Where has the year gone?
Really. Someone tell me.
I can look at my Christmas card where I marked off all the cities I went
to in the past 365 days. Or I can try to
explain the soul-searching trans-formative journey I’ve been on (how much time
do you have?) Or I can try to describe
all the ways my job has changed in the past year (get ready for a nap!). These things all have vague beginnings and ends, but
nothing truly coincides with a year, other than the changing on the seasons and
crossing off days on a calendar… which I didn’t do, so it’s no wonder I feel
this way!
What I do know is that it’s that time of year again…oh, the
suspense!... this is a time when cyclists are trying to toughen up the skin
padding their sit bones, tune up their bikes to the key of Bicycle by Queen,
air out their dank camping gear from the summer before, and, most importantly,
fundraise, fundraise, fundraise for a great cause! Bike the US for MS raises funds not only for
research, but also to improve the lives of those living with Multiple Sclerosis
(MS) through service projects, clinic donations, and even material donations
(such as a modified mini-van to help getting around town a little bit easier).
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| Making sure I know how to set up my tent... and now I have a guest room. :) |
I had the honor to ride a week with the 2014 TransAmerica
group one year ago. It changed my life
in so many ways. Personally, this cause
helps to feed my insatiable hunger to aide my fellow man, but also builds my
confidence as a road cyclist. Commuting
every day to work via bike in traffic used to really scare me, but now I ride my
bike like it’s my trusty Mustang horse.
She knows me and I know her. Yes,
I believe all bikes are probably female.
I couldn’t say how they reproduce, though…. *Ahem* Anyway, in addition
to the physical and mental strength the Bike the US for MS charity ride gave me
last year, it also built lasting relationships among other cyclists, but more
importantly, it introduced me to a whole new community of wonderful people
living with MS. It’s a disease that’s
more common and debilitating than you might think. Though I had met very few people with MS
prior to this experience, my connections to others and this community deepened
profoundly. Connections that I hope to never lose.
The ride I am participating in this year will be the
Northern Tier route, which runs from Bar Harbor, Maine (yes, pronounced Bah
Hah-Bah) to Seattle, Washington over the course of 69 days. I can only take the time to participate in
the first leg of the trip that goes from the start to Middlebury, Vermont,
through the very hilly White Mountains of New Hampshire. After last year’s steamy trek up Afton
Mountain in Virginia, I feel that I can take any mountain. I just need to keep doing my long rides and I’ll
make it through, surely with some dirt in my teeth and perhaps wrestle a few
bears along the way.
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| Ready to ride! |
Seriously, though,
I couldn’t be more excited to meet new people and see new places, all while
riding for a great cause. As much as I am thankful that your funds allowed me to
participate in the charity event last year, I am even more grateful that you
chose to support complete strangers who are in need. It’s a constant reminder to me to live every
day in gratitude and to never take the blessing of good health for
granted. I am humbled and honored to
ride for those living with Multiple Sclerosis.
If you would like to support those who benefit from Bike the US for MS,
please visit my cyclist page: http://biketheusforms.org/cyclists/detail.asp?cid=727
Check back soon for updates as I get ready for the
trip! Orientation in on May 27 and I
begin riding on May 28th.
Yeehaw!
