2008 Ride For Life: "The Answer"
So, here it FINALLY is: my 2008 Ride For Life post. It seems these days that I have so much going on that I barely have time to blog here anymore; however, I definitely wanted to get these thoughts on paper so that next year, as the time winds down and my butterflies wind up, I can look back on last year's achievement and smile.





On Friday the 12th, we headed over to the Hangar Theater to register for the ride. They gave us registration sheets with our currently raised totals, and buttons with a number 1-10 on them, signifying the number of rides we have done (I got a button with a 3 on it). Then, we watched an awesome safety video, Russ and Todd said a few words, and we were off to get our goodie bags and turn in any remaining funds. While there, I ended up finally meeting Mary, the lady who was completely wowed by movie. When I finished collecting my goods (including an awesome hat), I walked outside the theater to find a photographer waiting for me. He wanted to get my picture for the STAP newsletter, which I will be featured in apparently!!!! Mary was overwhelmed by my donating my entire economic stimulus check and wanted to write a story about it. Sweet!

The morning of the ride started out a typical Ride For Life morning: wet and sleepless. I had been cursing the weather forecast all week, seeing it change from 70 and sunny, to 65 and rainy to 80 and cloudy. Finally, forecasters settled on a unanimous decision: cloudy, muggy, 65-70, rain stopping around 4am with a chance of rain after 4pm. As most of you probably recall, rain can make or break a ride. Turns out we were REALLY lucky this year; the day after the ride? 90 degrees and windy. Monday? 60 degrees, wind and rain. Sounds VERY familiar if you ask me...

The night before was for preparations, including...


Putting sponsor ribbons on my bike...



Putting my number on my jersey...That's right, Douglas Adams fans, yuk it up. That is why I am calling this ride "The Answer." :)

After only getting maybe three hours of sleep, I got up at 5, got dressed, got undressed (changed my mind about what I was going to wear) and ate maybe four bites of breakfast (taking it with me into the car), we loaded the bikes and headed to Stewart Park. We got there around 6:15 and it was already a scene...we had to park pretty far away for once! We got our jersey tags taken off, got into position in the parking lot, and waited for the opening ceremonies.


People milling around the parking lot, pumping tires, eating gels and getting ready!


Just before the ceremonies, I turned around and looked at Cayuga Lake. There was a low, beautiful mist on the lake just as the sun started coming up.

The opening ceremony was short and sweet, as in previous years. The riderless bike passed through the crowd to symbolize those no longer with us, a few speakers spoke to us about how proud they are and how important the money is (NY State recently cut AIDS program funding...) and we were sent on our way at around 7:00am.

Leg 1: King Ferry
I completed the first leg in my best time ever: just over an hour. The first two huge hills happen within the first 10 miles, and the total leg is 17.6 miles. Having practiced these hills several times this summer, I had no problem whatsoever. At the rest stop, I used the bathroom, ate a bagel and a banana and was about to head out when I saw Jake pull up. He asked me for a hug because of what he had just seen, which is where I will pass on the bad news to you all: there was one tragic casualty during this year's ride. Jason Becraft, a fellow rider, passed away about 10 miles into the ride. He apparently fell off his bike due to a seizure or heart attack. He was immediately assisted by several cyclists, including two doctors, who tried to revive him. All of our hearts go out to Jason's family, especially his two small children. I will be attending his memorial ceremony on Friday, along with what I presume will be many others like me.

Union Springs (aka Onion Rings)
The trek from King Ferry to Union Springs is honestly a blur; It was only 13 miles from one point to the other without any major features other than Wells College. I reached Union Springs before 9:30am, ate a PB&J and a banana, and headed on out to Verdi Signs.

Verdi Signs
12 miles later, I was at Verdi Signs and starting to feel a little tired. I wasn't as tired, however, as the guy riding a fixie! For those of you who aren't cyclists, a fixie is a fixed gear bike. This dude was doing the ride on a fixed gear bike!!! I told him he was hard core and made my way to lunch. On the way, I passed through Montezuma where, yes, it did rain for the third year in a row on me. That's ok...it lasted a minute and I had plastic baggied my stuff! The view was absolutely stunning.

Seneca Falls
LUNCH! I made it to lunch at 11:30, 1.5 hours sooner than I did last year. Already I knew I was kicking butt time and speed wise. I had a sandwich and some chips; surprisingly, I wasn't all that hungry even though I should have been. Again, waited for Jake, then headed on to the leg I knew was going to be the most challenging.

Thee Amish Market
I really had to push myself hard for this particular leg; it wasn't all that challenging (one major hill), some annoying rolling hills, but mentally it took all my willpower to keep moving. Why? For some reason, this leg for me is my mountain; once I'm over it, I know I can finish the rest. Let me tell you, seeing that sign at Thee Amish Market made me INCREDIBLY happy. That, and changing my bike shorts and socks. Oh yes, pure heaven. I only wish I had done it sooner; the shorts I had been wearing have left me with an incredible rash/blisters/itchy mess on the back of my leg. If it doesn't start going away soon, I am going to see the doctor about it...

Bellwether Hard Cider
I knew once I got here, I was only a mere 15 miles from home. While the miles between Thee Amish Market and Bellwether were at times grueling, I mostly just sat back and took it slowly. Upon arrival into the winery, I met up with Jake once again just before I left.


Check out the hair. He should do it like that every day, don't you think?

Feeling completely energized, I departed on the final leg to Cass Park.

Cass Park, end of the ride
Emotions ran high as I rode into Taughannock State Park. I climbed the last hill, four miles out, almost bawled when I saw the "Ithaca 2 miles" sign, and literally flew into Cass Park. I am still not sure where the energy came from; whether I had been storing it or it came from another place, but the last four miles into the park were done at a 23 mph clip. A quarter mile from the finish line, I saw the volunteers start cheering for me. It never ceases to amaze me how strong an emotion that still caused in me. Bordering on tears, fist raised to the sky, I crossed the finish line, high-fived the ride coordinator, then picked up my awesome Ride For Life "medal."



All in all: 100 miles in 7 hours for 14.5mph average speed. This beats my first century's average speed by 1.6mph. Most, most excellent.

A massage, a cup of coffee, and 1.5 hours later, we were on the road to the victory ride through town. This year, there were more people out on the streets cheering. It never fails to give me a lift. It didn't compare, though, to the entering Stewart Park, all 400 of us, and watching everyone go wild: the ride coordinators, the volunteers, a few of my friends...just....awesome.

At dinner, the announcement about Jason was made, as were the fundraising totals. All in all, we raised $260,000 and counting! They called out the names of the highest fundraising teams, then the High Gear Club folks. Let me tell you, it was GREAT hearing my name and being able to stand proud. It was especially great to hear them say it right :-D. Dinner was had, dessert was had, and I went home sore, reflective, sobered but happy.


It's amazing how many incredible people I have met through the Southern Tier AIDS Program, people I now call friends. Am I doing the ride again next year? You bet.