Day 10, January 14, 2002
JEFF'S
UPDATE
Wow another wild day. 175 miles/281 kms is the longest by far I have ever ridden in one day; especially with a little over 6,800 feet of climbing, and a head & crosswind to boot!
Today was special for me not only because of the cycling achievement but also because of the mental thoughts I had throughout the day. As the winds constantly blew in my ears, rather than get upset like I normally would, I pretended I was on my last vacation with my family as the wind from the ocean blew on shore. Incredible the impact your mind and the images it creates can have on your ability to achieve something.
I also had a great conversation with my wife Diane last night about the word "inspiration". I thought a lot about that; about the people that inspire me, and how I hope we are helping and inspiring others around the cause we are riding for. A powerful word when you think about it.
Our dedication today was for two people who did not survive their battle with cancer; we thought about this today as we looked over the vast Texas landscape. Jeff Bertrand past away several years ago shy of 40 years old leaving behind a wife, and three young daughters. He was an inspiration to a good friend of mine Valerie Martineau. Carol Hogg, a loving grandmother passed away after a 2 year battle with breast cancer in June 2001. She is missed deeply by her family and friends.
Tomorrow and the next day we are going to increase our mileage to allow us more time in Austin on the 17th and morning of the 18th. It looks like we have a lot of media that are now getting interested as we reach the halfway mark. We hope this builds momentum for our cause.
Keep the comments coming; they give us lots of energy.
Goodnight and my love to Brooklyn, Skylar and Diane. Jeff
KEVIN'S UPDATE
I am so proud of our team today! We all knew today could have been a make or break day for staying on schedule. That 175 mile/281 km number on the schedule was haunting all of us in the back of our minds, especially after 9 days of hard riding through the mountains. And this distance was the longest [by far] that Jeff or I have ever ridden in one day.
In short we were on our bikes around 8 am and off them at 6:30 pm [dusk to sunset, 10 hours in the saddle with only 30 minutes break all day] Our support team was the reason for our success. Jenn kept us fueled with amazing food & drink, also keeping our legs limber with her professional massages. Kenn kept us safe from the huge transport trucks passing by us, and Chrissy documented everything.
Cancer is out there and we are riding our hearts out to try in some small to help beat it! This is why I am so proud of our support team!
Everyday is challenging as I am sure all of you know who are battling cancer. As we battle through the day we think about all the people we are riding for. It gives us a sense of accomplishment and appreciation for the people we know we have it much worse than us who are battling cancer each and everyday. This knowledge will help us do another day, and another day until we complete our ride.
Tomorrow is another day, in which I am grateful to be alive to battle again! Thinking daily of my friends at Gears, Spinning, all the gears racers. Love you Rose, Jonathan and Andrew. Kevin.