks could pass…(and there were hundreds).
After a brief stop at some bridge construction, and almost half of us getting their wheels trapped in the grate in the middle of the bridge. Luckily no crashes. We started hauling booty…(remember “G” rated blogs). We were cruising, even with the stops and bridge crossing, we got 20 miles in 1 hour…incredible.
Then…the stops started. We got to see a lot of some of Louisiana’s finest cities. We really had some mixed reception. Lots of people waving, honking and cheering. Then we had some looks of “what in the world are all of those skinny tire, spandex wearing freaks are doing?”. After finally making our way out of the town, that we seemed to do circle after circle. We were on our way again. Again, picking up the pace. I swear, if we hadn’t had all of the lengthy stops, we could have done 200 miles. (At least that’s what I’d like to think).
On this bypass, this Nissan, passed us with two kids cheering us on, thanking us for what we were doing. Their grandmother had cancer. It was something that really touched all of us. We are making a magnet for her on our van.
We stopped at another town, I think called Means, where we met a group of people standing outside of the gas station, what a nice group. The kids were so excited. Talking about our bikes amazed about clipping into our pedals. We told them what we were doing, gave them some candy and some LiveStrong bracelets. Hopefully, something they’ll remember for a long time.
We made the turn that said “Texas 28 miles” so we were all cheering thinking we are so close to the border. Then we go the word, that we weren’t going that way and we won’t get to the border. We were a little bummed. Just then Team Blue Agave passed us. We weren’t way too far from our transition point. So, here we go again, hammer down…we were close to 11:45 and the next transition was just minutes away. We as a group decided let’s go for it and do our second century ride in 2 days. What’s an extra 20 miles anyway? We did this in honor of Rene! We met up with Blue Agave, with the horns on their helmets. And off we rode together.
That 20 miles, was delayed just shortly after mile 4 for a flat tire. (they’ve had a lot of those), then yep, hammer down again. With a mile to go, Rene and Jeni sped off like wildcats. I was watching the Garmin, 99.8, 99.9…100. Our second century!!!
We pulled off at this church, said our good byes and off Blue Agave went. Kelly was there with her massage table and we started to change. Jeni, went over to the church to change, I was by the van we were everywhere. Then all of the sudden the lights came on. It wasn’t a church…someone’s house. Now what would you think at 1am in the morning with 10 people all scattering around half naked, not too quiet, and a lovely blond Sally running around with a pink cape. She just yelled what are we doing and she had kids in the house asleep. We said our apologies and off went the light. We are lucky; we didn’t get a cap busted in our butt. (Jeni and Sally left a little goodie bag and note).
We finally got all of the massages out of the way and sped off to Crockett, TX to spend the night. Sally started off driving, then gave way to Dawn. Nascar watch out. I swear we were doing warp speed. Watch out deer. We did make a quick stop to take a group picture at the Texas border (but no via bike)
Finally, we got to the hotel at about 4 something in the am. Several of us went to Whataburger (spelling?) for some grub. Then, came and crashed.
Now, we are preparing to head off. Austin here we come.

First of all when riding a tiny bike on tiny tires is hard enough…. add to that fraction, Tired, Sleep Deprived, Emotional, Tense and Rush Hour traffic and These Flippin HUGE TRUCKS HALLING BUTT down these roads with Logs on them bigger then my house! We call this Clenching experiences.  Not just your hands, teeth but your cheeks!  Not the ones you talk with either.  AHHHHHH.  Scary! people Scary scary scary.  They barrel down the road like oh well, hey I am bigger then anyone I don’t car that there is a car coming the opposite way I am going to WIN.  I think Sally witnessed at least 5 head on collisions.  Lord was with us.  So the first 2 hours were spent stop go stop go…. 

Tensions builds in a teams dynamic and last night was a test for us all.  Not just our team, the P3 bus, the Beach Balls, other teams I know experience the tension.  This is what happens when you don’t get to sleep, your emotional, your heart is so over worked and you become vulnerable- personally.  Just like riding your bike on little tires, as these big trucks come buzzing by.  It is a parallel, foreshadowing.

I definitely was tested last night.  The turning point for me when I went from Grumpy to Happy….. was when a trucker shouted out on our channel.  I heard him say,” hey Darling, what is up with all the traffic in town?” I proceeded in explaining the cause.  He said in the LONG Texas deep voice…. ON A BICYCLE?  whaaaaaat? and then he drifted out of range.  We stopped regrouped an I thought of this parallel.

At one point a car passed us and this adorable little girls yells out… “thank you!  My Nana is fighting cancer…. THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS! ” Toot Toot went the horn.  Or how about when you have God’s starry night beaming down on you and you cant breath because your chest hurts so bad and you think of your friends mom who lost her battle (Celia Arledge) and you looked up after your prayer to thank God for the family and their love for their faith… and a shooting star goes by with a gorgeous tail.

Finally, How about this….. meeting up with an amazing team that rides WITH YOU. Together and allows you to share the road, the time, the ride and you get to dedicate it to an amazing women who has another battle ahead of her.  Rene…. we love you so much. You are a hero, a star with a long tail, a fighter just like me.  You have been a blessing to all of us and we are all here for you.  Thank you for allowing us to share our 100 mile with you and the BLUE AGAVE! Way to rock the Road out there last night.

And to the Trucker who started the turn of the tides….. thanks this darling is happily heading to Texas to finish the job We have been fighting for….

Peace out. Perry thanks again for the ride my friend. Glad you could be there yet once again.

hugs to friends and family following us and sending us prayers and messages.

The Beauty.  Wednesday moring as we left Jackson, MS, the day met us with dampness and clouds.  This gave way to gorgeous sun as we turned on the Natchez Trace Parkway near Natchez, MS.  After a quick u-turn to backtrack, there were the Conquistadors booking it along and looking strong.  So strong that it was clear that they owned the Mississippi River crossing.  What Beauty.

The Beast.  As we crossed into LA, all that changed, and it was apparent why Capt. Ron calls it Lousyiana.  US Hwy 28, our route for the whole day, was rough, heavily trafficked, and full of rumble strips.  Welcome to The Beast.  Our transition was smooth — daylight and good weather helps that.  Turning our of Farriday, LA, we thought that the traffic would abate.  Then I saw the sign identifying the route as “El Camino” and showing it as a path crossing from Alabama to New Mexico. The first 30 miles were probably my all time worst ride.  Heavy traffic and logging truck drivers who thought they owned the road, forced us to cross over the rumble strips to the shoulder then back.  Finally, we stayed on the shoulder which was often rough and strewn with debris.  That stress led to a number of miscues that fortunaltely did not have serious consequnces.  The Beast was just laughing at us and licking his chops.

Despite all this, and an increasing headwind, we found the groove and started to motor on.  Finally, at around mile 60, The Beast started to get bored with us.  The road opened up, the logging trucks were still there, but less of a threat, and the weather was perfect.  Oh, did I mention the Wide Load?  See Rob’s post. The last two hours were in a great set of rollers, like the Sandhills of SC, but nowhere the same climb.  Sheila was our wild child of the day — the further we rode, the stronger she looked.  As we closed in on the end of our ride, we could see 90-100 miles possible.  The the Polka Dots passed us with their trademark exuberance, and we new the end was near.  95 miles under Rob’s Rules of Rounding and there we were. 

We’d conquered The Beast and were ready to celebrate.  Our incredible Team Manager  Lisa (aka Benevolent Dictator) gave the coordinates to the amazing Capt. Ron, and we were off to Natchitoches, LA and The Landing restaurant.  Don’t miss Lisa’s video on FB. What an expereience!  Live music with song titles chosen to honor us; even a ride-by of the Polka Dots.  The meal was a foodies delight — the BEST fried green tomatoes ever –period.  Natchitoches is actualy the venue where the movie of the same name was filmed.  Finally, we were welcomed in Jasper, TX, and off to a good night’s sleep.

The day had it highs and lows, but in conquereing The Beast, it provided a new insight into our Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  Something to remember forever.

Hey Everyone and to all the patients, staff and family members on the 3rd floor of the GHS Cancer Center!!!  We hope the sun is shining in Greenville and you all are having a fabulous day!!

Danielle and Jess here for a quick update of Day 3 on the road (we have to start getting ready for our next transition).  It was another incredible day on the bike!  Team Conquistadors acquired 2 new team members (thanks for riding with us Bob and Buddy) and knocked out another 80 miles yesterday…I’m thinking we need to change our name to Team 80…lol!  When we transitioned out with Team Yellow at 6:00 am it was chilly, raining and DARK!  Luckily, the rain only stayed with us for about an hour and a half and then it was sunny skies all the way to Louisiana – it was so nice to be riding in daylight again.  We think the coolest part about yesterday is that Team Conquistadors started the Natchez Trace and ended the Natchez Trace.  Didn’t see any animals on the Trace except roadkill…who ever hit that armadillo I’m sure got one heck of a flat tire!!

Once we came upon the end of the Trace, we made our way over to the Mississippi River and sprinted across the bridge…it was awesome…Danielle started the sprint at the direction of Bob and took off across the bridge pedaling fast and furious with Martha Laura right on her wheel.  It was almost like a Lance/George scene from the Tour de France cause just moments before we crossed the finish at the end of the bridge, Martha Laura came out from behind Danielle and literally sling shot herself to the finish line and won the sprint across the bridge!

Ah, 80 miles done!  Thanks to Team Beach Ball (Kelly, our awesome masseuse and Janelle) for meeting us at the transition point.  It was great to see you guys – thanks for making our tired bodies feel like a million bucks again!!

It is 9:55am Greenville time and we have to start getting ready to transition with Team Yellow. We are ALMOST to Austin!!!!!!

As the most senior of the riders I choose not to blog about the scenery, the road conditions, the inconveniences or the various incidents that generate so much laughter. I’ll leave that to the younger “electronic generation”. They do a great job. As we ride in our van for 6-8 hours a day, I constantly marvel at my teammates (most of whom are younger than my own children) playing with their Blackberrys, Ipods, Ipads, Droids, etc. I remind them regularly that I did my college physics calculations on a slide-rule. Nevertheless, I REALLY did stay in a Holiday Inn last night.
Thus far we’ve had three safe rides. Yesterday our ride covered 80 miles and included the end of the Natchez trace and an exhilirating ride across the Mississippi River, from Mississippi to Louisiana.
I was fortunate to have both Buddy and Bob, our two mechanics, that decided to ride with us, coaching me throught the ride.
To me the ride remains about the journey and those we honor and memorialize.  I personally remain firmly entrenched in this mission and objective.
I ride for the many relativers, friends and neighbors that have contributed to my efforts and for the 87 people whom I honor and memorialze. Their names appear on my bike tag and on the back of a special T-shirt I wear.
The purpose of why I ride was never more apparent than an experience I had yesterday morning. As Buddy and I were riding down the Natchez Trace, with his voice cracking from emotion. He told me about his wife Penny, one of our warriors and a cancer survivor. Although it was still dark I could not see the tears in his eyes but I could hear the emotion in is voice. Buddy was very candid in his praise for her friendship, strength, spirit and resolve in her battle. This is the reason that we ride, for Penny and the others that we honor and memorialize.
Father time will certainly affect how much longer I can continue to be a rider. Let us NEVER lose sight of the “REASON WE RIDE”. The ride represents a CHALLENGE to each and every one of us for many different, then again the same reasons. I firmly believe “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass it is about learning to dance in the rain”.
Today we’re off at noon for the Conquistadors last six-hour ride One of the teams will be riding into Austin this evening. Today, in riding with my teammates, throughout the route I will remind myself of those I honor and memorialize. I will continually reflect on the fact that the challenge the rides present to me are pale in comparison to the pain and suffering endured by those affilcted by this dreaded disease. AUSTIN HERE WE COME.
Joe J

Wow! What an amazing day and ride! It was a tale of two rides. The worst & the best rides we’ve had all wrapped up in one. We started in Ferriday, LA at noon with a great transition from the Conquistadors. We rolled out right on time & were ready for an awesome ride. Well, traffic & road conditions along with a strong headwind left a little to be desired. It was the path most taken & the road which is safe for drivers at 3:00 AM with rumble strips to wake up drivers who are nodding off. It is not friendly for cyclists who are trying to ride as safely as they can between two support vehicles. We found out very soon that we needed to give a lot more room to the motor vehicles as most of them were not going to “share the road” with us. We decided that they must not have that license plate in LA. So we were for the early part of the ride crossing over the rumble strips & back as we thought that traffic would thin out. Well, that is quite challenging and very dangerous for 6 riders in a paceline. What we also found out was that we would have about 30 logging trucks pass us through out the ride. They get paid by the load & therefore were not very interested in taking a few more seconds or minutes to reach their destination & think of the safety of others. Several of them came very close to either hitting oncoming cars as they passed our group or blowing us off of our bikes. We were fortunate to have two riders with radio contact with the support vehicles, but soon came to the conclusion that we were having major communication issues. We probably didn’t do that bad of a job, but it was truly a different ride than yesterdays ride on the tranquil Natchez Trace where you could practically hear a pin drop.

Today was the worst of rides. After about an hour and 40 minutes of our six hour shift, we decided that we needed a stop to regroup & have a team meeting. It was a very matter of fact meeting, but one that we laid out that we HAD TO be better at communication today. Riding on the shoulder a lot & with all the traffic we had, made us have to work at being much better communicators with our teammates to keep us from hitting debris or potholes or riding into each other while in a paceline.

It is quite amazing what happened from there. It became the best of rides. Not because it was easy, but because we all came together & showed great teamwork. We became a group that looked out for each other, not that we didn’t care for each other, but we had to be reminded of how to watch out for each other. Not only calling out “cars back”, “hole”, “stick”, or “slowing” but signaling as well. It is challenging enough to ride as a group on any road even if it is straight and level and nothing else is going on. This makes for a lot more mental and physical energy being expended. We still had a vicious headwind and the same kind of unrelenting traffic through Nowhere, LA blowing us off the road, but we were acting like a team. Let me change that. We were acting like the family that we’ve become on this journey. We wound up pushing pretty hard and finishing with a 95 mile total that we were ecstatic about. We pulled into our transition point with the Polka Dot team having a dance party to welcome us to the finish as they were pumping themselves up to start their 6:00PM-midnight shift. Once they got ready to roll we sent them off to hopefully a great ride tonight.

Well, we pushed hard today & overcame a lot of challenges. Not as bad as some that happen on this type of journey, but they were very challenging for a group that really has not had much experience riding together before. But after this journey, we are now family. Family finds a way to make it work & we have done that.

I forgot to include one small challenge added to today. That challenge is that there were NO hotel rooms available near our next potential transition point. We had heard of at least 2 other team having difficulty with this as there was some major event going on that had hotels filled for miles around. On this trip we have our Team Managers Lisa & Ron. We lucked out on this, but I think it was just meant to be. They are the perfect managers for any team, but we were the lucky ones who wound up with them. Both of them have embraced us and their responsibilities and have carried them out as close to perfect as one can. Lisa & Ron have worked wonderfully together to make everything run as smoothly as possible & keep us safe as riders. Well, as far as finding us a place to rest & recover as we still have one more shift to ride, Lisa came through big. We are now at the Best Western in Jasper, TX & when I complete this blog entry will be going to sleep to be ready for tomorrows travel & ride.

Boy, when I signed up for this, I knew that it wasn’t just a bicycle tour to TX. I knew that our reason is to raise money and awareness to cancer research & causes, but I had no idea just what makes this journey work & exactly what kind of journey it would be. It taught me so much even before the journey left Greenville & has taught me even more in a few short days between there & Texas.

I want to thank Team ScottSTRONG for allowing me to grow with each of them as a cyclist & as a person as well as our other P3C3 family members. Thanks also go out to the Holiday Inn Express in Cleveland, TN for taking very good care of us and also to Eddie in Jackson, MS who did everything he could to help us out even in a difficult situation.

It has been an amazing 3-4 days so far & as much as I don’t want this journey to end, I miss my family back home in Greenville. I hope that just a few of the things I experience here help me to be a better person, husband and father. See you on Monday.

I cannot believe that it has almost been 4 years since Ron and I were at the LiveStrong Challenge in Austin when we met the team, Cancervive.  We were at the 5K downtown and I saw a rather large group of people wearing the same shirts with the big word “Cancervive” on them.  I kept saying the name over in my head and finally had to go over to someone and tell them how clever I thought their name was.  Well they told me thanks and proceeded to share with me their story.  They were a team of cyclists from Calgary that do a relay ride to a LiveStrong Challenge every year.  Well I gave her a look like most of you are familiar with by now.  “You ride your bicycle the whole way?”  I told Ron and Kevin about running into this wonderful group and they both said, “We can do that”.  We had a meeting before we even left Austin that year, and well, as they saying goes, “the rest is history”.  Wow.  History.  This is our third year and it’s coming to a close.  This leg of the journey is somewhat bittersweet.  We are so physically and emotionally drained and ready to get there, yet, we only have one more shift and our bicycle relay will be “in the books”.  Notice I didn’t say over??  Beth said it in an earlier post, we aren’t done with the fight. 

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?”

I didn’t realize that our 6 hour shift tonight will be our last shift on this adventure. So different from the ride 2 years ago, yet so much the same. There are such emotions that emerge when you spend such energy. It would be hard for me to conceive what emotions emerge from fighting cancer. Our team, TEAM Blue Agave, has overcome some tough riding conditions…. and although I know each of us expected more… I think we did so much together. The many hours in the van… joking, laughing, telling stories.. never dimmed the real reason we were here. A great example: we stopped at a truck stop near Monroe, Louisiana to get gas. We all got out, stretched, went inside for water and snacks. When we came out, a guy stopped me and asked me if we took donations. He handed me ten bucks, and said his wife has leukemia, and he wanted to find a cure. His wife’s name is Shannon Carrington, and she actually called while he was there, saying she needed to go to the doctor. Shannon…your hubby Chris really loves you. Ten bucks is ten more ways we can fight this disease. We wrote her name on a magnet, and she is now going with up to Austin.
This trip has allowed me to grow and will help me personally and professionally. It helps keep me grounded, and remember that a little problem here, a setback there… ain’t NOTHING.. NOTHING… to what you face once you have had a diagnosis me cancer.

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…

Yellow, hand baskets, blow dryers, hockey injuries, backseat driving, waffle house, scones, candy, more candy, punchy drivers, nothing to see here, naked buffalos (?), backseat roller coasters, 3 way stop, 4 way stop, JUST STOP, he is ALL yours Robin, beach ball updates, car blogging, blog reading, tunes are too loud in the back, front seat this is back seat do you read me, does anyone have a small USB charger?, who designed the middle seat in the Sienna anyway?, dirty laundry mats, surprises at the dollar store, is this loop optional?, where is Joey when you need him, MEDIC, Eduardo, Off the Front, not telling how far WE went today, small animals fall over dead just being near her, five wide for Laurens, 26 mph for Perry, hmmm 5 bikes and four wheels, snoopy pillow, lake house, massages, bow and arrow pose, Churches and Churches of Christ, God bless the Dots for climbing this!, Dustin has WHAT?, hugs at transitions, 2.5 hours of honor, wet everything, head bobbing managers late at night, PBJs at 2am, SOCIAL, Ladies choice, The Flying JJ position, two new boyfriends, We stole a mime from Cirque de Soliel, Again, he is all yours, you are TOO Close to the middle of the road, ham baskets?, redneck women, eye covers and sound machines, survivors in traffic, screech owls, you know what would be funny….if there was no one driving that car and they were all…you know…., “ya’ll are crazy”, 33 hours sleepless, we passed tired 3 hours ago when we got to punchy, it is a large and comfortable basket……

So there it is, in no particular order, but you are now privy to the inner workings and the inside jokes of the BasketCase team. Ok, sure you don’t really GET any of that but if we could share it with you we would…every intimate detail of it. But we can’t….those of you who have done this before..you know..those of you who haven’t…COME JOIN US AND YOU WILL KNOW….

You will also know a lot more….more about yourself, your limits, more about courage, more about feelings, more about friendship, more about love and more about the POWER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We are doing that..and so are you….

YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE if you are reading this..in some way..by your love and support.
YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE in our lives with your courage and strength if you are a Cancer patient reading this…..Knowing you are reading this inspires us!
YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE if you are a Dr. or Nurse at the Cancer Center…every day with every patient…Thank you…
YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE if you helped us with a donation…with every dollar you contributed we are a bit closer to understanding this disease and to finding a cure.
YOU ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE if you are a survivor…your courage, strength and resiliance inspire all of us.

You may not understand all of our insider jokes, you may not feel compelled to ride you bike across the country..but YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE….Don’t miss the opportunity..it may change you life..or one of someone around you!

DO SOMETHING TODAY, right now… call a friend/relative dealing with cancer, send a bunch of flowers to the cancer center addressed to “someone who needs them today,” take a tour of the cancer center, make a donation to a cause dear to you, buy a bike and start training for next year’s trip with us, take a walk and remember someone you lost to cancer, decide to take better care of yourself or simply say a prayer…just DO SOMETHING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

“There is no try, only do or do not” – Master Yoda

We finished up an emotional ride last night and are ready for our next adventure tonight from midnight to 6am- which is entirely past my bedtime! As I was preparing for this ride, I gathered all of the necessary gear (because heaven forbid that I get cold or hungry), spent numerous hours riding a bike in heat and rain, made arrangements for our son, dog, work, and house. I was prepared, or so I thought. What you cannot prepare for is just how emotional this ride is. And when I say ride, we all know from Perry what that word really means because it has little to do with just pedaling.

The gravity of this “ride” effects us when we least expect it. Everywhere we go we seem to meet somebody with a connection to cancer and a story to go along with it. A few minutes ago, we were getting gas and were approached by man named Chris who saw our van (our sweet pimped out Sienna) and told us about his wife who is now in remission after a battle with Leukemia. He, along with another man he was working with, made a donation to our efforts, and we are proudly carrying her name with us to Austin. The importance of our journey hits us differently, and these two people who we happened to run across off of the highway really resonated with me and just reiterates how many people are touched by this terrible disease. We will have a mile for her tonight.

I’m so proud to be a part of this group of people who have sacrificed so much to be here- from all of the riders who have put in so many hours on the saddle to our donors who make this all possible and especially the support staff who have been absolutely amazing. I have now had more massages this week than I have in the last 5 years combined (love some Kelly), and Buddy can change a tire (OK 2 tires) in record time and gives a good push. I’m not sure how I will ever be able to ride a bike again without a crew to hand me some food or a water bottle or give me a good moon when I’m needing a boost. Team Blue Agave has kept me laughing so much that my cheeks hurt almost more than my legs do. So, off we go into the night tonight knowing where our bikes will take us but not where the journey will lead us.

Love to you all. Ride Strong.

Hello everyone on the 3rd floor of the GHS Cancer Center, this ride is for you!! It is a beautiful day in Misissippi and we are traveling along in the car to meet Polka Dotay tonight at midnight somewhere in Texas ( I just sit in the way back and get out and ride when I am supposed too, always ready to kill it!). This will be our last shift but not our last fight. It will be so hard to come off the bike tonight and realize that was our last ride BUT we will be sooo excited knowing we will see all of the teams very soon!

Last night our ride was challenging yes but so much good came out of it. I think we all got to see and face some challenges that in turn made us stronger and more aware of the mission. We got to a point where we realized it couldn’t get any worse and we needed to make the best of it. I know that cancer patients have these kind of days but they have this enourmous strength to suck it up, put on a smile and push forward. We all agreed that last night was far easier and more enjoable then one day with cancer or a single chemo treatment.

My team is full of comedians that I think should volunteer shifts at the cancer center to entertain you while you receive treatments, what do u think Dustin and Jimmy?? So many laughs on the van and what is discussed in the van stays in the van, so they say!!

The best thing about last night was we rode two a breast and dedicated each mile marker to the ones we have lost. I was with Jimmy Brehm and the first dedication mile was to his mom Susan Brehm whom just passed away to breast cancer and the reason he is riding. The irony is I have been asking Jimmy to come along on this ride for two years and to finally have him and Heather here has been awesome! My first mile was dedicated to Deena Muscato and my second mile was dedicated to Stephanie DeKoeyer, two of my best friends that passed away, the reason I ride! We continued on with everyone dedicating their miles and then my third mile was a very special dedication to Perry Lyles, he was on this ride last year and he is missed in so many ways. He has been with all of us everyday watching over us and keeping us safe, dealing us challenges and making us go hard and fast! I love you Perry and miss you on the road!!

To all the riders and support crew, (especially John and Parker who are the BOMB!!) that have been making many sacrifices on this journey I am so proud of each of you and all your accomplishments!! I cant wait to see you and celebrate life with you in Austin so until the RIDESTRONG and be safe!! Love you all so much!!

Here we are in the van again, heading west to our midnight transition. We again had issues to overcome… another bike tray failed, and thax means the bike can fly off the roof rack when the van is at speed. SO we hunted a local bike shop go Jackson, miss. WE came up with Indian Cycle Fitness & Outdoor shop. Kudos to Brian, Dan, and Jay at the shop. NOt only did they replace and install the tray, they took HEAther’s bike and my bike and did emergency repairs… which mine needed after my crash. THanks, Indian Cycle…. you guys ROCK!

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

As we literally bus the grove to catch the team that is TEARING IT UP- scottstrong is kickin some tail…. I am thinking about the ride we have ahead of us. I love reading the messages to the team. That keeps us going. We are all tired, stiff, sore and somewhat raw…. I am looking forward to riding in the moonlight. My kinda ride. Polka Dottay…………. Gonna kick some night-time boo-tay! Rockin it out. Team Polka dots… comin to get chu texas!!! Kickin some Cancer a_ _ .. ah butt. Keepin it G.

HELLO TO THIRD FLOOR at the CANCER CENTER!!!!  We are doing this ride for so many people….and YOU are included!!!  I have been in the treatment center like you are and look where I am now!  So I hope you get to “ring that bell” very soon!

I was a support driver for this ride last year for very different reasons.  I had finished most of my surgeries and treatment….I was still in the wig….I needed to be involved to help me get past all of it!!  THIS year…..I wasn’t going to come.  My husband had opened his agency and things are still tight.  Taking the time off and doing the fund raising is tough.  But when he said we were going to go, I realized how much going meant to me!  If we, as cancer patients, get complacent about raising money—how can we expect others to?  So here I am helping to drive and take care of the Polka Dot team once again.

As we prepared to leave on Sunday tensions were high.  Some of our team had not even met each other before we all piled into our 12 passenger van.  The “unknown” was a little stressful for all of us.  The second day as they started riding, there were some rough spots….they couldn’t get settled in a pace line….so many were giving orders….personalities had to find their place…and they all had to learn to work together.  By the third ride all had been worked out, they rode seemlessly as a team and at the end the emotions ran high.  Being a driver, and watching all of this from either behind from the bus, or in front via the rear view mirror is amazing!  I would love to be able to hear all the conversations the riders have on the road, but the walkie talkies are not for that purpose!  I am just grateful to be able to soak it all in and realize that all of these dynamics ARE part of the “challenge”.  

We have some on our team that were together last year and then we have new “blood”.  It has been awesome to get to know each and every one!!!  Each and everyone brings something to the team, to this experience, and to my life.  It takes all kinds of people to accomplish this goal to ride to Austin.  It takes the “A” personalities, the leaders, the worker bees, the nurturing ones, the detailed ones, and cheerleaders.  I find that I am the most happy being the cheerleader.  I want everyone to be happy, and for everyone to get along….and I so love seeing them conquer their goal—whatever that may be!  I love the emotion of it all.  The tears flow so easily and it reveals such honesty.  You REALLY get to see the inside of someones heart and soul.  While hard at times to know why the tears fall, it is cathartic as well.

This “challenge” is not unlike going thru the cancer journey.  You are stressed at the unknown, you go head spinning into the research and treatments, and then you put your faith and your heart into your “team” to make it through the physical, mental and emotional ups and downs…..to come out on the other side a changed person.

I am loving every second of being on this trip.  I hope to continue to be involved in it, and other things like this to find ways to raise money and spirits to fight cancer.  I am a changed person, inside and out!  You spend alot of years trying to find your passion…..maybe I have found mine?

Smiles

Love, Super Sally  or “safe sally” as my team has named me!

So yesterday we got to ride the beautiful Nachez Trace. We met Team ScottStrong on the side of the Trace just before noon. The weather was absoutely beautiful and warm.  We started out strong and continued. It was a day of several firsts.  I had had my first PB&J.  ( no I wasn’t a deprived child, just never appealed to me, grabbed one by accident, wasn’t bad).  Also my first time to really ride in an organized Pace Line, thanks to Ed H. for coaching me through that. (For those of you who don’t know him–he’s a SAINT!) Oh, yeah have I mentioned what a great team we have? 
As we speed down the trace we saw some animals, a couple of armadillos ( and we smelled them throughout the day and evening-those were smelly animals), a fox, some deer, rabbit, and Harry had point out all of the caterpillars on the road.  
We were on cue to get about 120ish miles in, then the heavens opened up  and started pouring down rain, mixed with a little sleet…and that stuff stings! So… full of optimism, i said that its getting ready to clear up in a minute…i was right , but only for about 3 minutes! Well, that’s when we saw the most wonderful light display. It was a huge bolt of lightening right over our heads at the same time as we heard the loud thunder crash, so that means it’s was really right on us.  Ok I’ll have to admit I squealed like a girl. Actually most of us did.
That’s when our wonderful team moms, pulled over and told us to get in the bus immediately!!! 
We were drenched, but still in great spirits! So we sat on the bus laughing and talking about the ride up to that point. Finally it cleared up some and the wonderful Sally and Jeni dug through all of our bags to get our rain jackets. And we hopped off the bus to ride again 
It’s amazing just how much the temperature had dropped, so it was a chilly start…which didn’t last long.  Taylor and Ed started out leading the pack.  We were at one point at a sustained 30mph pace that we all managed to maintain for quite a while, I think everyone was quite amazed! We were around 90-something miles, ad Ed suggested that at mile 99 we start yelling out the names we were riding for, at that point we all became very somber, mile 99 was very emotional, but it was the reason we were riding! For all of the patients on the 3rd floor of the Cancer Center, our warriors, family, friends and to those TOO many that lost the battle! 
We finished at a little over 100 miles where we met up with Blue Agave on the side of the road. 
We all changed and hopped in the van to head towards Monroe, Mississippi! We stopped at Chilli’s for some warm food then headed to our hotel for some well deserved sleep, which we all needed. 
Now we are on our way to the next transition point, just crossed the Mississippi River! 
This has been a great journey with a wonderful bunch of people! And thanks to all of you reading our blogs and the wonderful comments! It’s really keeping us going!
Oh and I forgot to mention the wonderful news that I got from Karl and Susan Frisch, they had a beautiful 6 pound 13 oz.  little girl yesterday! Congratulations!   

For those of you who followed the blog last year you may remember my post “Hardest Ride of My Life.” Well, this morning’s ride was part two of that blog. As I said last year, it wasn’t my legs or the pace we were doing or hills we had to climb because our ride was very flat, it was the emotional piece of the ride. After we warmed up for an hour or so, we slowed down the pace a little a went into a single file pace line and began to recognize all the people we ride for. As I did last year, I started with my dad Mike and rode in his memory with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart knowing he is looking down at all of us and smiling. We all took turns pulling and riding in someones memory or honor. I went through all the people that I rode “in memory of” calling out name after name of family and friends that have lost the battle but have not lost a spot in my heart. After I went through all the people on my “in memory of” list, I went to my “in honor of” list. We all continued doing this. After 2-1/2 hours of emotional riding, we were done. At that point, Scott says we need to get back up to a fast pace and ride in memory of our good friend and teammate Perry Lyles. Wow, what a ride!

The rest of the ride was fun and wet. The road was really wet the entire ride and we had an occasional rain shower to guarantee we would be wet all morning. We saw deer and possums the whole way to our transition area but once we got on the bike we did not see any. I believe the creatures knew Laurens aka the Slayer was on the road and they all ran away from the road. We saw a very interesting person in the Conquistador van. Whoever / whatever it was had the face of Milt and the upper body of a Hawaiian Hula dancer. I believe Jennifer got a picture of whatever it was and we will try and get it posted soon. Hopefully the picture came out and won’t be all blurry like the pictures Bigfoot and Lizardman always seem to be.

It is obvious that John Siddens is delirious and is spreading false rumors about us. As all of Team Yellow Hand Basket Cases recalls, it was a very cloudy, dark night and there is no way you saw 1 moon let alone 8. We all understand you are tired and your mind plays tricks on you when you don’t sleep.

We are now on our way to Nacogdoches, TX for the night for our first full night of sleep. Our next and final shift starts at 6am tomorrow and we are all looking forward to riding with sunglasses on instead of night vision goggles.

Since this has taken me over an hour to write in the van and my teammates are making fun of me, I am signing off for now. I am missing my boys and can’t wait to see them. Thank you all for your support and following us on the blog. Especially all the fighters at the Cancer Center. We ride for you.

Peace out.

As we pulled into transition with the Dots last night everyone came up to me to make sure I was ok. Then when we got off of the bikes with the yellow team they asked the same thing. So here is what really happened yesterday. I was short of breath on the am ride Monday and I woke up Tuesday and I was not any better. Now with my cancer background you would think that I would have learned to not ignore this type of thing, but that’s exactly what my plan was. A few hours later and we are at lunch and I’m whining about my chest to my teammate and good friend Beth, and she couldn’t help herself when she saw EMS workers sitting next to us in the restaurant. She strolled over to them and told them I was a cyclist and I was short of breath. The EMS people were so happy to have something to do that they hopped up to take my Blood pressure etc. It was a little high but I think it was from embarrassment of having these dudes checking my vitals in public place with everyone pointing and saying “what do you think is wrong with that guy over there”. So they said I need to be checked out and asked if i want to go by ambulance! I finally decided I will go to the walk in clinic by car if everyone will let it go ( but for the record I think Beth knew I was just a little spooked at this point). Once I’m at the walk in clinic in the middle of god knows where my BP was back to 110 over 80 and all was good. It turns out it was an allergy in the air in this part of the country and he sees it all the time. The entire medical staff at the clinic wished me luck and even said they are not turning it in on insurance and sent me on my way with a prescription for an inhaler. So to wrap that story up it was no big deal at all.
By the time we made it to transition I think the story was Dustin had quadruple bypass surgery and has to have a leg amputated and it looks like he may even have the bubonic plague. So hopefully this sets it straight.
After its all said and done it was much to do about nothing, but it is great to have such good friends and teammates. Its just another example of why they call us the P3C3 family.

Part 3

At this point in the trip, it would be easy to be, shall we say, cranky. If we were toddlers, somebody would probably be insisting that we nap right about now. After 2.5 hours sleep, Janelle and I rise from our Army-issue style cots (no kidding, we actually slept in a $30 room called the Conference Room), shower and head back to the Trace to catch Team Yellow at the 6 am transition. The end of the Trace is in sight, Texas seems closer than ever, and dreams of Embassy Suites are in our sights.

Team Yellow shows up with a small white basket tied to the grill of their minivan. No, it’s not Easter. It’s their Ham Basket. Apparently this is the time when everything goes to Hell in a HamBasket, and we are officially invited into the HamBasket. We are honored.

The HamBasket and everyone ride to Waffle House, which I’m surprised we haven’t visited thus far in our trip. And after a lovely feast, we split ways.

Even the Garmin is testy at this point. Daniel/Lee/Claire/Sylvia/French Felix is pissed off at us. Forget fooling around with our directions for his own twisted amusement. Now, he’s just plain riled. Apparently, he has overheard us making fun of him. Or maybe he’s been reading our blog. Who’s to say. Either way, he tried to take his revenge.

He ran us into a wall.

We did not actually drive into the wall. But if we had followed his command, we would have, and then we would have landed in the Mississippi River itself. I kid you not. We almost took a picture of the screen.

So here we are in Natchez, Mississippi, wary of our Garmin Leader and bemused by the locals. We have passed restaurants, and we’re not kidding, named “Cock on the Walk,” a bbq place called “Pig Out In,” “Shipleys’ Do-Nuts,” “Taste of Chicago,” “Biscuits and Blues,” “Fat Mamma’s Tamales,” and “James’ Deer Processing Plant.”

We tried to walk into Cock on the Walk, which was closed, so instead asked a local if there was a place to find WiFi in town. NO! she said. She also gave us a look which I can’t quite describe, but I know she thought we were crazy.

In the gift shop next door, there were T-Shirts reading, “Merry Christmas, Y,all,” “How can you drink all day if you don’t start in the morning,?” and “I survived the Natchez Trace.”

In just an hour, we will all have survived the Natchez Trace when Team Conquistadors meets ScottStrong at noon.

Looking forward to Austin. . . . I’m sure we will all be weird enough by then to fit right in.

Team Beach Ball, rolling out. . .

Part 2

Did I mention I just drank a giant highly caffeinated beverage? I should tell I never drink caffeine. Or rarely do I do this. So right away, I have to go. Have you ever noticed that knowing you have no place to go makes you need to? Also, I should tell you—or confess probably—that I have never peed in the woods. Or behind a tree, or behind a bus, or anywhere other than on a porcelain throne.

In fact, sensing that this might be an issue on this trip, I had asked Janelle and Kathy the day before how exactly a female goes about doing this out in nature. Let’s just say, I now had detailed instructions.

However, I still lacked the guts to try it for the first time. Also, this is a rather ornery bunch, and I wasn’t too sure about letting it all hang on in such close proximity to pranksters.

So just hold that thought, cause I had to hold it for the next 3 hours. . .

So the bus and us take off for the midnight transition, our Ride being detained in Jackson. I timidly put in a request for a potty stop, knowing that I may have to wait until the next rest stop. And that’s ok. I don’t want to delay the riders.

Turns out, I was saved by the fact that the bus was running out of gas. Otherwise who knows how this story may have ended.

Before we can take off in search of gas, Jimmy blows a tire, which means he gets to crash on the bus and eat PB&Js while Buddy works his magic. With Jimmy on the road, we veer off for gas, only to be called back within moments because Heather has a flat. Buddy fixes her and then boards the Agave van armed with tools in case of another mechanical emergency, which it just so happens, happens.

So, both the cyclists and the bus mates are having momentum issues. . .

We follow the bus Garmin (which is silent and has no name) on long dark Mississippi roads to what looks like it may have at one point been a town. At this time, the transmission really fusses. Losing Drive again, we hear Parker say. . . well let’s just say we hear Parker. I had to admit it was nice to know that having 2 girls on his bus didn’t seem to affect his vocabulary. We take that as a compliment.

The first gas station, we couldn’t fit into. Attached to the bus is a trailer, which apparently has no turning radius. The next four gas stations, and I was counting because I really had to go—already I had opted out of 3 side-of-the-road pit stops which the riders and Janelle did not seem to mind taking advantage of—so, the next 4 gas stations were closed.

Parker: does everything in Mississippi close at 7? (Probably it does.)

Finally, we pull into some gas station and I run to the bathroom. Relief. At some point I really do have to make peace with going on the side of the road. I hear Tulip Tree Leaves are nature’s toilet paper.

Back on the bus, I hear Parker calling Joey back home and telling him we’re operating with an “uncertain transmission.” Good to know.

We catch back up with Agave around 9:30 pm. I know now why Keith hasn’t slept since we left on Sunday. Being behind the riders and contributing to their success and helping them when they need it seems imperative. Although taking care of yourself is important, it’s hard to leave when people you care about are out there in the dark struggling and fighting.

This was already on my mind when we hit a patch of construction and John Siddens crashes after his bike trips over an uneven lip in the pavement on a bridge. At the same moment, Parker had called out “car back” . . . a car was about to pass by, and John was now lying in the middle of that lane. Nothing happened, but everything froze.

I have been thinking about the word support, since we’re on the support team. Support means being there, even if it’s just to hold out an arm and help push uphill, or even if it’s just listening, or if it’s swerving the bus out into the opposing lane to block traffic from behind when one of your own is down.

It’s being there, especially if it’s dark and there’s no way to see.

As Robin from Team Yellow had said the night before after getting off their shift at midnight: “I can’t help thinking that there are some of us still out there, riding.”

Somebody’s out there, riding. There’s always somebody out there, riding.

Team Beach Ball back in action. Our apologies for being MIA. Here’s what happened. (I should preface this by saying, we’re running on 2 hours of sleep from last night, we’re currently uncaffienatied, and we’re writing using notes from last night which were scribbled under cell phone light.)

Part 1

Rewind back to 4 pm yesterday (by the way, that means it was Tuesday. Just because we haven’t really slept since Sunday does not mean it’s still Sunday. We have to tell ourselves this.)

Fresh off our TJ Maxx run, we are summoned to the bus—the headquarters/Brain Center/mechanic & medic lair/rundown Hincapie retired cycle support bus. Turns out Taylor’s fat <derrier> has broken his saddle. Anyone who knows Taylor, knows this is a result of some unexplained supernatural phenomenon. Taylor probably wouldn’t break a fresh egg if he sat on it.

So, Kathy absconds with our roomy, luxurious massage van to go to Jackson and get a new saddle for T and deposits us on the bus. What happens on the bus, stays on the bus, we are told. Sorry guys.

We are told we’ll be picked up at the 6 pm transition or shortly after. So in our haste, I grab my small bag and Janelle grabs only her chapstick, sweatshirt and cell phone. Which by the way, this trip has shown that my AT&T service kicks her T Mobile service in the butt.

Also, I should say we both wore shorts today. So bare legged, there we are, stuck on the bus. We announce that we’ll be the entertainment for the trip, since the medic and mechanic are used to staring at cyclists’ butts going 20 mph for 6 hours straight.

Not so, it turns out.

Off the noon transition, Team Polka Dot had flown, hoping to make 130 miles that day. The weather was perfect. I repeat: perfect. And the road was the infamous Natchez Trace. Please remember here that civilization is at least 40 miles off the trace in any direction. This will come into play later. Also, did I mention that the weather was perfect?

So, for the first time, Janelle and I have the front row seat, watching cyclists’ butts in action. Nice. Not long after we settle in, the weather changes and it starts to rain. Then there was lightning and thunder. Or, as Scott from Team Yellow calls it, “a light night rod.”

In less than 2 seconds, the bus fills with 7 sweaty, rainy, somewhat sweet smelling Polka Dot riders. I find myself perched on top of duffle bags. Janelle is trapped between Ed and Mark. Very nice.

I will spare you the sexual innuendo, because most of what happens on the bus actually stays on the bus. And there are children reading, I am told.

Somehow, Janelle manages to be on the receiving end of a shoulder rub from Ed, and also some of his B.O. Quote Janelle: “not the worst.”

After about 20 minutes of giddiness, the party leaves the bus and equipped with rain gear continues on toward their goal of a centennial. Remember, Taylor’s butt is quite sore, and Ed is missing some of his B.O. (We love you, Ed, and you know that.)

Shortly after, we receive word that Team Blue Agave will be running late, due to a minor health issue. This gives the Dots more time to reach their goal, and emotions are soaring. We are counting the mile markers down over the radio and watching pace lines change and riders extend an arm here and there to help team mates up the hills.

Somewhere in there—remember details of the night are very shady now—the transmission has a hiccup. We lose Drive. Coasting along in second, with the sweet sounds of the transmission trying to fall to the concrete, we cheer as they reach the end of their ride, and their goal of 100 miles.

Tears and hugs come quickly after, and people seem to forget about getting a massage altogether. Which is good because there is no flat ground to put the table on, and we must leave with the bus to follow the next team, seeing as how we are hostages now. Bus-napped!

Really, it was kind of awesome to be so close to the action the whole night. However, we had gotten used to free access to modern plumbing and food whenever we liked, and that just wasn’t an option on the bus.

I should add here that just before we were dropped off onto the bus at 4 pm I had inhaled a 16 oz Starbucks Double Shot Vanilla concoction.

Already I had to pee. . . . .

Ok, so here it is about 10 hours since we gave up the pavement to Team Yellow, and I heard they did great! Way to go.. hope your bare butts are holding up! LOL. Team Blue Agave has a nice break today, as we pick up the quest again tonight at midnight……. another shift in the dark. But we are due a great ride. We are going to put our ducks in a row and kill it tonight!!!! My knee is fine, and my arms and neck are good, but my left shoulder is really sore. On my second round of advil already… I will be ready to ride.. NO MATTER WHAT!! Nursing a sore shoulder is nothing compared to nursing your body after a round or two of chemotherapy.. we are riding for those who fight a bigger fight……

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

The Conquistadors are up and on the road headed for Transition to relieve Team ScottStrong. It has just started to sprinkle and I sit here praying ScottStrong is having an uneventful ride – especially after reading of Blue Agave’s last rotation (Siddens hope you are ok!). I have no idea what day it is. You lose track when on an adventure like this. But our fearless Team Managers, Kevin anderson Justina, are doing a fabulous job of taking care of the details and just letting us ride. Oh, and Justina keeps us all in stitches with her stories.
I have to say, I am looking forward to riding in some daylight. While the night rides have been fabulous, it will be nice to be able to see. And I am looking forward to the sunrise. Anyone who knows me at all knows I will rarely catch a sunrise unless I am going to bed late.
Just gave Team Yellow a dose of encouragement and now it is time to get ready to saddle up.

I suppose one could say that riding a bike is a lot like algebra. You don’t know how hard it is until you get into it! Well, perhaps today was a day that Team Blue Agave shoulda stayed in bed! We began by having a health issue with Dustin, and had to take him to the Doc-In-The-Box (Urgent Care Center), which then proved to be a fairly minor issue. But that made us late, and without the fantastic teamwork of John and Parker, our Team Managers, we would have NEVER gotten to today’s transition only 10 minutes late. We started out fine, but then the adventures began. I will shorten our tale to this: 3 flat tires, the bus having transmission trouble (since fixed – we hope!!), clothing changes, and of course, a crash. My crash. My hard crash. I don’t want to whine, but a 3 inch lip on an asphalt paving job is just too hard to see at night, on a wet, dark road. So, I hit the deck. Hard. I am very sore, but think I will be fine.. lots of road rash and pain. I got up, checked my bike, and we continued. I appreciate the quick response from Keith, cleaning me up and getting me going again… you ROCK, my friend! The rest of the ride was uneventful.. oops, did I mention a couple of other events???

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!!!!

Three days into the adventure and we started the day thinking we’d have an easy ride on the Natchez Trace… we thought this because this stretch of road is virtually flat…

First off, it must be shared that our team actually has 8 riders because we had Perry Lyles riding with us…  Ironically, true to form, he was feeling playful and didn’t want us to have it too easy so he graced us with a head wind for virtually the whole time.  

We were making good time despite this until just after 4 pm when the skies opened up and we had huge rain drops pounding us.  We were perfectly willing to ride on through this until the lightening started and when one bolt shot literally right over our heads, our support crew aka guardian angels made the call and pulled us over and we got in the bus for about 25 minutes until the worst of the storm blew over.  All in all, we ended up with just over 100 miles on the day and it was a very powerful day.  It is so amazing how a group of people can gel into a cohesive unit so quickly.  From such a spectrum of backgrounds, we feel like family and I am so proud to be sharing this journey with them!  Every moment with this amazing group of people shows me over and over the nobility of the human spirit and how rewarding it is to give of yourself and put others first.

We suffered on the bike today… but when we think of the fight that is going on for so many, what we felt was nothing and so there was not a word of complaint and we would have gladly kept riding .. and we’ll get up tomorrow and do it again and just be so thankful that we have been given the opportunity to try to make a difference!

Team ScottStrong had a beautiful ride today. As I watched the team working together, pacelining, protecting, I really wished I was out there riding with them. But I have an important role in this operation, and that is logistics and safety. I honorably accept that role.

This team has had a great adventure. We’ve been to Cleveland TN, Florence Al, then back to Columbia TN. Then to the Natchez trace. As we travel, we read the blogs and read our notes from our supporters. Team ScottStrong is really a cohesive group on and off the bike. One worries when you throw 8 people together how things will work out. It is working out just fine on this team. We’ve managed to have a TON of fun on our journey, with moments of reflection and inspiration sprinkled in at just the right moments.

Today, I received a message while on the ride that the Cancer Center patients were watching our blog and tracking our progress on the website. I told the team this during one of the breaks, and they immediately dedicated their ride today to all cancer patients at the Cancer Center. We rode for you today …in your honor! Blessings and well wishes to you from Team ScottStrong. The whole C3 team is so excited that you are watching us!

What an incredible experience to ride on the the Nachez Trace (and drive!). The personalities on the team have come out too….we have our comedian, Jerry. And the calming force, Ron Fox. Everyone on the team brings a great attribute.

One thing is certain, we are all wondering what day it is. This journey keeps you moving and the days run together and the time seems to pass by without you knowing. We are headed to LA tomorrow. Then on to Texas. Two more shifts.

As we make this journey with Scott Shuey’s bike, the one thought weighing on my mind for this year’s trip is the pain and sadness that friends and loved ones with cancer must go through. How incredibly painful it must be to hear the news, see your loved ones go through the tests and treatments, and uncertainties.

We continue our journey to Austin…., and think and ponder these thoughts and questions…we know we do this because we can and because it will make a difference.

There has been no moon on the Natches trace that I know of.  the ride has been awsome.  We did a suprising 80 miles last night on the bikes and I don’t know how many in the van today.  we are now in Jackson Miss. getting some much needed rest prepairing for our journey tomorrow

Thanks to the Bryce team and Katherine coming to Greenville to see us off.  It was great to see you there.  I am riding in memory of Bryce. 

I can’t add any more about the ride to what Daniell, Jessica, and martha Laura have said.  They have said it all.  Tomorrow might be a different day for them as we try to bring reality into why we re riding.

Hello Everyone!! Day 2 from Danielle & Jess.  “Wow, What a Ride!” As Team Conquistadors headed down the road at midnight to begin our epic 80 mile journey, the first thing we saw in front of us was a beautiful shooting star and immediately thought of Jeni from all of our training rides as she reminded us that the shooting stars we see at night is Perry’s way of letting us know he was watching over us and guiding us.  There were moments throughout the ride where the lessons of what Perry had taught us riding came up in conversation…especially climbing hills.  When we hit the start of the Natchez Trace Trail we were greeted by hill, after bigger hill, after bigger hill (9% grade was the steepest).  Who in the heck said the Natchez Trace Trail was flat?!?!  WE LOVE YOU RON!!!   When we started climbing, Jess said to the group “You know what Perry always told me, when you are climbing to stare at the tire in front of you then that way you will be to the top of the hill before you ever know it.”  Immediately we put his helpful riding tips to use and it proved to be ever so helpful as we climbed one long steep hill after another. 

The weather conditions on the Trail were cool but nothing near as bad as what we had Sunday night.  I think we burned more calories taking our clothes off and on as we tried to find that happy medium riding last night.  Hot, cold, hot cold seemed to be the theme.  We had a great pace line rolling and major kudos to JOE for a very successful first pace line experience!!! 

So what did we see on the Trail?  Well, first of all, we saw so many deer on the road I really thought Santa Claus was conducting a training ride of his own in preparation for the holiday season.  We saw 4 skunks (one of which had freshly sprayed and dang - not only did our nostrils burn but we could taste it and about lost our Gatorade), 4 armadillos (who knew they existed outside of Texas), 1 possum and 1 rabbit that just about became road kill by Team Conquistadors.  We also heard coyotes and an owl.    

Shortly before mile 50 we had the pleasure of Bob Kramer’s company on the road.  He stayed on the road with us all the way to our transition point with Team ScottSTRONG.  It was so great riding with you Bob -please join us again!! 

So, holy cow…80 HILL-LACIOUS miles completed and it felt oh so sweet!  We are finally heading to bed (but not before we watch the season finale of Jersey Shore – it’s our guilty pleasure – expect to see some fist pumping on the Trail) before we begin our 6:00am shift in the morning.  How many miles can Team Conquistadors belt out tomorrow???  Well, you will just have to find out tomorrow!!!

Hello to Team Polka Dots and Blue Agave – we look forward to seeing you in Austin!!! Team Mellow Yellow – see you at 6:00am!! Team ScottSTRONG…try not to get your bikes TP’d again and we will see you at noon.

Good night ya’ll!!!!!

So here we are in Tupelo, MS. Janelle and Kelly reporting in with less sleep than yesterday after making all the transitions through the night! We took on an honorary Beach Ball team member for a bit, Buddy, as he had not slept in 2 days manning the bus and we had to deliver him to a hotel to zonk out.

I should introduce the team, really, after all this time we’ve been talking. Rude, huh?

Kathy has lost a lung to Lung Cancer and a best friend to Brain Cancer after 18 years. Her journey with Cancer started much earlier, when her sister was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in her early teens. Kathy is a hoot. Enough said.

Janelle is an Equestrian (though adverse to plunging her hands deep into day-old horse placenta when her teacher randomly surprises class with some). Since the BP oil spill, she is also studying environmental science. Next year she will ride to Austin (and I will be lacking a truly awesome road tripper/driver). She also is a fitness trainer at The Cliffs.

I am the team massage therapist and yoga teacher (although they don’t know that they’re in for a group stretch when we get to Austin. . .it won’t be pretty, I know exactly where they’re tight).

Today we gave Buddy back to the bus and loaned Kathy to them for a while. We traded in Aussie Lee on the Garmin for Claire from the Netherlands (can’t understand a word she says, but we giggle and make the German throat noise back at her each time she talks) and then for Italian Sylvia (also unintelligible, but makes me want spaghetti for some reason. Which reminds me, team ScottStrong may have wine to go with it.)

This morning we made it to Team Conquistador’s transition–haven’t seen them since Greenville. And honestly, I may not recognize them again, since I massaged them under thousands of stars on the Trace. At noon, we connected with Team ScottStrong, also for the first time. And an Alabama Sheriff. We told him we loved his state. True statement. We told him it was our first time on the Trace. Also true (for me).

Drove through Saltillo to get here (which took approximately 2 minutes. . .by the way, when the Garmin says “approaching Saltillo on the left,” does it know that the town is actually on both sides of the road, or is that a subtle put down?) Anyway, in tiny Saltillo, we saw a shop–for what we’re unsure–with the words “Just a Piddlin” on the window. That is exactly the opposite of what we are doing out here, and for the betterment of everyone back at home not crammed into a too-small passenger van forgetting what the smell of their own B.O. smells like, let me tell you how this trip works. . .

Every 6 hours, at midnight, 6 am, noon and 6 pm, we have a transition, which means that the team on the road meets up with the team about to take over. Which involves coordinating their support van and the massage/medic van …. team Beach Ball, of course.

The transition points have been mapped out ahead of time, but are in constant flux. For example, today we started out a full shift behind schedule. Which means we are literally following a highlighted line through the mountains of multiple states, unsure until sometimes moments before the transition, where exactly we will all converge.

A short list of obstacles include: unreliable cell phone coverage, spontaneous need for potty breaks, planning forages back to the main roads for food, photo opps in front of every state line, road blockages, flat tires, run-arounds from the Garmin pilot, and the fact that our brain power is dwindling as we speak the farther we get into this trip.

Oh, and a trip to a TJ Maxx in which we will look for more shorts for Janelle.

So, although the folks in Mississippi may be just Piddlin Around (something to aspire to, like Office Space), we are definitely not!

For those of you who know me, I never seem to have trouble finding words to express myself…until now.  I’ve know since we left Greenville, SC that I needed to blog, but I have been unable to find the correct words.

Ron wrote earlier about what a difference a year makes.  I couldn’t have said that any better.  Last summer I trained with the group to be ready to ride my bike to Austin.  Little did I know I was training for a larger challenge.  Shortly before we were to leave for Austin last year, I found that I had cancer, AGAIN.  So I came along for the car ride, not the bike ride.

Fast forward a year and I am on a bike riding stronger than I was before I got sick.  I hesitate telling people that I had cancer twice.  It used to be the one thing that I hated to hear.  I guess I always focused on the fact Lance Armstrong had such an aggressive cancer, beat it and is so healthy. So it happened, I became another statistic. With lots of prayers, an incredibly supportive family and some great doctors and nurses, I beat cancer again.

I think the hardest part of having cancer is the “comeback”.  This time was harder and easier than the first time. Easier in that I knew it was going to be hard and I couldn’t give up.  Harder in that I was much weaker this time around.

For me, there are so many correlations between having cancer and the Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  On our ride last night, we had LOTS of rolling hills.  Hearing that you have cancer is like an uphill.  You have to be prepared to work hard.  Normally, there is a downhill to follow.  So you get a break from hard work.  My husband, Will, and my Mama and Daddy were kind of like my downhill.  They did everything they could to make things easier for me.  Then, you have a team.  The team rides as one.  We support each other.  Unity is Strength.  My team from last year was supportive from the day that I was diagnosed.  They were with me in the darkest moments.  They even put up with my “drunk” texting from the hospital or chemo appointments.  (you know, lots of medicine makes me very loopy).  They came and sat with me in the hospital and made me funny signs when I “escaped” (thanks to Dr. Go and Stacey). They, in essence, pulled me through the night.  They put me in the middle of the paceline and made things easier for me.  I could go on forever with the correlations.

Everyone has a personal reason for participating in the Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  For me this year, more than any other, was to prove to myself that I had beaten cancer.  I can say without a shadow of doubt, Laurens 2, Cancer 0.

Hats off to the Conquistadors and Scottstrong for allowing us to get such a great night sleep and sleep in this morning  .. (love you guys).  After an awesome huge breakfast we packed up and we’re driving to our transition point.  We will have perfect weather and flat roads so we hope to throw it down today… though weather says we might get rained on from 4 to 6 pm.  Funny thought for last night was that Harry put in some microwave popcorn and totally forgot about it.. so the room will permanently smell like burned popcorn..

Good morning, everyone! Only have a few minutes before we head out of Nashville and down the Natchez Trace. We have the midnight to 6am shift, which was the highlight of our trip last year. I’ll try to blog later, but wanted to say hello! It’s very hard to blog when you’re driving ALL of the time

WOW!!! What a little sleep does for you. I gotta try this at home. We arrived at our hotel (Harrah’s Casino Hotel in Tunica, Mississippi – really!!!) about 1 am. I was just getting minivan claustrophobia when we saw the lights in the distance. We all instantly felt like the horse seeing the barn! think Heather said it best: “This looks like an adult Disney World!” I thank God above that I learned long ago that I have absolutely NO luck when I gamble, therefore someplace like this has NO appeal to me at all… except last night! I could have kissed that check in person for getting us in our rooms pretty quickly… ahhhhhhh… even a hotel bed was like heaven. I awoke after a good night’ sleep (tried sleeping on my stomach to help lessen my snoring.. Dustin said I was MUCH better – HA!) and found my mystical MOUNTAIN DEW downstairs. I am chomping at the bit to get back on my bike, and am even tossing around the idea of pulling a double shift on the bike if logistics allow it… if Dustin and Jeni and Renee and John McD and ALL who fight cancer can go through what they do, I can pull a 12 hour shift on the bike… we will see. Just a thought for now. SHHHHHHH.. dont say anything to anybody yet!!!!! LOL I keep thinking (now that I am thinking clearly) about all my teammates. The epic style of adventure each of their faces. Their personal struggles and victories. How each one of them handles this ride, whether or not they have cancer, a loved one has cancer, or simply that a friend or colleague has cancer. And I realize that I have had is so easy. Yes, two really bad years personally. But not anything as bad as staring cancer in the face. Yes, I have had 6 basal cell cancers on my neck and shoulders, but that is so miniscule compared to breast cancer, ovarian cancer, testicular cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma. How easy have I had it? Jeez. I am going to redouble my efforts on this ride. I will pull all the way to Texas. I will carry luggage. I will do what I can to make their lives easier. And maybe someday, if and when I get cancer, someone will make my day easier, and all the work we do will make my treatment easier.

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 ??????????????

Well, since I have not blogged as much as I would like…now seemed like the perfect time.  There are no swaying vans or fighting with the 3G network to deal with.

Anyways…some quick things about yesterday…

We had a great second shift last night.  It began at 6pm and we enjoyed some much need warmth and sushine for about 1-1/2 hours before the temperatures began to drop dramatically. Not as cold as the night before, but it cetainly made it tough to plan on what to wear later. The first part of our ride was relatively flat, but once we hit the now infamous “loop” (yes Bo, it actually happened/exists), the rollers began and then eventually we hit three climbs that would closely resemble the watershed.  Not too difficult,  just long and sustained.  Enough time to for Donna to find her legs and take off and really pull us up them…maybe it was the McDonalds stop at 9:30pm mid-ride that help her.  Personally…it gave me the “McLegs”.   Jen and Anne were great in the support vehicles as they periodically sang to us during the ride and gave us the “you have this hill” pep talk.  Tedd was his usual self and was cracking jokes the entire ride.  As far as Laurens, Robin, Ron, and myself?… we feed off  Tedd and then the joking appeared to snowball for most of the night.  A dog did run after us one time and everyone was yelling frantically to get him to stop.  I think it may have been the six Gatorade bottles that made him slow down…or the voice from the back of the paceline…”Now dog, you must stop…Dog?  Dog?”  (in a very calming voice). 

We had a great ride…a “well oiled machine” is Team Yellow and we must have looked like a lightnight bolt streaking down the road…alot of fun with moments of great focus.  As we pack this morning, eat a good breakfast (never can put too much syrup on a waffle) and prepare to hit the road, we are looking forward to our midright ride tonight on the Natchez and seeing Team Blue Agave and Team Conquistadors during our transitions. 

On a side note, Donna and I have survived the Team Yellow initiation.

I would like to personally thank the group of people who found it enriching and self gratifying to decorate our vehicle with this fabulous color of White streamers that flowed around our vehicle. It was a treat to wake up too and frankly hysterical. Bless you for the laugh…. and when we catch the TP bandit….. ooooooo uuuuurr in twouble…..

Saw about 10 of them on the Natchez Trace this morning. So 2/3 of Team Beach Ball and the Conquistadors got to start the day with ten wishes. That’s a great start to any day! The weather was beautiful this morning for the transition. No one had to get their rubdown in the freezing cold, and I am sure their muscles were thankful.

Some early morning words (of wisdom) from the Conquistadors after their fantastic midnight ride…

on western medicine-
“…totally healed by a holistic healer, that healer should be a millionaire!”

on looking your age-
“I’m 58, but people say I look homeless.”

on the uber bright moving light in the sky-
“It’s a UFO! No really that is not an airplane!”

Team Beach Ball has traded in Aussie Lee, our navigator, for Claire from the Netherlands. We can’t understand a word she says, but she sure is entertaining! Pretty sure if she were standing infront of us talking we would be sprayed with spit, good thing she’s just a Garmin.

We are looking forward to sunlight on the Natchez Trace now that we have seen it lit by moonlight. Seems like the perfect place to continue this 1600 mile bicycle adventure. That’s a good thing because it looks like we are on it for a long while. Now let’s just hope the governing folks of the Trace don’t notice we are a parade in need of a license…

Catch you all at the next transition. Goodbye Tennessee, we have enjoyed your beautiful countryside!

Fresh off the bikes (well, maybe the better word is ripe), we are now in the van for likely the duration of the night. Wait! I mean morning! But that is ok because I am feeling great!
We knocked off 80 miles when our fearless leader thought we would do well to get 50.
The riding was really just super. We got into a groove and moved along like a well-oiled machine. And we had such beautiful weather. The moon was almost half and that, in addition to our lights, helped us see lots of wildlife.
So, my question for the day to the K-1 followers at Banner Elk Elementary is a math one. How many animals did we see in total? We saw 8 deer, 4 skunks, 4 armadillos, and 1 rabbit. By the way kids, fresh spray from a skunk smells bad enough to make you gag and come very close to puking.
Now to top that night off, just as we were climbing into the van our wonderful support crew pulled in to massage our tired legs. Younger have to picure getting a massase on a table outside under no light other than that of the moon. The stars were simply amazing!
Ok. I am so tired I think I may actually be able to sleep in the van. Or at least I hope so.

The Yellow Team rolled into Franklin around 1 a.m., full of McDonalds but missing Donna’s front wheel. Half of my hair was sticking out to the side when I woke up from my 1/2 night’s sleep to go work their kinks out. There was a seizing hamstring and lots of shoulder tension going around (among all the teams, I have to say). Climbing is a stressful thing.

Massaging people on hotel beds is a weird thing. Breathing in BioFreeze in a small enclosed room is also a little strange.

It was close to 2 am when I went back to my room. Although at first I couldn’t get it. My hotel key was next to my phone and had de-magnetized. Looked like I would have to crash on the floor of someone else’s room. For a moment I thought that having a bed to myself for 2 straight nights was going to turn out to be too good to be true.

Ate the rest of my Thai leftovers before I crawled back into bed, but was too tired to brush my teeth first.

Wow, after reading that, no one will ever ask me out again.

I am not a Nascar fan at all, as a matter of fact I have yet to pull of a conversation with anybody about Nascar that did not make me hate the sport even more. I guess it was the lack of oxygen I was getting to my head or maybe its just something about being in Tennessee today. I could not stop thinking of a similarity between the C3 ride and the biggest thing that has happend in auto racing.

As most of you know the P3 family lost a very important member this spring and his name is on the back of each of our jerseys. So inevitably the more time you spend behind someone, the more you think about the void in our team.

When Dale Ernhart passed away unexpectedly in a race, he was nearly seemlessly replaced by his son Dale Ernhart Jr. Dale Jr possesed the same amazing natural talent that his father had. Not just any talent it is the kind of talent people cant help but notice. Everyone thought Dale Sr. was the best but apparentley that apple didnt fall too far from the tree. People could’nt help but cheer on Dale Jr. as he went on to be one of the stand out names in all of proffessional auto racing.

Last month we all cheered as Taylor Lyles took the spot as the state time trial champion in his first year of cycling. And as we see this young talent hit the road in his fathers spot this year on the Austin ride. You cant help but notice that Taylor has a stronger look in his eyes than he ever has, a new determination to not only finish this ride, but take the spot as the rider that is a leader, fighter, and yet has a understanding and compassion for why we are raising money. He has been a class act all season long and it is obvious that once again the apple didnt fall far from the tree. Taylor it is great to see you driving the black number 3 car. (or ride the black Scott bike)

Day one is in the books. When I started the C3 training I was not as atttached to this ride like I was last year. I don’t know what the reason was but it just wasn’t there for me. But that all changed as I stood infront of the cancer center and introduced my oncologist to the crowd of people there to send us off on our journey. That was followed by a very emotional send off that was topped off with a painfull goodbye kiss from my baby girl Carlee. Suddenly it all came rushing back. The love for cycling, the hatred for cancer, and the excitement to be with my C3 family.

So we were off and by that I mean up, then up some more. The climbing wouldnt let up until we made it to our transition point. We gladly got off of the bikes, loaded in the van and spent the next few hours telling dirty jokes instead of sleeping like we should.

I woke up for day two and met a Joy. Joy and her husband were so touched by what we are doing they could not stop telling the 50 people they were with about the Challenge to Conquer Cancer. To have so many people come up to me to tell me something nice about the ride was a great feeling, It was excactly what I needed to start the day. If there were 10 thousand Joys along the side of the road I think we could ride straight to Austin without stopping. So we hit the road. I dont know if it was lack of sleep (John Siddens snores), or just a bad day but I really had to dig deep today. I could not catch my breath and that has never been a problem for me, so I was obviously not at my best but I tried not to show it. After the ride I was brought back to life by a great massage, some cold beer, and the best elixer of all more dirty jokes in the van. I dont know if there has been a clinical trial done on it but potty humor and laughing until it hurts could be just the thing that cures cancer.

Man this is tough.  I want to be out there on the road with everyone.  I want my legs to be as tired as my head.  This week is always an emotional one for me and this year is no different.  I am really  missing Kim today and at times I have been overwhlemed by how much cancer has taken.  It is pretty easy to get caught up in the details.  It is easy to forget why we are riding.  Once the planning is over and the waiting has ended there is an awful lot of time in the van to remember why we are riding.  Mile after mile another name or face pops into your head.  Today as we rolled through TN I was thinking about BJ and about Erica.  I prayed for their families and reminded myself that we are doing this for them.  I want to pedal but I know just how lucky I am to be here at all.  I can handle a couple tough days in a  van if we can prevent even one family from feeling the loss Erica’s and BJ’s families feel.

Hello all. Kelly here, the 3rd piece of Team Beach Ball. A reminder, our team name comes from the rotating beach ball icon on our borrowed Garmin. Who, by the way, was Aussie Lee today—British Daniel being not quite British enough for our tastes.

Aussie Lee was no kinder than Daniel to us, as far as sending us in meaningless circles down random country highways. The direction icon reads South, however we are “barely going South,” Kathy says, according to our fold out map taking up the entire back seat which reminds me of reading the Wall Street Journal while walking through the lunch rush at college. Dangerous, and leaves you with newsprint on your fingers. . . which sometimes you forget about and then rub your face.

Seeing a lot of random shite on our back country tour of Tennessee: a goat pooping on the side of the road, hay bales with Halloween faces painted on the sides, buffalo, a flipped over minivan, an out of order sign on a bathroom that really wasn’t at a Breeze In gas station, Gilmore Girls reruns playing at that same redneck stop, and my favorite: a plum purple VW 1/2 size van pulling a little purple trailer. I feel like the little girl in the Despicable Me movie at the theme park spontaneously shouting FLUFFY!, only it was PURPLE! (Seriously, best movie of the year.)

Also, did I mention the team we were following was wearing Viking Horns coming out of their helmets? The cows probably thought we were the weird ones.

We have made it through strange sounding towns like Vol, Caney Springs, Murphreesboro, Soddy-Daisy, McMinnville and Ducktown.

Today we have made 2 transitions: the Polka Dot team at noon. I was told after getting off the bike, I was their first priority, beer was the second. Awesome. The Blue Agave/Viking helmet wearing folks got off at 6. I was told someone wanted to rip my hands off and keep them for himself. Also awesome, although in a special sort of way. 8^)

We have holed up in Franklin, TN, to sleep for a few hours, then massage the Yellow team when they get off at midnight and come back here. Then, after a few more hours sleep, we’ll go out and catch the Conquistadors when they’re done at 6. Did I mention I normally go to bed around 10 pm and sleep for 8-9 hours?

Of all the random things we saw today, one inspired me: a church message board saying: faith makes things possible, not easy.

I am not complaining, being close to someone living with cancer has taught me not to do that. There is always something to be grateful for, or if you need to look at it this way, there is always someone worse off. Faith is showing up on this trip and believing that it’s making a difference for someone you care about. Or maybe for someone you don’t know yet, or will never meet. Faith is choosing to keep an open heart. No one said it wouldn’t hurt.

Hi All, this isn’t Kerrie’ it’s Sheila. My first time doing an event like this and all I can say is….WOW! I felt as though I have spent the last several months preparing, and I did for the ride part of things. I wasn’t prepared for all the other great things I was going to encounter along the way. I have made great new friends, I have met some very nice people who are truly interested in what we are doing,along the way. It kind of reminds me of vacations with my family as a kid. Great adventure, not much sleep, new scenery, and experiences I will take with me for a lifetime.

I’ve always believed that my glass is half full. It helps me deal with things when you are presented with difficult news. last October a very dear friend of mine was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer . This year he is doing well and is gaining strength everyday. His illness gave me the desire to do something, I need to thank him, and I will. Through his terrible illness , I am doing something I may not have ever done. Tom you are my hero.

I’m going to bed now so I can prepare for my 6 hours in the saddle tomorrow, and I will have a smile on my face.

Team Blue Agave is now done with day 2. We had a really good ride despite some minor setbacks. Renee and Dustin needed a bit of time off the bike….. but both were able to get back on and finish. We also had a 20 min delay because of a really bad car crash blocking the road. We hope the occupants are ok…. say a prayer for them…. so, 75 miles with a 17 mph average despite the delays. I an SO proud of my teammates… we ride so well together… now we are at a nice restaurant in Columbia, Tenn… awaiting luscious real food… Mmmmmmmm… then off to our hotel go Memphis…. zzzzzzzz

Riding along in the car gives you lots of time to contemplate why you’ve decided to participate in a relay bike ride from Greenville, SC to Austin, TX. For me, Danielle and Donna brought up the idea to me last year during the MS Ride. My first thought was something along the lines of “yea, right”. But then my father-in-law, John Miller, was diagnosed with prostate cancer. And I thought back to my sweet Aunt Maureen who lost her battle with breast cancer several years ago. So I said to myself – you know what – I can do it. I can train, I can raise $5000.
And now here I sit – many training miles under my belt, $6500+ raised, and first rotation done.
I sit here now (at the hotel in Franklin, TN resting for a few hours before our midnight to 6am shift) and I’m thinking of all the other folks I’m riding for too.
I do need to take a minute to say a special thanks to Tim Hockey for his very generous donation and to my fellow Bank of America associates for their support and donations (and to BofA for matching all the associate donations!).
Looking forward to a great ride tonight Conquistadors! Natchez Trace here we come!!!
Who knows when I’ll get to post this. Middle of nowhere TN doesn’t have much cell signal.

Ahhh the sweet sound of slap happy worn out cyclists!

Quick update from 1/3 of Team Beach Ball here. We are transitioning in Caney Springs TN in a church parking lot, making God proud

Blue Agave finally came through on that tequila tip, again making God proud

The cows around here are awfully talkative. Perhaps thinking the viking helment’s of team Blue Agave make this team one funny herd of cows?

Our first ride down, 3a-6am, from Ducktown, TN to Dayton(not Ohio), TN.  Weather was about 15 degrees warmer than last year. Lots of fun with all my new teammates, except Jeff Berkshire.  He and I are the only remaining riders from the pink team of 2009. It’s a bittersweet thing not having my peeps from last year.  Miss you all so much.

I am so proud of the new riders on the team.  What an air of excitement they possess.  It’s good to have that newness around, makes me feel good about what I am doing and why.  If you read the blog last year, you know we brought Scott Shuey’s bike along every mile of the route.  He was one of our warriors who was supposed to go to Austin with us and unfortunately died before we left.  This year I have the honor of riding with his best friend Jerry Jannick who is riding Scott’s bike, all to honor him. Jerry had never ridden before so a what a great accomplishment for him. By the way, Jerry provides such humor to the team.  We are continuously cracking up!!!  Thank you, Jerry, for bringing your heart and soul with us on this journey.

This is my 3rd time riding to Austin. I am so moved each and every year by the new friendships I make. We are having so much fun together,  People can change a team but the cause remains the same. I am blessed with warm, compassionate riders around me.  Thank you, Ron Jerina, for just putting me out there and helping me grow physically on the bike and emotionally and spiritually in my heart. I will never forget these priceless moments I am experiencing.

Well our day started out with a great restful night of 2 1/2 hours of sleep @ a holiday inn express in Dayton tn. But to be quite honest, I felt prettY rested. We packed all of our stuff the night before just trying to predict just how cold it was going to be. For the most part I hit it.
We were up at 4am grabbing a quick bit to eat and load the bikes. The lady at the front desk started at 4am getting breakfast ready for US, how nice was that. We’ve already met some really nice people. I’m even sure that gesture I got yesterday was meant in the best of ways! I think she meant one more mile!
Anyhow we met our transition team right on time. I think they were frozen! We all exchanged our hugs. Lots of those. And I had my special one from my good biking friend Karrie. (she’s the one who talked me in to doing this ride).
So we were off. It was about 42 degrees and pitch black. Actually quite more traffic than I expected. I would love to be in the car of people passing…what are they thinking and saying. 7 riders so early and cold in dayton tn. I’m sure that’s a sight they never see.
So we didn’t get too far before the first potty break Which I started getting cold. Then it was straight to the mtns. Really! After we were into the climb for a bit I looked over and saw this amazing sunrise. This made all of the cold temps just seem to disappear. But just for a second. Actually we all expected the temps to start dropping on the assent. Quite the opposite, kept on seeming to get warmer. Which was a welcome relief.
Kept climbing and climbing…then a true gesture of teamwork, Taylor turned around and put his hand on Jeni to help her up a steep grade. It’s tough enough alone…much less push someone else. That’s a team! Have you read how great I think our team is. (side note if you fly any make sure you get the peanuts! And not any of the other things the attendants try to give out)
Well during this time it really warmed up. This turned out to be another beautiful day. So we made a couple of stops to shed layers. We finally got to the end of our 6 hour leg, which included climbing over 6000 feet.
We met Blue Agave the relief team, again lots of hugs. They took off with some wonderful riding weather. We got our geag together and headed for some lunch. Now we are headed to our next transition. Natchez Trail.

As Team ScottSTRONG is at our destination for the day & most of the night, we are chillin’ & having fun getting to know each other. Our first shift was a 3 hour shift that had us meeting Team Yellow around Ducktown, TN. Most of us got at most 2-3 hours of sleep last night & had to be packed & ready to go at 1:30 AM to start our 3:00-6:00 shift.

We had 4 new riders this year & one new team manager. This had most of us a little anxious about our first shift. How cold was it going to be? What do I need to wear? What gloves?, etc. Well, we all made it down & then we traveled to find Team Yellow. As we tracked up the road, we came across them. They looked awesome in their double paceline. We were excited to see them & I know they were excited to pass the baton & get some sleep. We then proceeded to find a good spot to transition. This is not as easy as it seems, because you have to find a good spot for 2 vans, a large bus w/ trailer & people walking around getting ready. It really is a lot for a first-timer to take in. A couple of us had slightly misjudged what gear we needed to wear due to the lower temps than expected. Team Yellow rolled in looking great & we were pumped to see them & get on with our turn.

Once we got geared up we were ready to roll. As Kerrie led us out, there was an air of relief as we were now officially on our first shift with the P3 Challenge to Conquer Cancer. So much goes into what we are doing & we have been working so hard for this moment & the ones that follow.  This was the first time we would be on the road by ourselves, one team within the P3C3 larger team.  It is a great honor for us to be riding for those who have and who are fighting against cancer.  I will tell you that having our van covered in magnets honoring & memorializing and having arm warmers covered in names of those people is a very humbling experience.  We are riding for each of them & all of the other Cancer Warriors.

Being the first time that we rode together as a complete team, we had to gel a little.  It wasn’t that hard to gel as we all are here for the cause of the P3C3 and each are fun-loving people.  We do have riders of different paces and styles in our team & that at first can present some challenges, but this is not a race.  We are here for the journey.  This doesn’t mean we need to coast & it doesn’t mean we have to put the hammer down either.  Being on new, strange roads that we’ve never ridden before in the dark and having chilly temps doesn’t make it any easier, except for the fact that we are here TOGETHER for the same cause.  At first we seemed a little uncoordinated as it was the first time we’d ridden as a team & it was the first time at least one of our team had ridden in the dark.  However, we got it together & started to get a little more coordination if among our team.  We worked very well at alerting our members if there were cars passing, rocks, holes  or other debris to steer clear of.  We would make some crazy comment to keep each other loose and enjoying the ride.  We continued to gel as we rode in a closer group most of the time unless we were making a single file line to allow cars to pass.  As we got to our last hour of our first shift, we wanted to finish strong.  We wanted to make up a little ground & we did.  We worked as a TEAM and pushed the pace just a little more than before.  We were able to do this because we were starting to trust each other and pay attention to each other, slowing when we needed to & pushing it when we could.

We cruised for a good while & then I heard over the radio, “can you make 8 more miles?”  We were IN THE GROOVE & knew that we would make that 8 miles in great fashion to go transition with our TEAM POLKA DOT.  As we did with Team Yellow, the Polka Dots gave us a warm reception when we reached our finish line for our shift and transitioned with them.  We felt great, shift #1 was under our belts and all the jitters were gone.  We now have been out there & know what to expect and will have a great several days on our Ride to Austin for the Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  The thing is, that even though we are riding bikes, this is NOT about the BIKE.  It IS about the JOURNEY.  I am proud to be a part of Team ScottSTRONG along with team managers Lisa & Ron as well as fellow riders Kerrie, Sheila, Jeff Jerry &  Marty.  I am glad to be on this JOURNEY with all of you.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, well-wishes, & warm thoughts.  It sure made my first shift and OUR first shift as a TEAM a complete success and has us well on our way to Austin.

Wow after a nice ride to TN. last night with the team and a quick 90 min nap we were off at 1am to find Team Yellow, never thought this day would come and now we need to ride…so off we went for a brisk(cold and fast to stay warm) ride thru some mountain area for our first leg of the journey, we came upon Team Polka Dot to see them off to the first leg of there 6 hour days.

I am now in AL. waiting to leave again tomorrow for our first 6hr. leg of this incredible journey.  I truly believe my friend Scott is riding with me to  get me up those hills and stay focused when the journey gets tough. Until later LiveSTRONG and SCOTTSTRONG!

What a send off.  One of the best gifts was having my Dad, Debbie, and the sweet young Elizabeth there to share in our beginning of another years journey from Greenville to Austin.

Dad – the trip without you and Melanie this year joining us this year in Austin will be so different.  I will never forget how amazing it was to have you both their as we arrived in Austin last year.  Please continue to pray for us and all that cover the many of miles as I am sure you are already doing.  I love you both so much!!  What amazing parents.

Debbie – no words can express what it meant to see you yesterday.  Your heart is one of an angel.  I admire your never ending strength and NO ONE can not say that you have no been a true fighter every day.  I love you and think of you every hour I am riding.  This journey is for YOU.

Elizabeth – the beauty of a sweet little girl is a priceless gift.  I am blessed to have met you and I am thrilled to carry your magnet along with us until we return home and give it to you to keep.  Keep that beautiful smile!

This year greeted us with a gift or warmer temps.  After most of us purchased mountains of winter gear before the trip this year we quickly began shedding them within the first hour of our shift last night.  Amazing rock walls and the sounds of a running stream set the stage for our miles last night.  How I managed to use hand warmers in my shoes instead of foot warmers…lol…and then held them in my hands once in bed to warm up before falling fast a sleep.

More to come.  Next shift is from 6pm until midnight.

Robin Blackburn

Team Yellow

This is my first year so I realy had no idea what to expect. On the drive out to Cleveland, TN last night we enjoyed the scenery, the moon, and the chatter among us.  A quick dash into the hotel and a 90′ nap, then back in the van to meet Team Yellow. We were backtracking towards them: more chat, more enjoyment of the night. Then someone said, “there’s their van.” It passed so quickly I hardly noticed it. Then six headlights like a group of fireflies rolled past in smooth, quick cadence. The transition came  - - wow, we were headed on the road and now it was our turn to carry the Challenge down the road towards Austin. This time it ws not just a night ride, but a night to remember along with Team ScottStrong. It was also a time for quiet thoughts and remembrances. I thought about the many people I miss. Then the pace quickened and the focus was back with the team.  Thanks, guys.

after getting in bed at 1:30 last night, 4 am came very quicky and with a vengence!  After a quick continental breakfast at the hotel we hit the road in the dark at 6 am .. temp was 42 degrees.  After a short warm up, we proceeded to climb 3 mountains.. with the second being the hardest.  Have struggled up the grades, we were treated to some amazingly fun decents where we were absolutely flying down the grades.  throughout the ride, we had a couple of stops for hot chocolate and to let traffic by that had built up ..   All in all, we did 66 miles in 6 hours and 58oo feet of climbing.  We also got to see a spectacular sunrise and got some good photo ops ..  ride completed, we are happily chowing down at Applebees before heading off in the van to Tupelo MS for our next deploy point.  Once we get there, me might hit the town a little… We’ll be sure to let you all know how “that” went

Never thought… never thought that it would be this beautiful. Last year when the team climbed in the appalacians it was soooo freakin cold that I was pulled from the ride. So this year… this year I was determined to beat the mountains and stick with the team. Well…. it was more like the team stayed back but I did it. With the help of a few hands on the back along the way I did it. I made it to the top…. warm… coughing…. and just absolutely, positively grateful! Thank you Tom for allowing me to be away to do this.

We have an amazing team. Harry has earned the name Prancer, Mark is definately an incredible climber… bless his heart he almost fell over slowing down to stay with the team… Taylor- Tay, Ed well we all know him as legs hernando, frame… freeze frame, Lee Anne aka miss LA! and finally Super Sally and Amazing Dawn. We ROCKED it today. It felt amazing gliding down the mountain, feeling the turns.. (tom dont read this) I looked down at one point and was doing 49 miles per hour. HOLY CRAP! Bob Kramer called me fearless speedy Jeni. Hmmm I responded… it is the only time I am allowed to speed! I loved watching the trees buzz by, the smell of the air, the beautiful colors. I felt each turn as I led down the mt. I had to lead because I was the one holding everyone back. Ed, Taylor, and Perry pushed me up 2 of the MT. I managed to squeeze out 2 mt. climbs without any hands.

Better sweet ending. I remembered things about Perry and Ed and JD last year. How cold they were and how many stops they made. How upset I was that I could not help. And they were so cold.

Today was so different. I thought about Naomi, and Mark, Jennifer, Laurens, Rene, and my Dad. What they were going through. I heard Taylor say,”Go Jeni, grab a wheel… go, go go… and I tried so hard to think of them. To dig deep. Push through the pain and just go.

Cancer is a lot like that. You never know what to expect when you go to the Dr. What they will find. Every visit you worry about what they will find what is around the corner. Today was YOUR day. Not mine.

The little engine that could…. Did it, all because of an amazing team! (miss you perry, miss you JD… wish you both were here. I will say… I have met some incredible peeps. I would not trade this experience for anything.

It’s a beautiful day for a bike ride in East TN. Everyone survived that scary hairpin turn on the descent, whoop! It was wicked just driving it.

We traded in our navigator, British Daniel, for Lee the Aussie. He is much more fun to listen to, now we just have to figure out how to make him not send us in loops (literally)…..

We had a local visitor at the noon transition. He stopped to see what the parade was all about while he was sippin’ on some shine, then he was going home to pray to the creator for our safety. Gotta love the locals!

Steep downhills meant some hefty climbing first. Everyone is mentioning their low backs, but most are still feeling good. Finding it easier to climb up on the table and work Thai Massage style. This makes for a rather interesting picture for people driving by. Ah well!

Stopped at an Applebees for lunch. Civilization! . . .

Just kidding. Already missing the beautiful mountains. Talk to you soon.

One sift completed with three more to go.  The first shift of the Conquistadors began last night promptly at 9PM on Highway 76, just outside of Clayton Georgia. From here we rode to Hiawassee, GA, Hayesville and then finsihed in Murphy, NC.  Fortunately the weather was much more pleasant than the 28 degree temperatures I remember from last year.  There were a number of hills but navigating them just afford me more time to contemplate why we do this and say a few prayers for my many honorees and those I memorialize. It was a good ride that we all and we all enjoyed.  After transitioning we drove to Cleveland, TN where we grabbed rooms at a Fairfield Inn and got some much needed rest.  The experiences one has on a trip like this are very memorable.  This morning I met a man and his wife in the hotel lobby and we began talking about what we were doing for Cancer.  The man pulled a twenty oput of his wallet and said I’d lioke to make a cash contribution in the name of my wife’s aunt, who has terminal cancer.  I gladly accepted the donation and assured him that her name would be put on a honoree maget and placed on our van. Our purpose was again made very clear. 

Tonight we begin our 6-hour shifts and our first begins at midnight tonight We’ll ride until 6AM Tuesday morning.  Hopefully it will all be on the Natchez Trace Race Parkway.  The show goes on and the emoptions continue to run very high. I wish to again thank all of my contributors that made it possible for  to participate in this cause.

Joe

my, oh, my…. how life is fluid…. one thing about the Ride to Austin that is constant: things change… our transition point will be much closer than we thought. Our teams are a bit behind, but hopefully we can adapt and ride strong today and maybe be part of catching up….. but this is NOT a race, and the time we reach Austin can be anytime before Saturday…. we just made a stop for nutrition(?) at McDonalds… and are fueling up for our ride. I am SOOOOO looking forward to getting on the bike and enjoying the ride. Today, I am riding for Joye Nelson. She is a very cute 80 year old we met a breakfast this morning. She has Multiple Myeloma, and is on her way, with her hubby, to a church conference today. She said she would offer a prayer for us. Very sweet lady. Today, I also ride for my friend John McDermott. He was diagnosed with lymphoma, and I know he will win that fight. I will stand beside him, his wife Carla, son Sean, and step sons Kyle and Eric while he begins his battle. I love you, John….

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….

Hey Everyone!

Danielle and Jess here from Team Conquistadors!  So I’m sure you are wondering what what the heck the title of our post means…well 3 hours on the bike heading into the middle of the night we can tend to get a little delerious so Disney movies pop into our heads and of course Jess and I start quoting lines from Finding Nemo…nothing like the sound of Dori’s voice popping into your head…”Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming.” ” I speak whale “Heeeeelllllooooo” ~ okay we’ll you get the picture.

We rolled into Murphy, NC and transitioned with Team Yellow – it was so great to see all of them.  When we got to the hotel around 1:30 am in Chattanooga we got to see Team ScottSTRONG before they headed out to transition with Team Yellow.  A HUGE THANK YOU to Kerrie for the goodies you left in our room for us – it was just what the doctor ordered after that little stretch. 

After we got settled into our hotel room we made a trip over to the Awful Waffle (Waffle House for your notherners who may not get it).  Kevin, Jess, Martha Laura, Justina and I had a nice late, late dinner (or really early breakfast) and talked about past experinces from previous rides as 3 of us are new this year. 

Today will just be a somewhat relaxing day…rumor has it we are going to tour the Jack Daniels Factory later today…we hope they serve samples!!!   We will begin our first of three 6 hour stretches on the bike tonight starting at midnight on the Nacthez Trace Trail…long dark roads with no street lights should be REAL interesting on the bike…THE FREAKS COME OUT AT NIGHT RIGHT???  We are excited at the possibility of warmer weather tonight!! 

Hi to The Polka Dot Team and Team Blue Agave – we haven’t had a chance to see you guys yet but we hope to transition with you soon!! 

More to come…PEDALSTRONG and LiveSTRONG!!!

Danielle and Jess

Ok. So, here I am, finally blogging again after a late ride and some good sleep.
I’m so very thankful to all of my friends and family for the wonderful support I’ve gotten. Jay, I love you and appreciate all that you are doing so I can take part in this journey. Jason and Scott, I’m so proud to be your Mom! I hope I make you proud this week.
Mom, Ken, John IV, Janet, Aunt Linda, Uncle Doug and Aunt Ren, THANK YOU so much for being at the send off yesterday.
I’m so very honored to be riding in Honor or in Memory of more than 50 people. Too many to name them all now, but I will post pictures of my arm warmers eventually.
Our first rotation last night was great. We had fabulous weather. We are learning our team dynamic and tonight’s 12am – 6am will probably be our toughest of this journey. So say a prayer for us before you all head off to dream land!
To Ms. Taylor and Ms. Gouge’s classes:
Thanks for following us!!
South Carolina – The town of Greenville, SC is named after which Revolutionary War hero?
Georgia – What is the highest peak in the state of Georgia?
North Carolina – What city has the largest house in the United States and what is the name of the house?
Tennessee – What city is considered the home of country music?
More again later!

Team scottstrong had a great first shift. We rode under moonlight skies in the brisk cool night air …. we transitioned with the mellow yellows..they were looking good as we located them on the winding road into tn. We located a transition spot the best we could but releived them just a tad too early. No worries from the yellow team though. The first transition in the dark was a little chaotic but we found all the gear and pumped the tires…the route was pretty easy which was great for me. I enjoyed the company in the van with buddy white. His wife just finished chemotherapy treatments.

The team was so excited after finishing their first shift. The team is clicking and we are still full of life despite 3 hours of sleep in the last 24 hours.

Team polka dot was looking ready to get going. They began the first of six hour shifts at 6am.

Ron foxx is an awesome co team manager. Proud to be on team scott strong!

Team Blue Agave is up and on the road ready for day two! After a challenging ride in the dark over a couple of hills, we unwound in the van and laughed most of the way to Knoxville, TN. It is so hard to believe that after all of the adventures over the summer that we are all on the road to Austin. The physical element has been easy to prepare for in comparison for all of the emotion that comes along with this journey. It was so tough to say goodbye to our little boy yesterday and venture off into the unknown, but I wouldn’t want to share this experience with anyone else. I knew how special this group was during one of our first training rides in the extreme heat this summer. About 65 miles into a 70 mile ride my rear tire blew out, and I was ready to put my bike in the sag and ride back to the cars because, as hot as it was and as ready as the group was to get back home, I didn’t want anyone to have to help figure out how to get a shredded wheel back on the road. BUT, nobody would let that happen and pitched in to find and fit a spare wheel so that I could finish the last few miles of the ride because, they said, that I had earned it. I can’t explain how much that meant to me that day in the sweltering heat and how at that moment I realized how incredible these new friends were.

Now here we are on the road worrying about each other and offering words of encouragement through the pain and unknown conditions. I would not trade this experience for the world and have learned so much about myself and how to push beyond anything I ever thought I was capable of. This must be what cancer warriors do every day in their fight with such bravery and determination. We ride for you and are so proud to do it.

Second shift here we come! We are blessed with beautiful weather and are ready to pedal through Tennessee.

Is still can’t believe we are here again.  I have been so busy leading up to the ride that I wasn’t able to enjoy the reason we do this ride.  I was trying to make sure everything was perfectly planned so the ride would go off without a hitch and I kind of lost sight of the reason for the ride.  That all changed when I arrived at the Cancer Center yesterday to pack up for the final leg of our journey.   As all the teams arrived and packed our luggage in our spacious Toyota Sienna vans (I know Dustin and John S agree with this) my mood started changing.  It was incredible to have so many people come out and see us off.  When Dr. Stephenson and Dr. Gluck told us stories of how the money we are raising has helped so many people it really started to hit me.  But when Mother Roxanne, our priest from St. James, did several prayers for us and asked us to say aloud the people we were riding for, I was overcome with emotions and could not even speak aloud.  The prayers were beautiful and I cannot thank her enough for coming out and doing that for us.  She definitely put me back in the right state of mind.  Mother Roxanne was followed by Amy Joye-Bailey who belted out a beautiful Irish Prayer.  At that point, I was ready.

It was very hard, as always, to leave RJ, Reed and Ridge behind again this year but even though it was very sad leaving them, I know they understand why we are doing this and support us 100%.  Boys, make sure Mamama and Grandma go to bed early and you show them how good you are when it comes to homework and studying.   I am missing you and love you all.

Our first shift started at midnight and went to 3AM.  I was very excited about getting on the road but sad that Beth ad Joey were not riding with us this year.  Beth is riding with the Blue Agave team and I really miss talking with her as we ride through the night and Joey (this ride would have never happened without all his help) had to stay back in Greenville this year.  But we are really lucky to have Donna and Scott riding with us this year as the newbies of the team.  They are both a lot of fun to be around and keep us smiling and laughing on and off the bikes.  The weather was much better this year than last.  Robin was not shaking herself off the bike because she was so cold and we were actually looking forward to downhills to cool off a little.  It was a balmy 42 degrees this year compared to 30 last year.

Shortly before oure ride last year we got the shocking and sad news that Laurens’ cancer was back.  She was not able to ride with our team except for a couple of hours the very last day last year.  This year she is cancer free and riding very strong.  It was so great having her pull us through the hill this morning and we were all feeding off her energy.  I can’t explain how wonderful it is riding with her on this ride.  What a difference a year makes…

First 6 hour shift today. 6pm – midnight.  Time for some food.

Greetings from Dayton TN!

British Daniel took us on a back road adventure on our hunt for the Holiday Inn (It definitely took me back to my college days spent in good ole Bristol TN). The counter lady was more than hospitable, giving us her family rate.

Now for our ponderment of the day… how do they get these hotel sheets so darn tucked in? We are thinking there is a sheet super hero whose powers are to stuff the sheets under so tight you can’t get your toes in. We don’t think he is very popular though, walking through walls and flying is way cooler

Next on the agenda is the noon transition. You will hear from Team Beach Ball (Kathy, Kelly, and myself) again then, that is if I can mooch some wi-fi from somewhere. Although we have had more luck finding wi-fi hot spots than cell service!

Any suggestions on a new Garmin accent? We have had enough of Daniel and his not British enough accent. Hmmm, wonder if there is an Australian guy?

I am having a hard time watching everyone hop on their bikes.  I really wish i was riding.  I know it is best that I am not but man is it hard to watch everyone pedal off.  Yesterday’s send off was amazing.  I decided to stay on the bus for the Polka dots first shift.  Keith ( our mighty medic) has the bus running like a well oil machine.  If you know anything about our bus you know I don’t mean that litterally.  I did get the chance to feel the wind in my face, not exactly like riding but i probably should have had a helmet on.  We opened up the door on the bus and with Keith holding tight to my belt I leaned out for some great shots of the riders.  The view from the bus is inspiring.  I am not just talking about Ed’s legs!  Once the Dots got off the bikes the blue team charged off into the night.  I hung back with Kelly and Janelle ( oh and daniel) and we grab dinner before we hit the road to catch the next transition.  We caught up and spent some quality time with the Blue agave while they stripped down on the side of the road in GA.  I learned to never leave a camera unattended with Heather and Jimmy and that when 3 of your 8 people are over 6 feet tall “mini”van is an appropriate name for your car.  After leaving the Blue Agave we rolled on for a couple of hours, put our trust in Daniel and arrived at the Holiday Inn in Dayton TN.  We pulled into find the Polka Dots roaming the halls.  Taylor was dancing but everyone else seemed ready for bed.  ahh to be 21!  Kelly, Janelle and I will hit the road again soon and catch up with the bus before noon.  

Hey Judy .. I have only lost  my phone 3 times so far.

So our rolling beach ball Garmin icon (thanks to Brian Hill for lending it to us!) has now meandered through South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and now into Tennessee. But oh, the back roads that got us here.

And oh, how we trust technology. The Garmin tells us to turn onto an unlined, unlit back country Tennessee road, and that is what we do. Janelle tells us “Welcome to Tennessee, Y,all!” Over and over again we obey the Garmin until we finally pop out (from the back way, of course) next to a Holiday Inn Express. Turns out, team Polka Dot has beat us there, and their Garmin took them down DIRT roads. At least we had pavement. Still the British Daniel is a wee bit too much for us, and we have muted him. Tomorrow we may trade him in for a new Garmin accent to guide us on our back country path.

Crashing for the night. Going to catch up with the noon transition and keep up with all the shifts tomorrow. Turns out it already feels like the most natural thing to do to be massaging sweaty, semi-undressed cyclists on the side of the road in the middle of the night while staring up at the sky.

One thing is sure, you can see the stars better out in the country. It’s a nice reminder to keep your head up.
-kelly

12:33 am. Still not quite to our hotel. My right hamstring is cramping.. ouch! 8 of us stuffed go a Toyota minivan… but I put it but go perspective. Sore and tired, but I am cancer free… when I suffer, and hurt, I remember why: to fight this awful disease. Renee and Dustin are living and fighting. So when I was climbing a particularly steep road earlier… I told myself to shut up and push the pain out. So, I rode over to Renee and helped her up the hill when she was having a tough time on that climb. That’s what it’s all about. Kicking cancer’s ass… ok.. hotel time.. thank goodness. Good night..

Team Blue Agave just completed our first shift, 3 hours ( 6 pm to 9 pm).  Meet Team Blue Agave:  Dustin Retherford, Beth Rusch, Renee McCurdy, Jimmy and Heather Brehm, and myself, John Siddens.  We travelled from west Seneca to about 10 miles west of Clayton, Georgia.  42 miles basically uphill.  Did I mention uphill? Ouch!  My laptop battery is almost gone…. more tomorrow….

Well, we got our first day on the bike out of the way. What an awesome day. Perfect sunny weather! We didn’t manage to make it the full way to where we where supposed to meet Team 2 to do our transition. But it worked out. Now we are on our way in the van to get close to our point to meet Team 5 @ 6am.  We get do do six hours of mountains tomorrow. Yeah! 
What a great group of people we have doing this ride.  I have a feeling that we are going to be a close nit group by the end of the week.  (well it’s not a feeling it’s a sure thing -with 9 people in a van how could you not)
On the ride we had a lot of traffic so we had to do quite a lot of stops to let traffic through. So many people were waving and cheering for us. We had a car full of ladies that thanked us for doing this. And I had some special lady give ma a nice hand gesture. Clearly, she was not supporting our cause.
When we got to our stop we loaded our bikes and changed out of the bike clothes and did a little baby wipe shower just to knock all the sweat off and not smell too bad. (my lovely wife gave me some ‘wash less’ body wash that just happens to be named that plus Incontinence Wash). Then we stopped at a Italian restaurant for some much needed FOOD! 
Looks like we aren’t going to get much sleep tonight. We’ll have to be up by 4 or before to meet the next group at 6.         

Brrrrr!

Team Beach Ball reporting from just outside Clayton, Georgia. Kelly is massaging Team Blue Agave (we are hoping for a tequila tip…) on the side of the road right outside Blackbearcreek Antiques. Hearing some ‘honk if you hate cancer’ going on as people drive by, which of course always helps with morale!

Probably going to try to fit in some sleep time here shortly. Then check back in bright and early!

It’s just after 8 pm and we’re in the van heading to some town in TN  to find a place to catch a little shut eye before we have to get back on the bike at 6 am.  Tomorrow will supposedly be our hardest leg with starting out in the dark and a log of strenuous climbing.

Today started with a very wonderful heartfelt sendoff by a large crowd of friends and family and a few speaches by hospital staff.. then we pedalled off with much fanfare.  The Polka Dot team had the first leg so we kept riding and did three fairly uneventfull hours.  We rode at an easy enough pace that we got to talk and get to know each other better and talk of our connections to this great cause.

Challenge of the day was getting the bikes on top of the van whick took a trip to lowes and some wd40 and some channel locks.

I got some great pictures and video which will be uploaded once I get onto a wi-fi connection.

The send off event was awesome. More than a hundred.spectators gathered to see us off. I was Bentley reminded about the importance of what I was doing more than once during the event.

The team is learning about each other learning each others story and connection to the cause. We are all here with open hearts. I know that for sure.

Wow!  October 17th got here a lot faster than I had anticipated! What an emotional send off – lots of laughs and lots of tears.  What a tremendous honor it is to ride for the Cancer Warriors and Survivors!  The body can do more than the mind thinks it can do…this statement will echo louder and louder the closer we get to our final destination…Austin, Texas.

We passed the Polka Dot Team en route to Clemson, SC.  Great job you guys!!!  We met up with The Yellow Team at Mellow Mushroom – great times and great laughs!

Now we are in the van, bellies full and heading to meet Team Blue Agave.  Team Conquistadors will ride from 9:00pm – 12:00 am.  Now the fun begins…sleep…what sleep!?!?!

“Beach Ball Team” checking in. Everybody else has a team name, so why not us, right? This is Kelly and Janelle, and we’re being guided by British Daniel on the Garmin. Our icon is apparently a Rolling Beach Ball. Who picks these?

Found a tractor supply for some much needed noise makers, cow bells! We want to be as loud and annoying when we greet the incoming riders during transitions

Transitioned in a Blood Connection parking lot in Seneca. Everyone is feeling good. The sun is dropping so it’s getting a little colder.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the big send off. At one point everyone gathered around said aloud the names of the people who had or have cancer, the people they’re taking this journey for. You are in our thoughts.

Georgia here we come!

At Christmas time last year a conversation started about C3P3 and how awsome it was to see all the riders leave and work as a team to Couquer Cancer. A question was asked why I didn’t do it? I replied “I don’t have a bike”….a simple answer couldn’t have changed my life anymore. Kim Shuey said “Then ride Scott’s I would love to see you and Scott would be happy to know his bike is being used.”

After months of training and fundraising for the Challenge…it’s fianally here! The day I get to honor Scott Shuey and ride his bike to Austin. A great honor at that I am riding a man’s bike who has changed my life in many ways. I have seen a very athletic man lose a battle to cancer and never ask why God or complain of pain and suffering. For that I am a better Husband, Father and friend to all. I only wish Scott could be here to ride along side me, but I know he will be riding along with me.

I would like to thank my wife and kids for supporting me along the way and to the Shuey family for supporting Team SCOTTSTRONG in everyway possible to get to this point today!

Well Austin here I come ready or not I am gonna get there and experience what Scott should have.

I have extra socks, warm clothes for the late nights, summer clothes for Austin and even my favorite comfy sweatpants for the long drives.  It seems like we are ready.  It seems like everything is in place but I know there are a few things missing.  I wish Kim was here to see this.  I wish BJ was reading these blogs.  I wish my grandpa knew his grandkids.  Cancer may have taken their bodies but I know there spirits are with us.  We’re packing the vans now… it is time to roll!!!!

Polka Dots van is ready, The food is in the van… and the kids are getting excited. I am not talkin about the kids at home…
I realized last night that it is finally here. I could not sleep. Almost like the first day of school. Hmmmm. Anxiety over the cold and the ride for sure. Did I forget to pack something…. Well we will see.

So the day has come and we will shortly embark on a journey to Austin Tx.  Surely, we will all be tested along the way ..  We will have obstacles and challenges to overcome.  “Why are we doing this”, you ask?  Simple answer:  Cancer sucks!  We are all committed to trying to do what we can to be part of the search for the cure.    We do this either because we have had (or still have) cancer, or because someone we love is struggling with this enemy.   As we ride to Austin, I just hope we can face and overcome the challenges with even a fraction of the grace and undaunted spirit that so many cancer survivers display as they continue to go about their daily routine with a smile even though they are in pain and doubt!

To those who helped me reach my goal to participate in this journey, and to all of those who are struggling with cancer but still can smile and persevere, I offer my deepest and most heartfelt thanks!  This ride is for you!

As I ready myself for my 3rd journey to Austin I am reminded of the first time we ventured on this ride.  We really had no clue or understanding of what would take place.  When we loaded the vans on that chilly Sunday morning in October, 2008, I was told I packed way too much!!!  Anyone who knows me is aware that I have no control over the power of packing overload!!!!  With only 6 people in the van we could handle all the extras!!!  Then, in 2009, we were graced with a 12 passenger van.  Sky’s the limit on clothing, etc!!!!  Now, with 8 people in our Toyota Sienna minivan, I knew I had to be frugal.  Thank goodness for Ron Jerina.  He has supplied the team with uniform luggage.  Now, I won’t be admonished for this somehow innocent problem I have!!!  Saturday has kept me very busy with the preparation of it all.  I am so excited for all the new team mates.  They have no real idea of how this ride will change their lives.  I do know, however, and that’s why I keep returning to this wonderful adventure.

I wish to thank each and everyone of you who has contributed financially, spiritually, physically and emotionally all these years to my bike ride.  Without your support I would not be riding.  I ride for your loved ones who have been affected by this violent disease. Please continue to keep all of us in your thought and prayers.

I am very sad that I can not join this team this year as I had planned but I am extremely grateful for this family. Last year my Dad, Barry, met Kim the support manager aka Team Manager and they have since fallen in love and are married as of Friday October 15th 2010.
This family has shown such great love to my father and I. I had cancer in 2003 and I went to Austin last year as a Warrior. I have been in remission for 7 years now and I just love this cause and this family! I know what it is like to fight that battle and for the family members to fight the battle too. Through this relay we can support the sure of this horrible disease and help families move past the BIG C!

Much love to all the riders and managers!

RideSTRONG!

Beth B

Austin brought us together!

It’s here! The P3C3 Ride to Austin begins tomorrow! Well, the actual RIDE begins tomorrow. The preparations have been going on for months. Our team has been riding A LOT. We have all been fundraising, which honestly was harder this year than last. We have been thinking about what to pack and how we’d get it all in one bag. Yesterday, seven of us went to Atlanta to pick up the team vans. When we returned to Greenville others joined us at the Sullivans Race Shop to prepare the vans for this incredible adventure. We had to add bike racks, decals, magnets, etc. Finally, the bus arrived with it’s new wrap which includes the P3C3 logo on one side. It looks AWESOME!!! We are going to make quite the impression driving the many roads between Greenville and Austin! Today, I have packed our bag and worked on making sure everything is squared away for our girls while the grandparents cover our roles for the next 8 days. The latter might be the hardest part of this whole trip!

So…24 hours from right now we will be gathered on the grassy hill in front of the Greenville Hospital System’s Cancer Center. The sendoff itself is an incredible sight. Last year, I was overcome by emotion as I turned our team van right onto Faris Road. To look and see all of the cyclists, then the support vehicles and the bus…it was truly overwhelming. We were quite a group. My uncontrollable sobbing totally took me by surprise. It was only the beginning of a very emotional week! Maybe I’ll be better prepared for that tomorrow.

As meaningful as last year’s trip was, this year’s might be even more so. The ugly beast that is cancer hit a little closer to home this year. In March, Cara, my dear friend (and as close as I have to a little sister) was diagnosed with breast cancer. I am so excited because Cara is one of our cancer warriors and will be joining us in Austin for the LiveSTRONG Challenge weekend. It will mean a lot to Tedd and me to have her there with us. Then, my best friend, Joy, lost her dad to cancer in early September after a long fight with sarcoma. Joy was very interested in our trip because she’s a great friend, but it took on a different meaning when her family became more closely involved this year. Jim had also been chosen as one of our cancer warriors for the 2010 trip. I have known many people who have fought cancer and lost the battle and many who have beaten it, so cancer is nothing new to me. The trip just means more this year because of these close ties.

Tomorrow is the big day. Team Yellow is ready to squeeze into the Sienna to cover a lot of miles over the next 4 1/2 days. We are as ready as we can be for the unknown. We are ready for cold rides, sleepless nights, unforeseen problems, a slap-happy team, tears, laughter and a whole lot of fun! Thanks to all of our family and friends who have supported us and continue to support us this week! We couldn’t do this without you! I hope you will all continue to keep up with us here on the blog!

Packed and repacked twice. Honed down stuff, but dang is my bag full… guess being,um.. large.. has its downfall! Helped outfit the vans yesterday.. just not sure how 8 people are gonna fit in a Toyota Sienna minivan.. wow… departure time now 26 hours… finally getting fired up…

As my 2009 team knows, I am not a fan of driving/riding on bridges.  This summer, while vacationing in Yellowstone, I was reminded that I am not a fan of being on curvy mountain roads without guardrails.  Can’t really explain why.  I do know it is getting worse as I …hmm…get older.  I can handle both situati

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

Cancer has a way of spreading fear that can fill the deepest parts of our souls.   How can one person stop this from happening?  I am realizing that it is a simple act of love.  This C3 family that I belong to has more love and shown more love to me that it has proven to be far more powerful than fear itself.

For weeks my husband, Scott, has been after me for the names of those I wanted placed on my arm-warmers and magnets this year.  I have avoided this task so many times until this week.  I finally admitted to him that with all the names it became overwhelming and I began to let fear sneak in.  The love of my family, my friends, and even a stranger has once again cleared my heart and I am more hopeful that all of the efforts this year will make HUGE differences in treatment and hopefully finding a cure to end Cancer one day very soon.

 I am honored and proud to carry the names that I have chosen for this trip this year.  I ride for my Dad… for Debbie… Janis… Grandma and Grandpa… John… LouAnne… Bobby… Rene… Curran…and so many more.  Our journey will be different than last year.  We will have highs and lows along the way, possibly get lost, and likely miss having breakfast before a shift in the middle of a tropical storm (it happened!) but one thing is certain…. We will have plenty of love and support.

Robin Blackburn

Wow, just days before we head out to Austin. I’m just now thinking of how to keep everyone posted, as we make this incredible journey.  Oh, and tell them all about the ride too!

It’s been amazing just how much this ride has changed my outlook on life and allowed me to see in the lives of so many others. Just today I asked Mike one of our security guards, if he would sign his wifes name on my arm warmer, because I would like to ride in memory of her. She lost the battle several weeks ago after finding out she had cancer just days before. His eyes watered as he wrote her name, and he just rubbed his finger over the name several times and thanked me. I could see the loss in his eyes, but also see the pride to have her, in name, make the journey with me and my team.

I think that we are all going on a journey, and as a group we will ride Strong to help others LiveStrong.

In just a few days we will all gather on the lawn in front of the hospital.  We will pack the vans, hug our families and smile for the cameras.  There will be about 50 of us heading out to Austin.  When we stand on that lawn we will still be 50 individuals.  Each with there own motivation and each with there own sense of purpose.  A miracle will happen right there in front of the hospital.  You will have look closely to notice it but trust me it will happen.  With one turn of the peddles those 50 individuals will become 1 team. 

There is a lot standing between that team and Austin.  We will cover 1600 miles, cross through 8 states and climb hundreds of feet.  We pass through Georgia’s high country and climb over the Appalachian Mountains.  We will see the foothills of the great Smokey Mts and cross the mighty Mississippi.  There will be detours we didn’t expect and road conditions we couldn’t prepare for.  I am willing to bet someone will get lost and at least one van will end up needing repair.  There will be tears and exhaustion and our patience will be tested.  We will bonk.  We will flat.  We will have our share of road rash.  I am counting on a couple sleepless nights and I am prepared to lots of fast food.  None of that will matter.  In fact it will seem like a walk in the park. Not because we are in such great shape or so well trained that this won’t be a challenge but because we ride as one team with one purpose.  We ride with the memories of friends and family lost too soon in our thoughts.  We see the vans pass covered in names and in stories that flatten the hills.  We know that when we get to Austin our Warriors will be waiting for us.  The ride isn’t the challenge.  The ride is the metaphor.  How hard will you fight?  How much is too much? Could you get there on your own?  Did you know how strong you really are?  At some point you will pull your team at others they will pull you.  Friends will become family and you will be a changed person once we reach Austin. 

And you thought we were going on a bike ride……

In a week and half, it will be year that I decided to participate in this incredible journey I am about to begin. The 2009 riders and support had just returned home and I was up late reading through the entire blog. I couldn’t stop reading or crying or smiling. I was fairly new to cycling and was in awe of what these people had accomplished. My awe also extended to their commitment to raising money for cancer research and advocacy. Cancer has touched my life through numerous family and friends and I was so grateful for their dedication. It was for several days after reading that blog that my life seemed all encompassed with cancer. I felt God leading me to participate. My first thought was “who was I kidding….I was so not ready for that much riding!”

A side note here: I’ve always found it difficult to just hand things over to God. I hear Him leading me through what I analogize as His throwing pebbles. As I continue to not listen, the pebbles grow to small stones and then to large rocks and boulders. Most times it is the mountain that finally gets my attention.

With this particular instance, God used machine gun fire of pebbles. Cancer was in every breath I took those next few days whether it was something on TV, an email from a friend, an article that landed in my lap, or phone calls from friends and family. No one knew I was considering this ride….no one but God. I made the decision to trust in Him and His infinite wisdom and make the commitment.

Well now it’s 5 days away! In 5 days, I will ride out from the Cancer Center with the most wonderful people that have ever come into my life to share in this experience. Training has been incredible. I am ready physically from the training schedule provided by Ron Jerina and Ted Garner and Jeni Schumacher. I am ready emotionally because of the new and wonderful and treasured friendships I have been blessed with from agreeing to be part of this P3C3 family. And they are family! Everyday I am reminded of this blessing by their show of support on and off the bike.

Emotions are running high these days. The 2010 C3 family has those who have battled and those still battling this disease. It is their incredible strength and that of my family/friends that I ride. May God keep us safe on this journey and provide continued strength and comfort to those who fight Cancer.

In 5 days I leave on the P3C3 Trip. I am nervous and excited all at the same time. For the 2010 C3 trip, I have volunteered to be what is now called a Team Manager. Team Managers are a required element of making this a successful event. The Team Manager is in charge of logistics, planning and organizing the cyclists so that each transition is smooth and the schedules are maintained. The Team Manager also assists the cyclists as they prepare to get on the bike and when they come off the bike. Although I won’t be riding my bike, I am part of the team all the same. The Team Manager position will be challenging and I like a challenge. Those who know me will agree that the position suits me well. All of the participants have trained for the journey and worked hard to meet their fundraising goals. The entire 2010 C3 team is passionate and excited about the trip, some of them knowing exactly what is in store because this is their second or third Austin adventure. For a handful, this is their 3 consecutive trip. For the those who are new to the adventure, well….it is going to be a great one.

This will be my second time on this journey. I was part of the inaugural C3 event in 2008. I have to admit, when Ron Jerina and Kevin Dunn (fearless P3 leaders) told me about this idea for a relay bike ride idea in 2007, I thought they were crazy and I was not immediately supportive. My predictable, pragmatic response to both of them was that P3 was already successful, why would we do that, and secondly how in the world would they convince 30 cyclists and 20 support people to do such a crazy thing? Obviously it was possible. In October 2008, I was part of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer team, departing from Greenville Hospital System’s Cancer Center. Along with 50 other people (Ron and Kevin included) I was headed west to Texas by way of a relay bike ride.

On October 17 2010, I am leaving from the Greenville Hospital System’s Cancer Center with 50 or so other people, heading west to Texas for the second time. Although I feel experienced and confident, I am hopeful for unexpected challenges and new learning experiences that an event like this will offer.
While participating in the inaugural 2008 event, we didn’t really know what to expect and we were all newbies, making our way one mile at a time. The experience was surreal and often it felt like we had our own reality TV show. There was one stretch on the trip we were up for 40 hours straight without sleep. Keep in mind, we can’t be missed as we enter towns and cities along the way. There is the bus, with a trailer in tow. And then there are the lights – flashing ones attached to the bus and the support car. And don’t forget the lights on the bikes. Front and rear.
Our circus-like entrance into towns, parking lots and hotels allowed us to meet new people and tell them our story and raise awareness. We had the honor of hearing their stories…everyone we met had a cancer story. Their sister, their cousin, their mother. The church congregation, the hotel attendants, the Waffle King workers, the servers and patrons at “Not your Momma’s Cafe” (not kidding) located in Nowhere, LA all had stories. As we explained our purpose and goal, we could see in their eyes a brightness that may not have been present in a while. A glow that appeared to light the way to hope in their heart. It was then that I realized what I was doing made a difference. The sleep deprivation, the crowded van used for traveling when the team was not on the bike, the lack of substantial food at times – none of this really bothered us. We all knew that what we were a part of something important, and it had nothing to do with a bike ride across 5 states.
It was on that trip that my faith in humanity (and possibly myself) was restored. It is easy to distrust and lose faith. On my 2008 journey, I learned that people are still good and whole and the world still runs on a solid foundation of kindness and compassion, and hope still works. I conceded that life deserved more credit and respect from me. The trip changed my perspective and taught me to appreciate my life’s challenges in a way I had not before. Everyone I knew on the trip in 2008 had the same reaction – it was a life altering experience. As I prepare to leave on my second Challenge to Conquer Cancer journey, I reflect back to 2008 and cherish the moments of inspiration and the clarity of my thoughts in those months following the trip. In our daily routines, filled with constant demands and unrelenting schedules, clarity turns murky, perspective is lost and hope runs low. It is time for more clarity and a brighter light in my heart. I am ready to go.

I am thankful to my supporters who believe in me and P3. I am thrilled to be a part of something that is honoring those who are and have battled cancer. My thanks and appreciation to Ron Jerina, his awesome wife Jennifer for their leadership and guidance to the C3 for the third straight year.

So I suppose I better get packing.  I leave New Hampshire in 60 hours.  This year’s journey is going to be different for me.  Last year I rode.  I didn’t ride fast and I didn’t ride as far but I was on my bike.  This year things are a bit different.  My body isn’t cooperating.  Guess I forgot for a while there that I am not completely in charge.  My right lung is and right now it is saying “no way”.  I am disappointed not to be riding but I am really excited for my new role.  I am leaving the bike but packing the cameras! If you thought the 1000+ photos of last years’s ride were a bit over kill… LOOK OUT!  Oh and I borrowed a wide angle lens just in case there is a full moon again.

As I am writing this, I am almost finished with my commitment of raising over $5,000 to go to ongoing cancer research & treatment programs of GHS University Medical Center, Cancer Association of Anderson & the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  Little did I know that even with several months, this would be such a challenge.  Yes, I do know that with the economy the way it is, that things are a little tighter for everyone.  I am however very close to my goal & I am so happy about HOW this came about.  When taking on the challenge to raise at least $5,000 for cancer research, one may think that, “so many people believe in this cause, that it should be easy”.   Well, I can assure you that the answer to this question is not as easy as it would seem.   As most of the participants do, I chose to write personal letters to family, friends & other contacts that I felt would be excited about what we were doing as a group & the donations would start to flow in.  Some did, but not as well as I expected.  As we had learned from friends who have accepted the challenge before, we started to plan some fund-raising events.  With the help of my wife, Amy we came up with some really good ideas & started to put them in motion.  As we went down the road of planning our Notable Night for the Challenge to Conquer Cancer we started realizing that this was a lot to plan; venue, food, musicians, silent auction items, invitations, promoting it and everything else that goes into event planning.  Well, after a few weeks of A LOT of stress, I am happy to report that it was a wonderful event that raised over $2,000 toward our cause.  That combined with personal donations, a benefit night @ Fuddrucker’s, Amy’s “Girlie Girl” LiveSTRONG jewelry, LiveSTRONG magnets, wristbands & heavy FaceBook promotion has gotten me within reach of my goal.  What I am trying to say, is that even though our primary fund-raiser netted almost half of my goal, is that it took ALL of the ideas or methods to achieve the goal.   This is often how things work out, whether it be someone’s treatment for cancer or trying to achieve something else.

I can tell you that next years planning will be much easier as I know to get an earlier start & that we have covered some of this ground before.  We have ideas on how to raise even more money by making little changes here & there like “make sure that you have good lighting for silent auction items” or make sure not to plan a benefit night at a burger place when one of the favorite local college football teams is playing an away game that is televised.  It all goes into the suggestion box for next year.

The wonderful part is that this year’s goal is all but met & will be taken care of before we leave.  I have several people to thank.  First, my wife Amy for all she has contributed to make this year’s challenge.  She has dealt with the training rides, morning or night.  Listened to me talk endlessly about how cool the ride & time in Austin are going to be & help me figure out some things about myself.  My parents, both my Mom & Amy’s parents who I think of as my Mom & Dad.  Without their help, our Notable Night fundraiser wouldn’t have gotten off of the ground as well as their talking about the cause with friends of theirs.  My P3C3 team.  I cannot think of a better group of people in this world that I am as honored to be a part of & I look forward to the journey with each of you to our destination.  You have taught me so much in the past year.  You have made me a better cyclist & more importantly a better person who is really giving back for one of the first times in his life.   You have made me laugh hysterically & cry, sometimes as I am laughing hysterically.  Finally, our Cancer Warriors.  You are the reason we are doing this.  You inspire us to DO SOMETHING!  We are riding a long way on bikes to bring awareness & raise money to find a cure & help those fighting cancer.  THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has been a part of my journey so far.  Whether you are my P3C3 team mate,a Cancer Warrior, Fuddruckers, someone who donated $1, $4 or $100, YOU have been an important part of this journey already for me.  I will not forget your contribution to this journey & more importantly the cause that we are supporting.  THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

Rob Bailey

I cannot believe it has been almost a year since we got off our bikes in Austin after completing another successful Challenge to Conquer Cancer.  Like last year I expect the ride this year to not only be physically challenging but mentally and emotionally challenging.   It is hard not to think about my dad or my grandfather or cousins or friends or people I don’t know but hear their story from others while I am riding in the middle of the night on a 6 hour ride.  I think about the struggles and fears they had while battling cancer and how they always stayed positive and gave it all they had to win the battle.  Sadly, not all battles are won and I only have great memories of the ones who lost and I will carry those memories with me on this ride and laugh some and cry some.  I will celebrate their lives, remember how they touched my life and thank them for making me a better person. 

It has been a great journey up to this point.  I am again surrounded by great people who are participating this year.  There are 30 riders and 15 support folks going.  This will be the largest group of the three years we have been doing this.  There have been new headaches with the larger group like how are we going to fit 8 adults in a Toyota Sienna minivan but we all will get through our discomforts and make this years ride another memorable one.  We have 6 of our 9 warriors meeting us in Austin for the weekend and I look forward to participating in the LiveStrong Challenge with them.  It is so uplifting and healing to be around 3000 other folks who are in Austin for the LiveStrong Challenge who all have the same general reason for being there – to win the battle against cancer.  

We are making a difference locally with the money we are all raising.  Come out to our send off at the Cancer Center on the Greenville Hospital System campus this Sunday (Oct.17) at 3:00 to find out more.  Thank you to all who have donated to a cause that is very important to me.  I hope you continue to follow us on the blog and support our efforts.

So, here I am again.  My second Challenge to Conquer Cancer ride…  why am I here?  Why would I spend my only vacation of 2010 riding a bicycle 2000 miles?  Well, just ask my mom.  Or my dad. Or Carmon Powell.  If you could.  They are just three of the people in my world who succumbed to cancer and its effects.  Many many more people are touched by cancer, and we need to fight it.. from research to prevent it, to cure it, to take care of each person who is fighting it, to take care of the family member who has to deal with a loved one with cancer, and to expand the awareness of just how crappy the cancer deal is.

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 just received this from my son-in-law,  a very gifted musician who plays with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC.  I will be riding for Ken.

“The bass I just bought was owned by Ken, former Assistant Principal Bassist of the ******* Symphony and one of my teachers. He fought melanoma for a year and a half before passing away in Feb. 2009.  Ken was 45.
He’s survived by his wife and his son, who is 6.

So all of you know I have dyslix figers and the spelling is not the greatest.  Oct 17th is getting close.  Will I be ready?  I think so.  for those that are new to this ride you are in for a thrill.  It endedIt ended up last year as not just another bike ride for me.  It can be emotional thinking about the ones we have lost and the ones that are battling cancer.  We are helping those fighting the disease and the ones in the future.  Without reseach there woul be no hope.  I have lost several family members to cancer as well as friends.  But I have met families that have lost children to the disease.  For that reason, the kids, I am dedicating my ride this year to Bryce Caison and a young lady to be named as soon as I talk to her parents.  She was 14 and died of leaukemia. 

One last note about the ride this year.  Some of you are thinking there might be a full moon on the Trace during the night rides.  Only time will tell.  Ride on C3 team  RIDE ON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

18 days left! I can’t believe all this training over the last several months is slowly coming to an end…at least for this ride to Austin anyways. There will be many other events, along with several more friends and people we meet along the way. But this is special to me. A “soon to be” epic event in my life. Take all the bike events and running events I have participated in and nothing would seemingly compare to what is about to take place beginning October 17th.

This Friday we have our final night training ride beginning at 9:00pm for about “75ish” miles. We are excited and we are ready to leave for Austin today.

We are strong and prepared. Will anyone disagree? I doubt it. LETS ROLL!!!!

Almost a year ago I lost a dear friend to cancer, Scott Shuey was a great friend, father, husband and athlete. A year later I have been fortunate enough to be asked by his wife Kim to ride his bike in his honor to Austin, a great honor at that.  I ride for Team SCOTTSTRONG a name derived from the strength Scott carried into the battle he fought and showed his determintion to beat this terrible disease. Thou he lost he battle he showed and taught me many things along the way. Foremost never give up and always love your loved one’s, that I do as I remember Scott on this ride. Thank you Kim, Lauren, Catherine and Mr. and Mrs Shuey, my great and supportive wife Adriana and daughters Sarah and Julia for making me ride and train when I had no time for them and to all those who have donated to the cause.

And to my Team SCOTTSTRONG Thank you for helping me carry this name to Austin. I look forward to the journey with each and everyone of you!

When I registered for the ride in March, 2010, I thought how far away it was.  Now with three weeks to go, and the wonderful support of family, friends and professional colleagues, I am ready to start packing.  One more night training ride, and then we are good to go — I hope.  Forty five people have donated to the cause, and I’m sure every one has a personal or very close-by relationship with cancer.  Some have told me their stories, some have not.  At this point, the training and other preparations seem easy, but the personal, emotional side remains an unknown.  Thanks again to everyone.

As we begin our final preparations and the last of our training rides, I am constantly thinking about family members and friends we ride for – those who are with us and for those who watch us from above. But there seems to be one person I seem to think a lot about lately. I never met him, but I did meet his mother on a training ride about 2 months ago. It was at a refill stop at a gas station where I first heard of the name Bobby Rutledge. It was one year ago to that day since his passing. I cannot help to think that we were suppose to stop there for a reason, that she was suppose to be working for a reason. She briefly told me about Bobby and how proud she was of what we were doing. Her first thoughts must have been that we were “normal” cyclists enjoying a Saturday ride. “Believe me”, I told her, “there is nothing normal about us”. We carry the memories and strength of everyone who has had to deal with or is dealing with cancer. I mentioned that a few of our riders and support were survivors. She again shared a few more things about Bobby. As I thanked her for my change, wrote his name down on a piece of paper (for my helmet), I began to walk away. She said “Bobby thanks you”.

Team Harper and Les Domestiques put on a great fundraiser tonight for myself, Danielle, and Donna. Thanks to all of our friends and family that came out to support us and donate toward the right against Cancer.

The P3C3 team is hustling to raise funds for the ride this year. Last year the trek from Greenville SC to Austin TX was a great success, and all of us on the homefront stayed glued to this blog from sunrise til sunset (and many hours in between) tracking their progress and reading their heartfelt stories during the trip. Do what you can to be a part – Donate Here, let them know you’re behind them by sending the team a message, and keep track of their progress on the Route page. The route for 2010 will be updated soon, so check back regularly. Thank you for your support, and GO P3 2010 Team!!!

The 2009 edition of the Challenge to Conquer Cancer is finished.  We completed our journey safely from Greenville, SC to Austin, Texas.  It was an incredible journey that I put into two separate parts.  One part was the riding, the other part was the opportunity for personal growth.

As a ride, what else can I say but we endured various challenging weather conditions while doing our best to cover as many miles as we could during our shifts.  I was quite confident the Polka Dot team could cover 100 miles every time we got on the bikes (for a 6 hour shift) and I was proven correct as we managed to complete back to back century rides  for our 2nd and 3rd six hour shifts (105.4 miles and 100.1 miles respectively).

Our first 6 hour shift challenged us with some difficult climbing and very cold weather.  While we did not cover 100 miles during this shift, we did manage to cover 75 miles under some very difficult riding conditions.  One of our team-mates was pulled from the ride at about mile 25 for borderline hypothermia.  Thankfully, she was fine once she was able to get her body temperature back under control.

Excitement ensued while riding along the Natchez Trace near Jackson Mississippi.  The Park Ranger pulled us over and asked “Do you have a permit?”.  Quite funny.  He delayed our ride for a few minutes, but ended by allowing us to continue without our support vehicles riding along with us.  The support vehicles leap-frogged to the next opportune vehicle pull-outs while we continued on the bike.  This was our 105 mile day.

The second part of this experience was an incredible personal growth opportunity.  It is thanks to the contributions of my supporters that I was able to participate in this event.  Thanks to all of you who contributed because this personal growth opportunity has provided me a different perspective on life and the challenges faced by people with this horrible disease we call cancer.

An additional yet somewhat unexpected benefit also came from this grand experience.  The fine group of people who participated with me have become very close friends.  I have not experienced this camaraderie since my Military days.  We shared an incredible sense of purpose that gave us true unity in spreading the message.

That message was not all negative either.  We heard many stories about and met many people who are survivors of this disease.  It was also a message of Hope.  Sally, our support driver, wore a pink cape for the entire journey.  On the back of her cape were the words “Hero for Hope”.

In some ways, we all became heroes for hope.  Not just those of us out on our bikes or those participating in a direct support role, but all of you too.  Those of you who contributed to this excellent cause should consider yourselves “Heroes for Hope” as well.

Thank you!

John Davidson
jd – Team Polka Dot

p.s.  You can view the photos I took through the following link:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=28674&id=1612725450&l=9e9ac2dacc

p.p.s.  If you did not have an opportunity to follow the C3 squad during the ride, you can read all of the squad blogs at www.ridetoaustin.com.  Remember they are posted in reverse chrono order (most recent posts first).  I’ve posted under the user name JohnD.

You can read my personal entries here:

http://windinmyhairbugsinmyteeth.blogspot.com/2009/08/jds-challenge-to-conquer-cancer.html

Another C3 ride has been completed and we all continue to reminisce over the cheers and tears that made the experience so memorable. No one has been more moved by the experience than the group’s oldest rider, me.
Last year, as a support driver, I made a personal commitment that at 70 years of age, I would do what had to be done to participate as a rider. With the help of my personal inspiration, Jeni Schumacher, a rider and cancer survivor, I committed to weight loss and a physical fitness program that included three spinner classes a week. It certainly paid off as I completed all assigned shifts of the C3 bicycle relay to Austin and the Livestrong Challenge.
It was an experience I will never forget. When asked why, at your age do you do this? I simply respond, “I can because there but for the grace of God go and I am inspired by our cancer survivor riders and warriors, who choose to LIVESTRONG.
On the ride, the most demanding time for me was riding on the Natchez Trace Parkway from midnight to 6AM. During this 6-hour period we rode in Tennessee, Alablama and Mississippi. Throughout the night, with each cycle of the crank I paid homage to those that I honored and memorialized. Unfortunately both lists continue to grow and some that were honored last year are now memorialized and new names have to be added to the honoree list.
I was emotionally moved when upon completion of this six-hour shift, at 6AM, virtually every member of the Pink team, who was releiving us, gave me their heartfelt congratulations and stated they felt I was an inspiration to each of them.
While I certainly appreciated their support, the real inspiration comes from those that have been afflicted by this dreaded disease. In particular I ride for fellow riders and support. who have become dear friends. Please excuse me if I omit someone but Laurens, Dustin, Jeni, Sally, Chasse, Renae, Keith, Kathy, Susan and Don, “This ride’s for you”. You have my love and respect and I pray that God blesses each of you with health and the resolve to perservere.
I also plan to LIVESTRONG and if God continues to grant me good health, be assured I will ride with you again next year.
Always remember “Yesterday is a cancelled check, Tomorrow is a promissory note. Today is Cash….spend it wisely.”

Joe  J.

“Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

Well, the reason for wearing the Pink SuperHero cape the whole week was because we ALL are Heroes for Hope as it says on the back…..but it took on many meanings during the trip!

As I read Dustin’s statement that he is not only a cancer survivor but a CANCER FIGHTER I could not stop crying……I just LOVE that! So we all are now cancer fighters since we took this journey to hopefully save people from this dreaded disease!!!! So I will look into getting EVERYONE capes for next year!

The cape got many comments during the LAF run and ride over the weekend! Many people asked me why I was wearing it which gave me time to tell them what the Challenge to Conquer Cancer was all about which was GREAT! Other people would run or ride by me (notice that I was getting passed ALOT!) and say…”Love the cape”, or “great cape”! On the ride I answered that with “I had hoped it would give me super hero powers but it wasn’t working that day!” But their fun comments spurned me on!

On Saturday I did the 5K…thinking I would walk/run it since I haven’t been able to train much in the last couple of months. But I hooked up with Kim and Chasse and they kept me going! I ended up hand in hand with Chasse, who I so love and admire, sprinting and laughing crossing the finish line! A very special moment for me!

On Sunday I decided to shoot for the 45 mile ride. The longest ride I have ever done was only 31….but the 10 and 20 mile seemed too short so I wanted to do the 45. Well….at the second sag stop, which came AFTER the turn off to the 20 miler, I realized that I bit off more than I could chew. My lungs were burning and huffing/puffing, my legs were already feeling like jelly……maybe trying 45 only 2 months after the hysterectomy was too ambitious. I was very upset and considered asking a sag van to carry me back to the 20 mile turn, or ahead to the sag stop closest to the finish so I could ride across the finish line (cheater!)……I really wanted to quit and I was about to cry and throw in the towel. Chasse and Jessica urged me to get food to feel better. Just then I got a text on my cell phone and looked down to read that a man, whose name was on an “In Honor Of” magnet on our van had died that morning. Another person lost to cancer. I really wanted to kick something, punch something….but instead I decided to get my butt back on the bike and finish the 45 miles even if it killed me. I’ve never met the man that died but I rode for Woody Koonce and so many others. I finished with the help of Annette (who had only ridden 20 something miles before this!) and the last 5 miles with Will Flanagan pulling me! But I finished.

I am home now, back with my husband Kevin, who let me go on this journey and who was my ROCK thru everything I’ve been thru in the past year….double mastectomy, reconstruction, chemo, total hysterectomy…etc etc. Cancer sucks and we have to continue to do all that we can to help each other and others get thru it.

To my polka dot team and the P3C3 TEAM, I send huge hugs, tears of admiration and love and hope…….and I hope that the vulnerability that so many of us discovered along the way stays open so that we all can help anyone heal, learn, love………thanks for such an inspiring trip!

Sally

As I slept for 12 hours on Monday to Tuesday morning I woke up only to think Nooooo I really have to get up? I never felt like that on the trip. (well, except the day of the run/walk ewwww) I don’t sleep much and when I do I sleep hard. During the trip yup i was tired but never to the point where I did not want to wake up. I wanted to push through every mile with my team mates. I have never been so driven and determined to GET ER DONE.

Now that I am home… I am in a state of shock. My body does not want to move the way I want it too. Nor does it want to sit on that saddle for a few days… well…maybe saturday.

People are asking me ” Did you have Fun?” “How was it?” My answer has not changed… Very humbling, life changing, and a challenge that I will do again. I cried everyday and laughed everyday. I hated some moments and cheerished others. I grew a lot on this journey. As a survivor, a mother, and wife. I can tell you I am changed for the good. I am so blessed to have friends and family that followed me on this journey.

Thank you for your comments, for following us on this journey. For your encouraging words. Was it fun? There were evenings that were fun after the ride but during the ride…. our team was focused, heartfelt, and determined to accomplish what we needed to as a team. For me, that was to have closure, for others it was understanding, encouraging, and mentoring others. Dawn and Sally – After God there are you two. Thanks for being the glue that held us together. Our team really did an awesome job being a family.

To family and friends, Bless you all for the prayers as they were all answered. Thank you for encouraging words from your heart. I will be doing this ride again next year. Hope that we all stay connected on this fight. God Bless you all.
Love, XxOo Jeni

For all the hours, weeks and months of training and riding,

Future families and friends are saved from suffering.

For every sprocket spin and gears a-clicken,

The months are extended for the stricken.

Miles ridden through sun, sleet and rain,

Goes towards numbing the pain.

Riding through the night as the pain is rushing through the body as you are completing your 6 hour shift,

This Pain is taken away from someone known or unknown and to them, it is a GIFT.

For all the sweat and blood shed during training each day,

May it fertilize the ground for new riders to take on the fight and to stay.

I ride as one of many small soldiers out to Fight for those who cannot,

So that one day the ride can stop.

And as this conquest will one day be complete,

Volunteers, riders and donors will WALK home victorious in Cancer’s defeat.

well, I’m at the airport waiting to board up and head home. Today was the day I needed. Jerry and I were destroying the pack (3,800 riders) when at the 7 mile point my foot came loose I went to unclip my pedal and the entire pedal fell off! I tried to fix it by banging it with a rock but who knew that wouldn’t help. I sent jerry on his way and I had a decision to make, hang it up or ride with one foot. I looked around and thought about where I was, I was with a group of people who raised 4 million dollars to help people like me. So I looked down and relized I was going 18 mph again. I can not describe how baddly this hurt and I was going to have to come up with an exit strategy. I pulled into the first sag stop just to have a mechanic tell me to hang it up for the day because it was too dangerous to ride with one leg. I told him I was going to find the next sag vehicle and ride in and of course i couldnt do it I kept pedaling. I got to the 20 mile exit and i was deep in thought about the year and I couldnt turn off there either, I was all in now and I was also sure that i was a retard. I got to the next sag stop and the mechanic had a flat pedal he could put on and i was very gratefull for anything. Well great news because that was worse than before because my clip from my shoe was slipping off of the pedal and 2 times i kicked my chain and it came off. So im at the side of the road in serious pain, covered in chain grease when a support vehicle pulled next to me and told me I probably needed to load up. I just could not see how i was going to cross the finish line in a van so I said no. I looked at the clock and realized I had to get moving. I was giving it what I thought was everything when a rider came up behind me and asked if I was the “one with a broken pedal” I told him yes and he said “I heard people talking about you earlier, you’ve got alot of heart.” That was all I needed. I rode in the last 10 miles harder than I have ever ridden. I turned the corner at the finish line and I heard my name over the loud speaker, I heard the annoncer tell them where i had come from and how I got there, I pulled into the survivor lane to be greeted by hundreds of cheering people and it hit me… this will be one of the best moments of my life.
Thank you to everone who supported me with words, gifts, golf tournaments(todd), and most importantly hope. I know we are winning this fight and I know next year we will all stand shoulder to shoulder and show how we have chosen to liveSTRONG.

Hi. It’s Lars, the Towel Boy again (inside joke) having returned to Greenville earlier today. Big Joe, Joey, Jeff and I shared 20 hours worth of driving duties in bringing the bus, bikes and LOTS of luggage back from Austin. I never realized I could contort my body into a 2-wide bus seat in so many ways, all in search of 15-minute cat naps. Anyway, it was a great opportunity to reflect on events of the past week with Jeff (a friend from our college days), Big Joe and Joey. I think we were all in agreement that it was an amazing week. It was very different from last years ride and, in many respects, even better. Sure, there were challenges but, when you bring 40+ people together with a common purpose, challenges become opportunities for good things to happen. Again for the second year, the support and encouragement from friends, family and “fans” back home meant all the world to the P3C3 team. And once we got to Austin on Thursday, the energy and focus and purpose of the nearly 4,000 people in town for the LiveSTRONG Challenge energized us even more to continue our fight. To all those who participated in the 2009 P3 Challenge To Conquer Cancer, thank you for for making the past 9 days so memorable. The battle with cancer will continue in 2010 and beyond and I’m sure P3C3 will be leading the charge from Greenville.

LiveSTRONG!

Dennis

I have not posted since our midnight to six shift and a lot has happened since that amazing night honoring and celebrating the lives of the names of friends and family we were riding for.

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

So, Nikki and I have been home since Saturday afternoon. Most of that time has been spent resting and trying to top the tanks off to re-enter the normal world. I can’t believe that the ride has come and gone, and now I’m watching Facebook and Twitter posts from everybody as they make their way back home. How quickly this experience has passed.

Everybody’s heard about Team Awesome’s crazy battle with Tropical Storm Rick, so I won’t belabor that, other than the fact that we have another nickname because of the effects of all the rain, wind and cold: Team Snot Rocket (goes with the green).

However, I made a promise that night before we set out on our shift. I want to thank Deputy Sheriff Daniel Wagner of Grimes County, TX for keeping us company at that lonely gas station before we met up with Team Polka Dot. He was a super nice guy and gave us some pointers on how to get through College Station in the dead of night. Thanks Deputy Wagner…

Anyway, I want to drop a quick note about what has been one of my biggest challenges on this ride: reverse culture shock. It’s a phenomenon I’ve experienced several times when returning from stints overseas to friends and family back home. It’s odd. You go on a journey, become changed by the experience, and you come back, and everything is just a touch “off.” It takes some time to reintegrate with people that didn’t share those experiences along with you and go through the same changes. It’s like they don’t understand.

In any case, I’m feeling it again, now that I’m back in the real world. There are no maps to check, transition points to scope out, kits to clean, or food to be shoveled down in anticipation of the next shift. What’s more, there are no more of the intense emotions of triumph, loss, fellowship, pain, joy, and friendship that I got hooked on while with you all. I talked with my father after we completed our last shift and he said to me “you know, I reckon you’re coming back from this a completely different person.”

Know what? My Pop is right. I’m different, and I’m glad for it, even if it makes me feel a little out of place for a while. I guess this is my weird way of saying that I miss everybody already, and I hope that you all get home safe and get some rest so that we can get out on the road (or dare I say the trail for those of you with mountain bikes) soon!

Safe travels, and God bless

BoZ

Big Joe, myself, Jeff and Dennis all arrived home this morning from driving the bus back from Austin. 20 hour’s straight but it worked out great with all of the extra drivers (it made life a lot easier than last year). I got in some sleep and took the wheel at 3am until about 6:15 when we all got out to have some breakfast at McD’s. Thank you all for helping us drive back the bus!

It is funny how this week went by so fast. I was thinking about it as the bus rumbled along at speeds just slightly above the speed limit. What a great week. This year was a totally different experience than 2008 for me personally. In 08, I rode on Team 1 and we had a little different mentality about the ride (we rode pretty hard). That said, team 1 was a fantastic group of people and we all got it (we all were there for the same reason). This year I rode with the Yellow team. It was similar in feel but the connection of the team was completely different. This year was a lot more personal. Having a person on the team who is currently doing treatment really took it to another level for me personally and I think the team felt the same way. I think it was made a little harder by the fact that I see the same thing at home on a weekly basis with Susan.  

So, now it is time to get back to work, back to reality, and back to the shop to unload the bus and the trailer. I must say that I am truly thankful for all for all of the riders, the support personal, the sponsors and the personal supporters that helped  put together this ride. The ride was safe, the riders all rode well and we all completed this year’s challenge. It was a fantastic week!  I am excited about the prospect of 2010!

JOEY

The midnight to 6 AM shift was challenging in numerous ways…the first of course being that midnight-6 am is meant for sleeping, and the second being that Tropical Storm Rick was threatening rain.  We’d driven through some of it, and Polka Dot had cycled through some of it, but we were under the impression that it had passed and was headed northeast…the opposite direction of where we were going.  Oh, were we wrong!!  About 3.5 hours into the ride, it started to rain…then it rained harder…then the wind picked up…then it got cold!  This was by far the most challenging leg of the trip, and by the time we reached our transition point, and the Yellow Team van drove up, I was in AWE of what we’d just done.  It was 5 AM CST.  I’d just ridden my bicycle 2 hours in a tropical storm, and WHY did I do this??  In memory of my father, and in honor of the many cancer warriors!  This journey is SO MUCH MORE than just a ride halfway across the US.  It’s a journey of healing for those whom have lost, and a sense of hope for those whom are fighting. 

So…6 AM EST, and I was sitting under a gas station awning in soaking wet clothes taking in the moment.  Dad would be SO proud.  And my journey, this Challenge to Conquer Cancer is quickly nearing a close.  My teammates were quickly changing into dry clothes, but I felt like I could go forever…I didn’t know that I really wanted it to end!  Sure, I hated being crammed in a KIA van with 6 other adults, but I loved the camaraderie, the people we’ve met along the way, the kindness of strangers, and the sense of purpose.  My purpose was to train, to raise awareness, to raise money, and to ride….all in the name of something that touches so many.  That is a beautiful thing, and I feel truly blessed to have been a part of this challenge.

God Bless all of my teammates.  I enjoyed the adventure!  LiveSTRONG!!

I did not expect todays ride to be this challening. the ride for Roses was today. I had originally signed up for the 90 but my legs left me at mile 4. My awesome team mates JD (my angel), Perry, and Ed pulled off with me at the 65 mile route. It was emtional. Why, because my body hurt so bad. My legs, my back, my bottom, my hands and my heart. I realized that This year was way more challenging then last. I think I finally accepted my father’s passing, I realized that when you don’t talk to your roomate as often as you like to, she is still your best friend for life. I never knew how much time she spends with people who battle this disease until we had quality girl talk the other night. I miss those talks….emotional.
Finishing the ride as God intended…Humbling me because the Polka Dotta team has been kickin some miles the this entire week and it was really hard for all of us. Finishing today with JD, angel, got the hug first for pulling me the ENTIRE way through the 65 miles of Wind. The kind of wind that whips you around like a flag. Perry got the second hug…. we were both crying at this point. He rode for his father. Watching him have closure was memorable. I rode for my father… accepting his death hurts. I also rode knowing that the uncertainty of my future is just around the corner. I am not looking forward to Dr. Slice and Dice appointment next month. I never do. But I realized today that I personally have accepted the “not knowing”. I am becoming less self-conscious of my scars and ready to accept what decisions are ahead of me.

Thank you P3C3 for the Challenge, the Emotions, the opportunity, the memories will last a life time.  Will I do this again….. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!!!

Well, we all headed out from the hotel at 5 this morning (no sleeping in late on this trip) to participate in the Livestrong Challenge Ride.  There were about 3500+ cyclists riding various routes from 10, 20, 45, and 65 or 90-mile courses on beautiful but windy day.  The coolest part was getting to ride with some of our support folks – way to rock out the 45 miles Jessica and Sally.  And just when I thought my crying was done, it started up again on the ride as I made sure to speak to every survivor I passed.