This summer I, like thousands of other cyclists across the globe, embarked on a bicycle ride to raise money for a non-profit. In my case, I was riding in RATPOD (Ride Around the Pioneers in One Day) a fundraiser for Camp-Mak-A-Dream, a summer camp for kids and adults fighting cancer. I was not alone in this endeavor as two of my Adventure Cycling colleagues, Alex Campbell and Jim Sayer (with his 14 year old daughter) also participated.
To finish was thrilling, to say the least. The tour around the Pioneer mountains in southwest Montana is 130 miles with two mountain passes and numerous BIG climbs; not to mention we were blasted with 30-50 mile an hour headwinds the last 60+ miles of the ride. I threw another challenge at myself by choosing to ride my cyclocross bike instead of my road bike (don't ask).
I did the ride at the urging of my girlfriend Becky, pictured on the far left. Becky, Martha (center), and I play women's hockey together in the winter months. In the dark, cold month of February, RATPOD seemed far away and so late one night we committed in the parking lot while we loaded our bags into our rigs to go home.
As spring approached, the pressing matter of training kept us in constant contact - trying to meet on this day or that day for a ride, our busy schedules meant we rarely had the opportunity to all be together. Then there was the pressing matter of finding Martha a new bike (her 20 year old roadie just wasn't going to cut it).
On the final weekend before the event, we carved out an afternoon together and had one of the most glorious rides on a road near Missoula with little vehicle traffic, fresh pavement, an abundance of wildlife (including a family of skunks), a big climb to test our legs, and lots of glorious summer sunshine. It set us up for success at RATPOD despite the howling wind and hot temperatures.
I would be remiss to not admit that the final 10 miles of the ride were brutal and I fell into a nasty, whiney slump. While I am not proud of that, I am indeed grateful to these two wonderful women who pulled me back on their wheel and helped me limp to the clanging cowbells at the finish. At the end, we hugged, shed a couple tears and celebrated our accomplishment with a beer -- together.
Bonding with companions, whether touring or participating in an event is just one of the many endearing qualities of bicycling. One I now know personally and won't soon forget.
Photo by Ginny Sullivan
CONNECTIONS is posted by Ginny Sullivan, Adventure Cycling's special projects director and features the cultural, historical, geographical, and human connections created through bike travel. Find out about our award-winning Underground Railroad Bicycle Route.
Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/07/bonding-on-bike-ride.html
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