Oh, I so don’t want to be here. I so don’t want to be in a frock sitting in a chair reading about icky, mean people. I want to be in cycling shorts and I want that ride to have never ended! I’m not sure how many times over the course of the months leading up to the ride that I heard it was “gruelling”, but it wasn’t at all.
I don't even know where to start. It doesn’t matter what or how I tell you, it will be a tacky dollar-store version of what the experience was really like.
Thanks (so many thanks) to all of my friends, Team Finn raised more than $516,000. In Patrick’s words:
A half million dollars. Half million dollars. Half million.
You, me, us, we. A half million dollars.
Unbelievable.
Thank you everyone ...
Below is an excerpt from a Facebook entry made by a gal pal. I include this because word is getting out about how determined Team Finn is:
Congratulations to all the Ride to Conquer Cancer riders this weekend on their journey to Seattle ...
[Team Finn] raised and exceeded [their] fund-raising goals ...
[Team Finn] raised and exceeded [their] fund-raising goals ...
Team Finn’s captains, Patrick Sullivan and Gavin Marshall – wow, both cherries on top of the sundae!
******
Due to that insidious neck pain I had to stop on day two at pit #2. It was my perfect day for cycling - rain! I was enjoying every single minute and was in no pain at all from day one - my legs were not sore; my butt was not sore; everything was almost perfect. I didn't have any feeling in two fingers on my left hand (and still don’t which makes typing this [and work] a bit awkward) but that was just an annoyance rather than anything else. Right after pit #1 I noticed the pain in my neck started again but since I had ridden 100k before with that pain I was just going to “conquer” it as there was only about 70K remaining. Then I noticed that every time I moved my head I started to get sparkles in my vision, and then it was just constant sparkles. At that point it was not safe for me to be on the bike. I got to pit #2 and a fellow Finnster was there waiting to catch a ride to the end because her knee had been irritating her. After much to-ing and fro-ing we decided to end it together. Trust me when I tell you how crushed I was. After those many kilometres, all that training, and that many hours on a bike, no one (at my level of bike riding) should have been feeling as good as I was!
******
Day one was incredible. So, so much fun. It was beautiful and sunny. The energy at the start and end was huge. Pink started to grow! It was like a snowball going downhill - just kept getting bigger. As we left the start all Team Finn gathered outside the gate and waited to head off together. Being in the mass I don't know what it looked like but I can imagine it was quite a sight.
I hadn't gone 100 yards and I saw them: Colleen and Audrey cheering their little hearts out with pink signs for Team Finn! And they just kept showing up! Every time I turned a corner they had beaten me to it (not difficult to do!). I can't tell you how many people that day came along side of me and asked me if I was the Terri with the fabulous cheerleaders. At one point they were on one side of the street and my friend Kim (from work) was on the other side.
After we got through the border the riders started to spread out a fair bit and, yes, I was toward the end and was by myself alot. Really, though, everyone is talking to each other (I’m not talking about the constant hum of "on your left". Yes, yes, I know I’m slow!). About noon I caught up with a Finnster who was having troubles so we kept each other company for quite a while. At that point we were at the bottom of Bellingham (yes, I stress that) and we had quite a climb to go.
Now, this is where folklore is created: Some say the hill was 4 or 4.5K and some say 4 or 4.5 miles. To err on the side of caution and not contribute to myth, I will say 4K. Mercy, but it was long.
It didn't help that Patrick and Gavin, and their merry speedster band of scalliwags were going so fast they created a head wind for the rest of us weekend warriors! They insist they had wind as well but we stand firm in our belief they created it!
At this point it's worth noting that if you are not part of the speed demons you get tofu chicken for lunch! Basically you get what the speedsters don't want. And, I just found out from one of my judges, if you’re a speedster you get waffles at the pit stops. Mmmm ... I don’t think some of us knew waffles even were an option! Ah well, it was all part of the fun.
It was a long day – more than 10 hours on the road for me. When I got to camp though my gal pal Janet was there with a big hug (her squeeze was riding), my little hero Sarah was there with a big hug and fellow Finnster Spencer. There is nothing better than hugs from very special people.
I could just go on forever about how perfect the weekend was but it would take more time than you actually want to spend reading.
Patrick had sent an email on Friday advising that as many Finnsters as they could gather at 3:30 on Sunday would ride the final bit in together and cross the finish line as a group. I couldn't finish the last part of the ride but I did wait for them just before the finish line and crossed with the team. Again, there are no words for that moment.
And there was Sarah - beautiful Sarah. I got another hug! Below is a picture of Sarah, Doreen and I. I’m just going to pretend that Doreen and I are her favourites!
It didn't help that Patrick and Gavin, and their merry speedster band of scalliwags were going so fast they created a head wind for the rest of us weekend warriors! They insist they had wind as well but we stand firm in our belief they created it!
At this point it's worth noting that if you are not part of the speed demons you get tofu chicken for lunch! Basically you get what the speedsters don't want. And, I just found out from one of my judges, if you’re a speedster you get waffles at the pit stops. Mmmm ... I don’t think some of us knew waffles even were an option! Ah well, it was all part of the fun.
It was a long day – more than 10 hours on the road for me. When I got to camp though my gal pal Janet was there with a big hug (her squeeze was riding), my little hero Sarah was there with a big hug and fellow Finnster Spencer. There is nothing better than hugs from very special people.
I could just go on forever about how perfect the weekend was but it would take more time than you actually want to spend reading.
Patrick had sent an email on Friday advising that as many Finnsters as they could gather at 3:30 on Sunday would ride the final bit in together and cross the finish line as a group. I couldn't finish the last part of the ride but I did wait for them just before the finish line and crossed with the team. Again, there are no words for that moment.
And there was Sarah - beautiful Sarah. I got another hug! Below is a picture of Sarah, Doreen and I. I’m just going to pretend that Doreen and I are her favourites!
Doreen suffered yet another fall and chin split!
Will I do it again? Without hestiation - YES, YES, YES. Not just for the fun and camradarie but why I did it in the first place. I'll do it for everyone I know that has had to watch someone they love be taken from them. I’ll do it for those that have survived. I’ll do it for Sam and Patrick who lost their little son. I'll do it for Baird who lost a twin brother, a very part of who he is. I'll do it for Sarah, a big sister whose grace and generous spirit are an example for everyone. But mostly I'll do it for a little boy who never got a chance to ask for anything in life and now all he asks, through Patrick and Sam, is that we do it for the next one. We do it so maybe one day there won't be any more that get taken from us. And really, who can say no to a little boy?
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