Day 22, January 26, 2002
JEFF'S
UPDATE
Well a truly terrific day with a truly terrific team. Let's see; no food poisoning, 4-6 riders helping break the wind all day, my family here to cheer me on, and awesome flat roads led to a great 133 miles; the first 100 of which we did in under 5 hours into a headwind! Great teamwork! We are definitely on the home stretch with just two days to go!
Today was a special dedication to two very special people. Colleen Montgomery is a good friend of my friend Anne Brayley. Colleen is a breast cancer survivor and has a very powerful story of how cancer has impacted her. Equally powerful is the story from Jeremy Gordy who was a 4-year-old boy when he first got cancer. Today he is a 12 year old boy; his personal account of how cancer impacted him is a very powerful story. Luckily he has battled this terrible disease and survived. A special thanks to our family friend Nancy Happl for putting me in touch with Jeremy's story.
We are set up to do about 100 miles tomorrow and cruise into St. Augustine on Monday with a small 40 mile day and a special event planned in St. Augustine. For anyone in the area we would love to have you join us!!
I'm so excited about the Coast to Coast ride we are about to complete and the mission of cancer support that we have just begun.
Jeff
KEVIN'S UPDATE
Today was incredible, our last big mileage day. I thought of everyone we have ridden for over the last 22 days. I feel that if we have touched one person's life through this event, then it was successful.
Life can be so wonderful if we all just appreciate every moment, breathe and appreciae that we are alive. We are surrounded by amazing people and we need each other to have the strength to get together every day.
After this event we are hosting the Gears 24-hour spin. Please log on to Gears Racing to find out more. 100% of everything we raise goes directly to the charities. Together we will make a difference and hopefully live in a world were there is a cure for cancer.
Kevin Wallace
JAMIE'S UPDATE
That's it, I'm done-finito. My tank is empty. Today I rode as hard as my tired legs would let me since we were only planning on doing 110 miles. I should have known something was up when Jeff bought us treats and ice cream at mile 100 and sure enough as I finished the last bit of ice cream I was told we had another 40 or so miles to go. Fortunately we were followed with an extra support vehicle today that was playing some pretty good tunes to keep us pushing, that was awesome. It is amazing what you can do with a little inspiration aka Led Zepplin!
Today I also achieved my personal goal which was to ride more than Hamish did so now I will be faster than him !
Once again I want to thank Kevin and Jeff for providing me with the opportunity ride with them on the C2C and to the entire support crew for all the fun and help you gave!
Jamie
FREDDY'S UPDATE
It was a tougher day than anticipated. My body was ready to shut down after our sub-five hour century, then my mind took over and it was a great finish. It even ended with a sprint finish between Jamie and I, with me taking the stage. Kudos to the support team today, they were awesome, Alison in the RV, Jennifer in the car with Chrissy, driving beside us, with music playing, keeping us safe from traffic.
It's getting late and all I can think about now is a good nights rest before tomorrows ride. Lots of hugs to my children, Natalie, Marissa and Stefan.
Freddy
IAN'S UPDATE
Greetings all. Well, my first day on the bike was certainly a learning experience. These guys are monsters. I managed to hang in for 80 miles(130 km) before finally cashing it in, with another 50 miles to go. The strength of body and mind that Jeff, Kevin, Jamie, Freddy and Eric showed was an inspiration. It really is a privilege to be riding with these guys. And way to go eric. He pulled off his single biggest day ever. It was tough to do what I did today, but knowing what the rest of these guys have gone through, and thinking about what the people who have been affected by cancer deal with on a day to day basis made me dig deeper than I normally would have. I'm tired but I feel great and am looking forward to another day on the bike. It should be a slightly shorter day tomorrow, about 100 miles which I am hoping to complete. And the weather is supposed to be good, keep praying for a tail wind everyone.
Before I hit the sack, I just want to say hi to everyone back at gears and all my friends in spinning. Keep up the good work. I'll be back soon. To those of you who miss me, know that I miss you too.(you know who you are). And most of all, I send my love to my wife who is no doubt having a wonderful weekend without me. See you Wednesday. I love you.
ian